Letter: ‘Council couldn’t quote any public comments over transport plan’
Last week’s paper (27th Sep) carried an article about public input being invited on the 10-year ‘Local Transport Plan 4’.
Previous invitations for public input have included the ‘proposed’ wheelie bin introduction and the changes to the A326 Marchwood bypass.
I made the effort to attend one of the public meetings about the A326 changes in order to understand the new contraflow bus lane at Hounsdown so that the journey time might be reduced by a couple of minutes at the expense of all other drivers on that road section at the time as the traffic backs up.
The explanation offered by the council team there was so weak that no-one seemed to buy in to it, but the council pursued the changes in the face of such opposition and presumably felt that a ‘public consultation’ had been held, that particular box had been ticked and the plan could go ahead as originally proposed.
The wheelie bin plan is also forging ahead in spite of opposition expressed by the public, and I think that anyone offering any negativity towards the transport plans will also be ignored as the die has already been cast.
No public input to the ‘consultation’ could be quoted by the council at a later date as tacit agreement in a ‘heads I win, tails you lose’ scenario.
From the ‘LTP4’ document available online, LTP4 proposes transformational changes which:
• Shift away from planning for vehicles, towards planning for people and places
• Meet national priorities to decarbonise the transport system
• Reduce reliance on private car travel
• Gives people a choice of high-quality travel options
• Support sustainable economic development and regeneration; and promote active lifestyles
Irrespective of views held by the public, this plan will go ahead but I’m a firm believer of the principle of ‘do as I do’, not ‘do as I say’ and feel it will be more palatable if the councillors are seen to be changing to a more sustainable carbon neutral form of transport along with their voters instead of using private vehicles which enjoy a guaranteed parking space in one of the council owned carparks that surround all council buildings.
Derek Eddlestone
Dibden Purlieu