The Liberal Democrats fully support more improvements and changes to support active travel by walking and cycling. We have raised this at every county budget in the last 10 years with the need to invest more in footway improvements, tackle neglected cycle routes and bring in lower speed limits on residential side roads.

The Covid-19 crisis could lead to a social and health change but only if we move quickly and act now. At the start of the lockdown I and my colleagues highlighted, yet again, that many designated cycle routes and overgrown footways that needed cutting back.

In most cases, the county has done nothing. It’s normally the excuse of no money or “it does not meet our criteria for action”. I’ve been told where there is a verge next to an overgrown path, people should walk or cycle on that instead! This is unacceptable. All too often we have cycle lanes and routes incomplete or end at a road junction with nowhere to go. The result is they cannot be used.

It’s time to ignore the county rulebook and improve our footways and cycle routes that currently hinder people in keeping to social distancing rules!

With fewer people using buses at present, we need to look at what temporary changes to routes and bus stops could be made to better allow for social distancing in town centres. We need to look at what would be cycle commuter routes into our key areas to encourage people not back to their cars but on a bicycle. We need to make those routes happen over the summer. We must look at places like Watford that now has a successful cycle hire brought in by Mayor Peter Taylor to get similar in place in other key centres like Stevenage, St Albans, Hemel.

The Liberal Democrats have a five-point plan to meet the Government’s and health and social distancing objectives:

1. Prioritise maintenance/repairs of existing cycle and pedestrian routes including cutting back overgrown vegetation and trees, repairing crossing points that are damaged or flooded and installing new dropped kerbs in high pedestrian footfall areas.

2. Investigate, install and complete existing cycle routes and introduce at least temporary ones that assist commuter cycling.

3. Give greater priority to pedestrians at traffic lights and crossing points - to prevent bunching and assist slow walkers.

4. Move quickly to introduce a 20mph zone and limits as the norm for residential roads in Herts towns.

5.Consult and involve local county councillors for their ideas for their communities.

It’s time to think positively, to think green and promote a healthy safer environment, let’s do it.

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst

County Councillor for Central Watford and Oxhey

Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Hertfordshire County Council