Westwood is anybody convinced?

Yesterday I spoke with one of the consultants for the Partnership developing Westwood and frankly I still have the feeling that talk about transport links etc is just so much waffle. A big emphasis was placed on public transport as a part of the solution to the appalling traffic around the already choked Haine and Nash Road and mention is made of new junctions on to already congested Roads. I think these developers seriously believe that a large section of new Westwood Bland housing estate, are going to travel by bus or if suicidal jump on there bicycle.

I have many times cycled to work along parts of this road but for someone of a sensitive nature who is afraid of dying I would not want to navigate around Margate or Haine Road, you see the problem is that although the road might be wide enough to accommodate both, motorists cannot see cyclist in most conditions, to prove the point I use to wear a bright yellow raincoat on top of which would be a yellow Hi vis jacket to anyone other than a motorist I looked like a big fat luminous banana but strangely remained invisible to drivers. Walking, where are you going to walk to, from Westwood Bland would you want to cross Haine Road or Margate Road thought not. So what do the planners know that we don’t, perhaps Petrol and Diesel is about to reach ten quid a litre, and traffic will just disappear?

The fact is the only safe cycling anywhere around Westwood will be on the actual estate on the “central linear path” going nowhere. Just going back to their leaflet evidently links will connect cycle paths, pavements etc. is this imaginary infrastructure what paths Nash Road, there is a pavement on Haine Road but somehow you would have to cross the road without getting killed to get anywhere.

I would challenge anyone involved in this proposed development to cycle anywhere near this area I honestly feel that no one has done any homework on this. I think there is more than a whiff of arrogance. Is it me, am I Barking Bonkers mad, or is this plan ill conceived and going to result in chaos. Woof woof!