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Spokes East Kent
Cycle Campaign Update JUNE 2017 |
There is currently a City Council consultation on the proposed multi-story car park in Station Road West in Canterbury. There is little provision for pedestrians or cyclists. The focus seems to be on maximising car parking spaces to cope with increasing traffic levels. The deadline is Wednesday, 5 July. Spokes members are urged to add their comments as soon as possible. https://www.canterbury.gov.uk/your-council/have-your-say/consultations/station-road-west-multi-storey-car-park/ Spokes ride Sunday July 2: Meet at Aylesham railway station 10.30am. Back to the mining villages of East Kent and cycling part of the Skylark Trail to the south. Leader Michelle Benton. Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership’s free ‘Naturally Active For Life’ cycle rides are aimed at those aged 55 and over, although all are welcome. Taking place in three areas, rides will be 8 to 10 miles with an anticipated 1 hour of saddle time. Rides are led by government registered Bikeability Instructors, all over 50. A small number of bikes will be available to borrow on the day if bikes prove unsuitable. Helmets will also be available. There will be some simple tips on how to ride confidently in traffic and share the road with other road users. Canterbury: Saturday 8 July 10am or 1pm. Meet: Toddler’s Cover Car Park, Whitehall Road, CT2 8BG. Ashford: Saturday 15 July 10am or 1pm. Meet: Stour Centre, Station Approach, TN23 1ET. 10am and/or 1pm. Thanet Saturday 5 August 10am or 1pm. Meet: Hartsdown Leisure Centre Car Park, Hartsdown Road, Margate, CT9 3QY Those interested should call 03000 410900 or email kentishstour@kent.gov.uk to book a place. Seventh Channel Rotary Bike Ride takes place on Sunday, 30 July at the Star Inn, Saint Mary in the Marsh , Romney Marsh TN29 0BX . Cyclists can register from 8am onwards. For further information about this great family fun day which raises significant funds for very worthwhile charities, visit www.channelrotarybikeride.org.uk Cloisters to Oysters Bicycle ride will take place along the Crab and Winkle Way on Sunday 27 August. Proceeds will go to the mental health charity, Rethink, with support from the Crab and Winkle Trust. It hopes to show how cycling can benefit those who suffer from mental illness. For full details - Paul_marsh999@sky.com or rethinkcanterbury@googlemail.com Affordable refurbished bikes are being offered in a new initiative by Kent County Council in partnership with Cycle Community CIC. A launch sale event will be held at the Goldwyn School in Ashford on Saturday 8 July. People can donate a bike, whether one that’s now too small or not in use and get a 20% discount at the bike sale. Sale events will be held across the county over the next 3 years. Twenty five of these will be at the Goldwyn School, on Godinton Lane, Great Chart (near Ashford), where students have been trained in refurbishing the bikes. Visit http://cyclecommunity.org/ for details. A Guardian article stated that children in cars are at far greater risk from pollution than those walking or cycling to school. A range of experiments have shown that people sitting inside cars described as ‘boxes collecting toxic gases’ are exposed to far higher levels of air pollution than those walking or cycling along the same urban route. Professor Stephen Holgate, who chairs the Royal College of Physicians working party on air pollution, said that pollution inside a car is as high as twelve times that of the air outside. “Often the car has the fan on, just sucking fresh exhaust coming out of the vehicle in front straight into the lungs of the child being driven to school”. Children are more vulnerable than adults, said Professor Holgate, because air pollution can stunt the growth of their lungs and increase the risk of asthma. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/12/children-risk-air-pollution-cars-former-uk-chief-scientist-warns With the departure of our glorious former leader, Steve Fawke, we are in need of posties for Bridge. Please contact the Membership Secretary if you can help. News on the Folkestone to Greatstone Coastal Route Work on resurfacing the A259 and a pedestrian crossing near the Sandgate Hotel should start in September. This was originally planned to be opened in May! This work is part of the coastal route - by moving the road centre over, it will stop cars parking on the pavement shared path. Resurfacing needs to be carried out in advance. The Phase 1 work (Folkestone to Hythe) will hopefully be finished by September with a launch event soon afterwards. Phase 2 is planned to commence, again in sections, in March 2018. KCC assures Spokes that funding is in place for the first two phases of the route. The National Cycle Route 2 between Capel le Ferne and Dover, remains a problem with an appalling surface and illegal motorcyclists. Recently a KCC PROW team closing the route for 2 days to film part of a TV drama. During the closure, a notice was put up stating there was no diversion. Cyclists were given no alternative but to return to Dover or Folkestone or use the dangerous A20 dual carriageway. Cyclists were told of this closure once they had climbed to the top of the Downs from Folkestone, or cycled 3/4 of the way up from Dover. This is totally unacceptable as a diversion via Regional Route 17 was possible and could have been dealt with by the Sustrans Ranger group given sufficient warning. A formal complaint was lodged, the reply was unsatisfactory, so this matter will be taken further. |