Amersham campaigner's bid to stop High Speed 2 rail link (From Bucks Free Press)
Send your news, photos and videos by texting bucksfreepress to 80360 or email
Amersham campaigner's bid to stop High Speed 2 rail link
7:30am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in
A CAMPAIGNER who successfully fought the introduction of car parking charges in her home town is starting a new battle – to halt plans for a new high speed railway line.
Sarah-Jane Axelby spearheaded a campaign among residents of Old Amersham to stop proposals to bring in on-street parking charges in the town.
The scheme was scrapped following protests – and now Mrs Axelby, who continued to lead last year's campaign despite being heavily pregnant with her second child, has set her sights on a new fight.
The 34-year-old from Whielden Street said protesters needed to be “positive” about making a difference.
The planned route tunnels underneath Old Amersham and Chalfont St Giles before cutting through the Chiltern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Mrs Axelby said: “My approach to anything is one of enthusiasm and positivity. If anyone can put a stop to things as a community, we can.
“Somebody's suggested we get the tunnel stopped, or change where the tunnel comes out, but if we are going in with a defeatist attitude from the outset we won't achieve anything. You have to get the whole route stopped.
“The community's very close-knit. People are passionate about it. There's no reason why we are not going to get the support from the local community.”
She admitted planned opposition to the proposed line, which would have trains running at 250mph along it, would be “on a completely different scale” to anything she had done before.
Mrs Axelby said she was “utterly appalled” after hearing news of the planned route being revealed on the TV.
She said: “What's the point in having Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and listed buildings if you can run a railway line straight through it?
“Having looked at it more closely I was even more shocked at the route. It goes through the chalk hills and runs parallel with the Old Town High Street.”
Residents are now hoping to set up the Chiltern Action Group in opposition to the scheme.
“We will be working with other places like Great Missenden and The Lee so we can co-ordinate our efforts,” said Mrs Axelby. “It's the biggest thing to hit our community for a long time and we need to work out what our objectives are.”
She added many people were already looking to get involved.
“People are coming out of the woodwork,” she said. “There are experts in different fields like legal and construction, down to local councillors. It's a pretty united front.”
Comments(15)
demoness
says...
8:47am Tue 16 Mar 10
Welwyn Dowd wrote:Err no...
A "positive" campaign? More cars, more trucks, more pollution, bigger roads I suppose.
The whole point is that there is a perfectly good train service to and from Birminghm and further already.
The wanton destruction of countryside just to save half an hour on a journey time is nothing short of criminal.
So there will not be any more cars on the road if this track is not built.
Sarah R Smith
says...
9:20am Tue 16 Mar 10
motco
says...
10:16am Tue 16 Mar 10
Dr Truth
says...
10:47am Tue 16 Mar 10
miccles
says...
11:00am Tue 16 Mar 10
Dr Truth wrote:In a lot of ways i agree, this idea is only at the consultation stage at the moment, from what i gather its going to be another 6 years before plans go ahead, then another 10 years after that before anything is done, alot of people will probably be long gone by that time.
How about the BFP stop publishing the opinion of every yummy mummy or pensioner in the entire Amersham, Chalfont and Chesham district as a seperate "groundbreaking" story on something that is only just going to consultation, there must be a new pothole opening up somewhere to report.
People moan about how beautiful the countryside is, well start a campaign to FIX THE BLOODY ROADS, then it will be beautiful.
Malc London
says...
1:20pm Tue 16 Mar 10
If you need to get to Birmingham there is already a perfectly good rail route. Perhaps the Government can use some money to subsidise the fares and the rest for NHS and Troop equipment for the Forces. Perhaps some could even be used to pay off some of this Countries debts!
TheT0nemeister
says...
1:25pm Tue 16 Mar 10
miccles
says...
2:03pm Tue 16 Mar 10
TheT0nemeister wrote:lol....
This is the same campaigner that most likely taxis her kiddies around 200 yard round trips to school in the mornings in a 8 litre 4x4 because clearly walking would take so much longer and the fact that puddles on the pavement could present a high risk. Then the same person who wants to eleviate traffic congestion, save the planet and then stop economical forms of transport.
The Judge
says...
2:20pm Tue 16 Mar 10
WE NEED A FAST LINK AND THIS PROVIDES IT.
JUDGE
Malc London
says...
2:59pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Chris Mellor
says...
5:42pm Tue 16 Mar 10
J B Blackett
says...
6:46pm Tue 16 Mar 10
.
The cost per ticket to make it viable would be of the order (£500-£600) just to get to Manchester - at todays prices , never mind 2020 AD.
.
That's without allowing for inflation , oil / energy prices or even paying off the £30 billion (they really are joking about that !) debt to built and equip it in the first place.
.
You're all giving the impression that you believe all these lying, deceitful , devious rapacious undemocratic politicians.
.
They are the same ones who've lied to you and deceived you about everything else , aren't they ?
.
Why start believing them about this rail project ?
motco
says...
8:45am Wed 17 Mar 10
Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
by Dr. David L. Weatherford
IanBartlett
says...
8:50am Wed 17 Mar 10
J B Blackett wrote:Well, I'd trust them, the professional transport planners who devised the route and the economics experts who have identified that Britain needs additional transport capacity by 2030 more than I would your randomly calculated £500-600 per ticket. How did you calculate that exactly?
It's not going to happen , folks - not in a hundred years . The cost per ticket to make it viable would be of the order (£500-£600) just to get to Manchester - at todays prices , never mind 2020 AD. . That's without allowing for inflation , oil / energy prices or even paying off the £30 billion (they really are joking about that !) debt to built and equip it in the first place. . You're all giving the impression that you believe all these lying, deceitful , devious rapacious undemocratic politicians. . They are the same ones who've lied to you and deceived you about everything else , aren't they ? . Why start believing them about this rail project ?
One question for all the 'antis'; do you never use roads and railway lines? They all, yes even existing ones, go through areas that affected people living there when they were built. If you truly never travel anywhere, I might start taking your complaints seriously.
More News stories
- Pay bankers properly or lose their skills, says MP
- Cashier hurt during garage raid
- Tenants employed to ensure Red Kite delivers on £100m upgrades
- Man suffers life-threatening injuries in A40 crash
- Is love lost in Bucks?
- Oxford-Wycombe rail line moves a step closer
- Stampeding rhino prepares for marathon challenge
- Could be weeks before death is explained
- Wycombe Hospital among flood call outs for fire crews
- 87-year-old targeted in 'cowardly crime'
Campaigner Sarah-Jane Axelby
Most popular
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Welwyn Dowd says...
8:10am Tue 16 Mar 10