Marlow Town Council (MTC) is excited to invite all Marlow residents to embrace small behaviour changes that can collectively make a significant impact. Only by working together Council and community are we able to create positive change that can make a positive difference.
“As Deputy Mayor, and Chairman of the Environment and Wellbeing Committee, my goal is to inspire and support small positive behaviour changes that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable community.
This initiative centres on two out of our committee’s five areas of focus, ‘Recycle, Reuse and Refill’ and ‘Active Travel’”, states Cllr Colleen Stapley.
‘Reuse and Refill’ a water bottle. It’s one simple yet impactful change we can all make to reduce single-use plastic consumption and waste. Did you know Marlow offers over 25 locations and three fountains where you can get your water bottle refilled for free? To promote this initiative, MTC created a downloadable and shareable map highlighting shops, cafés, and restaurants across Marlow that support the national Refill initiative. Join us in reducing plastic waste and staying hydrated.
Active travel encourages everyone to use their own power to move from point A to point B, be it walking, scooting, biking, or using e-bikes and e-scooters, wheelchairs, and motorized scooters. Opting for active travel over a car not only benefits your own physical and mental health and well-being but also reduces traffic congestion and air pollution, benefiting our entire community.
Why choose active travel? Cllr Colleen Stapley explains, “Active travel covers any journey you make from home to elsewhere. We want to start by encouraging kids and parents to walk to school and town, but we invite all residents to adopt active travel whenever possible. The focus on the school run is strategic: 1) It’s the summer holidays, offering more time to try out new routes, 2) Active travel has numerous benefits for young people, including improved performance in school, 3) Majority of school-commuting distances in Marlow are a mile or less. To make this experience exciting and engaging for young people we collaborated with the talented local artist, Nicola Metcalfe, who designed both colourful and fun maps for Active Travel and Refill.”
This summer we invite you to explore a new route to walk, bike, or scoot to town and school from your home. Or you can find a place to park further away and walk part of the journey. Let’s turn active travel into an adventure to discover hidden footpaths and routes in Marlow. Swap the car ride for a healthy stride with the help of the Active Travel map.
To ensure safety and promote active travel, MTC has installed three Moveable Vehicle Activated Signs (MVAS). These signs encourage drivers to slow down, creating safer places for active travel. One MVAS is strategically placed at the corner of Wycombe Road/Oak Tree Road (towards Marlow Bottom) due to an increase in speed and it is a popular place for pedestrians to cross the road. The other two MVAS are on both directions of Wiltshire Road. The Active Travel map and the MVAS placement are just two initiatives that MTC is working on at the moment, active travel is an on-going area of focus.
MTC’s ambition is that these two maps will inspire young people, parents, and residents to discover how walkable Marlow truly is. We are all only about a mile or less away from the town centre or school in catchment. Together let’s embrace the physical, mental, and environmental benefits of active travel.
Marlow let’s get out there and walk, bike or scoot to school and town and remember to bring our water bottles!
