Eli Kling

Walnut Tree Meadow

2008-07-23T16:19:00.006+01:00

It’s been a year, I think, since the consultation regarding Walnut Tree Meadow and low & behold two wide entrances are in place. A few Parish Council meetings ago, Councillor Worth mentioned his dream to bring the meadow under the wings of the Parish. I think it is a great idea and I hope he will see it through as he has done so successfully with other pet projects of his - such as the Wild Flower Meadow and the London Rd. site kindly donated by the Lord of the Manor. I wonder how many people in Wendover are aware of the plans for that site and their progression.

Mixed Feelings

2008-07-08T01:21:00.002+01:00

This evening the new, fully manned (or should I say womaned), Parish Council met at last. It was refreshing to listen to a meeting that was not bogged down by undercurrents of tension. Well almost none. There was some friction between the Chair, Councillor Gregory, and Councillor Chris Richards. Clearly Chris was uneasy about the manner Nicky Gregory is hanging on to the position of Chair and some decisions made in a closed-to-the-public meeting. I hope the new councillors noticed that Nicky hastened to shut him up on two occasions. What he did manage to get though is very worrying. I noted that he told the Chair that he was not happy with “How things were agreed”.

It is wrong, wrong, wrong, that Nicky is still the Chair for many reasons. Some of which were listed by Mrs. Eileen Mckechnie from the public gallery. I left the previous meeting with the clear impression that she accepted the position as an interim measure - just until the new councillors are in. I was surprised and annoyed to find out that she pulled a ‘Marion Clayton’ – she used crafty wording that sounds good but conceals the real intention. Now she sais she’ll stay on until the new councillors learn how to be ones. Sounds reasonable no? NO! After each election you get inexperienced councillors but they do elect a Chair at the first meeting where the continuity of knowledge and correct procedure is ensured through the guidance of the Parish Clerk. Having heard the discussions today it is clear there are councillors that can take up the challenge of Chairship. Moreover, Councillor Gregory thought they were all experienced enough to vote for almost £5000 ponds to be spent on a vehicle activated sign.

But that is nothing compared to how infuriated I felt when Councillor Richards quoted a decision made behind closed doors to send a letter to a parishioner to ”apologize for causing unnecessary distress”!!!! If that is to whom I think it is, it means that they have taken a side on the “Mrs. Green Affair” just before they declared an independent investigator is going to look into it. They are saying that the councillors that resigned and the Parish Clerk were wrong without waiting for the investigation. As it happens I believe they were protecting the interests of the people of Wendover.

So! Good luck to the new councillors. I can’t resist a direct plea to the councillors:
1. Don’t wait for the investigation and do not draw all your knowledge about the “Green Affair” and its impact from a one sided presentation a “management meeting” would be.
2. Please, Please, Please spare me the agony of watching Councillor Balantine presenting the planning applications. Today she stepped well out of the mark with her comment about one of the applicants who to her opinion “can’t be trusted.”
3. If you manage to clear the “Green Affair” you seem like a bunch that could do good for Wendover – onwards and upwards.

P.S.
I am in total support of the Vehicle Activate Sign that Councillor Worth is campaigning for. He mentioned a very interesting statistic: in a recent survey done on the London Road the average speed was about 45 MPH. I also think that AVDC Councillor McPartland made a lot of sense with his suggestion that the Parish Council establish a police liaison group.

You see not all is bad.

Cars Parked on Shared Cycle Path and Intimidating Behaviour

2008-06-26T13:13:00.003+01:00

At around 10 am on the 26^th of June 2008 I was riding my bicycle along the Aylesbury road shared path in Wendover. As I was approaching the petrol station I noticed that the section of the shared path that is adjacent to the used cars dealer was blocked by two parking cars and I saw a woman with a double seated pram that was forced to walk along these cars in the road itself. I took a few pictures on my phone camera and immediately was confronted by a man who later on drove away in one of the cars. The man did not waist time and immediately started threatening me. Apart from using abusive language he also deliberately bumped me with his bear gut trying to get his face near mine and raised his had in a menacing manner. I resigned myself to being hit especially when we were joined by other people, presumably from the used car dealer’s, who added fuel to the fire by also threatening me with violence (a thin man with a colourful Mohock hair do). I am happy to report that I managed not to loose my calm and did not mirror their behaviour. One mistake I did was to give the man my business card and ask him for his name. His replay sounded like a threat to me and now he knows where I live.

I have lodged an official police complaint: Crime reference number: AJ3120337/08.

I am sending this letter to Buck County Council as the shared path is an important rout used by people on mobility scooters, people with prams and adults and children on bicycles and scooters. Some enforcement is needed to keep the path clear.

I am including a carbon copy to the Wendover Parish council so they might consider officially requesting the PCSOs and BCC traffic wardens to give the issue of cars parking on the shared path a high priority.

First Reading of Aproved Details for the Former Princess Mary Hospital site

2008-06-20T17:18:00.002+01:00

I just received a letter from AVDC informing me that “After taking into account planning policies and any comments we received, permission has been Details Approved.” You can see the whole range of documents on the AVDC site when it works. I noticed it does not work with FierFox.

I could not find on the website a document that lists the comments and the planners reaction. Nor is there an easy way to identify the changes to the original proposal.

It seems a lot of effort was invested into the question of a one-way vs. two way solution and I think that they opted for the two way option (see “Summary of Highway Design Proposals 804708”). I was happy to find a lengthy discussion of a cycle rout (see “Further Highway Considerations 790381”).

I noticed that the number of houses probably has not changed although their appearance and height were tweaked.

Now we need to monitor the implementation and the promise for a cycle rout to the schools and to the Centre of Wendover + Toucan Crossing. I am slightly worried that as the two-way system was chosen the 20MPH restriction will not be long lived.

The Nomination is closed

2008-06-06T15:06:00.004+01:00

Today at midday the nomination for the coming flash elections to the Wendover Parish Council was closed. Exactly nine courageous citizens have decided to stick their head over the parapit and stepped forward. This means no election:

Name of Candidate

COOLEY Preeta Josephine

HERSANT Sadia

HETHERINGTON Sue

MANNERS Sue

MYERS Alan Sydney

RICHARDS Chris

SAUNDERS Karen Brigette

STAMPER Cheryl Madeleine

WORTH Stephen Charles

Of the nine six are women. That will make the Parish council 8 women and 5 men. Of those who resigned only Steven worth put his hand up. I suppose the rest intended to wait for the results of the investigation into the Green affair before suggesting themselves for co-option. As all seats are taken it is a great loss to the community.

