Sir, – The Farnham Sustainable Town Initiative, an urban safety management study, is an important development, for at least eight reasons. 1) It is objective. It is an outsider's view, taking a fresh look at the problems we locals (and our highway authority) are all too familiar with. 2) It is professional. It was carried out by leading traffic consultants, the Transport Research Laboratory, and commissioned and paid for by Farnham Town Council. 3) It is holistic. A buzzword, but the point is that it looked at the problem as a whole, rather than piecemeal as in the past. 4) It is eligible for funding. Urban safety management as a strategy for managing traffic in towns is promoted by the Department for Transport and can therefore be funded through the Local Transport Plan. 5) It is about accessibility. It aims to make the town accessible and attractive for its users, with better parking facilities, which will be good news for local traders. 6) It is about discouraging through traffic, especially heavy goods vehicles with their noise and vibration. 7) It is about improving the environment. Does Farnham achieve its potential as an elegant historic town? Few people would answer "yes" to that question. 8) Most importantly, it is about people. It aims to make Farnham somewhere with a sense of place that encourages people to spend time – walking, shopping, eating, sitting, sightseeing and enjoying the surroundings. These are things that people who responded to the Farnham healthcheck said they wanted. At the moment, the traffic makes using Farnham intimidating and unpleasant for pedestrians. The study aims to redress the balance, slowing the traffic down and providing better crossing facilities. There is a lot of work to be done before the recommendations of the study can be implemented. Modelling of the proposals will have to be carried out to establish what the effects will be, rather than trying to guess at them. There will be a lot more consultation before anything is done. I hope we can all keep an open mind and work together to tackle our town's traffic problems, which have been with us for far too long. Susan Farrow, chairman, Farnham Town Council environmental service committee, Dippenhall
