Media

Our beautiful villages, ripped apart by traffic

The Times
October 15 2007
Letters to the Editor

Sir, “At the foot of this hill, one stage or step from the uplands, lies the village, which consists of one single straggling street, three quarters of a
mile in length, in a sheltered vale, and running parallel with the Hanger.” The village is Selborne, and the author Gilbert White. His book, The Natural History
and Antiquities of Selborne, written in limpid prose, is the fourth most published book in the English language and has been translated into many others,
including Japanese and Chinese. It is widely considered one of the earliest “ecological” studies.

Selborne is in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is within the proposed South Downs National Park. That single straggling street has become the B3006, and, although no wider than in Gilbert White’s time, today it carries 10,000 vehicles a day, including juggernauts. There is a speed limit of 30mph and a ban on lorries over 7.5 tons, but both are widely disregarded. Speeds are often well in excess of 30mph. The pavements are narrow or non-existent.

Wing mirrors are a constant hazard. In the rush hours it is difficult to cross the road. The cottages, shops and inns on either side of the road, many of
which are 15th and 16th-century and without foundations, are shaken by the traffic. There is a complete loss of tranquillity and the atmosphere that White
describes as “soft” is now heavily polluted with petrol fumes and vehicular noise.

Priority is given to vehicles. Our children cannot walk to school unescorted.  They cannot explore the lanes alone. They are limited to their gardens, and to
the school grounds. Many are transported from the one to the other by car, including those old enough to walk unescorted. They have a limited experience of the countryside. The normal exploratory joys of childhood are denied them.

Gilbert White is acclaimed as the father of ecology and by amazing good fortune the village, its countryside and the natural habitat that was his
inspiration still exist. It could be argued that Selborne should be a World Heritage Site and protected as such.

We call upon the authorities to change current policy and protect Selborne and all such villages. This is to be done by ensuring that long-distance
commuter traffic stays on the A-roads. With tranquillity restored and environmentally friendly traffic calming in place, village streets could become
once more a shared space.

Dr E. M. Yates, President of the Selborne Association

The RT Hon the Lord Archer of Sandwell, QC

Sir David Bellamy

Dr Richard J .Gornall, High President of Botanical Society of the British Isles

Professor Sir John Lawton, President of the British Ecological Society

Dr Caroline Lucas, MEP for South of England

Professor Gren Lucas, Former keeper of the Herbarium and Library Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Richard Mabey, Professor Lord May Of Oxford, OM, AC, FRS, Former President of the Royal Society

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP

Dr Owen Plunkett, Ramblers Association, Hampshire

Tim Smit CBE, Chief Executive, The Eden Project

Canon David Watson

The Right Rev Trevor Willmott, Sufragan Bishop of Basingstoke

Michael Wood