Category: News

News items from Cycle Hayling

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More on the Billy Trail repairs

We’ve received this from Steve Mountain, the project manager…

The Trail will be closed south of the Oysterbeds / Esso car park for up to 3 weeks to allow repairs to be undertaken to a section of the Trail damaged by storms in 2014.

P T Contractors from Southampton have been appointed to carry out the works which will see 110m of timber revetment built to protect eroding clay banks alongside the popular Trail. After the works are complete, temporary fencing which has been erected to prevent users for getting too close to the sheer drop into the Harbour can be removed. The works are funded by Hampshire County Council.

The closure is to allow heavy lorries and other plant to access the working site safely. Whilst recognising the temporary inconvenience the closure will cause, the public are asked to be patient and to respect the closure which is after all for their protection.

We understand from various sources that the work is due to start on Monday, 16 November.

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Repairs on the Billy Trail

We understand that work on repairing the section of the trail that eroded away last year is due to start in early November.

This will seek to restore the trail to the state it was in before the storms. It’s not a permanent fix, however. We can expect erosion to continue until a longer-term solution can be implemented.

The work will involve some lorries on the trail and, therefore, some closures. We’ll let you know if we hear more.

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Chris Lapthorn

We’ve been saddened to hear that Chris – a long time supporter of Cycle Hayling – died recently after a long battle with cancer.

Chris was an enthusiastic cyclist. He was a CTC member and regular rider with the U3A cycling group. He was planning to join the Paris to Hayling cycle ride last year but was too ill to make it.

He was a well-known figure on the Island through his involvement with a number of groups including: the Bowling Club, HIADS, U3A and Age Concern. He was also a frequent contributor to the Hayling Forum as ‘Hayling Bowler’.

We will miss him.

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Impasse for the ferry

I understand that Hampshire County Council has effectively given up trying to find a company to take over the ferry.

There were a lot of companies interested in the possibility but, inevitably, they needed a firm commitment of a subsidy to make the route profitable. Portsmouth has maintained its stance that it won’t subsidise the ferry. Even if it were to change its mind I suspect – but do not know – that the authorities would be reluctant to provide adequate guarantees to ensure companies could cover their costs.

The ferries are also an issue. I understand that there is a legal dispute over the cost of the refurbishment and repair work done in the past year which means it’s unlikely they could form part of any service for the time being.

Its depressing but not surprising news. It seems the only way forward is for someone to come up with an innovative approach for a low-cost service that would be both useful to the public and acceptable to the various authorities.

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3 Churches Fete, Hayling Park – 12 August

Cycle Hayling together with Portsmouth CTC will have a stall at the 3 Churches Fete to be held on Wednesday 12 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 last year’s event 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