It is paramount that said investigation is not only carried out objectively but is also seen to be so. I believe that originally it was intended that Irene Thompson (Chief Executive Officer, Bucks Association of Local Councils) would conduct it but the letter she placed in the Bucks Herald (21 May issue) made it clear she is biased. I would recommend that any person linked to the affair or that associates with people involved, keep their distance so there will be no room for doubt. Those of you who have followed the sad development will understand me when I recommend that nobody of the previous Parish council nor anybody who is an active member of the Aylesbury Vale Constituency Conservative Party is involved. I am not saying they are not to be trusted but I do believe it is important to ensure justice is also seen to be done. I hope that the investigation report will not be done under the instruction of the Parish council. Imagine how it would look if the report is submitted to the Parish Council for approval? Moreover, I hope it is made public in its entirety.

For the new councillors, a word of friendly advice:

The Green affair is toxic for your health – keep away from it.
Fiona is a good Parish Clark. Be very suspicious of anybody who tells you otherwise.

I’ll be watching

Why Did They Resign?

2008-05-13T17:01:00.007+01:00

I saw Harriet Snookes of the Bucks Herald talking to Fiona, the Parish Clark, and Mrs. Green, a Wendover Resident in dispute with the parish over a square meter. Harriet has a really hard job there, to sort out the facts about the dispute. But that is only the Casus Beli. I hope she does not loose the plot there. The real question is not who is right (in this case everybody is right and everybody is wrong) but why was this not settled in the usual amicable manner that characterised the Wendover Parish Council until now, and what was the straw that broke the patience of the councillors who voted with their feet.

I obtained copies of some of the resignations letters under the Freedom of Information Act. There seems to be a similar theme running through them. I read in them the pain of having been forced to divorce from a long standing commitment to serving Wendover with love.

When Norman Western read out his letter of resignation, what impressed me the most was not his words - powerful as they were - but his voice. It conveyed deep anger and hurt. He said that he had hoped that he would be able to contribute something of value to benefit the community of Wendover as a whole. That, he wrote, has proved a vain hope. He blamed the corrosive environment: ‘Council meetings have become totally emasculated, due to the continuous, “nit picking” as part of the ongoing vendetta against the Parish Clerk.” This, he said, caused him considerable emotional distress.

Another who displayed exasperation is Angus McKechnie. He stormed out of the meeting when he realized that the ‘appalling and dreadful behaviour’ of Councillors Gregory and Ballantine was to continue to sandbag the proceedings. Others have pointed out these two as the ones who have put the sticks in the wheels of the Parish Council. Eileen Mckechnie goes further to mention Councillor Clayton.

Now I would not hasten to tarnish Councillors Gregory and Ballantine with the same brush. When I started to listen in to the Parish Council meetings, I knew no one and did not know their political affiliation. Up to the unfortunate eruption of the Mrs. Green Issue the council was ticking along very nicely and I formulated my opinion of the councillors based on what they said, how they said it and what was reported that they did. Some impressed me very much.

I tended to agree with most of what Councillor Gregory proposed and my impression was of an experienced sharp councillor. When I met her and her sister, Mrs. Green on several occasions they were always warm towards me and I could imagine them coming over for afternoon tea and scones in my wife’s wonderful garden (Plug: http://www.acercorner.com/). So what went wrong? Impatience, temper, involvement of lawyers, and single mindedness. I can see how constant pressure and bad advice have slowly wrong-footed this otherwise good councillor. Originally the general mood of the council was that this issue should be resolved fast and if possible without bad blood. But as it dragged on and more heated words were said, Mrs Gregory found her support was dwindling. That made her actions more desperate. And this is where the rest of the council is to blame. They should have resolved it. I do not know what went on outside the Parish Meetings. But I think there was an attempt to clear the water. That seemed to have done the trick for a meeting or two. I could see the pressure she felt and that she truly believed she was right – a hand should have been extended to pull her out (I know, it is easier said than done). I felt for her when I realized her only ally left was Councillor Ballantine.

Councillor Ballantine? She might have been an excellent councillor in the past. But almost from the word Go, I marked her in my mind as a Liability.

Alas, the vote of no-confidence the resignation letters convey does not compel their subjects. I hope they read the writing on the wall. For the best of Wendover, I plea to all the rest of the councillors that have not resign yet, to do so to help save face and open the way to the resolution of this affair.

Writing this saddens me. I would prefer to end with a positive note. Allow me to quote from Dr. Sheila King who was the first casualty of this saga:

“I would like to acknowledge the enormous support and sound advice I have received as Chair of the Council from two Councillors in particular – namely Ted Wilkinson and Eileen McKechnie. I would also like to acknowledge the excellent work of some members of the Council – most notable Stephen Worth and Joel Stevens – who have quietly and productively gone about what I believe to be the true business of Councillors ie significantly improving the environs of Wendover for all.”

May we always see the full half.

Lost for Words

2008-05-09T11:53:00.004+01:00

The wonderful weather the last few days has encouraged us to get out to the garden and spend some family quality time preparing the garden for its opening on the 25th of May in aid of the Ian Rennie charity, see http://www.acercorner.com/. However, for some the enjoyment of this wonderful spring has been tarnished. No, I am not talking about the Labour party. I am thinking about our Wendover Parish Council.

Yesterday I was given a compliment (paraphrasing): “We have been checking your blog for a comment on the Parish Meeting last Monday. Why have you not written anything?” Well, I could say I was very busy with my work (which is true), my wife gave me a lot to do in the Garden, I was working on my contribution to the Chiltern Writers Group Anniversary Anthology, or just that I did not want to spoil my excellent mode induced by the eruption of spring in the Garden. But this would not be true. When I came home Monday I was itching to bang into the blog my anger but when I put fingers to keyboard I just could not find the right words. I was shell-shocked, flabbergasted and dumfounded.

