For many families in Potters Bar and South Mimms, choosing Nicholas Breakspear School was based on the promise of a safe, direct and reasonable school bus route. The 355 and 356 services have been reliable for years, giving children a manageable 15–20 minute journey and giving parents confidence that their children could travel safely and independently. That has now changed overnight. Without any consultation with the families affected, these buses have been withdrawn for our area. Children have been reassigned to the 330 route, increasing their journey from around 15–20 minutes to over an hour each way, with 07:00 pick‑ups and 16:20–16:30 returns, leaving many students waiting at roadside stops in darkness throughout autumn and winter. From September, students will be standing at roadside stops in complete darkness at 07:00, returning home as late as 16:45, exhausted before they even begin their homework. The new journey adds 1 hour 40 minutes of travel every single day - the equivalent of an extra transatlantic flight every week. This is not a small inconvenience. It affects children’s sleep, safety, wellbeing, learning, routines, and family life. It affects parents’ ability to work. It affects the whole community. Families were not asked. We were not informed until the last day of term. Many had already paid nearly £1,000 for annual bus passes that no longer serve our area.  We are asking for a safe, direct and reasonable school transport option to be reinstated for Potters Bar and South Mimms - something comparable to what children had before, and something that protects their wellbeing and educational prospects. This matters because no child should have their school day extended by nearly two hours of unnecessary travel, and no family should be left without a voice in decisions that affect their children’s safety. If we stand together, we can push for a fair and workable solution.

Thousands of Bearsden and Milngavie residents are currently cut off from Glasgow's growing network of safe, segregated cycle routes because two short sections of missing infrastructure leave the area disconnected from the city. The Glasgow City Region City Deal has delivered high-quality cycle routes across Glasgow. By the end of this summer, it will be possible to cycle safely from George Square to Kessington Road using a combination of segregated Avenues, the Forth & Clyde Canal, the Kelvin Walkway and quiet residential streets. Yet most Bearsden and Milngavie residents still have no safe route to access this network. Key arterial roads such as the A81/Milngavie Road remain significant barriers for anyone who is not a confident cyclist. Cyclists using these roads often report close passes from drivers, speeding and distracted driving - so it's understandable why so many choose to drive short trips instead.  The solution is to complete the remaining sections of the Bearsway cycle route - approximately 900 metres through Hillfoot and a further 600 metres connecting to Milngavie town centre. Watch this excellent video which explains the history and benefits of this route:  https://youtu.be/YtR3YqwKEYc?si=2fRlewe03Ax2gndp&t=180 This could then be linked up with Bearsden Cross, creating a network between homes, schools, workplaces and leisure.  Completing just 1.5 kilometres of missing infrastructure would connect local residents directly to more than 270 kilometres of planned traffic-free and low-traffic routes across Glasgow. It would provide safer transport options for commuting, education, shopping and leisure, while supporting healthier lifestyles and reducing congestion. Where safe cycle lanes have been built, there has been a huge uptick in people cycling: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/13887/Cycling-trips-surge-by-43-as-Glasgow-s-active-travel-network-grows - in spite of our wet climate.  https://oursafestreets.substack.com/p/the-weathers-too-bad-to-cycle-in Funding could be sought through Scottish Government Active Travel programmes, significantly reducing the cost to East Dunbartonshire Council. These funds are ring-fenced for active travel, so can not be spent elsewhere - we're missing out by not bidding on it!  We call on East Dunbartonshire Council to prioritise completion of the remaining sections of Bearsway and deliver a continuous, safe cycle connection between Bearsden, Milngavie and Glasgow's wider active travel network.

