Tory leaflet fails to recognise others role in A46

I have to say I was a little miffed by Neil Carmichael again claiming credit for traffic calming measures in Whiteshill - this time in his fancy newspaper delivered to all homes in the area - as far as I know he only attended one meeting there and didn't even talk to the Parish Council - and the local County Councillor has not been seen once by Parish councillors at any meeting. Anyhow I wrote (see below) to Neil, the County councillor and the Cabinet member Stan Waddington - the latter was at least in regular contact with the village and worked hard to help put in place measures.

It is a pity that you have not recognised in this leaflet the work others have done to tackle traffic in Whiteshill - I had at least three onsite meetings with Highways and local councillors regarding this matter. Various others including David Drew and staff at the school also put in time. The Parish Council led the local campaign and even held an open morning to look at traffic issues.

The County did indeed respond well with emergency measures to the serious challenge the A46 closure created but I was deeply disappointed that more was not done to promote alternatives to the car at that time. This would have been a perfect opportunity to get people out of their cars permanently and reduce congestion. I made a number of suggestions re advertising the car share scheme on the route, better bus time tabling, reduced fares and more. None of this translated into action. I also wrote several times to First Great Western who eventually responded positively by producing reduced peak fare rail tickets - but all too late.

I would welcome news that if such a road closure occurs again, alternatives to the car will be looked seriously at as a matter of priority. I also hope that we can count on your support for further important traffic calming measures in the village? The situation has clearly improved with the reopening of the A46 but serious traffic problems still persist. Already a number of measures have been proposed and there is particular support for 20 mph - the speed that not only saves lives but also leads to an increase in cycling and walking.

As I've been quoted saying before, we want our village back and an end to it being a transport corridor.

All the best - Philip