I sat through the meeting in sheer agony. There are several dimensions to the calamity the parish is experiencing. The most important in my mind is the tension between certain councillors (and their “advisors”) and the Parish Clerk, Fiona. I suppose this is another reason I got stuck with writing an entry on Monday. People expect me to ‘declare’ on what side of this issue I fall. I do not really want to be dragged into this murky swamp. I do however fear that one of the casualties of this sorry state of affairs might be Fiona.

Loosing Fiona, or just loosing here enthusiasm for the job will hurt the Parish much more than loosing certain councillors. We have already lost councillors I have learnt to respect and appreciate their immensely important contribution to the Parish. It started with the resignation of Dr Sheila King and now we face an avalanche of resignations. To-date:

Ted Wilkinson
Eileen McKechnie
Angus McKechnie
Norman Western
Steve Bowles
Brian Prior

Those of us who follow the Parish Council will appreciate the severe blow this loss is. It was brought home immediately in the last meeting where Councillor Ballantine made a pigs breakfast of her attempt to step into Steve’s shoes.

But I digress from the main issue, Fiona. My outsider’s impression of Fiona is that she is dedicated, hard working, friendly and professional. The parish has invested in her training and until the ‘Green Affair’ flamed up last year, she was chugging along very nicely, thank you very much. Yes, she is on a learning curve. The business of keeping democracy ticking is very complex. The training Parish Counsellors get is mainly of how to find the right rule or regulation. This ‘lawyer’ type thinking is critical to the correct running of the Parish. The Chair and Councillors have often sent Fiona off to check the correct way of approaching issues. But when she sticks to the letter of the rule book (her bible) there are those who see parallels to Sir Humphrey manipulating the government machine. That is not what I see. What I see is a good Parish Clark who has our village good at her hart and that has the potential to become an excellent Clark. What will make her excellent? Experience. Experience and seniority provide one with the perspective that allows one to operate without constantly referring to the Book. This leads to a more relaxed and mature approach to doing ones job, handling the takes and duties, and interpreting the Councils decisions.

Last Monday the leaking Ship hit a debilitating storm, lost its second captain and many good hands. Whatever measures are taken to keep it afloat, in Valen’s name, do not execute the chief mechanic. We need the engine running. First to work the pumps and then to get back on course.

There, I think I managed to get through this entry without getting involved in the ‘Green Affair’. I want to keep myself impartial on this one.

The Golden Path

2008-04-12T11:51:00.006+01:00

I remember when I read about the first cars. A rule was imposed that required a person waving a red lag walking in front of the noisy stinking Automobile. Ridicules isn’t it? Stop and think, what is the number one killer nowadays? It’s road accidents. So they had a point. But being conservative, sticking to only what you know leads to absurdities and stagnation. Was the industrial revolution good or bad? Should have Britain embrace it or reject it? Should all slaves be freed? Should women get the vote? We take for granted change that previous generations foght tooth and nail for and against, predicting the end of the world and Utopia. I expect that in a few generations Genetic research will not be so controversial as it is today and the objectors would be regarded as outdated as those who could not fathom the radical idea that the earth is round or thought the Eifel Tower is a mistake. I expect that in a year or two people will not even remember that once we had to campaign for eight years to get a cycle path along Aylesbury Raod.
It takes a good dollop if intuition and open mindedness to judge whether a change or innovation is worth the risk it carries or even to guesstimate the relevant risks. We all take these risks, telling ourselves rightly or wrongly they are calculated. We get married, we take a mortgage, we drive a car, we change jobs, we replace the ruling party and so forth.
We are very bad judges of risk. We over exaggerate the odds when the result might be calamitous and underestimate when it is inconvenient. The probability of being injured in a terrorist attack is miniscule compared to the likelihood of being hit by a motor vehicle. What do you fear more? Where is more money spent?
So does a path shred by pedestrians and cyclists pose a mortal threat? A disaster waiting to happen? Yes, if you envision a Tour-de-France rally whizzing down, expecting the path to be pedestrian free. No if you are more realistic and expect the cyclists to be casual bicyclers, who respect others and ride responsibly.
So courteous and lawful behaviour is the key. A two prong approach is called for: education and enforcement. The ‘Get Wendover Cycling’ Group will help promote the former and I hope the Parish council will guide the PCSO’s to keep an eye out for the latter.
The picture is similar to the one published in the Bucks Herald. It was a really cold day and very windy but we came because showing support for cycling in Wendover in general, and to cycle paths in particular, is important to us. But cycling is not the aim. It is the mean towards several personal & environmental benefits. I will not insult your intelligence by listing them.

revision of the planning application for the development at the Princess Mary’s Hospital Site

2008-03-31T16:03:00.000+01:00

A revision of the planning application for the development at the Princess Mary’s Hospital Site has been published (http://eplanning.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/tdc/DcApplication under the same application code of 07/03446/ADP; look for documents with recent dates on them).
The highlights I picked up are;
The four story houses will be now 3.5 stories and lower by 1 meter.
Overhaul of the design and parking allocation for the MS centre.
The Cycle route along Wood lane has been redesigned. It is now alongside the road which is good news but it does not seem to follow Wood Lane all the way in nor do I find any other cycle paths marked within the development (look for CT1 and CT2 on the drawings).
The developers will contribute towards a cycle path to the John Colet and a Toucan crossing. The responsibility for the work stays BCC’s. I could not find detailed design or a the amount agreed. It could be just that I could not download much as the AVDC planning website is not stable.
The Bin/Cycle stores have been redesigned to prevent shared storage (hurrah Brian).
A detailed discussion of the merits of a two way system.

What was missing (or I could not find or download)?
Reduction in the density.
Cycle paths inside the development.
Cycle paths between the wood and the development.
A reference to the bus service or its extension into the development.
The promised diversions of the bus service at certain hours to the train station (as mentioned in the Conservatives leaflet).

