Cyclists in Colchester have criticised Sainsbury’s, accusing the supermarket giant of ignoring customers who use bikes, after the store closed its pedestrian and cycle access “without warning”, prompting a council investigation.
The route’s closure, preventing cyclists from accessing the Tollgate, Stanway branch of Sainsbury’s from Essex Yeomanry Way, means that people arriving at the store on foot or by bike are now being diverted onto a narrow, overgrown footpath, forcing cyclists to use the nearby “fast and busy” dual carriageway.
However, Sainsbury’s has clarified that the closure is only short term and is required “for safety” due to ongoing remedial works, though local campaigners have branded the route’s full closure as unnecessary and indicative of “typical lack of thought” for cyclists.
“Blocking the route isn’t necessary. This has inconvenienced so many Sainsbury customers. They should have thought about this much more carefully,” local cyclist Andy Sample, a member of the Colchester Cycling Campaign, said this week.
Signs have been placed near the access point warning that the footpath is closed and diverting pedestrians onto a narrow path, which Sample says is too narrow to be classified as shared-use.
“Overgrowth means the footway is so narrow that a cyclist pushing their bike would have trouble passing a pedestrian,” he says. “And the alternative for people on bikes is the fast and busy dual carriageway.”
Will Bramhill, the campaign’s secretary, added: “This crossing serves thousands of people in the Halstead Road, Lucy Lane, and Peace Road area as well as those south of London Road, many of whom prefer to cycle than drive or do not have 24/7 access to a car.
“While we appreciate that Sainsbury’s has to protect contractors, they should think about their customers too. Is this full closure really necessary?
“The campaign made sure this path was put in when the store opened. Sainsbury’s only seems to be thinking about car drivers.
“This appears to be a typical lack of thought by the grocery sector. A year ago, Asda was going to build over its cycle access, leaving a one-metre-wide footway. It was only protests by the campaign and local councillors that stopped that.”
> “Hey Sainsbury’s, what kind of hell is this?” Supermarket unveils latest daft cycle parking idea
Meanwhile, Colchester’s mayor Lesley Scott-Boutell revealed that the local council are currently investigating the route’s closure for pedestrians and cyclists.
“As soon as I heard about this, I raised a complaint with planning enforcement who are continuing to investigate,” she said.
Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “The area has been temporarily cordoned off to safely carry out remedial works on the store and these are expected to be completed within the next week.
“There are signposts directing customers to an alternative route and we appreciate their patience while these works are carried out.”
As the Colchester Cycling Campaign noted, this isn’t the first time that cyclists and big supermarket chains have come into conflict in recent years.
In January, we reported that plans to build a new Lidl supermarket in Bournemouth – next to a road described by locals as a “death trap” and where proposals to build a protected cycle lane continue to be delayed – were rejected, after councillors claimed the scheme could “compromise” the area’s cycling and walking network by increasing congestion and parking issues.
Last May, cyclists in Sheffield criticised plans to build a new Aldi supermarket, which would involve ripping up hundreds of metres of one of the city’s few fully protected cycle lanes to make way for a slip road, reducing the infrastructure to a shared footway.
These proposals were branded “regressive” by local cyclists, who said the plans filled them “with horror” and left them worried for their safety.
However, Aldi responded to those concerns by claiming that the new site would “promote cycling” and “foster a vibrant and bike-friendly area”.
And in September, Sainsbury’s approach to their bike-using customers came under scrutiny in Alder Hills, Dorset, thanks to this rather experimental take on cycle parking:
“Hey Sainsbury’s, what kind of hell is this?” local councillor Ade Chapmanlaw posted on Twitter at the time.
“Difficult to move the bike into, impossible to secure the bike to it safely. The only good thing is the shelter. Please replace with Sheffield stands as soon as possible.”
4 thoughts on ““Sainsbury’s only thinks about car drivers”: Supermarket slammed for closing cycle access during works, diverting cyclists onto narrow footway or “fast and busy” dual carriageway”
Sounds like a very sensible
Sounds like a very sensible decision to me ,stop those lunatics overloading their bikes to a ridiculous degree if only they could also stop them drinking a coffee steering with one hand whilst riding the wrong way down a one way street and get them to put some lights and reflectors on the bike . Now that would be a miracle
I realise it was a Friday
I realise it was a Friday evening, but even allowing for that, this is a spectacularly lazy effort even by your standards.
Suspect the poor dear might
Suspect the poor dear might be suffering concussion after being viciously smashed into by pavement cyclists every time he goes out.
Without an understanding of
Without an understanding of the proposed works and layout, it’s hard to say how challenging it would have been to leave enough space for some cycling and pedestrian access along the usual route, but having made the decision that path had to close, the least they could have done is to get the overgrowth cut back to ensure the diverted route was clear.
It’s the height of laziness.