A COUNTY council focus group looking at transport links in Bordon, wants to read about residents' travel experiences after it emer-ged the town was one of the most inaccessible in the county. Earlier this year, it was acknowledged that poor transport links in Whitehill and Bordon, and the New Forest, made them ideal test subjects for a Hampshire County Coun-cil (HCC) accessibility study, using new technology. HCC's analysis of the data, as presented to the town council last month, was that Whitehill and Bordon is one of the most inaccessible towns in the county for people using vital services, especially hospitals. Keen to gain some insight from the local people who travel daily to schools, shops and workplaces, researchers are sending a questionnaire to more than 3,000 homes in the next week. Software called "Accession" was used to build up a map of Whitehill, Bordon and Lind-ford, based on information about the time taken, and how easy it was, for people to get to essential services. Travel times and modes of transport to schools, colleges, hospitals, GP surgeries, workplaces, food shops and retail centres have been compared to government thresholds to show those services which are "inaccessible". Information about the town's 5,964 households has also been looked at from census results - including long-term illness, unemployment and families without a car - to highlight "areas of genuine need". The results so far show that no residents can reach a non-community hospital within the official guideline travelling time of 30 minutes, and less than three quarters of households (72 per cent) can reach one within an hour. More positive numbers include the 98 per cent of pupils who arrive at primary school within a 15-minute threshold and the 99 per cent of workers who get to their jobs within a 20- minute threshold. But the results show that about a tenth of households (roughly 60 homes) cannot reach other essential services within the ideal limits, as the figures below demonstrate. l 89 per cent can reach a further-education college within the 30-minute threshold (99 per cent within 60 minutes), meaning 11 per cent cannot. l 90 per cent can reach a GP surgery within a 15-minute theshold (100 per cent within 30 minutes). l 91 per cent can reach secondary schools within a 20-minute threshold (99 per cent within 40 minutes). l 93 per cent can reach food shops within a 15-minute threshold (99 per cent within 30 minutes). Another statistic causing concern is the 37 per cent of households which cannot reach a retail centre within a threshold of 15 minutes, although 93 per cent can make it to the shops within 30 minutes. The meaning of these figures is likely to change following feedback from the questionnaire, and researchers have urged those who receive forms to fill them in as completely as possible. There will also be copies of the questionnaire at Bordon library and at the Forest Community Centre. The county councillor for Whitehill, Bordon and Lind-ford Adam Carew said: "This questionnaire has been put together by county officers with input from local councillors. We have long argued for more local facilities and better transport links. I urge as many people as possible to respond to this survey. The more information we have about residents' access to vital services, the stronger our evidence-base will be to get our community the extra facilities and transport links we so desperately need." During his presentation to the town council, HCC special transport project manager Ian Reeve said he hoped accessibility improvements would be complete in two to three years. All questionnaires will be treated as confidential and used only for the accessibility pilot.