Wendover Train Station is not Accessible to All

2008-03-25T18:03:00.002Z

The Wendover News editor was kind enough to place the folowing in the April edition:

If you ask for assistance to cross over to or from the far platform at our train station you will be told to travel to the next station up or down the line. Thus many are discouraged from using the train. This affects many potential commuters: wheel chair users, people with pushchairs or luggage, and cyclists. Many say they can walk (slowly) to the station but cannot negotiate the stairs. And for the fitter amongst us, a cycle friendly station will not only benefit Wendoverians but also encourage visitors to come with their cycles rather than their cars. In particular I have in mind the expected increase in visitors to Wendover Woods that worries the residence of Hale Lane who fear it would become congested. Chiltern Rail and Bucks County Council need to see there is a real demand for a solution such as a lift or a swivel bridge to justify the high expense associated. I would like to set up a campaign group dedicated to this issue. Please do consider volunteering to help. I prefer to be contacted through my email: eli_kling@hotmail.com. You may call 01296 696 017 or drop a note to Acer Corner, 10 Manor Road, Wendover HP22 6HQ.

Help the Hospices

2008-02-26T09:56:00.004Z

Two things caught my eye the first time I saw my to-be secondary school. It had bars on the windows and it had a proper oval running track. I was more concerned that the school looked like a prison than to think about the other feature. I did not know much about what happened at this big sports field. The bars on the windows became invisible to me as the school suited me very well thank you very much. But that time slot in the schedule marked as ‘PE’ was torture. The only time I was the head runner was when the rest of the class was on their second or third lap whilst I was pretending not to walk the first one. I hated running and my hate grew in Basic trainings and Officer’s course. Only much later did I learn I had asthma.

Thus I appreciate doubly anybody that pushes himself to running against their natural inclination, such as Tom Lloyd. Here is an email he sent me:

I am running the London Marathon on April 13th in aid of Help the Hospices. It is a really wonderful charity and you can find out more about their work at http://www.helpthehospices.org.uk/. We are now about 7 weeks away and until last week the training was going well. Unfortunately I have been struck with "the bug" so am limping around a bit. I did it 2 years ago and remembered actually enjoying the training, but I'm that much older and not a lot wiser (why else go through the freezing 6 am three hour Sunday morning runs, not to mention the rest of the weeks training).

So please make me feel that it really is all worthwhile and sponsor me at www.justgiving.co.uk/tomlloyd . Many of you sponsered me last time, which was fantastic as we managed to raise an awesome £3000. Let's see if we can get near to it this time.

Best Wishes

Tom (Lloyd)

All I can say is ‘Don’t give up Tom’ you are a better man than me. And to you: 'Go on, help him break that £3000 target.'

The tree savers grow up to community proactivety

2008-02-23T22:01:00.003Z

Some idiot wants to cut down the trees on Aylesbury Road!

Did that put your back up? A similar case got my mother campaigning many years ago – the Tel-Aviv city hall wanted to widen King George Street. I think I was about six or seven when she put a petition in my hand: “Get as many signatures as you can”. The truth is that I did not appreciate what it was all about and I was annoyed I could not stay at home and read. Those trees were planted almost together with the corner stone for Tel-Aviv and they are still there, but for one that was killed by a terrorist bomb alongside several men, women and children.

It seems very British to get all worked up about saving trees. In fact that is probably the issue that got most community activist going in the first place. Holding back the chain saw hanging over the Aylesbury Road trees was the community spark the resulted in the Wendover Society in 1965.

The Society had its AGM yesterday. The guest speaker discussed another community body: The Wendover Community Trust. Both organizations have done lots of good and continue doing so. I went to the AGM mainly as a show of support. I admit I was also curios to hear about the proposed constitution as the Wendover Cycling Group (temporary name) is grappling with its own.

I did notice the same names being mentioned in connection to different organizations. This was accentuated by the fact that there was no new face nor any change in office proposed at the AGM. Don’t get me wrong. Well done to them all. Most of the people in question did a very good job up to now and I expect they will carry on in the same positive spirit. I just want to point out that there is this clique of people who are doing a lot for Wendover, fighting our corner, propping up those who need support and doing good in general. And you’ll encounter almost the same faces in what ever meeting you go to. I suppose that this has something to do with the fact that most people are just engrossed in the fight to keep their head above the white rapids of life.

Once you volunteer your sense of responsibility is awakened. It feeds on your activities and drives you on to more in an ever strengthening feedback cycle. You start noticing things. You start caring. And worse of all, each time you hear of a position that is not filled YOU feel guilty for not putting your name done or worse you say you will do it even if you are over committed. I never realized this before. I have now more respect than ever for these unsung community heroes, but it would be nice to see more new faces. Not only to spread out the burden but also to introduce novel ideas and approaches. Naturally I would prefer if they were not conservative (with and without capitalization). For now I count myself as a new face.

To end in a positive note: I have put myself forward for the elections for parent governors at the John Hampden. I was delighted to here that six parents are ‘fighting’ for the two open positions. That bodes very well for our community.

By the way, check out the new Wendover Society website or even better take part in the discussions in the forum.

Darwin Day - 12th of February

2008-02-18T19:05:00.003Z

I had this published in the Wendover News. As I got surprisingly very good feedback I repeat it hear. Yes, I expect that some of the peopel I met yeasterday might check my blog to see some Humanist related discussion:

There are two great men’s birthdays I religiously mark. The 25th of December and the 12th of February. On 12 February 1809 two great men were born: Abraham Lincoln, emancipator of American slaves, and Charles Darwin, emancipator of the human mind. Their positive legacies still endure. This date is celebrated around the world under different names of which one is Darwin Day (google it - there is much to learn about it). It is an opportunity to remember and celebrate the achievements of free thinking. It is an occasion to tell our children about the courage it takes to think beyond the dictate of “common agreement”. Like Abraham in the Old Testament, who could not accept the logic of idol worshipping and did not bow to group pressure or Galileo Galilei, who was convicted of grave suspicion of heresy for "following the position of Copernicus, which is contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture,". Another important aspect of Darwin Day is the promotion of learning and scientific thinking. It is a lesson Jews have had reinforced each time they had to leave their abode (the list is long): it is easy to loose your house and wealth, but good education will always help you maintain your humanity and help you get back on your feet. And without scientific rigour there is no proper progress of learning. Thus it is easy to understand why I choose to mark the 25th of December as it is Sir Isaac Newton’s birthday.
Dr. Eli Y. Kling a Humanist

(No) Planning for Cycling at the Princess Mary Hospital Development

2008-02-14T12:04:00.006Z

{taken form the AVDC planning website; the 'Gree Roots' here are not what you think}

Here is the major part of a very good response to the PMH planning application written by Brian Bostock. This is a very detailed and constructive review of the all important but always overlooked aspect of sustainable routs.

