Christine Headley

“Tackling Peak Oil and Climate Change, together”

Yesterday evening I attended a Transition Town meeting in Stroud. I’ve not been aware of particular Liberal Democrat interest in the Transition Town initiative, but it is definitely something we should be involved in.

The idea originated with Rob Hopkins; there is more information at <http://transitionculture.org> - yes, no ‘www.’ needed, apparently - and has been taken up by communities all over the country. The structure has been described as ‘chaordic’- a portmanteau word combining ‘chaos’ and ‘order’ originally coined to define the way VISA cards are run. Sounds like community politics!

Yesterday they discussed the local structure, concerned that it was seen locally as exclusively a Green Party initiative,  and agreed that it needed to be visibly accessible to all political and religious viewpoints. Looking at the main website - http://www.transitiontowns.org - I can see that there is potential for a great deal of LibDem involvement.

Mention of Transition Towns on The Archers has raised the profile, though I was surprised at the emphasis on bikes. I believe Borsetshire is a lot less hilly than this part of Gloucestershire! However, there is enthusiasm for cycling within Transition Stroud.

This idea is catching on and we Liberal Democrats need to be seen to be involved.

Another thing about the road I live on is that it would be ideal for a Quiet Lane. However, Gloucestershire County Council are set against the formalities of Quiet Lanes, as they reckon the costs of consultation, etc aren’t balanced by the good done by the road’s new status.

It would be interesting to know if anyone has positive experience of Quiet Lanes, or whether it’s one of those government initiatives that sounds good but has been loaded with so much bureaucracy that it is better left alone.

Our lane is seriously ancient, having evolved to join the homes built along the spring line, when the valley was undrained marsh.

This stretch of road is theoretically 40mph (I’m surprised that people who take this at face value don’t come to a sticky end on one of the bends) and there’s another marked with ‘national speed limit’ signs. However, this having been pointed out to the County, they have agreed to rationalise the situation and take away the silliest signs, probably limiting the whole length to 30 mph.

The street-lighting situation also seems perverse. There are two within a few yards of this house and about another six outside the present 30mph area. They all seemed like a waste of electricity to me so, when the County initially suggested turning off some street lights from midnight until 5am, I consulted about turning the lot off. The response was mixed and I eventually left well alone, as the County wasn’t going to turn them off under the new regime.

For a change, I’m making a difference to my parish ward, rather than my district ward. (Put together they constitute the whole parish of Rodborough, but my parish ward is actually represented by different district and county councillors.)

Some time ago, we noticed two metal legs - the sort that keep road names up - just along the lane; we had already noticed a whole road sign just beyond our house, with ‘Montserrat’ spelt wrong. So recently I asked the parish to get the missing one put back and the misspelt one corrected. The District cavilled somewhat at a new sign, until I pointed out that the uprights were ready and waiting (though in fact they are rather bent). I have now explained where to look for it and hope to see the new signs without too much delay.

This should make it a lot easier for visitors to our house and our neighbours, as finding Montserrat has been rather hit or miss up till now, with people under- or over-shooting, or occasionally ringing up from outside our door to say, ‘I’m lost!’