Plans for new cycle route through Chichester welcomed

West Sussex County Council has put forward a number of safe space cycling schemes to the Department for Transport to consider as part of work in response to easing the lockdown.

One of the seven schemes is a new route between Chichester Railway Station and Spitalfield Lane. This would include converting one lane of Oaklands Way into a cycle lane and linking with existing facilities such as the cycle path in Broyle Road.

If accepted, 21km of temporary cycle lanes would be provided to promote cycling as a replacement for journeys in areas which, until the Covid-19 crisis, were heavily reliant on public transport.

Ian Swann, chair of the Chichester & District Cycle Forum, welcomed the scheme, adding: “We look forward to working with WSCC to ensure the scheme is optimised to deliver a new route which connects the railway station with the hospital and university.”

Sarah Sharp, a Green district and city councillor, felt they needed to be ‘bold’ in efforts to open up cities and towns to people, with other areas of the country putting in key worker corridors, more space for shoppers, pop-up cycle lanes and school streets.

She called this an ‘opportunity to change the way we travel in the county’ with the addition of more pop-up cycle lanes and wider pavements.

She added: “Without such bold thinking and innovation we could be heading for more gridlock on our roads. More such opportunities will give people the chance to walk and cycle in safety. These change are advertised as temporary, but I hope they will bring in a permanent new way of thinking.”

Meanwhile Mark Record, on behalf of ChiCycle, called the plans a ‘tremendously positive set of traffic schemes’ and argued getting people out and about is vital for maintaining health and morale in these difficult times.

He added: “Inexperienced or out of practice cyclists need to take extra care but this freeing up of space for active travel will give everyone far more room to ride with confidence. When cycling into work this morning I noticed motor vehicle traffic volumes are noticeably increasing. The timely implementation of these schemes is vital to prevent accidents and maintain high standards of road safety in the county.”

The seven schemes would involve a combination of temporary traffic management, such as cones and signing, light segregation using ‘traffic wands’, planters, water-filled barriers, road markings and temporary 20mph speed limits.

Roger Elkins, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “We have been working closely with our district and borough partners to look at a whole host of ways we can improve cycling provision as a direct response to the easing of lockdown. If the schemes get the go-ahead, they will form part of a series of measures which will make a real difference for cyclists in each of the county’s seven borough and district areas as the Government eases lockdown.

“There is no guarantee the Department for Transport will accept the schemes for funding, but we believe we have presented a good case which could result in 21km of new, temporary cycleways in West Sussex.

“Alongside these schemes which would require central funding, we will continue to work with our district and borough council partners on other measures which could be introduced at minimal expense but add even more safe space for cyclists.”

Geoff Farrell, chair of the West Sussex Cycle Forum, added: “The announcement of these schemes being put forward to the DfT is excellent news. Not only has WSCC got the bid in well before the deadline, but it shows that the council is taking seriously the need to restructure our transport infrastructure.

“The West Sussex Cycle Forum looks forward to hearing that the bid is approved, that the work is starting ASAP and more importantly - that this is just the beginning.”

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