Paths

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 where Hayling needs them most, on Havant Road to the bridge, they’ve become almost unusable. In some places, the vegetation reaches out over the kerb into the main road. I saw one near accident, and as a Councillor, I’ve had reports of people having to step out into the road and being nearly run over. Some hedges have had a recent haircut, but it was barely a light trim, still leaving less than 2 feet of pavement in some places, narrower than a wheelchair, disabled buggy or pushchair.

So anyone living in south-east Hayling without a car has no independent means of getting off the island. And 50% of households don’t have a car. There’s no easy alternative to go north or to Havant. West Lane has no footpaths at all for most of its length, and no effective speed limit. And the Billy Trail is a 2 or 3 mile detour for the bulk of Hayling’s residents.

Cycling the main road between north and south of the island is like a war zone. Our hyper-busy main road isn’t the place for cyclists, or for disabled buggies that offer the freedom of a car. Motorists don’t want cyclists there either. So in the absence of a proper, safe path, the footpath is the only safe place to cycle. When my kids cycled to school, I told them to use it.

When the council installed the low energy street lamps 20 or 30 years ago, we all complained that they were in the middle of the path and blocking it. Well now the hedges have grown out so much they’re buried in hedge so deep you can’t even see them. And it’s not just hedges – half the path is now solid turf. If we left them, they’d take the whole road over, like a disaster movie.

Our PathWatch campaign There’s no campaign group that represents pedestrians, kids and disabled users, so Cycle Hayling will take it on, with a to monitor paths, 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, 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.

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.

If you know any of the landowners next to the main road, please ask them to trim back their hedges, and support the Cycle Hayling PathWatch campaign. And ask your Hampshire County Councillor, Lance Quantrill to support it too! And if you know of paths that aren’t useable, tell Cycle Hayling!.

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.

CycleBus

What’s a Cycle Bus or a Bike Bus??? It’s primary school children cycling to school in a bus-like formation, protected from traffic by their parents cycling on the outside, so they get there safely, healthily, and sociably. It’s about community involvement – it’s organised by parents, grandparents, teachers, and volunteers.

Here’s a great BBC Video of how they’re spreading – everywhere ….

And this a great video of how they got started in Belfast!

But we’ve now got one of the first regular ones in England just a few miles away, organised by parents at Twyford.

Cyclists emerge from Church Lane, Twyford, as part of the Cycle Bus

And we’ve run a couple of trial runs on Hayling too! Help cut pollution and traffic congestion around schools, and create a safe and healthy environment. Help empower children to become responsible and active and give them freedom, self-reliance and a lifelong love of cycling.

Bike Worcester even has this map of local CycleBuses! (And there are a lot, and many of them only ride one day a week). Watch their YouTube talk about it on Active Travel Cafe.

Find out how Cycle Buses work, and how to organise one!

And if you’re really adventurous, this is how the Dutch do Cycle Buses!

Come on parents and grandparents – it’s time for Hayling’s Bike Bus!!!!

If you’d like your kids (or grandkids) to ride to school, join our Hayling BikeBus WhatsApp group to get started! Just contact us with your name, mobile number, school and your street address, so we can start working on a route.

Our 2020 vision

What’s our vision for cycling on Hayling?

Below is what we wrote back in 2020, but time has moved on. We’re working on a new vision for 2022, and to focus on actual infrastructure we need.

So please tell us now what YOU think should be our new vision for cycling on Hayling!

Our vision for a cycle-friendly Hayling

Let’s not beat about the bush. We can’t say that Hayling is a cycle-friendly island until we’ve hit all these targets:

  • Safe and pleasant to cycle anywhere on the island and into Havant
  • Safe for parents to cycle with children of 3 and up
  • Safe cycling for unescorted children of 12 and up
  • All-weather, smooth cycling to anywhere
  • Traffic-free cycle or shared paths everywhere there is fast-moving traffic
  • Quick and safe crossing at junctions
  • Direct routes suitable for commuting, not huge diversions
  • Routes to all schools, shops, health centres, leisure and community areas
  • Safe places for children and adults to learn and practice
  • Good signs and maps to show people where to go
  • Plenty of secure bike parking where people want to stop
  • Most school-children walk or cycle to school most of the time

And those things probably mean:

  • 30 mph maximum speed limit everywhere on the island
  • 20 mph speed limits in all residential roads
  • Automated enforcement of speed limits
  • Traffic calming, to discourage speeding
  • Home Zones to claim the streets back for people, not cars

Are these achievable?

