- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
Worthing seafront.jpgProm Wars! Now it's Worthing and this time the cyclists are winning
There has been yet more controversy over cycling on a promenade – this time in Worthing, after a 12-month cycling trial has been given the go-ahead despite fears for the safety of children walking on the seafront.
Recent spats have seen cyclists banned in Portsmouth and Weymouth, and a speed restriction imposed in Bournemouth, on what is always a contentious issue. But it would appear that on this occasion councillors have come down on the side of the cyclists.
The Government has sanctioned a change in bylaws to allow cyclists on Worthing prom between Splash Point and George V Avenue from Friday, August 28, when new signs will be in place.
But the issue has divided Worthing, with critics suggesting the promenade should be for walkers only, and fear an accident similar to one which happened some 15 years ago when a woman pedestrian suffered brain damage in a collision.
The council was forced to pay out more than £100,000 in damages and the cycle lane between the Lido and George V Avenue was scrapped.
Cycling campaigners say that far more cyclists have been killed and seriously injured on roads since then, and the council has decided on mixed use of the promenade instead of a designated lane, as well as rejecting calls for a speed limit, claiming it would be unenforceable.
Jim Davis, Chairman of Worthing Cycle Forum and Worthing Revolutions cycling campaign group Jim Davis said: “Obviously we now need to focus on promoting safe cycling. The whole point is to enjoy the prom and not to treat it like Manchester Velodrome.
"The problem with having a speed limit is it calls for additional signage and it is also difficult to police and enforce. What's needed is a campaign to make people aware that the prom is for everybody - the prom is there to enjoy, not to get from A to B quickly.
Councillor John Rogers, the borough's cycling champion, said the trial was great news and it would be monitored and a report presented to the council after a year. But he did warn: “If people want it permanently they have got to behave themselves.”
The CTC would like to see more promenades in the UK open to cyclists and advise local councils to make their decisions with consideration for pedestrians and other users of the area and to look at how it works in other places.
Latest Comments
- john_smith 2 hours 38 min ago
Straight into the sun is perhaps an exaggeration, but at that time it would be about ESE, and there are bits of the road which head roughly SSE, so...
- john_smith 2 hours 47 min ago
7 October was just a bit of harmless fun until the "msm" ramped it up.
- hawkinspeter 2 hours 47 min ago
It's not censored if you just pirate it
- stonojnr 3 hours 52 min ago
an example of Kesgraves "best cycling infrastructure in the country" https://maps.app.goo.gl/GsCMbzDUTPdq59qS9
- ktache 3 hours 55 min ago
They are not going full gas at every point. They would destroy themselves. And tactics, they save themselves for when effort is really needed....
- wookey 4 hours 24 sec ago
It turns out that that is national police policy. We found out from this process that there is national 'secured by design' policy which causes...
- mtbtomo 4 hours 39 min ago
Been available for quite a while, full GRX mechanical 12 speed. Probably around the same time as 105 mechanical 12 speed if I were to guess.
- TheBillder 4 hours 45 min ago
Less harmful citrus degreaser is easy to find at £8 or less for 5 litres. Works ok for me, even diluted up to 4:1. Both paraffin and white spirit...
- Veganpotter 4 hours 51 min ago
Nope, it's to keep your straps down and quieter. Plus most sunglasses are polycarbonate and aren't going to shatter like glass anyway
- Steve K 5 hours 22 min ago
And, more seriously, where's the coverage of the closure of the cycle lane which forces you to cycle on the Totton bypass.
Add new comment
3 comments
as mentioned the bike-lane in Brighton is a nightmare with pedestrians/rollerbladers/skateboarders wandering all over it, and the behaviour of quite a few of the cyclists leaves a lot to be desired as well, BUT, New Road in Brighton, a once traffic-clogged street that was recently changed to an "external public space" by adopting the concept of a shared area where pedestrians have right of way yet cars and cyclists also have free use works incredibly well. The very few cars that do use the street crawl along and (most) cyclists gently meander through the crowd quite happily, most people are happy with the way the street operates and it has become one of the towns main attractions.
Shared use can work it just takes understanding and common-sense on all sides (which i feel may be the major stumbling block)
and even a dedicated lane will still get the texting,
ipod user walk out in front of you - which of course
will be the cyclists' fault !
I cycle this area very often, and I cann't see this as being a good thing. Sadly, someone will get hurt. The shared Brighton prom is a nightmare, the majority of pedestrians rarely pay any attention to the cycle lane markings and I have lost count of the number of near misses just I have encountered. I stick to the road now, it is the safest choice, as at least most of the road users are travelling in the same direction. Shared pedestrian/cycle usage is a mistake. If the councils are serious about encouraging bike use then put a dedicated lane on the road, not the pavement. You cannot expect young children to understand the concept.