Les Bicyclettes de Belsize
There we were residents all foregathered in the dear “Old Rose and Crown” to hear from the Council’s embodiment of “Mini Holland”. A lovely chap , he arrived at 8 pm and spent a hour or so enthusing about it all.
The areas affected by the grand scheme are known as “villages”, and designated a colour. We’re sort of Fired Earth purple: Isn’t that cool.
Do you know that some car owners in our streets keep their cars parked 94% of the time. Some refuse to use their cars in case they lose their parking spaces! So the idea of a Poets Corner electric community car with its own special parking space and plug seems so perfect. No need for little used lumps of metal cluttering up the roads.
“Where once there were cars there will now be trees.” is to be our carrion call.
The thing is we all have such different ideas of what our “Mini Holland” should be like. It’s going to take some pretty creative thinking to segway one’s way to an acceptable compromise. Now I come to think of it – we should all be issued with scooters (mine would need additional stabilisers – but that’s a minor point).
One or two of us thought we should get rid of the distinction between roads and pavements and have all pavement : cars being unable to travel at any speed above 5 mph without risking serious pedestrian road kill…and a good ticking off.
With Foxtons moving into the area, I’m sure Poets Corner is ripe for further gentrification. More Rive Gouche than De Wallen: park benches, corner cafés and Juliette Greco, putting out her bottles of absinthe along with everyone else. Lovely!
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