Amersham | Ertblog

'Crossing not in use' said the sign. But Buckinghamshire County Council didn't bother to explain how pedestrians were supposed to cross this busy road in Amersham. Like most people, I took my life in my hands and crossed anyway. I witnessed a pensioner getting a blast on the horn from a selfish and thoughtless driver.

It made me angry. Why does Bucks County Council think drivers are so much more important than pedestrians? Woodside Road had temporary traffic lights for weeks, but they had been removed some time ago. But in any case, why should a council have any right to treat walkers and pushchair pushers as second class citizens? It's time our councillors used their feet rather than their cars. They'd soon come to their senses.

“Why don’t you take Owen for a train ride?” suggested Karen. Owen loves trains, so it was a great idea for a Sunday morning outing.

We set off from Amersham, the country end of London Underground’s Metropolitan line. The train was older than me: it dated from 1962, the year of the Cuban missile crisis, when Harold Macmillan was Britain’s prime minister and JFK America’s president. It’s some consolation to know I’m still younger than some London tube trains, even if I’m older than David Cameron, the man who’s most likely be Britain’s next prime minister in the coming days!