Horsham Cyclists Welcome WSCC’s new Cycling ‘Task and Finish Group’
Towns and cities across the UK are beginning to reap the economic, health and social benefits that come when more people choose to cycle as everyday transport.
West Sussex however has fallen behind: the number of people cycling to work, school and the shops remains low while the number of people killed and seriously injured while cycling on the county’s roads has doubled since 2010.
The Task and Finish Group, chaired by Cllr Derek Whittington with Vice-Chair Cllr John Rogers, was set up by the WSCC Environmental and Community Services Select Committee at its latest meeting on 10 June 2015.
Cycling Forum Steering Group member Ruth Fletcher says:
“In Horsham, our new roads make no proper provision for cycling and are increasingly hostile and dangerous for anyone on a bike. More people now cycle on the pavement for their own safety – or they simply give up and choose to go by car instead.
WSCC’s new Task and Finish Group is an important opportunity for our Councillors to challenge and change all this. We look to the Task and Finish Group for a stronger cycling policy with clear objectives, expert personnel and, most of all, strong leadership.
With stronger policies, the councils will be able to make sure that developers take their legal obligations seriously and give adults and children living in the new houses a real choice to cycle.
Planning ahead to create a cycle network will unlock new funding that is only available for councils which have already done the initial planning: CIL money from developers, Local Growth Fund money from the LEP and dedicated cycle infrastructure money from central government.
Without good leadership, we will continue to waste money on poor quality schemes like the recent LSTF-funded routes and much of the money which councils are currently spending on encouraging people to cycle will also go to waste.”
Photos:
Picture 1: Fast and busy, but no cycle provision at the recently-opened Newbridge roundabout. A cyclist suffered a serious head injury here when he was hit by a car last month (20 May 2015).
Picture 2: No safe space for cycling to Horsham’s new Waitrose and John Lewis stores. Shoppers arriving by bike face a daunting right turn off the dual carriageway (Photo: Mark Treasure)
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