Yes, they’re being achieved all over Britain, and all over the world.

  • In Holland, trips up to 5 miles are just as likely to be by bike as by car, and about half of Dutch school-children ride to school every day. The Dutch average lifespan is believed to be half a year longer because of it, and their health-span, when they’re healthy enough to enjoy life, is 2 years longer.
  • Many British cities are following Holland – London and Manchester leading the charge. Some London boroughs are now becoming mini-Hollands for cycling.
  • 94% of Portsmouth roads have had 20 mph residential speed limits since 2008, and saw 22% fall in accidents.

What do we need?

  • Permission from landowners and councils
  • Community backing
  • Plans
  • Money, possibly lots, but not all at once
  • Patience 🙁

If you agree with all that, sign up at cyclehayling.org/signup.
Even better, join our campaign committee.

Now is the time! If not now, when?

The politics of cycle infrastructure

Why is building cycle paths so hard? Why does it take so long? Is it the councils? Money? Lack of will? Too much regulation?

After 9 years of Cycle Hayling, we’re finally building our own cycle path at Denhill Close (with council money), and we’re finding out the problems for ourselves.

So who is responsible for building cycle paths? Everyone, and no-one. And that’s the problem.
Continue reading “The politics of cycle infrastructure”


Cycle Hayling update – March 2019

Since 2016, we’ve been publishing a monthly Cycle Hayling column in the Hayling Islander to keep everyone up to date with what’s going on (which we now publish on our website for anyone who doesn’t get the Islander).

However, as that’s aimed at the general public, we can’t always speak as freely as we’d like, and so we haven’t kept our supporters or our web site updated as much as we should have.

So here’s a summary of what’s been going on, to save you reading the whole website (which you’ll see we’re gradually updating). A lot has happened, so you can click any heading below to see it in bite-sized chunks ….

Continue reading “Cycle Hayling update – March 2019”


Havant’s new Cycling and Walking Plan!

Havant Borough Council has announced that it will be starting work on a formal Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan shortly.

[UPDATE JUNE 2021: We’re still waiting!!!]

This is REALLY important because :

  • A formal plan unlocks much more future government funding
  • Implementing it becomes a formal policy of the whole council, not just the cycling team
  • It forces developers to show how their housing plans fit into OUR bigger plan
  • It forces all of us to plan for the best long term solution, rather than just for quick wins

Continue reading “Havant’s new Cycling and Walking Plan!”


One school’s bike revolution

Do watch this inspiring little video from Sustrans, showing one Primary School’s bike revolution. Turns out kids can have fun and get free and healthy exercise at the same time. And reduce congestion and parking problems at school.

Hayling’s schools support cycling, and our cycle routes to school are (slowly) getting better. Cycle Hayling wants to see kids on Hayling having fun and cycling to school. Wouldn’t it be great if by 2018 we could say that this video could have been made on Hayling!

Continue reading “One school’s bike revolution”


Proposal to reduce the speed limit on the Northney route

Consultation is now open on the council proposal to reduce the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph on the section of road between the Stoke end of Copse Lane and Northney village. Details of the proposal, ref. number AS/TRO/298, can be found at www.havant.gov.uk/tro

This is a route used by many cyclists to get on and off the island, so Cycle Hayling supporters may like to submit their views to the consultation, which is open until Friday 11th March 2016. Formal comments can be made via one of the following methods:

  • Using the online response form at the above web address
  • By email to tro@havant.gov.uk
  • In writing to the acting solicitor to the council :
    Sara Bryan
    Acting Solicitor to the Council
    Public Service Plaza
    Civic Centre Road
    Havant PO9 2AX