letter to the Gazette, 29/3/10
Sep. 27th, 2017 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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colchesterfoeThe Gazette, Postbag.
Time for Colchester council to Get Serious about transport to fight climate change
Dear Editor,
So. We had a whole week to respond to a 'questionnaire' on the costly Park & Ride after the county council put a little display in the library. £3.4million to be wasted on a greenfield site on the other side of the polluting A12 - a mere three miles from the town centre through some of the most congested roads in Colchester!!
From 650 car spaces to a future 'potential' 1000 would be encouraged to drive further to reach it and provided with a posh bus to take them past all the real bus and rail users for a couple of pounds each. Bear in mind that the road from Mersea alone has 14,000 vehicle movements per day, which puts the Park & Ride spaces into perspective.
It will discourage car users from using their local buses into Colchester town centre and the faster rail services from Chelmsford, Ipswich and the towns and villages in Tendring. It will cost all council taxpayers - including carfree sustainable transport users - to pay for the Park & Ride privilege instead of improving public transport.
It is time for councils to stop pandering to the users of these polluting personal metal boxes and move into the 21st century. It is no longer possible or wise for everyone to go everywhere any time they want to in their cars. The UK is breaking its transport emissions limits, the A12 and town centres are suffering bad air quality.
The UK is legally bound to reduce its climate change gases by 34% within ten years, which must include drastic cuts in traffic. But experts are warning the Government the cuts must be greater. Friends of the Earth is calling on Colchester council to Get Serious about Climate Change and commit to 40% reduction by 2020.
Yours sincerely,
Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester & North East Essex FoE,
4 Shears Crescent,
West Mersea, Essex, CO5 8AR
Time for Colchester council to Get Serious about transport to fight climate change
Dear Editor,
So. We had a whole week to respond to a 'questionnaire' on the costly Park & Ride after the county council put a little display in the library. £3.4million to be wasted on a greenfield site on the other side of the polluting A12 - a mere three miles from the town centre through some of the most congested roads in Colchester!!
From 650 car spaces to a future 'potential' 1000 would be encouraged to drive further to reach it and provided with a posh bus to take them past all the real bus and rail users for a couple of pounds each. Bear in mind that the road from Mersea alone has 14,000 vehicle movements per day, which puts the Park & Ride spaces into perspective.
It will discourage car users from using their local buses into Colchester town centre and the faster rail services from Chelmsford, Ipswich and the towns and villages in Tendring. It will cost all council taxpayers - including carfree sustainable transport users - to pay for the Park & Ride privilege instead of improving public transport.
It is time for councils to stop pandering to the users of these polluting personal metal boxes and move into the 21st century. It is no longer possible or wise for everyone to go everywhere any time they want to in their cars. The UK is breaking its transport emissions limits, the A12 and town centres are suffering bad air quality.
The UK is legally bound to reduce its climate change gases by 34% within ten years, which must include drastic cuts in traffic. But experts are warning the Government the cuts must be greater. Friends of the Earth is calling on Colchester council to Get Serious about Climate Change and commit to 40% reduction by 2020.
Yours sincerely,
Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester & North East Essex FoE,
4 Shears Crescent,
West Mersea, Essex, CO5 8AR
