I wrote to my MP today
My Member of Parliament is Max Wilkinson, a Liberal Democrat elected for Cheltenham on the 4th of July 2024. This is the first time I have written any communication to an MP. OK, to be fair, it’s not a letter but an email:
Dear Max Wilkinson,
May I first take this opportunity to congratulate you on your successful election. I look forward to attending surgeries in the future. Thank you also for raising the struggles people are facing in the constituency as part of your maiden speech.
I’d like for you to speak up in Parliament, should the opportunity arise, in order to urge a reversal the cuts to active travel, i.e. walking and cycling, made on the 6th of February 2023 by the Sunak government. Active Travel Fund 4 was a direct cut to capital funding, against which Cycling UK wrote a letter, urging a reversal to the loss of money for schemes not just in England, but across the UK.
A little closer to home, I’ve moved to the area recently, and can’t afford the costs of a car. In order to get to work, or go to the swimming pool and supermarket, I’ve enjoyed using the Honeybourne line as a low-stress way of getting around. However, the first half of my journey is harder to navigate, as there is no easy way to get to that path without sharing with cars (which are getting ever larger and deadlier).
Cars and people don’t mix. I’d like to see segregated, two way cycle provision between where the Honeybourne line ends at Royal Well Lane to join up with the intersection of Bath Road and Vernon Place, connecting with the cycle path at Sandford Park.
The provision of a cross-town, safe facility will connect more destinations, reduce car traffic as more people choose to use it (therefore making drivers’ times shorter), and reduce the risk of collisions. Built to standards such as London’s Cycling Design Standards helps ensure good quality and encourage use.
I applaud the council’s work so far to provision segregated cycling along the A435 past Pittville Park.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
With respect, oliverobscure
I shall post when his office responds.