This is the article we submitted for the May edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.
A very sociable ride!
Well, our social ride on Friday May 11th was certainly very sociable. 30 of us rode a gentle 5 miles to the Ferry Boat Inn.
And we learnt a lot about what you want from cycling on Hayling, especially smooth, traffic-free cycle paths, and easier road-crossings.
But most of all, we learnt that many of you only discovered the ride through this column or Facebook, and hadn’t actually signed up with Cycle Hayling.
Signing up really helps us get the attention of the councils and councillors. We’re now at 318 supporters – can you nudge us towards 400?
It’s easy and free, just go to cyclehayling.org/signup. You won’t get mail-bombed – we might only send out a dozen emails a year.
Our next ride will be a family ride down the Billy Trail on Sunday August 11th – put it in your calendar now!
Bike Week!
Cycling UK’s Bike Week is 8-16 June – see cyclinguk.org/bikeweek.
And #7DaysofCycling is the simplest way to celebrate it. Just get out and enjoy a cycling activity seven times in June, then (if you want), share a photo, video or story about your experience on Instagram or Twitter, using #7DaysofCycling.
There are no rules on what counts as one of your seven – from riding to work, cycling to the shops, to giving your bike a spring clean, to a pootle around a park with your mates.
PortsmouthCTC.org.uk is running at least 7 events from Havant during Bike Week.
Why not take a look and join in for a free trial ride?
Or even borrow some of its fabulous route maps, GPX tracks and coffee stops from the website.
Mengham Junior School is celebrating their new bike shelter and racks.
What better Bike Week activity than to cycle to school!
Scout cycle camping
This August, 24 Scouts and Explorer Scouts from 3rd Hayling Scout Group, are having a summer camp with a twist. They’ll be cycling from campsite to campsite each day, taking in many of the WWII D-Day landing beaches along the way.
Crossing the road
Have you noticed that as the traffic gets busier and busier, for more and more hours of the day, it’s getting harder to cross the main road, whether you’re on a bike or on foot?
Finding a gap in one direction is hard enough. But if there’s no refuge in the middle, you have to find gaps in both directions at the same time. And if you’ve got children, or are disabled, that could make it nearly impossible.
We all want traffic to flow smoothly, but we have to find a way to let people across as well. One answer is good wide central refuges. They often avoid the need for traffic lights that would slow down the traffic flow.
That’s one of the things we’ll be asking the council to include in Havant’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).
This will determine what happens over the next 10 to 15 years. If it’s not in the plan, it’s not going to happen.
Calling cycle commuters
Do you cycle regularly over the bridge, to work, to college, or for any other reason? Or did you in the past? Or would you like to in future?
Cycle commuting could help relieve our traffic problems, so Cycle Hayling is surveying its supporters to find out how it’s going, and what could be done to make it easier and more popular.
Watch out for the email and help us make things better.
Our newsletter has more
Please sign up for free, at cyclehayling.org/signup, and for rides, checkout: PortsmouthCTC.org.uk.