A ‘Thought for the Day’ for Black Cat Radio on 27th June 2020

This thought refers to long-awaited planning to upgrade a local road.

I’ve had a letter about the proposed Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements. People will have different views on them but there’s an impressive flyby and drive-through video on the Highways England website showing what it might look like.

I spend a lot of time on the A428 in normal times so I’m extremely interested in what might happen, and how easy it will be for me to get my coffee at the Caxton Gibbet roundabout. I would also like to see more detail about how cyclists can get around safely, given my new interest in cycling, as well as about the environmental impact.

According to the website most people are broadly in favour of the scheme, and I can understand why, as I’ve experienced many traffic jams on that road. It occurred to me, though, that this is a huge project. Being faced with something big and complex to do can be daunting for all of us, and therefore planning is needed, so that we can break the job down into smaller, more manageable tasks. As Henry Ford, of Ford cars, said: “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs”.

It can also help if we have someone on our side to encourage and help us. For me, I feel reassured by knowing that I have my local church community by my side for support, and I’m aware that in the Bible Jesus encourages us to plan before doing something difficult. We don’t need faith to plan, though, obviously, and we can find support in all sorts of places.

Perhaps now, as the lockdown is lifting, might be a good time for all of us to start planning for the future, not only about roads but also in other important areas of our lives.