Call to ban traffic in Cheshire towns

Yes, you read that correctly.

Cheshire East’s cycling and walking champion (no, I didn’t know we had one either) is calling on the council to support towns and villages who want to host car-free days – and according to Counc Suzie Akers Smith we’re all gagging for cars to be banished.

Cllr Akers Smith (Ind) has put forward a motion to this evening’s meeting of the full council – requesting a communications plan be developed, explaining how residents and communities in towns and villages can host a car-free day.

I’m guessing Counc Akers Smith doesn’t possess a car and maybe doesn’t agree with them – and the idea that most of us are entirely dependent upon our cars probably never entered her head.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (who/what?) that groups and residents in some towns had already expressed an interest.

And just what groups and what residents?

Has anyone mentioned this to you?

Again, I’m guessing, all those in favour probably don’t possess cars.

Counc Akers Smith said “We don’t have anything like that in Cheshire East and I know Knutsford wants car-free days, Crewe wants them, Alsager wants a car-free environment for a period of time so they can enjoy their town centre, Audlem said it when I went to their festival last year,” said the Congleton councillor.

Really? Audlem said it?

Do we have speaking towns now – or was that the residents queuing up to express their condemnation of motor vehicles?

Counc Akers Smith continued: “I know Macctastic in Macclesfield, they’ve been desperate for a car-free day.”

Hold your horses, if Macctastic are desperate then it must be done.

When asked whether it was practical as people had to get to work, Cllr Akers-Smith said: “The intention of a car-free day is to encourage people to think of a different way of travelling and also it’s about closing off the town centre to vehicles, so you can use your car to get to work but don’t use your car to get to the town centre, either walk or cycle or get a bus if you can.

“Then the town centre is used for businesses to spill out on to the streets with tables, chairs etc and it gives more space for people who use mobility aids to get around.

“Rather than squeezing people off the pavement, they can actually go in the road and there’s a space for kids to come down on their scooter or roller skates. You’ve got an empty space and can just enjoy it without fear of being run over by a car.”

She added: “You can’t get rid of cars, we’re not trying to do that.

“It probably does need to be on a weekend and trial it certainly one day a month to start off with to see how people like it, whether the businesses can make money out of it and to encourage an area that’s safe for people to be.

And there you have it, it starts off as the mere suggestion of a trial day, which rapidly becomes a weekend, then, before you know it they’re discussing one day a month.

Pretty soon it will all be over for all the cars and their drivers – after all, who needs them?

Furthermore, Counc Akers Smith added: “I’m hoping it would generate income for the high street which would really help them at the moment. People think if you can’t take your car into the town centre the town centre will die, but it actually has the opposite effect because people will walk or ride their bike to the town centre so they’ll stay there a little bit longer.”

Anyone believing in this idea would do well to look at recent figures which show the loss of over 1900 retailers in the region – if visitors are unable to get into a town I struggle to see how they would even try.

And just how are the elderly and disabled supposed to get into town and/or get around? Don’t tell me there’ll be free bike hire for the elderly and disabled.

Buses are all well and good but what if the buses don’t operate in your area, or at an inconvenient time, or you have difficulty in getting to the bus stop, or you have an a mobility scooter that won’t fit on a bus? Surely, it’s not suggested they walk to town? Or is that the idea?

And how is everyone expected to carry their shopping home? Maybe the Council will provide porters.

The notice of motion also proposes introducing parklets within the high street for businesses before World Car Free Day.

Parklets are usually an extended platform over a parking space or pavement extension and may include benches, tables, chairs, landscaping or bike parking, for example.

So that’s what’s happened to the disabled spaces in the Market Place – we now know it’s become a parklet!

World Car Free Day is on September 22 this year – a Thursday – next year it may be over a weekend – in several years it’ll probably be every day – then we’ll be encouraging a ‘car into town’ day to encourage all the shoppers who’ve abandoned the idea of shopping in Macclesfield.