Nowhere in the text of this document (he is talking about the 'Transport Statment') can I find any reference to the needs of cyclists. This seems remiss bearing in mind the need to minimise local car journeys.
Whilst the various supporting drawings show footpath/cycleways it is not obvious how these link up to get cyclists to the High Street and local schools. For example there is a footway/cycleway in Babington Road that ends before the B4009. Where are cyclists meant to go from here? Another example is on drawing 2005/0584/014 Proposed Junction Improvement. On the north side of the new roundabout, there is a statement ”Proposed footway/cycleway to tie in with the existing”. To tie in with the existing what? There is no existing footway/cycleway on this side of the road, only a narrow footway. If this is to be upgraded to dual use it will have to be widened down to the existing toucan crossing near Wharf Road and along to the school in Halton. On the Wendover side of the mini roundabout there is a similar statement that raises the same question. At present there is no cycle path beyond where the new mini roundabout is to be constructed. At this point cyclists are instructed to rejoin the Tring Road.

I believe the architects should have produced a plan showing just the cycle routes so that it would be possible to see how the various parts fit together in a way that will encourage people to cycle into Wendover and to local schools. Perhaps developers attention should be brought AVD Local Plan, Chapter 4, General Policy 27 that requires developers to provide facilities that will encourage cycling .

On page 19 of the Transport Statement para 6.36 states “consider new and existing streets as 20mph zone” BCC Cycling Policy states that traffic calming is the second choice in a hierarchy of schemes to encourage cycling. Bearing this in mind 20 mph speed limit should be made mandatory.

Plan09 shows Footpath 24 passing through the development and Footpath 13 passing just above it. If the status of these footpaths was altered to allow cycling then this will give cyclists better access into the centre of Wendover and provide an alternative to the current design that seems to require them to travel down to the new roundabouts and then dismount to cross the road. The change of use would also give improved access to cycle routes in Wendover Woods

Drawing 2005/0584/030. shows a short length of cycleway 1m. wide. If the whole site was made a 20mph zone this short section of cycleway would not be necessary. Also there is a footway/cycleway running along-side, so this bit of onroad cycle path seems unnecessary.

Several drawings show areas labelled BS/CS, signifying Bin Store/Cycle Store.
Safe cycle storage requires a secure structure allocated to an individual property otherwise the designated areas will not be fit for the intended purpose.

If you agree that it would be valuable to get a cycle route plan from the architects prior to AVDC making a final decision in earlier April perhaps it would be possible for members of the newly formed Wendover/Halton cycling group to meet with yourselves to inject the experience of local cyclists into the plan. This would put into practice the liaison with local cycling groups as outlined in BCC 's Cycling Policy. Your comments on this proposal would be appreciated.

One small step for us – one big thank you to Chris

2008-02-11T23:40:00.000Z

Sunday Morning. Lovely weather. No strike that. Wonderful weather. A perfect time to reduce the height of the leaflets mountain. My daughter saw my glance at breakfast, read my mind and stated: “I want to stay with Mummy”. She-who-must-be-obeyed declared “it would do the child good to be in the fresh air with her Dad.” I promised here it was just leafleting as I know she gets even more board when I canvas. In any case Sunday mornings are not a good time for canvassing. I started cold-canvassing on the back of the current Focus leaflets and last week was very chilly so we both caught a cold. She had it really bad. I allowed here to bring along here scooter as a diversion. I am not sure whether it was not a cunning plan to ensure she would not be able to help me push the material through the letter boxes. Last year she loved it, and begged to do it. What a year can do to a child. She even did not want to sit on my lap at the Panto.

Halfway through the ‘walk’ we cam across a man washing his car.

“Here you go.”
“What is it about?” not even putting a hand to accept it.
“Liberal Democrats” – that was a mistake. I should have said “Princess Mary’s Development” or “Local Issues”. But hay, I am no slick politician.
“Not interested”
“OK, Shame you do not even glance at it, have a nice day” (Well I have to paraphrase as I can’t remember word for word. I generally back off from antagonistic time wasters.)
“They are all the same: liars cheats and corrupt” – again this is the spirit of his abuse.
“If you feel that way, Do something about it. Volunteer. Stand for elections”
“I am doing something! I’m telling you!”

Dahhh!

This kind of people really annoys me. They complain and assume the worst about everybody. Well it takes one to know one, is what I say. I believe that the lion’s share of people who get involved in politics at all levers do so to make a positive change. Yes, this holds also to my esteemed competitors, the Wendover Conservatives. I do not question their motives and I respect them for the time and effort they put into promoting Wendover’s cause. Not always successfully though.

It takes a lot of stamina to get anything that is out of the ordinary done. I understand that it took about eight years of campaigning to get the cycle path along Aylesbury Road. So the people who toile for no reward deserve to be thanked not abused by lazy ignorant buffoons who do not realize that they pose a real danger to democracy.

Take for example Chris Peeler who took on a seemingly trivial task during his term as Parish Councillor. Even tough he is no longer on the PC he kept pushing and smoothing bumps on the way, ensuring it happens. It took three years to get the tread to the door of Stars on the Manor Waste. It’s installation last week is wonderful news for all those who found the step into the store too high for comfort or even unnegotiable.

Well done Chris!

That accomplished, the next issue on the ‘ease of accessibility’ is loftier: there should be an easy access to the far platform at the train station. So old people, people on wheel chairs, people with pushchairs or suit cases, and cyclists could cross the rail-tracks with ease and safety. Only the young and fit do not mind climbing up and down the bridge.

Too Dense to feel like Wendover

2008-01-31T12:15:00.000Z

Princess Mary’s Hospital Development - Planning Reference 07/03446/ADP
Too Dense to feel like Wendover

As this brown site has been derelict for many years I welcome the initiative to develop it. However, the high density approved in the outline planning has resulted in a detailed plan that includes unwelcome precedents that brings us nearer to a status of an Aylesbury Suburb:

* Houses with no gardens or no parking;
* Awkward building relationships – corner houses in funny angles to their neighbours and interesting garden boundaries.
* Three and four story apartment buildings that for some reason are considered ‘in keeping’ with the rest of the atmosphere of Wendover.

