Dear all
Please find below a note from Audrey Hodgkinson. Please note the date of the Joint Transport Committee meeting (this Thursday).

Worth an email to the secretary of the committee with copies to councillors as appropriate:-
Sonja Booth (s.booth@chester.gov.uk) Tel: 01244 402447 is Secretary to the Highways and Transportation Local Joint Committee, Chester City Council, The Forum, Chester CH1 2HS. Given the time limitations, this might be the best point of contact. But also copy to one or more of the City Councillors on the LJC:-

Chester Councillors who on the Transport Local  Joint Committee are:-
David Hughes (S)   d.hughes@chestercc.gov.uk  Tel.346952
Janet Black              j.black@chester.gov.uk Tel. 328956
Neil Ritchie (S)        n.ritchie@chester.gov.uk Tel. 01829 250223
Jeanne Storrar      j.storrar@chester.gov.uk Tel. 880226
Jill Houlbrook         j.houlbrook@chester.gov.uk Tel. 383345
Jeffrey Clarke       mj.clarke@chester.gov.uk Tel 349110
David Mead (S)    d.mead@chester.gov.uk Tel. 342808
Andrew Garman   a.garman@chester.gov.uk 01829 751557
Jean Evans             jean.evans@chester.gov.uk Tel. 377200

Also worth copying anything sent to your local councillor, a full list of whom (including the area represented) can be found at:-
http://www.chester.gov.uk/main.asp?page=197

Perhaps to locally based County Councillors too. a list is at:-
http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/Council/PIN/Councillors/CouncillorByDivision.htm
They do not seem to have a list by committee interest, but I think that Colin Bain has involvement in the envonmental aspects if not directly in transport.

Some points from which you might like to extract your arguments:-

"No doubt you will think of other reasons to put forward for this project to receive the funding it deserves.The criteria the project has been judged so far include:

Does it overcome a real barrier?

Has it the potential to so change the "map" of the area that public will wake up and realise that walking and cycling is simply the most obvious, and for this area, the best way of travelling?

Could it give people pride in their new place?

Does it fit into wider project for a package of varying measures showing how barriers of every kind can be overcome?

Barriers

At present the barriers of Ring road and motorway traffic prevents safe walking and cycling access to the Cheshire countryside and also means cars are used by those living in Guilden Sutton and Mickle Trafford to used to school, workplace, and the city centre shops even though many would wish to use a safe traffic free pathway. Another barrier could be overcome as many residents do not have access to a car -walking and cycling or using a disability scooter /chair along a traffic free route gives these people a new lease of life.

Pride

There are daily litter clearing and activities such as tree and bulb plantings too, there are already volunteers willing to join if their area becomes part of the green corridor pathway. We are not fortunate enough to have accessible wide open spaces such as i.e.meadows, woods and rivers maybe this is why our Greenway is felt so precious to so many people from far and wide. A measure of this pride in our Greenway path is that litter has decreased markedly over the years even though there are few litter bins available. Since, this route opened in celebration by County & City Councils and Sustrans there has been no major funding allocated for this Greenway extension , which is also an important green wildlife corridor. There is considerable interest in the Greenway and the usage figures are impressive. It has community backing since there are many volunteers willing to give their valuable time and money to help maintain the pathway including the, as yet, un-surfaced path towards Mickle Trafford which had suffered from major fly tipping (at Mannings Lane) cleared with the help of Friends of Chester Greenway (Greenway volunteer group) in the hope of obtaining the extension.

The ability to change the "map" of the area

Congestion and pollution. The narrow city roads of Chester means brings congestion and pollution as well as other safety hazards for both cyclists and pedestrians - this could be overcome with extended traffic free routes. Everyone saw the gridlock on our roads on the first day of the Grosvenor Road bridge closure. It magically disappeared once people realised they could actually walk or cycle, or use public transport instead of using their car. Our area is suffering heavy and dangerous traffic barriers the Ring Road (A41) and Motorway traffic forcing people to use their car to access the Cheshire countryside or access the City and local schools. The need to discourage car use and encourage walking and cycling has never been so important. "


Nic
ps Roy - Would be useful if the secretary received a submission from the Welsh end describing how useful it would be to enable you to access the wider Cheshire countryside?