New normal

I READ an online article recently that was titled ‘A new normal’: how coronavirus will transform transport in Britain’s cities’.

The article talked about how cycling and walking are going to be the way forward in terms of transport in cities, starting with London.

This is because public transport doesn’t support social distancing, and if everyone were to start driving, the roads would be in gridlock.

This seemed to me, to be absolutely BRILLIANT news!

Not only will walking and cycling lessen the spread of the coronavirus, but it will also reduce pollution in cities, therefore helping to tackle the climate crisis!

I know that Stroud, in comparison to London, is a very green area.

However, I strongly believe that we can always do more than we currently do!

By walking and cycling more as a community, we can help prevent another wave of Covid19, get more exercise, possibly improve our mental health, and become a greener community!

I am really enjoying hearing stories on the news of various species of wildlife growing in numbers once again.

Storks, for example, have laid eggs in the wild in England for the first time in over 600 years, having last bred in England in 1416!

Don’t you want the natural world to keep thriving after the lockdown has been lifted?

Choosing to walk or cycle into town/to school/to the park, instead of driving, is one step closer to acting against the climate crisis.

Yes, it’s a small step, but it is a step all the same.

So I’m calling on all community leaders (including our local MP, other local political party leaders, head teachers, neighbourhood wardens and business leaders) to take action!

What can you do to promote cycling and walking around Stroud?

But it’s not just community leaders that can take action.

Everyone can! So the next time you go out, ask yourself the question of, whether, instead of taking the car, you could walk or cycle to your destination?

Together we can initiate change, for the benefit of the environment and for our own health.

Thank you for reading,

Olive Coxon

16-year-old Youthstrike member

Stroud