Category: Third Party Activities

Newbury Business Park

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SPOKES undertakes a wide variety of activities to improve cycling across the district – this includes looking at planning applications to ensure that the needs of cyclists are properly considered as part of planning applications.

A recent example is at Newbury Business Park where the there is a proposal for new housing development with a pedestrian access onto London Road and associated landscaping. The plans show a green strip along the western edge of the development, which roughly coincides with the alignment of the former Newbury to Oxford railway line, which SPOKES is trying to get reopened as a walking, cycling and equestrian route.

The planning application suggests that the new pedestrian access will be “strictly controlled with only residents having a key/card to gain access.” However, this has potential to open up a path between the A4 and the River Lambourn for pedestrians and cyclists. This would connect to an existing bridge over the river and shared use path through to Curling Way, with a quiet on-road route through to Kiln Ride. We have queried with West Berks Highways Development Control if it is possible for public access along the old railway line could be provided.

While we do try and pick up most of the major planning applications, it is difficult for us to assess them all and some will inevitably slip through the net. If you know of an opportunity to improve cycling provision associated with a proposed development, then please email us at highways@westberkshirespokes.org.

Newbury Towpath Consultation

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When they granted planning permission for the racecourse development, West Berkshire Council managed to secure developer contributions to help improve cycle links between the site and Newbury town centre. Enough people have now moved into the new flats to trigger payment of these contributions.

SPOKES has lobbied for the money to be spent on upgrading the section of towpath between Hambridge Road and Victoria Park. This section has deteriorated significantly in recent years and is now in an unacceptable condition. In some places the path has lost its top surface, exposing larger stones beneath. This makes it is uncomfortable to ride along on any bike without suspension. Other sections are plagued with puddles, making it unpleasant for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

We are delighted that the Council has listened to us and has allocated the funds to the Canal and River Trust to carry out the works, which will involve providing a new 1.8m wide surface over a 1,500m stretch of the towpath.

The River Kennet is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Trust quite rightly wants to achieve the best balance between protecting the river and its wildlife, and creating a path that will deliver the greatest benefit for the local community.

They are currently consulting on three options for the path construction:

  • Option 1 – Tarmac path construction with a tar and chip surface (surface dressing) along the full length of the resurfaced section of towpath.
  • Option 2 – Rolled gravel surface along the full length of the resurfaced section of towpath.
  • Option 3 – Tarmac path with surface dressing along the north side between Victoria Park and the footbridge to the rear of Tesco, and a rolled gravel path along the south side from the Tesco footbridge to Hambridge Road.

The tarmac path has the highest quality construction, with a true all-weather surface. It is also the most durable, typically lasting 25-30 years before major repairs / resurfacing is required. Although construction costs are slightly higher, on-going maintenance costs are significantly lower, resulting in a lower whole-life cost. However, it may be viewed as being more suitable for urban areas.

The rolled gravel surface gives a softer, more natural appearance that is more in keeping with a rural setting. However, it is softer and more liable to wear and therefore has a much shorter lifespan. It typically needs major repairs / resurfacing after 12 years. It is particularly prone to incursion from grass growing in from the sides, particularly on paths without timber edging. While it is usable in all weathers, it can be a bit muddy after long periods of rain.

SPOKES favours Option 1, since the whole section of route is well-used by both walkers and cyclist and the level of use will only increase as the racecourse development is built out. The existing rolled gravel path suffers from significant erosion where it meets bridge decks / ramps leading to hazardous level differences and requiring regular repair.

CRT suggests that cycle speeds are higher with a tarmac path construction, but in reality any difference in speeds is likely to be negligible and we do not feel that this is an issue.

Regardless of the type of construction, we will push for the path to be constructed with a slightly raised profile so it drains to the verges on either side rather than collecting water. We would also like to see the width increased to 2m or more where space allows.

If surface dressing is used on the tarmac path, then care needs to be taken to properly sweep the path afterwards to remove any loose chippings. We will ensure that the Council undertakes the appropriate inspections once construction is complete.

