Letter from Green Councillor Lindsay Southcombe
published in Western Morning News 4th March

	Dear Western Morning News, You appear to have a somewhat ambivalent opinion of walking.  You understandably express concern that a Royal Society of Arts study reveals that some middle-class parents have concerns about taking their children on country walks, in case they get muddy, tired or lost (WMN 23.02.10).
This is, indeed, concerning given that we have rising levels of childhood obesity and may be raising a generation who will have reduced ability to assess risk and negotiate their environs.  Recent studies have also shown that outdoor play boosts a young child's brain development and gives them a better sense of well-being and confidence.

Then, when Sadiq Khan, senior transport minister, suggests that walking, as well as cycling, should be at the heart of local transport and public health policy you are full of derision (WMN 25.02.10). I don't think he was suggesting that people should trek miles from village to village - merely that moving around within the urban environment could be achieved on foot or on a bicycle, were the conditions conducive - for example, pedestrian priority and cycle paths.  Many of the towns in the west country are small enough to be traversed on foot for the reasonably fit, and this would have both environmental and health benefits.  However, to make this attractive it will require a new look at how our urban roads and pavements are used and an acknowledgement that the car is not king.

It is excellent news that the Commons Committee for this region acknowledges that the heavy dependence on the car will become 'increasingly problematic' (WMN 26.02.10.) and calls for investment in better public transport.  They, furthermore, underline what residents in the region have been saying for a long time - that Whitehall ministers and civil servants are too urban focused.  Loss of local services such as Post Offices, village schools, shops and pubs has meant increasing isolation for those without personal transport.

We urgently need investment in good public transport, including the branch-line rail network, better provision for cyclists and pedestrians and encouragement for children to spend time outdoors - walking, running, cycling, playing, exploring, and appreciating nature.

Yours sincerely,

Lindsay Southcombe
Mid and East Cornwall Green Party