When the Government instructed us, each day, to take an hours outdoor exercise during lockdown this daily sojourn was a point of light in what was a troubling and anxious time for us all. The beautiful wide open spaces of Epsom Downs became a popular destination for locals, it was easy to social distance and highly accessible to all. Unfortunately the local council became concerned about number of people amassing on the Downs and in an attempt to keep visitors to a minimum closed the top car park sited on the racecourse.
Although the reasoning may have been in the best interests of the community to hinder the spread of the virus, the unforeseen consequences were striking.
The car park was accessed by driving onto the racecourse along the London Road. This road was closed without the permission of the County Council who had jurisdiction. The effect was that visitors began to park on the grass verges which was extremely dangerous as passengers mixed with the traffic, car also parked in the narrow residential roads blocking driveways and access. The area around Tottenham Corner became dangerous and chaotic.
A further impact was to those with mobility issues, the disabled and parents with young children who used the car park as a safe place to alight from their vehicles and unpack buggies and wheelchairs.
I was the candidate in the local County Council election at the time and used this platform to work with both the borough and County Council to get the car park reopened. Although unsuccessful in the election I was successful in reopening the car park and received many communications from residents thankful for my efforts.