Uncork those Bottles
The article that most grabbed my attention in today’s NCE magazine was by David Hirst, titled Reprioritising Infrastructure. He starts “Covid-19 has changed how, where and when people are travelling. Public transport is out; cycling, scooting and walking are in. But post-lockdown, the car is still king. Only the bravest cyclists are prepared to take on Britain’s rush-hour traffic.”
When the first lockdown hit, I used the time to write my novel. When I got stuck I went for a long walk, and more often than not the ideas and dialogue came to me. The walking was a huge pleasure, because there was practically nothing on the roads. The current lockdown is very different.
On Tuesday I went for a walk to Calne and back. There is a cycleway / path that follows the abandoned railway between Chippenham and Calne, but this time I found a path I hadn’t noticed before as I neared Chippenham, on the return journey, and decided to follow it. It brought me to the B4069, which I have driven hundreds of times. I was pleased to find there was a footpath on one side of the road so I set off home along this path. I was glad for the path because a constant stream of tipper lorries were thundering past me, to and from the housing development of Birds Marsh View. As I reached St. Peter’s Church I was horrified to find that the footpath disappeared just as the road approached a bend where the carriageway narrowed. I explored the churchyard and cemetery to see if there was any way to circumnavigate this pinch point, but I could find none. I went back to the road and took another look at the bend ahead. I was tired and reluctant to walk back the way I had come. As two tipper lorries passed each other in the gap, I knew that I could very possibly be joining those in the cemetery, if I did not turn back, so I did.
David Hirst’s article says that “43% of the residents of York would like to increase the number of journey’s they make by bike, but 58% said that danger from traffic was a serious disincentive.” That is such a shame. When I walk I feel the fat burning away. Walking and cycling are so much better for us and the environment. Can’t we find a way round those bottlenecks?
