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For those who haven't seen this, extract from the notes for the most recent Highways Partnership meeting are attached.As Dave has highlighted below, there is a disturbing emphasis on the A505 "Corridor study", or in plain speak a bypass. Building a bypass would do nothing for Hitchin. The traffic counts in the 1998 Hitchin Transport Plan showed traffic to be overwhelmingly local, so a bypass will do nothing to reduce traffic in town. On the contrary it is likely to generate more traffic as traffic levels have been constrained for many years by the finite road space available. The Baldock bypass generated increases of 20-30% in the first year after opening on virtually all roads, including some of those it was intended to relieve.
Unfortunately Highway Engineers love to build bypasses. They are big, take a long time to design and build, use up all of the transport funding in one neat parcel, and are easy - none of this trying to accommodate conflicting demands in a confined space. With a bypass you can ignore vulnerable road users and bulldoze any obstructions out of the way.
As far as I know there is very little interest in Hitchin for a bypass but clearly there are influential people pushing for it. This needs to be countered. Please take a little time to write to your MP and councillors and emphasise that you want your council tax spent on improving conditions for walking and cycling in town, you do not want it squandered on a Luton expressway.
Those views were made clear in consultations and surveys for the 1998 Hitchin Transport Plan, councillors and MPs need reminding.
How to contact your councillors and MP:
MP for Hitchin is Peter Lilley feedback@...
To find your district and county councillors go to http://www.hertsdirect.org/actweb/postcode/postcode.cfm (you can find this shortcut in our "links" page anytime at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Cycle_Hitchin/links/ ). If you are still not sure, contact me and I will try to find out for you.
Regards
Alasdair Massie
CTC North Herts
Want to know more about cycle campaigning in Hitchin and North Herts, or about our programme of rides and socials ? Visit our website at www.northhertsctc.org.uk and join our web group at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Cycle_Hitchin/
-----Original Message-----
From: David Borner [mailto:dborner@...]
Sent: 14 July 2008 23:31
To: SUSAN DYE; Clarke Family; Alasdair Massie
Cc: dan gomm; Giles Woodruff; chris honey; bill; Robin Harwood; Gill Langley; Austin Smith; Jonathan Roberts
Subject: HUTP timing and scope
From: David Borner [mailto:dborner@...]
Sent: 14 July 2008 23:31
To: SUSAN DYE; Clarke Family; Alasdair Massie
Cc: dan gomm; Giles Woodruff; chris honey; bill; Robin Harwood; Gill Langley; Austin Smith; Jonathan Roberts
Subject: HUTP timing and scope
Virtually everything we know about the HUTP process is contained in the attached report from the "Strategy Development Manager" (Roxanne Glaud) at Hertfordshire Highways. It has been presented to the Joint Member Panel (JMP) which oversees Hertfordshire Highways in North Herts. and to the Hitchin Committee.
The process is supposed to take 15 months from April this year i.e. through to July 2009. The flowchart in the Appendix shows the activities, but without timings, which have not yet been agreed.
The only activity known to have been completed is selection of councillors for the Member Working Group (Allison Ashley, Clare Body and Joan Kirby from NHDC; Derrick Ashley, Richard Thake and David Billing from HCC). If they are on schedule then the consultant should be selected about now.
There was some dissent about the process at the Hitchin Committee meeting where chairman/woman/person stressed that the Hitchin Committe would have its say as it thought fit, regardless of Hertfordshire Highways' flowchart skills.
There is a lot of emphasis on Growth Area funding and an A505 corridor study (code for Hitchin bypass study); little on cycling, walking, buses, traffic-calming or other fringe interests.
It is worth reading the exact words about public consultation, which give an insight into the bureaucratic mind.
Regards
Dave
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____________________
The process is supposed to take 15 months from April this year i.e. through to July 2009. The flowchart in the Appendix shows the activities, but without timings, which have not yet been agreed.
The only activity known to have been completed is selection of councillors for the Member Working Group (Allison Ashley, Clare Body and Joan Kirby from NHDC; Derrick Ashley, Richard Thake and David Billing from HCC). If they are on schedule then the consultant should be selected about now.
There was some dissent about the process at the Hitchin Committee meeting where chairman/woman/person stressed that the Hitchin Committe would have its say as it thought fit, regardless of Hertfordshire Highways' flowchart skills.
There is a lot of emphasis on Growth Area funding and an A505 corridor study (code for Hitchin bypass study); little on cycling, walking, buses, traffic-calming or other fringe interests.
It is worth reading the exact words about public consultation, which give an insight into the bureaucratic mind.
Regards
Dave
.
.
.
.
.
____________________
----- Original Message ----
From: SUSAN DYE <suedye@...>
To: Clarke Family <snoopy02@...>; David Borner <dborner@...>; Alasdair Massie <A.Massie@...>
Cc: dan gomm <dangomm@...>; Giles Woodruff <giles@...>; chris honey <chrishoney_design@...>; bill <bowker.bill@...>; Robin Harwood <robin.c.harwood@...>
Sent: Thursday, 3 July, 2008 12:29:59 PM
Subject: Hitchin Urban Transport Plan - campaign planning meeting Weds 16 July 7.30pm 18 Verulam Road
From: SUSAN DYE <suedye@...>
To: Clarke Family <snoopy02@...>; David Borner <dborner@...>; Alasdair Massie <A.Massie@...>
Cc: dan gomm <dangomm@...>; Giles Woodruff <giles@...>; chris honey <chrishoney_design@...>; bill <bowker.bill@...>; Robin Harwood <robin.c.harwood@...>
Sent: Thursday, 3 July, 2008 12:29:59 PM
Subject: Hitchin Urban Transport Plan - campaign planning meeting Weds 16 July 7.30pm 18 Verulam Road
Thanks Ellie
I propose then that we meet on 16 July 7.30pm at Bill's studio - 18 Verulam Road.
Access via the entrance to the right of the house (looks like a garage). Cycles can be tucked in the side access out of sight or in garden if nec.
Dan from N HErts FOE is a skillful campaigner - and can make this date
Chris Honey Hitchin Forum chrishoney_design@...
Giles from NH GP can also attend and would be non-partisan ... very logical thinker and brings a network with him. giles@...
Dave - I agree we should invite the people you mention as well. Can you issue the invite to them please?
The studio can take 10 people easily round a board room table.
Draft Agenda
1. what top 5 things do we want in the HUTP (media friendly, snappy)
2. how can we pull on all our contacts to participate calling for 1?
3. how can we best persuade the key cllrs?
4. media strategy
5. Timeline for action
David, please can you possibly circulate a pre-briefing for everyone with anything we know about timeline, objectives and scope of the HUTP process?
Meeting outcome will be a campaign plan which other Hitchin groups can add to and join in with.
Draft vision - could be picked out of other documents, but might be 'a plan for transport improvements in Hitchin which reduces carbon emissions, reduces traffic levels and the cost of travel for local journets by increasing walking, cycling, public transport and quality of life.'
I attach a selection of documents
a) draft report on transport for quality of life in the Hitchin Triangle
b) draft chapter for the Draft Triangle Design Statement
Both very local to the area round the station but potentially applicable more widely.
c) Transport2020 the Hitchin Visioning document from Robin Harwood's group.
Also see N H Green Party Manifesto - at http://northherts.greenparty.org.uk/news/35
Regards
Susan
01462 422814
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