Cycle Hayling asked Cycle Hayling supporters and general Facebook users what sort of Hayling Billy Trail they wanted, particularly the surface. You can see the results below.
But first, here’s why we’ve always pushed for a natural skid-proof stone chip surface like the Langstone section, because in wet or icy weather smooth tarmac becomes an ice rink, whereas stone chips reduce skid risk, spray and muck.
But also to make it less road like and more natural, and more acceptable to walkers and others, from their Facebook comments.
Everyday cyclists, commuters and people without cars HAVE to ride in all weathers, unlike leisure cyclists. Even a thin layer of water on smooth tarmac can cause skidding, especially navigating dogs and dog walkers who may change direction suddenly. The new cyclists we hope to attract to bikes will take a while to learn the art of gentle braking, and e-bikes can kick in power unexpectedly and start a skid.
But real or black ice is very scary, and very common in exposed places like this, and cyclists call wet dead leaves ‘brown ice’ because they’re just as slippery. Obviously the Billy Trail is never going to be salted and gritted, like the roads.
Hayling’s traffic problems are extreme, and getting worse. Hampshire’s transport and climate strategies say encouraging active travel is a key goal.
But a stone chip surface is a bit more expensive, so Hampshire County Council is considering leaving it as black (or grey) plain tarmac, possibly using any saving to patch up a few of the worst bits of the southern section until we get the money to do it properly (but hint, it won’t be much). And stone chip done badly can be as slippery as tarmac, and a maintenance nightmare.
Whichever is decided will set the standard for the whole Billy Trail for the next 30 or 40 years, so it’s important we get it right.
We met the Hampshire Project Manager onsite to tell them what Cycle Hayling’s 453 supporters think, and I’m afraid I have to report, we did NOT get the assurance we were hoping for.
Voting Results
We had 77 responses from Cycle Hayling supporters, (an amazing response – thank you!), and for those that expressed a preference, over three quarters said ‘Stone and Chip please’. We all want the southern section to be sorted as soon as possible, but some who would accept plain tarmac seemed to be hoping for a more significant patching up than we’d get with the minimal saving.
Hayling’s Facebook users were generally against anything that makes it look more like a road, and encourages faster cyclists. Indeed some don’t want any resurfacing at all. Speeding e-bikes and e-scooters came up several times, so we really need to make it safe for all.
Frequently asked questions
How much patching up would we get? We don’t know, but it’s unlikely to be very much, and certainly not a sealed surface. We understand the stone chips would cost £12k-£14k, which is relative peanuts in a £600k project, and would not pay for much patching up.
What say does Cycle Hayling get? Cycle Hayling has 453 supporters, and this is our only safe cycle route off the island, so we think we should have a strong say. Furthermore, Hampshire County Council’s own transport and climate strategies prioritise active travel, and the £600,000 grant that paid from it came from the government’s Active Travel Fund, not from the Council. But the final decision rests with Hampshire.
Isn’t stone chip a maintenance liability? Done properly, no. And we’ve seen it done badly, just north of the bridge to Mill Lane. The Langstone section, while wearing, has survived 30 years, and will be usable for a few more. And it degrades gracefully back to the underlying tarmac. But it needs doing in warmer weather, so it won’t be straight away. There is a concern that the modern resin stone chip surfaces as used on house drives could flake off in sheets. So we say perhaps the old ‘tar and chip’ method using bitumen, as used on the Langstone section, is more suited to the Hayling Billy.
Why aren’t we doing the worst sections first? The government said the Active Travel Fund had to be spent within 12 months, and with zero notice the northern section was the only one with a hope of finishing in time.
Will the rest of the Billy Trail be done? Yes, outline plans have been drawn up so that future sections can be finished within the usual 12 month funding window, and the next £600,000 grant has already been applied for.
Won’t speeding e-bikes and e-scooters be dangerous? Legal e-bikes cut off power above 15 mph. We’re suggesting 15 mph speed limit signs, which while difficult to enforce, would at least set a strong message that it’s not a race track, and legitimise other path users in maintaining safe speeds.
What about a white line to separate cyclists & pedestrians?. Experience everywhere is that lines only create friction, because both parties get very upset when someone ‘steals’ their part of the path, which is only 3 metres wide. The only way it could work is to have two completely separated paths, but they need to be at least 3 metres wide each, and we simply don’t have that room. Nor the volume of users to need it. And white lines would make it even more like a road, and need maintenance.
What else can we do to make it safe and friendly to all? We’re pushing for ‘Share The Path’, ‘Use Your Bell’ and perhaps ‘Reduce Your Speed’ signs to remind people to share the path considerately. And we have suggested signs to ‘encourage’ walker to one side, and cyclists to the other, without creating friction. With a 15 mph speed limit, we think it will be a wonderful path for walkers, cyclists, parents, kids and the disabled to share for the long term.
So it’s fingers crossed for a skid-proof stone chip surface and good signs!
More information at havant.gov.uk/hayling-billy-trail and cyclehayling.org/billy.