Add your suggestions, and help social distancing in Flitwick, Ampthill, Maulden, and Westoning
We all want to do the right thing. We all want to walk and cycle around Flitwick, Ampthill, Maulden, and Westoning and keep 2 metres away from other people. But in some places, the paths and footways are so narrow that this is hard to do without walking in the road. Not something we want to do as traffic starts to increase again!
The Government has also announced £250 million in emergency funding for walking and cycling projects that help with social distancing, with projects to be completed in the next few weeks. It is right that Central Bedfordshire Council gets some of that money for Flitwick, Ampthill, Maulden, and Westoning so we can all walk and cycle around our towns safely.
Using this map, I want to map where the problem areas are, and share it with Central Bedfordshire Council as helpful suggestions for areas that need improving, so something can be done. We want to help them out.
The Government has also announced £250 million in emergency funding for walking and cycling projects that help with social distancing, with projects to be completed in the next few weeks. It is right that Central Bedfordshire Council gets some of that money for Flitwick, Ampthill, Maulden, and Westoning so we can all walk and cycle around our towns safely.
Using this map, I want to map where the problem areas are, and share it with Central Bedfordshire Council as helpful suggestions for areas that need improving, so something can be done. We want to help them out.
Below is a map showing all of the locations suggested by you so far. To add your suggestion, complete this short form, and I will update the map when I review the suggestions (twice a day).
You can also see the up to date list of suggestions in this spreadsheet.
You can also see the up to date list of suggestions in this spreadsheet.
What can be done quickly?
Quite a lot, actually. Here are some examples of temporary changes to the street that could be done, and done within just a couple of weeks. If you want lots more detail on what could be done, this guide is really useful.
Temporary Pavement Widening
This uses cones, barriers, or lines to extend the pavement in busy areas where the pavement isn't very wide. This can also be used where people trying to use shops have to queue on the street, and so people can pass them by.
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School Street
This is where the street outside of schools is given over to parents and kids trying to get to school, while maintaining their distance. The road is closed to traffic for a short period of time, so parents and children can maintain their distance from others by walking in the road. Perfect for when the schools go back.
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Temporary Road Closure
This is where streets can be closed temporarily for a period of up to 21 days, with the closure shown by bollards, traffic cones, or even planters. The street is closed to traffic, and can be used by people walking, cycling, and even playing in the street!
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Temporary One Way Street
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Temporary Speed Limits
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Planters on the street
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If there isn't much room to expand the pavement without removing a traffic lane, making the road one way temporarily can help traffic to flow better. It can also reduce the amount of traffic on a street temporarily by removing two-way traffic.
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If speeding traffic is a problem, you can always reduce the speed limit temporarily. This works best where other things slow traffic down, like temporary traffic calming. It also needs to be enforced.
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This is a bit nice to have. But if you want to close a road temporarily, you can make it look nice by using planters instead of cones. A few nice flowers taken care of, or a bit of greenery always go down well.
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Why are you doing this?
It's simple really. I'm a concerned local resident in Flitwick, who wants everyone to be safe using the streets of where I live. I have walked my dog around the towns during the lockdown, and have seen people trying to walk around without having to walk in the road. Now that traffic is getting worse again, I don't want people to have to walk in traffic. I am doing this entirely voluntarily and in my own time. If I can do something to help with that, I will.
What happens next?
Once we have collected together the suggestions, I will send them to Central Bedfordshire Council and the Town and Parish Councils, to highlight that action needs to be taken. There is no further requirement on you, but if you want to help put pressure on them to do something, it would be great to hear from you. Please email me and we can discuss.