I write listening to the beautiful voice of Oliver Darley (his album “Mindin’ My Business” on Spotify) and am excited for his return to the Banqueting Hall in Knebworth House on Sunday 20th December with “Simply at Christmas – favourites from The Great American Songbook”. If you were able to catch Oliver last Christmas, when he and accompanist Chad Lelong performed “Simply Sinatra”, you will know what a treat we have in store. Do join us if you are free that afternoon or evening – tickets sold out last year early, so do head to our website.
Oliver’s voice is the perfect soothing antidote to today’s task – reading Hertfordshire’s Local Transport Plan draft consultation, which asks for comment before Monday 9th November. LTP5, as it is called, is a crucial document for Knebworth Village, as it dictates how County Highways will respond to our congestion issues and our road infrastructure deficit over the next couple of decades. The news is not good, I’m afraid, as – reflecting its current position and current policy, LTP4 – roads will continue to be seen as the devil’s work. The new plan is full of fine aspirations for improving the safety of cycling and walking, and other healthy initiatives we can all support – but contains absolutely nothing to improve the lot of those of us in this rural community whose responsibilities and busy lives rely on the freedom to use a car.
There is zero in Hertfordshire’s Transport Policy for the next two decades for improving, replacing or, heaven forbid, creating roads. Highways solution to congestion is ‘intervention’, making it harder to use cars, reducing vehicular access and parking, until Knebworth becomes its vision of a single-crossroads, cycling & walking utopia. If, like me, you feel that this does not adequately reflect the real-world needs of most residents in this rural Parish, please do Google “online consultation LTP Hertfordshire” and tell them so before 9th November. To make it easy there is a response document called “Easy-read version of Local Transport Plan and survey” which, after a few very easy questions (do you want cheaper buses?) gives you a box to answer “What is the most important thing that would make transport better for you?”… Whatever your answer, do mention Knebworth. I shall be putting on some soothing Oliver Darley before I fill out that box.
Henry Lytton Cobbold
@HenryCobboldKH
@HenryCobbold