Moreover, insufficient growth space has been allowed for the MS centre. And the pathetic number of parking places allocated to the MS centre will ensure a conflict with the neighbouring residents.

An important aspect is the provision of sustainable routs to schools and the High street. The cycling routs within the development are planned to be in some parts between parking cars and the road. This is an invitation for an accident: a car pulling in or out, a driver opening the door, cars parking partially on the cycling lane. Furthermore, pedestrians and cyclists will find the new roundabouts proposed awkward to negotiate. Tring road is a very busy road and crossing it alongside the roundabouts involves several meeting points with the traffic.

The proposed planes amuse me when they claim that the bus will go through the “Centre of Wendover” (i.e. the clock tower): that will not provide a solution to people visiting the Manor Waste and retuning with bags of shopping from the high street, let alone linking to the train station.

Another entertaining paragraph details how the parking requirement predictions are based on the ratio of cars to households in 2001 for Wendover. This pivotal ratio includes council housing, farms and many pensioners. Therefore it will not be long before the insufficient green on the plans will be converted to parking by the new residents.

In Short, it just does not work. The outline-planning permission specifies a maximum not a target for the density. These planes should be rejected with an instruction to the planners to give more weight to the quality of life of the new residents and their neighbours.

There are a few aspects that are not the direct responsibility of the developers that need addressing:
There are no plans to add new bus routes to link the development either to Wendover train station or to Tring train station.
More parking should be created for the visitors to Wendover High Street.
The outline permission stipulates that the Clocktower junction should be improved to cope with the extra traffic. This should be done in keep with the tranquil character of Wendover. We hope the Horse and Jockey fiasco is not an indication of what we might experience.
A cycling path should link the development to the Schools (Halton School and John Colet), Wendover town centre, and the train station.
The Health facilities and resources in Wendover should be augmented. We can not find any trace of the promised provision for a health sub-centre on the development site.
The train capacity should be enlarged either by adding carriages or more trains.

Three Cheers to AVDC Cycling Team (Bike It)

2008-01-21T23:38:00.000Z

A few years ago the Wendover Parish Council sent, on my request, a letter to Chiltern Rail. The letter pointed out the inadequacy of the existing cycle racks at the Wendover station as they were exposed to the elements and insufficient. It also appealed for a solution to crossing the rail tracks for wheeled punters (prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs, bicycles and suitcases). The response was more than disappointing.

Last year I contacted AVDC on the same issues. Two people took on the tourch. The liaison officer (with Chiltern rail) has given me hope. Lee Stevens of the cycling team got the ball rolling for the cycle storage. Lee has moved on within AVDC. Several people have come and gone and I was afraid the task would be forgotten. Not so.

Simon Glover, of the bike it team, visited Wendover last week to inspect the installation. Here is a photo from today.

Enjoy

An email to BCC Highways On Call about Manor Road

2008-01-15T14:33:00.000Z

From: Eli Y. Kling [mailto:eli_kling@hotmail.com]
Sent: 15 January 2008 14:32
To: HOC@BucksCC.Gov.ukCc: eli_kling@hotmail.com; Fiona Lippmann

Subject: Manor Road & Wharf Road in Wendover 185216

Dear Madam or Sir,

I am the Neighbourhood-Watch area coordinator for Wendover and a resident of Manor Road.

When I introduced myself to the residence of Manor road, all raised the traffic as a major concern. They all told me about a consultations that took place in 2006 (I moved here June that year). But no one can tell me what came out of that consultation. Some raised the concern that the residence of the new
development (Princess Mary Hospital site - 400 households) would use these roads as a shortcut instead of Tring road.

I also attended a few meetings of the safer roots to school at the John Hamden were traffic issues on these roads were lamented.

There are a few issues that I feel need addressing;
The top of the road is a hill that ends with a bend:
Cars wiz down the hill but cannot see beyond the bend.
Neighbours told me of cases where the school buses did not manage to negotiate the hill in bad weather and hit parking cars.
Drivers approaching the hill rev-up (usually already in Wharf Road)
Parking cars all along the road narrow the road into a single lane and a head on collision is a permanent risk.
During the School-Run in the morning and afternoon the road becomes highly congested. The situation is aggravated due to the school buses that park on Wharf Road – not much road is left for cars coming both ways.
The corner of Wharf Road, Manor Road and the entrance to the school is complicated for the Children to cross. Rightly, a school safety patrol (lollypop person) was deems necessary.
The road is used as a (false) short-cut also by lories.

I believe that probably one of the reasons the previous consultation on traffic calming did not result in action is that there were many options presented and no agreement could be reached. If a targeted consultation was placed to the residence it would be much easier to campaign in its behalf (a task I would happily take upon myself).

To my opinion two actions could improve the situation:
Make the roads into a one way system. This has several benefits as not only will it reduce the risk of head long collisions, it will also address the conjunction at school-run-time. I spoke to about 20 residence and all said they would support this suggestion. In which way it should go is another matter. There are arguments in both ways. I think the system should slow from Tring Road to Aylesbury Road:
This is the preferred direction for the school buses that park on Wharf Road.
The exit from Manor Road to Tring Road is not pleasant (mainly turning left) whilst the exit to Aylesbury road is through a roundabout.
This direction will be un-attractive to the commuters coming from Halton and the development on the Princess Mary Site: In the morning it would be congested due to the school run and in the evening they will not be able to drive up the one way system.
Very low speed rumps or bumps (something like http://www.speedbumpsltd.co.uk/) – People have objections to the “speed ramp hills” that might damage the cars.

I would start with the ‘one way’ solution as it seems to me easy to implement.

With Regard,
Dr. Eli Y. Kling

Sign of Our Times

2008-01-10T15:42:00.001Z

Coming back from my Yule vacation I learnt about two sad losses to Wendover. The fire at Brook House and the death of one of the trees on the Manor Waist.

An interesting Idea was raises at the Parish Council meeting last Monday: erecting a village sign instead of the Tree. I am not sure why it should come instead of the tree as the costs are not equivalent and there is enough space on the Manor Waist for both. Councillor Prior provided me with a link to the Village Signs Society where examples are displayed. I turned to google in an attempt to understand why would we want such a sign. There were many entries amongst the top hits were:

The Village Signs of East Anglia;
Ridgequest;
Team Triplet;
And Village Signcrafters.

