Thank you all so much for responding to this survey – we had nearly 100 replies, or almost 10% of the village, which is a fantastic response. Climate change continues to be in the news and more and more people are beginning to voice their concerns and fears about what is happening and what can be done to mitigate the effects. Effingham village is no exception to this and the results show that an substantial majority of the respondents – 74% – are very or extremely concerned about the effects of climate change on the village.
| How concerned are you about climate change and its effects on the village? | % of total |
|---|---|
| Extremely concerned | 28% |
| Very concerned | 48% |
| Moderately concerned | 17% |
| Slightly concerned | 7% |
| Not at all concerned 1% | 7% |
| Grand Total | 100% |
This concern fed through into the question about pollution in the village and there were 18 responses, when we asked what could be the single best green change for the village, which highlighted the over development of the village, and the proposals to build even more. Concerns were also expressed on the state of the roads, the lack of adherence to speed limits and the use of many of the roads as “rat runs”, especially the lorries which come down The Street and those which defy the signage and use Browns Lane and Church Street.:
| How concerned are you about air pollution in the village? | % of total |
|---|---|
| Extremely concerned | 29% |
| Very concerned | 37% |
| Moderately concerned | 23% |
| Slightly concerned | 11% |
| Grand Total | 100% |
What was encouraging was the number of people who were willing to reduce their carbon footprint, and this was reflected in the % of people who have now switched over to electric and hybrid cars. This % – a combined total of 17% – compares well with the national average of 15% (see https://www.nextgreencar.com/electric-cars/statistics/) up to the end of August 2021.
| Would you be willing to reduce your carbon footprint? | % of total |
|---|---|
| Extremely willing | 23% |
| Very willing | 47% |
| Somewhat willing | 29% |
| Not so willing | 1% |
| Grand Total | 100% |
There is still a large majority of petrol and diesel cars, and this was reflected by concerns about charging points and maturity of the electric/hybrid technology.
| What type of car do you use/drive most often? | % of total |
|---|---|
| Diesel | 22% |
| Electric | 7% |
| Hybrid | 10% |
| Petrol | 61% |
| Grand Total | 100% |
When we asked what it would take for people to switch over to public transport or to cycling 40 responses mentioned “better public transport”, and “bus services” which could be “better”, “more affordable” and “reliable.” There were also a few responses where a “younger body” was a prerequisite to getting on a bike! There was also concern about the lack of cycle lanes and, again, the speed at which cars travel down some of the roads, especially Effingham Common Road, which despite the 40 mile speed limit continues to be used as a speed track by some drivers.
Also of note is that while most people were satisfied with the recycling collection service provided by the council, among the additional items that people would like to see recycled the term “Plastic” was mentioned 17 times in the replies, as was “Crisp Packets”, and there were 15 mentions of “bags which included “bread”, “plastic” and “fruit packaging”. Further to this one of the working group has been leading the recycling effort in Bookham and Sainsburys, Tescos and Co-op are now recycling soft plastics, some of which could previously only be recycled via Terracycle. This means that a whole host of items, including crisp packets can be recycled. Only the main stores are currently offering this service, but the Bookham High Street Co-op does now have this facility.
In summary the team will be taking up the suggestions for improvement with the EPC, specifically about more and better cycle lanes, a higher availability of electric charging points throughout the village, and an expansion of recycling facilities, either within the village or shared with our neighbours, to complement the fortnightly council collection,
If you would like to see the detailed responses then please leave a comment to that effect against the post.