This week’s Eastbourne Gazette has a couple of cycling related letters.
Regular writer R Edwards of Old Camp Road returns, and asks us to address the consequences of cycling along the seafront. 5 questions about a legal framework are asked.
Q. Who will police the area and how frequently?
A. This would remain the responsibility of the Police and the Borough Council. We can’t say how frequently, as that is a matter for them to decide.
Q. Will cycling be one way only or both?
A. The plans we have seen from East Sussex County Council are for shared use, so would be for any direction.
Q. Speed limits?
A. There are no mentions of speed limits. ESCC believe that speed will be self limiting, when it’s busy those on bikes will have to slow down as it will be impossible to ride otherwise. Very few bikes have speedometers so would it would be hard to enforce.
Q. Will authority extend to ‘on the spot’ fines for miscreants?
A. It’s hard to say until the byelaws have been agreed. The model byelaws provided by central government make no specific mention of ‘on the spot’ fines, just that anyone breaking the byelaws are liable to a fine payable at level 2 on the standard scale. The Criminal Justice Act defines a level 2 fine as £500.
Q. Sooner or later accidents will happen – In the absence of cyclist insurance, who pays?
A. The same as always, it will depend who is liable. If a cyclist is liable they can be sued, just as if a pedestrian is liable, they can also be sued. Many people have liability cover through their home insurance, and some cyclists have specialist cover through groups such as CTC.
Peter Taylor of Cavendish Avenue asks us to watch out for the planned Horsey Section 1 cycle path.
Mr Taylor writes that the pedestrians will have to share pavements from the Railway Station through Ashford Road, Cavendish Avenue, Firle Road, Stanstead Road, Waterworks Road, Moy Avenue and Ringwood Road.
There are some shared pavements in ESCC’s plans, and he is right that shared use is planned between the Railway Station to the traffic lights between Ashford Road and Cavendish Avenue. The pavement will be widened along here and will allow cycling against the direction of the one way system. A small stretch on Firle Road is proposed to be shared use as well leading up from the traffic lights on Whitley Road.
However, Cavendish Avenue is going to be an on road route (as mentioned), as is Stanstead Road, Waterworks Road, Moy Avenue and Ringwood Road. There will hopefully be an advanced traffic light phase for cyclists crossing between Stanstead Road and Firle Road.
Hopefully Mr Taylor won’t be dodging cyclists are no one wants an accident. The route will provide a safer route into town for those living in Roselands and Bridgemere, and from the Cuckoo Trail. We hope the route will be a great success and will encourage people to ride rather than drive to and from Eastbourne Town Centre, helping to reduce congestion and traffic, as well as giving the riders a boost to their health.
In both cases, the detailed planning is with the team at ESCC who are always happy to answer questions and address concerns.