It seems that these signs are very popular in certain parts of the UK (and Europe). But when I tried to narrow down the search to village signs in Buckinghamshire I did not get interesting hits (apart from my letter to the Bucks Herald).

I have no particular objection to a village sign as long as it does not come at the expense of trees or the good people of Wendover. i.e. someone should donate the sign. The many examples I saw whilst searching the net suggest other sites in Wendover could be considered for such a sign (e.g. the meadows, the pond, near or on the Clock Tower).

In short, I would like to see the tree on Manor Waist replaced be another. Even better, I would be happy to see more trees along the High Street altogether.

On the top right of this page you will find a survey that will end just before the next Parish Council meeting.

If you want something done give it to a busy man

2007-12-06T12:04:00.001Z

Last Monday, councillor Brian Prior surprised us all resigning, elegantly, form the post of vice-chairman of the parish council, exactly a month since his election (the previous meeting). To my opinion it is a shame as he was doing the right noises and seems like the right person for the job.

It takes a very strong personality to fight the current and keep one’s gowned. We all have experienced it. When joining a new organization (work, family, or politics), we assimilate to a certain degree the way things are done, even if we do not like it. Thus, to an extent, a person will become more efficient when dropped into a company where efficiency is truly valued and practiced. Alas it also works the other way.

I have a lot of respect for the people who volunteered to the Wendover Parish Council. However, I feel they could improve their internal and external information sharing. This is an issue that used to drive me mad at certain places I worked at. An important aspect of team work is realizing that not every body knows what you have gleaned or done. I am sure that at his work place, councillor Prior would not have allowed himself to do the mistake he did in the parish meeting of going with the flow, not thinking things thoroughly though, and believing it will all be alright.

Take last month’s meeting. The councillors did not really come prepared for dealing with Dr. King’s resignation. I am sure they knew about it. But they did not communicate with each other sufficiently to realise there were decisions to be made and probably some homework. Thus, councillor Prior was “ambushed”, proposed and elected as a vice-chairman. He accepted the honour without knowing what it entails and what work load it demands. That means that there were also some councillors that voted him in not knowing what they were voting for (4 of the councillors were co-opted in not that long ago). With hind sight, a memo should have gone out reminding every body what this position involves. I had the same cold feeling watching counsellor Ballantine present the planning applications she, and the rest of the council, lost focus. By the way, to the best of my memory, she was the one who surprised councillor Prior with the nomination.

I find it very sad that the way things are done by the Parish Council is stacked up against people who are still in employment or have a young family. Out of the 11 councillors only 5 hold day jobs of which, I believe, only 3 are full time engagements. I wonder if the job of the vice-chair could be shared. How did Dr. King, who has a very demanding day job, do it?

I hope councillor Prior’s will not totally give up, and keep towing his way. At one of the first meetings he attended, he quietly suggested that they should think not only of what to do (the letter of the law) but also how to do it (the interpretation and ethos). I hope his voice gets stronger in time.

Get Cycling, Wendover!

2007-12-05T00:30:00.000Z

You probably have noticed the beginning of the roadworks on Aylesbury Road. We are told that this is the long awaited cycle path. This is the culmination of an eight years long effort many have contributed to. If you are please to hear this read on the email I just received from Laura Ferguson, a young, enthusiastic, inspiring Wendovrian who wants to contribute to our community:

Dear all,
Many thanks for your time last Thursday, and to Mary and Chris for your hospitality.
Before the next meeting, I will investigate the routes to becoming properly constituted as a group. I will also flesh out the public campaign and funding plans I raised at the meeting, which I think will form my main contributions to the group.
It was really very encouraging to hear about the work that is being done already by you all, especially in relation to lobbying local government and statutory bodies on cycling issues.
I hope that a public campaign supported by funding possibilities plus continued lobbying will prove to be fruitful aims for the new group.
In addition to your current lobbying, I have recently been in touch with the Forestry Commission about cycling plans in the main Wendover Woods (following one of my bi-weekly mountain bike rides into Wendover Woods). I will follow this up with contact with Go Ape and further discussions with the Forestry Commission over the coming weeks.
Finally, just to keep you all in the picture: I have had confirmation from Jane Larkham that the following piece will appear in January's Wendover News:
"Do you want to make a difference to the environment or to parking problems and traffic congestion in Wendover?
Have you got a bike?

30 November , 2007 saw the first meeting of “Wendover and Halton Cycling” (provisional title - we're open to suggestions!). This new group aims to help people to get on their bikes in Wendover and Halton.

If you would like to join this new group, or for further information, contact Laura Ferguson at lpferguson@fsmail.net or 07760 383641."
I look forward to seeing you all in January. In the mean time, my email and mobile are free to be passed to third parties (as seen above). Please do keep my home number to yourselves.. it is ex-directory!
Best wishes,
Laura

A bug or a feature

2007-12-04T00:55:00.000Z

It the Wendover Parish Council trying to tell us something? Is it just a mischieful wink or a clever reminder not to drink and drive?

For the two and a half readers (and my wife) who do not get what I am talking about – the triangle on the top of the clock tower was installed on the off-side.

The parish council discussed today the very important subject of safety measures for the crossing to the area they are developing on the London Road. I support their decision to install an interactive sign that will flash to drivers the speed they are going (called SID or VAS). However, I think that is not enough. I hope the counsellors will follow up on their intention to insist Bucks County Council does its bit. For instance it could install a Toucan Crossing (a crossing with lights that are button activated at a height suitable for cyclers).

A resident from Vinetrees complained about parking issues. It seems this cul-de-sac is used by the people working in the High-Street. The council was quick to sympathize. A little too quick on the mark to my liking. I have an Idea – I heard the church just opposite the health centre is going to be demolished. Good, it is an ugly building. How about the site is turned to parking with special reductions for people who work in the area.