To find out more about the proposals, watch the video that the Canal and River Trust has produced and complete their on-line survey. The closing date for responses is 20 January 2019.

Sustrans South of England NCN Review

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The National Cycle Network is over 20 years old now, with over 16,500 miles of signed cycle routes across the UK. Over a period of two years from 2015-2016, Sustrans has been working with partners, stakeholders, staff and volunteers to conduct a comprehensive review of the network. SPOKES attended the launch event for the review of the South of England portion of the network.

As part of the review, Sustrans developed a Level of Service scoring system based on four route quality indicators:

  • Surface quality
  • Wayfinding and signage
  • Flow
  • Traffic-related safety

Each section of the NCN has been assessed and scored using these criteria, and have then been assigned to one of four classifications ranging from Very Poor to Very Good. Across the South of England, the network has been graded as follows:

  • Very good – 38 miles
  • Good – 2,294 miles
  • Poor – 207 miles
  • Very poor – 1,259 miles.

Just  over 40% of the issues on the NCN in the South of England are related to traffic safety concerns, with 22% due to surface quality, 20% signage and 17% flow issues.

Physical review and action plans have been developed for each of the Sustrans geographical regions. These define the state of the network and outline strategic priorities. 

A series of ‘Activation Projects’ has been identified for each area. These have been chosen to reflect a range of project types, geographical areas and deliverability. It is hoped that these projects will build momentum for the wider revitalisation of the network. The action plans are backed up with full network development plans that set out long-term, detailed plans for the entire network. 

We were delighted to hear that the Kennet and Avon Canal between Thatcham and Southcote Lock has been selected as one of the Activation Projects for the South of England. This section has been highlighted by Sustrans as being in urgent need of surfacing improvements.

SPOKES is seeking to prioritise the section between Colthrop and Cranwell’s swing bridge. We have costed the repairs for this element at around £250,000. We have set up a funding proposal on the Good Exchange in an effort to secure funding from the Greenham Common Trust and other grant-making bodies.

We hope to submit a further bid to secure funding from Veolia’s Landfill Trust scheme and we are also liaising with West Berkshire Council to see if there are opportunities to secure developer funding from sites along the canal.

The initial responses to our fund-raising efforts have been positive and we hope to be able to make an announcement soon.

DfT Looks at Changes to Road Safety Legislation

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Department for Transport Logo

The Department of Transport (DfT) has today made a series of important announcements relating to cycling. They have indicated that they are:

  • Consulting on proposed new offences of causing death or serious injury while cycling and changes to the existing offences of dangerous and careless cycling.
  • Reviewing parts of the Highway Code, including measures to counter the dangerous practice of ‘close passing’ by motorists when overtaking cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
  • Commissioning the Cycle Proofing Working Group to develop national guidance and best practice for cycling and walking infrastructure.
  • Providing £1 million to support pathfinder demonstration projects for repairing and upgrading sections of the National Cycle Network.

The proposed changes to cycling offences are a response to the death of Kim Briggs, who was killed by a cyclist in 2016. She died after being hit by Charlie Alliston, who was riding a ‘fixie’ bike that didn’t have a front brake, which is a legal requirement for use on the public highway.  Alliston was sentenced to 18 months in youth detention after being convicted of the 1861 offence of “wanton and furious driving”, which was seen by many as being disproportionately lenient and exposed the outdated nature of the existing legislation. The DfT is consulting on proposals for a new offence equivalent to causing death by careless or dangerous driving to be introduced for dangerous cycling.  The consultation runs for 12 weeks and closes on 12 August 2018.

The DfT is also looking at updating parts of the Highway Code to counter the dangerous practice of ‘close passing’. This will include a review of rule 163 of the Highway Code which says that motorists should ‘give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car’. Many people feel that this advice is unclear and with close pass incidents becoming more frequent on our congested roads, there is a pressing need to tackle the issue by setting and promoting absolute standards as has been done in other countries. The ‘close pass’ initiative pioneered by West Midlands Police and promoted by Cycling UK advocates a safe overtaking distance of at least 1.5m. This has been shown to be highly effective with significant reductions in the number of reported close pass incidents and the number of cyclists casualties.

