Voices

Lizzie, Dartmouth Park

I feel very fortunate to live near Chester Road in Dartmouth Park. Like most people in the area I don’t own a car so I mostly get around by public transport and walk a lot too.We’re near to some wonderful green spaces – parks as well as the heath – so it’s a joy to start the day with a walk.
It’s great to see so many children walking to school while I’m out. But they’re exposed to fumes and noise from the high volumes of traffic that flow through the area and they’re vulnerable to speeding vehicles too.
I support any measures that will reduce the volume of traffic and improve road safety and air quality.

Betsy, age withheld, who has taken part in the Our PATCH community bike rides

I really wanted to get outside and be active and be part of the community.

It was very safe and we didn’t have to worry about cars and we could just chat and ride our bikes and it was really nice.

You always have to be really careful if you’re out by yourselves because there’s lots of like traffic.

I really like old books where they say the kids are just playing in their villages and I always wanted that to be my life, but I could never have that because there’s too much traffic so we can’t be more free.

I’d like to see more pedestrianised roads like where the rain garden is right now. And more community areas where you can just hang out.

I think kids would be out a lot more, maybe they’d be on their screens less and people would be with their friends in real life.

The new community centre was one step into getting that dream world but I think there’s still more that we can do.

Kitty, Highgate

There are lots of reasons why I’d like calmer streets… As I hurtle towards fifty I’ve thought a bit about aging well. Walking around your local area seems like a magic pill for keeping healthy for longer. People who walk regularly are fitter and slimmer and, being part of the community – knowing your neighbours and the local shopkeepers – seems to protect the brain too. Safe, calm, attractive streets make it nicer for everyone to walk. Hopefully, when I’m 80, I’ll be sipping coffee outside a cafe and preparing to stride home up the hill!

Paul Irving, Dartmouth Park

To me Our Patch means an environment which is not wholly dominated by motorised vehicles. Re-focusing the streets towards one which is more pedestrian friendly and encourages walking and active travel by other means such as cycling.

I would like to see the area of York Rise opposite the shops pedestrianised and the traffic lights at the junction removed. It is an inappropriate place for traffic lights as neither York Rise or Chetwynd Road are main roads and there were no lights until the intersection became dangerous. A stop sign and a pedestrian friendly area around the intersection would slow traffic and reclaim this area in favour of local pedestrians.

Alicia, Highgate

More streets with children playing, people chatting, trees, benches, and birds singing are something that I would love to see in our area. I believe that communities have the knowledge, ideas and power to make our streets and neighbourhoods better – working with councils and others. Making streets accessible and pleasant for all users – walkers, wheelers, cyclists, small children – with places and spaces for sitting, meeting, and socialising creates healthy and just cities for all with good public transport and priority for parking for people who really need it.

Claudia Kretzschmar

I want to live in a neighbourhood where wildlife and people can thrive – where hedgehogs wander between gardens and can safely cross roads at night. Where people can safely walk and cycle and breathe clean air.

Voices​