Happy Sir Isaac Newton Birthday

Vote for Sustrans Win £50 million Lottery Fund

2007-11-30T22:11:00.000Z

We want more cars on the road. Yes put wheel on streets now! That seems to be the prevailing mode in our vale. The new Princes Mary site development in Wendover will not have a bus link to the Wendover train station nor to the Tring station. There is not much effort going into ensuring that the new 9,000 or so units planed for Aylesbury will be accompanied with a growth in the local job market. And yes, you guessed it, no buses to train stations. Last week we heard the cost of travelling by train is going to rise again by much more than the past and predicted inflation (Who was the idiot who nationalized the trains in the first place?). A recent unbelievable letter to the editor of the Bucks Herald moaned about the bus lanes that are used by empty buses. This person never heard of the chicken and the egg – “Ignorant and lacking of Vision” he said in desperation. So people working to promote cycling sound to me like science fiction. Here is something that landed in my in box:

I’m writing to ask you to help sustainable transport charity Sustrans win £50 million from the Big Lottery Fund to invest in 79 communities UK-wide.

In this winner-takes-all contest Sustrans’ Connect2 project is up against 3 other organisations - the Eden Project : The Edge, Black Country Urban Park, and Sherwood: The Living Legend, with the winner to be decided by public vote over the coming weeks.

I'm supporting Sustrans’ Connect2 because it will transform local travel in towns, cities and villages throughout the UK. By building new bridges and crossings over busy roads, railways and rivers, and linking these into networks of paths, Connect2 will make it much easier for people to get where they want to go under their own steam. So whether children are going to school, people to work and the shops, or friends and family to visit each other, they’ll be able to walk or cycle for many more journeys.

As many as 6 million people live within a mile of a proposed Connect2 scheme, and 1 million children go to school within a mile of a scheme. It is calculated that over 60 million active, low carbon journeys will be made each year on the Connect2 routes, potentially saving 79,000 tonnes of carbon - the equivalent of emissions from 79,000 people's annual car use.

Vote now online for Sustrans' Connect2 at www.thepeoples50million.org.uk. We need your vote to win 50 million pounds for walking and cycling. Phone voting from landlines and mobiles begins on 7 December - please text 'Connect2' to 80010 or complete the form at www.sustransconnect2.org.uk if you would like to be sent the number to vote. All voting concludes at 12 noon on Monday 10th December.

Remember Sustans’ contribution is pivotal to projects such as the cycle path along Aylesbury road in Wendover and hopefully its next stage – the bridge over the Wendover Arm to the schools.

Why don’t we have yet a real ‘Enterprise’ exploring space?

2007-11-13T23:32:00.000Z

Sometimes officials make incredibly idiotic decisions, rendering satires such as Yes Minister boring. Would you believe the Beatles were not allowed into Israel for a performance. Another amusing anecdote is that for the sake of equality the TV signal was de-colured for years in Israel. It was thought that if the signal was black & white, although the broadcasting equipment was colour capable, there would be no incentive for the affluent to flaunt their riches with a colour TV set. Yeh-right.

Moreover, no restrictions were placed on other seemingly luxury items such as cars, fridges, and houses. It is amazing that my teacher was allowed to tell us that the world was round and that it was slightly older than the 6000 years (the Jewish count).

How lucky we don’t have such situations here in the UK. Oh – really?! So why does it take 4 working days to transfer, electronically mind you, money from one bank to another and why is it so expensive? Why does it take 11 days to change the phone provider? Why can’t one get health insurance after the age of 70? Or how can one explain the absurd requirement to prove where I live through a hard copy utility bill.

There are many such silly anachronisms that we take for granted now and probably will be thought funny in ten years. But like in mechanical physics the force required to start moving is greater then the force needed to continue moving. There is a stationary friction to overcome. It will take an international force to bring the cost of roaming calls closer to the real cost to the providers, change the ethics of locking mobile phones, to unify the DVD zones, to ensure the internet is really free and to stop mammoth software providers from dictating a slow pace of innovation.

Today the European Commission adopted proposals for a "Telecoms Reform Package". It is expected to become law by the end of 2009 and includes new consumer rights such as the right to switch telecoms operators within 1 day.

We need the European Union more than ever to keep our freedom from those who want to make us live in a gray, un ambitious world – trapped in other’s conservatism.

Hell is paved with good intentions

2007-11-05T22:38:00.000Z

(http://www.samueljohnson.com/road.html)

The Israeli military slang is very rich and colourful. However, like cockney it is almost impossible to translate to another language. In Hebrew the words for putting in effort translates literally as ‘sinking it in’ thus the word play “He who sinks in, sinks!”. Meaning there is no point in putting in your hart, blood, and sweat as it would not be appreciated or worse it would be used against you. It is not hard to find such situations in military and public life. This saying is obviously not politically correct and is in contrast to the fable of the frog that beats the milk into butter by flapping frantically and aimlessly. It asserts that in most cases the frog will drown before the milk churns and in the few cases that the frog is dedicated enough to see the task through, a solicitor will be waiting for it to climb out just to hit it with a claim for damages. All this came to my mind when I heard that the Chair-person of the Wendover Parish Council has resigned. Today a new chairman was elected but the council seemed to tiptoe around the issue. Looking back at the meeting this evening, an official thank you was missing let alone a resolve to clear the waters and learn form the eperiance.

The sad thing about local government is that people don’t seem to care at best. I wonder how many fellow Wendovrian’s will notice that Dr. Shilla King resigned and how many of them could hazard an educated guess as to her reasons. Here is a person who volunteered to do something for her community, has spent many hours, and did her best to fight for our rights. From my corner in the public gallery she seemed to have done a good job at running the council meetings intelligently, made sure actions were followed though, was a positive driving force, was very liberal in her approach, and generally allowed the public to be heard. Naturally, some toes must be stepped on if you do your public job right. The question is not how to keep everybody happy all the time, but how to handle loaded situations. And here leys the gremlin: I believe that the current state of affairs in the Parish Council is down to fear of the litigation culture and the over reliance on legal advisors. This always leads to government paralysis and stifles any spark of originality. It defiantly results in a bad atmosphere and a general feeling of persecution and injustice – no matter who made the first call to the Dementors (a call that should not have been made).

I am sorry to see Dr. King go and I hope her bad experience will not put others off volunteering to help shape Wendover. It would be to the benefit of Wendover, if one day in the future she will decide to give it another go.