Hayling Herald article November 2021

Here’s our Hayling Herald November 2021 column, for those that didn’t get to see it.

Blackpool Illuminations

Hayling streets will be lit up like Blackpool Illuminations this autumn, judging from the number of free bike lights handed out to Cycle Safari entrants. That offer may have finished, but you can still ride the ‘cyclehayling/safari’ route at any time just for fun and exercise.  

Hayling Cycle Safari map

Thank you to Hampshire Cllr Lance Quantrill for organising and finding funding. If you’ve already completed the challenge, don’t forget to claim your free lights by Saturday 13-November.

New bike paths

Hayling’s three new bike paths are more or less done. Hayling Park has new, wider paths, which will be great for beginners to practice cycling, but also to cycle to the Community Centre. They’re shared paths – so please, priority always to pedestrians. And they’re beautifully smooth tarmac.  

Hayling Park’s lovely new, wider, smoother path!

Unlike the gravel surfaces of the Church and the Rails Lane paths, which cost 70% of tarmac, but last a tenth as long. And they’re dirty in the wet, and almost un-usable by pushchairs, scooters, wheelchairs, disabled buggies, and less confident cyclists.

Cycling and Walking Plans

And Cycle Hayling has said that in our response to Hampshire’s consultation on their 10 year plans to improve our cycling and walking. Overall, we welcomed them as a huge step forward, but said they didn’t go far enough for Hayling. As well as smooth, all-weather surfaces, we told Hampshire that Hayling needs :

  • A safe commutable route from Mill Rythe roundabout to the bridge
  • Safe routes to our island schools
  • Safer speed limits for liveable neighbourhoods
  • Safer crossings of busy roads
  • …. and plenty more.
  • You can see our full response on our website at cyclehayling.org/plans 

Cycling is good for you

Even without these improvements, exercise from cycling is still about 20 times more likely to help you than harm you. We often hear that the roads are too dangerous to cycle, but on average, cycle deaths only occur once for every 30 million cycle miles, which is about 1,200 times around the circumference of the earth. Havant is 4 miles away. How far are you thinking of riding?

Beat fuel shortages – cycling burns fat not oil!

If we’d only just discovered that exercise had health benefits, it would be hailed as the new wonder drug. Not just physical, but mental benefits as well. So it’s no surprise that cycling is now being prescribed by GP’s on the NHS.

Cycling Without Age

And local doctor’s really will be prescribing rides on Hayling’s new Cycling Without Age trike. They’re amazingly well-equipped, and even include rugs, feet warmers and rain covers. The first pilots have passed their training, so they can now take out people who can’t ride themselves.  

The pilots get electric assistance, so it’s great fun, and they’re clammering to take people out. If you know anyone who can’t ride but would appreciate wind in their hair, contact your local doctor. And if you’d like to be a pilot, contact us.

Roger on Cycling Without Age trike

And if you see the trike on the roads, please give it a wide berth and a big smiley wave – as I’m sure you would any bike rider!

Tip of the month

With winter looming, your chains and gears will love you for a bit of lubrication. They’ll stay rust-free and smooth, and you’ll go much faster. If you don’t have `anything better, Hayling Cycles sell a great Teflon-based spray which will last ages. You won’t believe how easy it is – just search for ‘chain’ at cyclehayling,org,uk.

More

More at cyclehayling.org