Dear editor
Re: your article in your 19 October edition of Bedford Independent on ‘Bedford Borough Council’s decision to freeze car parking charges for the fifth year’.
Cllr Rigby’s said in the article “A freeze just does not cut the mustard here, the town desperately needs more free and cheaper car parking”.
Cycling Campaign for North Bedfordshire (CCNB) is afraid Cllr Rigby is not in the current world. Has he not heard that we have a global crisis, not of Covid-19 which unfortunately is going to be still with us for some time, but a global threat of Irreversible Climate Change.
The latest government figures (2019) for the Borough show that the highest emitter of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas causing climate change, is from transport at 41% of the total.
We, therefore, have to see less NOT more cars in the central area of the town and encourage more people to use sustainable transport; walking, cycling or public transport.
We appreciate that not everybody can use sustainable transport but with around two-thirds travelling less than five miles there is scope for a significant number to change.
There are only a few years left to reduce global emissions to prevent an irreversible change which could see temperatures by the end of the century up to 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe resulting in heatwaves, heavy rain and floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones,
Within the next two weeks, we have COP26 in Glasgow, the 26th UN Climate Change conference, which will bring parties together from all over the world to accelerate action towards the goals of the 2016 COP21 Paris Agreement.
This is a legally binding international treaty with the goal to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
CCNB once again however makes the statement:
The greatest threat to our planet is “The belief that someone else will save it”.
Everyone MUST do their bit now no matter how small. By 2030 it may be too late
Peter Blakeman – CCNB
Letters published reflect the views of the author, not Bedford Independent.
If you would like to write a letter to respond to any issues raised, please email letters@bedfordindependent.co.uk
