29/04/2023
BFARe comments on the mayor's statement about how well the council has tackled environment and climate change issues:-
- Improving your own Council building is not "tackling climate change" for the Borough. It is a mere drop in the pond of our environmental issues if you improve your own council building. It is hardly a claim of success and shows your poor achievements for your constituents.
- We suffer worse Nitrogen Dioxide levels than any other town the size of Bedford. Air quality has only become worse during. your time in office. You have only recently installed proper air quality monitoring on Ampthill Road, and even then, it is not working properly.
- Bedford suffers HORRIFIC traffic congestion and needs a spatial plan for transport. We need proper cycle lanes and bus services operating professionally and efficiently. You've done nothing about this but made the high street one lane causing EVEN MORE idling traffic through the town whilst there are no shoppers walking down the wide pavements.
- You have planted trees that are now 95% dead. You have done nothing to clean up the mess left behind.
- You petitioned for and are now backing East West Railway route E despite the fact that it will destroy Bedford Borough homes and businesses.
- EWR even admit they performed no relative carbon efficiency calculations at route selection stage. They cannot categorically state which of the routes has the lowest carbon impact.
- You petitioned for Route E that is longer, more circuitous and hillier than other routes – all these construction issues have a negative bearing on carbon efficiency.
- Originally the EWR objective was to drive increased passenger connectivity. It has now changed to driving OX-Cam Arc development. More housing for Bedford with no extra infrastructure.
- Route E will create construction blight for Bedford Borough residents including: homes destroyed, road closures, unimaginable traffic congestion, bridge construction, businesses cut off from their clients and closure of vital rights of way including footpaths and bridleways.
