Pathways,

I keep reading in the Ek News and other press about this or that politician lecturing to us how we need to use our legs more and walk our kids to school instead of using the car. So far so good I agree. However:

The pathways in this neck of the woods have been in a very sorry state for the 29 years that I have lived here with very little maintenance and improvement. Infact just the opposite. We used to have tractors from the council going around with various people who were allegedly doing estate maintenance. I wrote to the council years ago having had to get of a footbridge whilst a tractor and trailer made it's way across it. That footbridge now no longer exists as it fell apart and was set alight by the local bored neds.

Now we have large grass cutting machine which would not be out of place on a championship golf course, they use the same footpaths. These paths were slabbed when they were laid out, designed only for pedestrian traffic. I regularly see these large heavy grass machine and the ubiquitous blue SLC pick up parked on or driving down the pathways. The slabs are all pushed out of shape with large gaps in between them, are they repaired? NO

THE PICTURE ABOVE SHOWS PART OF A VERY BUSY PATHWAY THAT HAS BEEN IN THIS CONDITION NOW FOR 4 YEARS. (REPORTED BY ME SEVERAL TIMES.) THERE IS QUITE OBVIOUSLY A BURST WATER PIPE WHICH IS CAUSING THE PERMANENT FLOODING.

So before we get any more sanctimonious lectures on walking kids to school, can we please give them decent paths to walk on.