Skip to content

Greenway petition handed in to Downing Street

Ethan GudgeSouth of England
News imageFreddie van Mierlo Three campaigners in yellow shirts are joined by MPs Freddie van Mierlo and Greg Smith outside the iconic black door of 10 Downing Street.Freddie van Mierlo
The group visited Downing Street on Tuesday

Local campaigners have joined their MPs in Downing Street to call for the creation of a safe route for cyclists and pedestrians between a town and a village.

On Tuesday, the group handed a petition in at Number 10 calling for government support for a greenway route between Thame and Haddenham in Buckinghamshire which is home to the local rail station.

The town is currently only linked to the village by the A418, where the speed limit is 40 mph, traffic is often busy and there is no paved footpath.

Freddie van Mierlo, the Liberal Democrat MP for Henley and Thame, accompanied the group to Downing Street, and told the BBC that the visit sent a "clear message that residents expect action".

"What we want to see is a safe, off-road, active travel route," he explained.

He said the proposed greenway would "benefit the economy, health, the environment and the well-being of all the residents".

"Residents have been campaigning for this for well over 25 years now, so I'm really keen that we see progress on this and a route actually delivered," he added.

The petition calling for the new 'greenway' received more than 3,600 signatures before being handed in at the prime minister's address.

It is also part of Oxfordshire County Council's strategic plan, with the authority looking to finalise an exact route and design by 2027.

The current existing route has been described as unsuitable and unsafe for walking or cycling, leaving residents forced to use cars or buses for the short journey.

Conservative MP Greg Smith, whose Mid Buckinghamshire constituency includes Haddenham, also joined the campaigners at Downing Street.

He said the greenway project was one he had "long supported and would very much like to see delivered".

It was "ultimately" a matter for local authorities to work with landowners and "find a deal that can make it happen" he said, before adding that "any support government can give would be most welcome".

The BBC has contacted the Department of Transport for a comment.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.