Mill Field railings

Thu 7 Dec 2017, 15:36

We saw them on a foray with el mutto at dusk yesterday. Unnecessary, intrusive and actually more dangerous than when edge was left unobstructed. When I'd take the kids and friends to the "swimming pool" I could keep them in full view and at any moment could get at one who might have got themselves into difficulties, sliding down the slope wasn't a problem as it was quite scaleable if an urgent need arose.

Now I'd feel threateningly blocked from any quick access into the swimming pool areas either side of the weir. And not even mentioned the ugliness of the intrusive heavy metal construction - unnecessarily heavy, not as if cars have to be prevented from slithering into the water!

Why not spend the no-doubt thousands of ££s that this cost and put it into making a small foot bridge between Water Lane and the Millfield to make a nice circular walk so people, kids, and dogs don't have to go onto the dangerous stretch of road (with no pavement and unsighted bends and vehicles driving fast) and a long trek on pavement back to the entrance to Millfield way down back towards the station? I've wanted this natural link across the Millstream ever since arriving here with small children in the noughties. Pavement pounding is an actual deterrent to people like me with major spinal and limb injury whereas the natural uneveness of track and grass allows us to walk while minimising discomfort. Flat, level, uniform hard surfaces do not occur much in nature and the interlinked complexity of our spinal, leg and foot bones are intrically linked and balanced with springs, articulation, shock absorbers and so forth. Pavements are associated with a lot of crippling disability which people don't realise they can be causal in - even arthritic deterioration of bone joints. We should be enciuraging as much simple walking for people to do and little things, like laying crushed stone onto boggy bits of tracks and making onvious link-ups with little foot and buggy bridges from Water Lane onto Millfield is where our Rate precept should be going (or whoever paid for it). Reducing our NHS bill by facilitating keeping mobile is a better use of resources instead of marring the appearance and facility of a weir pond... stupid waste.

Oh, and a Millfield foot/buggy bridge could be made as one half of the structure to put up a temporary Bailey-type bridge for events like Riverside where vehicle access is required on occassion. A little bridge could also be made into a nice visual accessory for the area if someone was a bit aesthetically creative with wood, stone, or metal...