Town should "go Dutch" to solve our traffic problems

It’s often said that a good way to appreciate a problem is to look at it from a distance – which is why we are particularly grateful to a reader who sent us a link to a blog entitled A view from the Cyclepath   - which discusses Boston's relationship with cars, buses and cyclists.
The writer pulls no punches in his criticisms - and given the borough council’s obsession with our health and encouraging residents to take more exercise and leave their cars at home for short journeys -  tells a few home truths that we are sure many of the great and the good would rather not hear.
Cycling enthusiast David Hembrow used to live in Cambridge, and now lives in Assen in the Netherlands. Before and after his move, he was a two-wheeled visitor to Boston, and in his blog writes about the town’s “strange ‘pedestrian’ zone.”
In a visit to the town at the end of last year he commented: “In Assen there are many bikes and cycling is encouraged.
“However, there is one big difference. In Boston you are banned from cycling through these (pedestrianised) streets, while in Assen you are encouraged to do so.
“Of course, any place which bans motor vehicles has the potential to be a quieter place for people to enjoy.
“But Boston actually runs scheduled bus services through the ‘pedestrianised’ area every few minutes, and when they come through they generate a remarkably irritating warning sound …
 “This ‘pedestrian’ zone seems a  misunderstanding of what a pedestrian zone is. It also is a missed opportunity to make cycling more attractive.
“Of course, the centre isn't the only difference these days between Assen and Boston. Boston still looks in other ways like a typical British town with, despite its small population, quite remarkable amounts of motor traffic using roads which are surprisingly large, surprisingly busy, and which direct this traffic right through the centre of the town.
“Cycling to the centre of Boston requires using the same roads. Pedestrians walk behind barriers and have to cross those roads using multi-stage crossings with huge delays.
“I've cycled along this road and I can tell you that it's no more pleasant than it looks. While people who live in the suburbs of Assen cycle with very small children on their own bikes to the centre of the city, that's not what people do in Boston.
“People who cycle in Boston do so despite the conditions, not because of them. In Boston …. cycling resembles an extreme sport. Roads ... do not encourage mass cycling.
“Overwhelmingly, what Bostonians do to get about is to drive their cars. It's an easy choice to make. People may get stuck in traffic jams … they may have to pay to park … as well as for petrol and the upkeep of their cars, and they may well complain about these costs.
“However, when the infrastructure looks as it does in towns like Boston, and good alternatives are not provided, then people will carry on driving anyway, almost regardless of the cost, as this is still seen as the least bad option.
“The huge amount of car parking provided -  even very close to the start of the "pedestrian" zone - also means that anyone who tries to cycle here will have to take on a large number of motor vehicles.”
Later on he adds: “Boston encourages driving, as well as some public transport usage. The town makes walking and cycling relatively unpleasant. The result is that people overwhelmingly drive. On the other hand, Assen encourages cycling, due to offering direct and pleasant routes for cycling. The result is that people cycle for 40% of their journeys.
“For Boston to reduce its car dependency and be more welcoming to cyclists, requires the same kind of transformation as was made in the Netherlands. It is time that British streets started to look like modern Dutch streets. Boston people could cycle just as Dutch people can. In fact, archive footage shows that before the roads … were dominated by cars … Boston's population cycled in huge numbers.”
It’s ironic that it takes someone living miles away in another country to tell us some obvious solutions to one of the town’s big problems.
By the sound of it, it could be relatively easy to introduce improvements.
Let’s not forget that – ahead of last year’s elections – party representatives … aside from the BBI … united in condemning the decision to allow frequent bus services through Strait Bargate.
This is what they said at the time:
Conservative: “The option for the buses to go through the town centre itself was not put out to open debate or even to other councillors. It was a decision made in private behind closed doors by the leader of which we knew nothing. It was actually implemented and I think it’s disgusting.”
Labour: “The issue … is going through Strait Bargate. Thousands of people when I talk to them are horrified by this and it seems to me that it was a decision that was not good for Boston… Thousands of pounds of damage is being done to the pavements … but more importantly, older people and disabled people are being terrorised by the buses going through.
Independent: “Taking it through the centre of town is causing damage, it’s also quite unnecessary. There are routes which could have been looked at without going through the pedestrian area.”
Interestingly, since the Tories took over the running of Boston Borough Council, they have often been asked to put their money where their mouth was on the issue of buses using the precinct – and all they have done is come up with excuses not to.
The reader who spotted Mr Hembrow’s blog sent it to town centre portfolio holder Councillor Derek Richmond some days ago – but has not received a response.

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