Yes. As of July 2026, the UK Government has confirmed that a mileage-based tax for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will begin in April 2028. The scheme is officially called Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED).  The confirmed headline details are: Vehicle type From April 2028 Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) | 3p per mile Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) | 1.5p per mile Standard (non-plug-in) hybrids | No change, existing VED rules apply The mileage charge is in addition to the existing annual Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) introduced for EVs from April 2025. It is not a replacement.  Other confirmed points include: •  Drivers will normally self-report their annual mileage.  •  Mileage will be checked against MOT records once the vehicle reaches three years old.  •  The Government has dropped its earlier proposal for mandatory annual mileage inspections on vehicles under three years old.  Example annual costs Annual mileageEV (3p/mile)PHEV (1.5p/mile)   5,000 | £150 | £75 10,000 | £300 | £150 15,000 | £450 | £225 20,000 | £600 | £300 This means an owner of a typical electric car registered after April 2025 could, for example, pay: •  Annual VED: £200 •  Plus 10,000 miles of eVED: £300 • Total: £500 per year Luxury EVs that attract the Expensive Car Supplement would continue to pay that where applicable, on top of the above, during the relevant years. 

Swaffham Prior is the only built up area along the length of the B1102 from Stow cum Quy to Mildenhall where a 40mph limit remains. The road is heavily congested, especially at peak commuter periods, many vehicles take little notice of the 40mph speed limit leading to speeds regularly exceeding 50mph. School children wait for bus transport to the Village College, parents walk their children to school along the footpaths. We recognise the work the Swaffham Prior Parish Council have done over the years to try and secure a change, but given that no change has been achieved and the police make no attempt whatsoever to enforce the current speed limit, we demand swift action for change.   Lode achieved a speed reduction to 30mph, Stow cum Quy, a reduction to 20mph, the Swaffhams Greenway plan involves reducing the speed limit between Lode and Swaffham Bulbeck to 40mph, so it is clearly possible to achieve the required outcome, even if this requires a “buffer” zone of 40mph to 30mph at the entrances to the village.   The risks of pedestrians being hurt are real. A recent accident showered the footpath with car parts and wooden bollards which form part of existing traffic calming measures were hurled along the pavement. Had someone been walking along the pavement, they would have been maimed or killed by the flying debris. Many people have had their pets knocked down and killed, it is a matter of time before a human is seriously injured or worse still, killed.     We demand action now to reduce the speed limit to 30mph and then to enforce that new speed limit so that drivers stick to it for the safety of our community. This petition has been set up by Mill Hill Residents: Charlotte Greeno Dee Noyes Rachael Ainscough  Gareth Maslan Jon Taw Jonathan Cook Mark Westacott Barbara Benedikz  Andrew & Jude Griffiths 

Better Buses for Greater Manchester was right to campaign for the end of the failed deregulated bus market in our region. Franchising, introduced under Andy Burnham, means that only bus companies with a contact from the Mayor can run services. As a result, strategic network planning is now under local authority control — which is why services can be integrated with one brand, ticket, and timetable.  But private companies still call the shots on day-to-day essential decisions — like wages, staff T&Cs, and much else. And they have a guaranteed profit margin — millions a year that could be going back into services and keeping fares down. In London, Sadiq Khan is setting up a publicly owned bus company to take over contacts for TfL buses. The government also promised to deliver the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation and lifted the ban on new publicly owned bus companies. The next Mayor must set up a publicly owned bus company — like the award winning firms in Nottingham, Reading, Edinburgh, Blackpool and beyond. Buses must be truly run by and for us.

Thousands of residents in western Milton Keynes are cut off from their nearest shops, schools, and services — by a bus network that simply doesn't connect them. Whitehouse, Fairfields, and the wider Western Expansion Area were built with restricted parking, expecting residents to rely on public transport. While some radial services exist — the X6 at Fairfields, Route 2 at Whitehouse — the cross-town connections those plans relied on were never delivered. The reality today: • No direct bus between Whitehouse and Stony Stratford — a 5-minute drive takes ~50 minutes by bus via central MK • No bus to Westcroft's shops — a 5-minute drive takes ~45 minutes by bus • MK Connect costs £3–6.50 per ride, doesn't run on Sundays, and can mean 30-minute waits • Route 2, the only regular bus serving Whitehouse, is at risk of withdrawal More information: https://mkweabus.defp.uk/

Young and new drivers across the UK are being charged excessive and unaffordable car insurance premiums, often exceeding £3,000–£6,000 annually, despite needing vehicles for work, education, and family responsibilities. 

