Futures Forum: Re-looking at the Sidford to Sidbury cycle path
First steps are being made:
Futures Forum: 'First stage' of Sidford to Sidbury cycle/walkway ... 'could be installed in the autumn'
And campaigns are underway to help the schemes on their way:
Futures Forum: Campaigning for a safe cycle path for Sidford to Sidbury
The latest push has been happening on the Streetlife blog - with an appeal for input into the Neighbourhood Plan.
Contact Claire R to take part in the cycling focus group:
Safe travel between Sidford and Sidbury
Hamfisted in Sidmouth
Several roads in France are "Shared" with notices saying "Let us share this route" and signs showing that Pedestrians take precedence over Cyclists, and Cars should give way to both. Road users comply with this advice. Can we not try this fairly inexpensive solution to the problem of the A375 (which is really a B road of course)?
The long proposed cycle and foot path alongside the road seems unlikely to be delivered as it always stumbles on the issue of land ownership; and the refusal of planning permission for an industrial estate on the Sidford Flood Plain means that this issue will continue for years into the future. Meanwhile there is an accident waiting to happen if motor vehicles are given priority on a road with no space allocated for pedestrians or cyclists or push chairs.
The long proposed cycle and foot path alongside the road seems unlikely to be delivered as it always stumbles on the issue of land ownership; and the refusal of planning permission for an industrial estate on the Sidford Flood Plain means that this issue will continue for years into the future. Meanwhile there is an accident waiting to happen if motor vehicles are given priority on a road with no space allocated for pedestrians or cyclists or push chairs.
Streetlife | Safe travel between Sidford and Sibury
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I'm conducting a cycling focus group regarding cycle paths and shared paths at the moment. This will be used as evidence of need to feed in to the Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan. So I can reach as many people as possible I have just a short paper questionnaire to fill out. I would happily post these out to anyone who is interested if you could private message me with your address.
Thanks
Claire
No more can be done on this now until it's decided one way or another if this land is to be developed and whether the applicants can address ALL the issues that have seen the refusal of their present plans.
The Tiger Crossing on School Street A3052 and Laundry Lane link to A375 work will commence this month.
The Sidmouth to Feniton route has been identified which has already seen the start at Sidmouth with the Toucan Crossing across the A375 Sidford Road and through Long Park .... This route already joins to the Byes Cyclepath.
This route will then see some off road and on road stretches to the Bowd ..... There is a possibility that a new bridge across the A3052 will be required and this is something I have already called for as part of this scheme as it would be safer than trying to negotiate the Bowd junction. ..... It could also link to the identified Park and Change site at the top of Woolbrook Road. This route north would also use a lot of the old track bed..... A group have been working on the Feniton to Ottery end of this trail .... This route which had been identified in the County Councils Cycle Stategy as a future scheme will eventually be promoted to attract future funding. But first work on the present schemes in the strategy have to be completed including the Teign Estuary trail which will join up to the Exe Estuary Trail where agreement has just been approved for the final links into Dawlish and the Wray Valley trail.
We have already looked at a further route ... Once again on and off road to the west of Sidmouth towards Bickwell Valley.
The 280 mile Petite Tour de Manche route already passes through Sidmouth from Plymouth and then Salcombe Hill to Salcombe Regis and onto towards Seaton.
Additional sites for cycle racks were identified and were provided recently. All new housing schemes have had to identify safe cycling routes as can be seen with the links to Stowford Rise from the development to the west off of Woolbrook Road.
Cycling and any further small links will be picked up in the forthcoming Traffic Management Plan.
What we do however need to be aware of is the timescale to deliver cycle schemes. The Exe Estuary trail has taken almost 20 years to be completed. That is why at the outset of the Byes Cycle track between Sidpark Road and Salcombe Road in the early 90's I called for the scheme to continue to Sidford and Sidbury and to join Fortescue Road providing a safe route to Sidmouth and the Community College.... The route to Sidford and Fortescue took 15 years to reach fruition with land negotiations and planning. ...... The final phase between Sidord and Sidbury has still to be delivered now over 20 years since I first called for it...... Let's hope we don't have to wait much longer.
This is very interesting and I was aware of some of this work but not all. Would you be prepared to fill out my questionnaire for the neighbourhood plan with your thoughts and previous work. Within the remit of the plan we can only cover the four communities of Sidmouth, Sidford, Salcombe Regis and Sidbury. However the aspiration can be expressed that our cycle routes of course link in with other planned and existing routes.
I am particularly interested in safe traffic free shared paths such as the Byes and the Exe Estuary Trail so that cyclists of all ages who wouldn't be confident enough to cycle on busy roads could commute safely or use the paths for leisure.
If you could private message me your address I will send you the questionnaire. Thank you. Claire
It appears that what you are attempting to do is duplicate what County who are the local authority charged with delivering cycle paths etc have already done.
Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers should all respect the laws and each other, behave sensibly and take responsibility for their actions. Each of these groups of people have idiots.
Don't give them priority on the road - get them off it.
In Holland if a car hits a cyclist it is always the car drivers fault by law. Hence cyclists are safe, more cycle and the roads are safer for everyone both old and young.
I would have been more than deeply distressed had I hit the person (she was around my age 56 - please not elderly!!) through no fault of my own. That's why I said "get them off it".
We do all need to treat each other with respect whether in person or on the roads. Car drivers need to be aware of pedestrians and cyclists but they need to reciprocate. A car is a killing machine in the wrong hands (sometimes even safe hands), and the same way we need to be aware of hazards in the town, we need to be aware of potential hazards on our other roads.
I would be grateful for those I have sent out to be returned. Thank you.