What is Active Travel, you might ask? Well it’s all about getting around by walking, biking (regular or e-bikes) or wheels – easily and safely – from getting to school, to the shops, to visiting friends, going to the health centre or getting to work. And when we say wheels, we mean the likes of mobility vehicles or wheelchairs, not cars.
Having lived in The Netherlands for four years myself, where my children were born, I was used to this way of life, particularly the biking part. There, of course, other than the lie of the land (no hills like here), they also have a wonderful infrastructure of bike lanes and bike parking everywhere. It’s easy to leave the car behind and hop on a bike to do your daily activities. A bike kiddie trailer doubles up very well as a shopping carrier!
You may have heard discussions about the Sustrans project in the Courier or at Killearn Community Council meetings. It came about as we were discussing the path from the new Cala development to the village for a while, and the safety for people getting to the village and school. So, we (Community Council via Killearn Community Futures Company) were delighted when we were awarded Sustrans funding to look at stages 0-2, feasibility and concept design, of putting an active travel path there and how to improve active travel in the village in general.
Over the next few months we’ll be introducing you to the project and its aims to create a better active travel infrastructure in Killearn and more liveable streets. We look forward to speaking with you and finding out your views. In the meantime, please follow our page on Facebook and Instagram and do get in touch if you have any thoughts or would like to get involved via the form on the Contact page.
Written by Caroline Carrick, member of Killearn Community Council
Killearn Active Travel 