A local paper has spoken to Ola Burström about our desire in Bygdsiljum to have a safe walking road and he's basically said that it wont be happening. It is very easy to say no to something when asked questions on the phone and maybe he wasn't aware of all the facts.
So, I'd like to ask him a few questions and maybe if he isn't aware of the answers, by looking into them, he'll be more aware of the facts. And seeing as my Swedish is awful, they're in English, but I'll send them to his office as soon as I publish this post, but for transparency, here they are:
- Are you aware that for nearly 20 years, the people of Bygdsiljum have been calling for this safe walking road?
- Are you aware that upwards of 50,000,000 kr is getting spent on the road from Bygdsiljum to Burträsk and if you are, does it not make sense to spend just a little bit more while doing this rather than potentially three times as much when they have finished?
- Are you aware that money from the budget in 2018 can be made available if the kommun support the idea?
- Lastly, are you aware that it isn't safe or comfortable for drivers (let alone pedestrians walking the road) having to slow down and swerve when meeting pedestrians walking on this road?
I ask the last question because the two key reasons for widening the road in parts from Bygdsiljum to Burträsk is safety and comfort.
Skellefteå promote the kommun as a place for ideas and I appreciate this isn't an idea about creating new jobs or about improving healthcare or even about education, but it is about saving a lot of money. It's also about healthy living and accepting that if there is a good idea that it should be considered.
I'm not sure he has spoken to people in Bygdsiljum about this, but I'd urge him to but I also fear that now he has come out publicly and said this isn't going to happen, that he might not change his mind.
It's just a pity that we didn't get to speak to him before the paper did, but maybe we can invite him to Bygdsiljum.
Last chance saloon
And inviting him is possibly our last option. I had a meeting with Harriet Classon a couple of weeks ago and she accepted the invitation to come to the village, but we are also waiting for a few more people to say yes before setting a date.
When they come, we're going to take them for a walk and let them see for themselves why we need this safe walking road. We're also going to have a delegation of people from companies in Bygdsiljum and anyone else that would like to attend, so they have a chance to get across why they would like it.
The plan was also to bring the press on that day, but we seem to have been beaten to the punch on that one. But you cant get everything right.
The plan was also to bring the press on that day, but we seem to have been beaten to the punch on that one. But you cant get everything right.
And as soon as the date is arranged, I'll promote it here, on the Bygdsiljum website and on Twitter. It might even find its way onto Facebook and Google+ and I'll make sure there is plenty of notice.