All car drivers should take a 1 day motorbike lesson whilst passing their car test i have had 2 RTC in less than a year none of my fault 2 motorbikes have been written off I have suffered life changing injuries i have 2 rods and a metal plate in my left ankle awaiting knee surgery in my left knee a broken right ankle 12 broken ribs and 1 collapsed lung all because car drivers are to impatient or don't like bikers filtering.  It would make it easier and safer for all car drivers to understand the dangers we face everyday on a motorbike. I see to many bikers going through the same problem more and more bikers are getting injured and this needs to be addressed urgently!!

Children walk and cycle to primary and secondary schools next to a 50mph/70mph road, along a shared use footway/cycleway that is sometimes only separated from this traffic by a narrow verge. An email from the County Council Highway Schemes says that they will only take action to install a vehicle restraint system (barrier) if "vehicles have left the carriageway and have come into contact with pedestrians or cyclists".  It is unacceptable to promote Active Travel and advertise "Park and Stride" along this recognised route to school before first making it safe. There should not have to be an "injury collision" before a barrier is put in place, as is current policy.  Encouraging people to take to their bikes or walk only works when the routes in question are safe. The council's Active Travel Strategy July 2022 notes 5 core priorities, one of which is a “promise at all levels…to treat walking and cycling as a policy priority”.  Many people avoid cycling this route because of safety concerns; adding a barrier will also contribute to the Council's priority of increasing cycling and reducing car use. We are calling for Oxfordshire County Council to install a vehicle restraint system along the A40 London Road from where it turns to 50mph heading East, along through the 70mph by Thornhill P&R to the Holton turn. This stretch incorporates direct routes to school for Sandhills Community Primary School, Bayards Hill Primary School, and Wheatley Park Secondary School. Please sign and share this petition widely, and leave comments if this personally affects you or those you know.

We all saw that video.  A man urinating on a northern line Tube seat. Disgusting, right?  But here's the real problem: that urine soaked into the fabric. Every day, thousands sit on those same porous seats that absorb rain sweat, spilled drinks and germs.  Fabric traps bacteria. Plastic doesn't We deserve better. Why Plastic Seats? Hygiene: Plastic can be wiped clean in seconds. No more sitting on last night's mystery spill. No Odours: Say goodbye to musty, damp smells clinging to your clothes Germ-Free: After the pandemic, why are we still sitting on fabric sponges? If you're tired of checking seats before you sit, sign this petition Tell TfL: Clean transport isn't a luxury. It's a right. These people deserve to be fined or penalised. Sign now. Let's make London's commute hygienic.

A Statutory Harbour Authority would: • Ensure harbour income is reinvested locally for the benefit of harbour users and the village • Provide long-term funding for maintaining Hurst Spit and the harbour • Give Keyhaven a clear, accountable body responsible for harbour management and navigation Harbours across the UK — large and small — operate successfully under Statutory Harbour Authorities. Keyhaven is more than big enough to do the same. This is our chance to secure the future of Keyhaven Harbour. ✍️ Sign the petition to ask the council and government to support the creation of a Keyhaven Statutory Harbour Authority.

Community Petition – Downham Road, Chatburn Speeding traffic on Downham Road continues to be a serious concern for residents. Despite the 20 mph limit, many vehicles regularly exceed the speed limit, putting pedestrians, cyclists, and families at risk. We are inviting members of the community to support a petition calling for speed monitoring and traffic calming measures to make the road safer for everyone. Please sign and share the petition to help bring attention to this issue and encourage action. Your support can help make Downham Road safer.