PathWatch

Paths aren’t just for cyclists. They’re a lifeline for disabled buggies and wheelchairs, baby buggies, children on scooters, and even skaters – and pedestrians too, of course! But Hayling’s paths have become almost unusable in places, but there’s no one group to represent all those people.

So what’s PathWatch?

PathWatch is Cycle Hayling’s campaign to monitor Hayling’s paths of all types, and get minimum useable path widths. Not just for kids to cycle to school – for child buggies, the disabled, for everyone who doesn’t have a car. And yes, adults to cycle too. Where’s there no safe cycle path, like Havant Rd, we think all footpaths should be shared unless there’s some really strong over-riding safety issue.

Who’s Responsible?

Cutting back hedges is generally the responsibility of the landowner, but Hampshire County Council, as the Transport Authority, is responsible for ensuring they do it, with the power to take over and bill them if it’s not done within 14 days.

To be fair, on a busy main road like ours, it’s a difficult and dangerous job, and cutting it back to 1990 path width will be even more, so it would actually be better delegated to professionals. There are many individual landowners, and we need the whole path done to the right uniform standard, not a postcode lottery. Yes, bird nesting season does restrict cutting, but there are exemptions like public safety.

How to report a problem

  1. If you know the landowner, ask them to trim back their hedges!
  2. Hampshire Highways Trees/Hedges: hants.gov.uk/transport/highways/report-a-problem/treehedge 
  3. Hampshire Highways Pavement issues: hants.gov.uk/transport/highways/report-a-problem/paving
  4. Hampshire Highways other problem: hants.gov.uk/transport/highways/report-a-problem
  5. Hampshire Highways emergency that poses an immediate risk to the public, call either:
    0300 555 1388 (8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or
    Outside of office hours: 101
  6. TRACK PROGRESS on a Hampshire Highways problem, enquiry or application: hants.gov.uk/transport/highways
  7. If you don’t get the response you need, ask your Hampshire County Councillor for help, currently Lance Quantrill.
  8. And Tell Cycle Hayling! so we can update our database.

Let’s keep Hayling’s paths usable for everyone. Thank you.

‘Save our Island’ video

A view on Havant Borough Council’s new Hayling Island plan. It demonstrates how the plan will change the nature of the island. It doesn’t, however, make alternative suggestions for how HBC can meet the demands of central government. If it doesn’t meet those demands, it risks losing control over development altogether.

We will, of course, be keeping a close eye on developments, not least the planned upgrade to West Lane which should include a provision for cycling.

A cycle ride around Langstone Harbour

This very accomplished video from Mike Beel shows guides you round the Langstone Harbour Ride shown on the back of our Cycle Map.

The illustrated route uses the shared cycle path from the Langbrook Carvery south along the main road to Mill Lane (in red here). This is narrow in places, and passes several obscured drives.

A quieter alternative (shown in blue) is to cross the main road at the Langbrook Carvery into Woodberry Avenue which becomes Southbrook Road. Turn left into the small cul de sac after Hamilton Close (also called Southbrook Road) and use the tucked-away cut-through on the right at the red dot to join the Langstone section of the Billy Trail and on to rejoin the described route at Mill Lane.

Hayling Island traffic consultation

Havant Borough Council is conducting a short consultation about traffic on Hayling Island. This includes a section about cycling and a specific question about use of an all-weather surface for the Billy Trail.

You can get printed copies of the questionnaire at the library or the community centre, or you can complete the survey (which is just 21 questions) online at www.havant.gov.uk/hayling-survey.

Completed surveys have to be in by 10th December.

Cycling shifts up a gear at Havant Borough Council

Cycling infrastructure shifts up a gear at Havant Borough Council, where a pro-cycling islander, Councillor Tim Pike, has been appointed as Cabinet Lead for Strategic Innovation, Infrastructure and Projects. This is a new role, reflecting the council’s growing realisation that our infrastructure needs a massive boost.

Although a councillor for St Faith’s ward, Tim has always lived on Hayling, and is very aware of the challenges we islanders face. He also knows that cycling must play a key role in fixing the transport and infrastructure problems caused by all the past house building (whether or not the new developments go ahead). When we asked Tim whether a particular project would be ‘cycle-friendly’, he said “all projects have to be cycle-friendly these days!”.

Members of Cycle Hayling have met Tim three times recently to lobby for our programme of cycling infrastructure improvements, so we know he’s actively working with council officers to push through some of them. We’re going to see big cycling improvements during 2017, both on the island and in Langstone and Havant, much of it funded by the controversial Bellway development north of Goldring Close through the Community Infrastructure Levy.

So Cycle Hayling congratulates Tim on his appointment, and looks forward to working with him to make Hayling a happier, healthier and more cycle-friendly island.

3 Churches Fete – Hayling Park, 10 August

Cycle Hayling together with Portsmouth CTC will have a stall at the 3 Churches Fete to be held on Wednesday 10 August from 12.00 to 16.15 in Hayling Park, West Town, Hayling Island. We will, as in past years, have our 2 Turbo Challenge bikes to see who can ride the furthest in 1 minute. This has been very well attended with over 100 riders competing at previous events and is one of the ways we promote Cycle Hayling, our cycling club and generally encourage cycling. Come along and join the fun, and even better help to set up and manage the stall. If you can help out in any way please contact me at Robert@cyclehayling.org

Hayling Ferry Public Meeting

Hayling Island and Havant Labour party have organised a public meeting about the Hayling Ferry. The meeting is being held on Saturday 23rd January from 12pm at The Shades public house, 29 Seafront, Hayling (near the funfair).

It will be attended by Tim Trayte and Dave Baker, the new owners of the ferry, and chaired by Mike Evans, Secretary of Havant Labour Party.

It will be an opportunity to find out about new proposals and to discuss the way forward, including community involvement.

For further details, please email Sue Underwood at sue@cyclehayling.org

Letters in The Hayling Islander

The November edition of the Hayling Islander newspaper contained several letters that might interest our cycle community, and which some supporters may not have read.

One letter-writer singled out for criticism the behaviour of Hayling cyclists (in particular the “lycra clad fraternity” – so that excludes any of us ladies!). The criticism centred on cyclists riding two-abreast and not using approved cycle paths.

Four letters, however, concerned the new 30 mph speed limit on Havant Road, including a letter from John Perry, UKIP Hayling East Councillor. Apart from disapproving of the reduction in speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph, there were also complaints about lack of prior notification and signage from Hampshire County Council.

I’m sure many of us who support Cycle Hayling would disagree with at least some of these opinions. Instead of an “official”  response from Cycle Hayling, however, it might be more effective if individuals who felt strongly on these issues were to write their own letter to the Hayling Islander.  

The contact details if you wish to do so are:

email: sarah.foster@jpress.co.uk

by post to: The Editor, Hayling Islander, 78 Elm Grove, Hayling Island, PO11 9EE