Government has previously announced close pass training materials and support for police forces. However, with limited staff resources, close pass initiatives can only be deployed in a handful of areas. For example, Thames Valley Police and the Hampshire Constabulary are currently only targeting Oxford, Portsmouth and Southampton, which are the areas with the highest numbers of cyclist casualties. We would like to see money for more specialist road safety officers to roll this out across the whole of the Thames Valley.

As part of the Cycling and Walking Safety Review, the government has commissioned the Cycle Proofing Working Group to develop national guidance and best practice for cycling and walking infrastructure. Existing government guidance is widely seen as being outdated and inadequate, lagging behind European best practice and that produced by Transport for London.  Although we support the commitment to update national guidance and best practice advice, we feel that this will be of limited value unless it is accompanied by significant and ring-fenced funding that his allocated directly to local authorities.

Finally while we welcome the announcement that £1 million will be provided to support the pathfinder demonstration projects for repairing and upgrading sections of the National Cycle Network, we feel that this is woefully inadequate to address the problems with the NCN.  This token gesture will only tackle a handful of demonstration projects scattered across the UK and it would not even be sufficient to address the existing problems affecting the network in West Berkshire, where bank erosion and surfacing issues have made NCN4 virtually unusable by cyclists for much of its length. We would like to see a sustained commitment to significant investment in order to address the backlog of maintenance issues that are blighting the NCN.

We would be interested to hear the views of SPOKES members and other West Berkshire cyclists on the above issues, so please do get in touch and let us know what you think.

National Cycle Network Review

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Sustrans is currently undertaking a review of the National Cycle Network and is inviting people to respond to a survey about its future.  Sustrans was the originator of the NCN, bidding initially for £42 million of Lottery Funding to deliver the initial 5,000 mile network. The goal was subsequently increased to 10,000 miles and today, it has grown to a network of over 14,000 miles.

The survey is seeking input on a vision for the NCN and the characteristics that the network should aspire to. It goes on to ask about how the NCN should be improved. The final section of the survey asks about how important it is for local communities and individuals to be involved in looking after the National Cycle Network and what role they should have.

Spokes has been concerned for some time about the state of NCN4 within West Berkshire.  Much of the route follows the Kennet and Avon canal towpath and the wash from passing narrow boats has gradually eroded the banks, while boats pulling on mooring pegs have torn chunks out of the bank. Also, the the crushed aggregate path has narrowed over much of its length as a result of grass incursion to the extent that what was once a 2m wide path is now less than 30cm wide in places.   As a result, the condition of the towpath has deteriorated to the extent that certain sections are no longer considered safe to use by cyclists.

Through the Cycle Forum, Spokes has engaged with Sustrans, the Canal and River Trust and West Berkshire Council to highlight the problems. Although Sustrans has made efforts to undertake minor, routine tasks such as vegetation clearance through its volunteer network, it does not have ultimate responsibility for maintenance of the network. Similarly, the Canal and River Trust does not have sufficient funds to carry out all the improvements that are needed to bring NCN4 up to an acceptable standard.

West Berkshire Council has secured developer contributions from the racecourse housing site to upgrade the section of towpath towards Newbury Town Centre. However, there are no developments from which contributions can be levied to address the worst affected sections, which are in rural locations towards Marsh Benham and east of Colthrop.

Spokes is currently exploring options to secure grant funding through the Veolia Environmental Fund for the section to he east of Colthrop. However, even if the bid is successful, it will be just a drop in the ocean.

The National Cycle Network requires millions of pounds to be spent to bring it up to standard, but, unless more people express their concerns, then this funding will not be forthcoming. So please do take part in the Sustrans survey and ask them to lobby central government for the necessary funds to restore the NCN to a high quality walking and cycling network.