Opinion : What can be improved in Wycombe in 2017?

Ivor | January 1, 2017

It’s here! 2017 has arrived! So may I take this opportunity to wish a Happy New Year to all my readers.

My good self is really looking forward to the New Year, although yours truly hasn’t made any New Year’s resolutions I did spend a while on New Year’s Eve looking back at the achievements of 2016 and thinking of the improvements that can be made in our town 2017.

Regular readers will know that my good self cares deeply for Wycombe, indeed my friends call me ‘Mr Wycombe‘. Sadly over the years there are so many things in our town that have been let go, left uncared for or just looked over.

The town of today, in my opinion, is not a patch on what it used to be years ago. So what needs doing to improve things to get our town back on tack again?

Well, here is my list of areas that I would like to see improvement in during 2017 :

Ban food stalls on the market from sending clouds of smoke over the High Street so people can walk about without being enveloped in smoke.
Let’s see more of the towns historic buildings being given protective listings – and I don’t mean putting them on the ‘local list’ I mean a proper Grade I or Grade II listing afforded by Historic England.
Find a use (that benefits the whole community) for the old Library building in Queen Victoria Road.
Rejuvenate the Frogmoor area of the town, including the installation of a working fountain, so it becomes a place that people want to go rather than a concrete wasteland overrun by pigeons.
Stop the demolition/conversion of the town’s factories into housing. Unless we have factories how will there be enough employment in the town?
Repair and make good the homes in the town that have fallen into disrepair, for example ‘Collins House’ in Desborough Road which could be housing families rather then being left to rot.
Install a roof on the shopping centre so people don’t get wet while doing their shopping.
Reinstate the weekly emptying of black bins.
Introduce a bye-law to prevent bonfires in residential areas at all times during summer time and between sunrise and sunset in the winter.
Let’s see more of the town’s pavements resurfaced. The roads are pretty good now but some of the pavements, particularly in residential areas, are in a terrible state.
Do whatever is necessary to stop vehicles parking on pavements. If a wheel is on the kerb then the vehicle should be towed away – no questions asked – so pedestrians can walk by safely.
Reverse the changes to roads being made as part of the town centre ‘Masterplan‘ and divert the money being wasted into something that will benefit the town such as the rejuvenation of the Frogmoor area.
Get rid of the traffic lights that have sprung up in the town centre over recent years and replace them with roundabouts.
Take action against the young yobbos who ride around the town centre doing ‘wheelies’ on bicycles.
Tackle the issue of people loitering in Desborough Road as well as the problem with prostitution in that area of town.
Stop allowing shop units to be converted into coffee houses and café’s. The town centre should have shops that sell things of use not areas where all you can buy is food and drink.
Install speed cameras on every bridge on the M40.
Place a large statue (similar to the ‘Angel of the North’) close to the motorway at Handy Cross to make the junction for Wycombe stand out.

Well there it is. My list of things that could be done in 2017 to make Wycombe a better place. I guess that’s enough from my good self for now so may I wish you a peaceful, prosperous and above all Happy New Year.

What do you think?

*My blogs are published every Tuesday and Friday evening around 8.00pm here on the WycombeToday.com website.

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