Dear <<First Name>> 

Remember remember ... but not gunpowder, treason and plot! We need you to fill in a new Essex consultation on a proposed route from Severalls Business Park to Greenstead. Read all about it below.

Also in this newsletter we have Dr Paul Byrne, a campaign committee member, talking about his beautiful commute, a report on the most recent Kidical Mass, plus how you can hire a new electric cargo bike from the city centre bike park. 

The newsletter team would love to see your seasonal snaps (with your bike as the star!). Please send them to admin@colchester-cycling.org.uk and we may use them in the next newsletter. Also if you have a beautiful commute, please share the details (200 words maximum) with us via the admin email address above.

Fireworks picture courtesy of hotpot.ai

Essex County Council has launched a consultation about a new route from Severalls Business Park to Greenstead estate.

At present anyone wanting to use a bike has to follow a contorted path that is not too clear and involves long waits for traffic lights to change.

Above is the first proposal for an LTN 1/20-standard cycle route that people can use to access work and education. There's an easy questionnaire to complete and you can add details of anything that particularly bugs you about the current route. 

Please head to https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/sustainable-travel-planning-team/colchester-walking-and-cycling-improvements-survey/ before November 8.

If you want to find out more there are two consultation events, both on Thursday November 2. Essex Highways officials will be at the Essex Highways office in The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, CO4 9YQ, from 11am to 2pm, and at Greenstead Community Centre, Hawthorn Avenue, CO4 3QE, from 1pm to 6pm.

Will Bramhill writes: I bumped into a female cyclist at my local pharmacy and got chatting – as you do. I found that she was aghast at the look of the new cycle route beneath the railway bridge at North Station. Then I discovered that she didn't think the red tarmac would be enough to stop motorists driving on to the path – especially for northbound cyclists.

I was able to put her mind at ease: the cycle route will be protected by Rosehill Defenders: heavy bollards with a post. Each base weigh 17kg (about 40lb) and  they are made from recycled car tyres.

Similar devices are used in various sites in London and Paris, which has undergone a cycling velorution in the past three years.

If you read the local press you will have noticed that some people have taken against the bike route plans. Paul Byrne has put up a spirited arguments in the Gazette letters page – thank you Paul!

If you would like to join Paul with letter-writing, or simply understand more about the scheme, head to this page on the campaign website. 

While we are talking about bus lanes, this 1960s-70s technical drawing for Station Way emerged on Facebook. It is intriguing because it shows North Station Road south of the Albert as being bus-only access and egress (ringed in green).

We had a radical council back then – it is only a shame it wasn't followed through. The politicians of the time evidently weren't brave enough.

Fortunately Essex's "Cleaner Greener Healthier" campaign is encouraging councillors and officers to be radical again. 

Paul Byrne, consultant physician, Colchester Hospital, writes: Not many people I know look forward to their daily commute but I am one of them. It’s because I cycle. Half an hour each way. I have done it for 26 years from Prettygate to the hospital. Astonishingly I have cycled 40,000 miles in this time, very nearly twice around the world.

It is a daily eight-mile round trip. One day a week I ride to Colchester station and put my bike on the train to Clacton so that I can do a peripheral clinic there. At the end of the day I ride to Frinton or Walton to catch the train back. It’s pleasant looking at the sea and seeing its moods change through the year.

Cycling has made me much more environmentally conscious. Watching swans ski on the Colne as they land is a beautiful sight. It is sad how ugly cars can make a city.

Fortunately, I’ve not yet had any serious accidents. I’ve fallen off a few times but sustained no serious injuries. The secret is to avoid cars. Cars are the main danger and need to be avoided.

'THIS MAY SOUND LIKE SERENDIPITY
BUT IT WAS PLANNED'

Fortunately my route is mostly on a bridleway, Hilly Fields, Castle Park and High Woods. Most of it is off-road and it’s about as safe as I can make it. A small but significant risk multiplied over many years can become an inevitable accident. Therefore, eliminating risk at every opportunity is the way to survive. It works very well for me.

All this may sound like serendipity but it was planned; I bought my home because it’s on a cycle route.

I see lots of problems at the hospital that are due to patients' lack of fitness, I know that riding bicycles would help a lot of them. Sometimes I suggest to patients that they might try cycling.

I often hear them reply: “I would, doctor, but it’s just too dangerous.” Sadly, for too many people in Colchester this is their logical conclusion. Segregated bike paths and 20mph can't come soon enough.

Pay-as-you-go electric cargo bikes are now available to hire by anyone as part of a city council initiative to wean people off automatic car use. The scheme began last month at the secure bike park in Portal Precinct off Sir Isaac's Walk.

The bikes are ideal for carrying groceries, children, bulky items, and more. They are also handy for trips to the recycling centre at Shrub End – because cyclists dumping their own waste don't have to book.

Users can rent an electric cargo bike for £1.50 an hour with a minimum hire of two hours, or pay £10 for a full day. Riders have to complete a free advanced training session and a "get to know the bike" programme.

The scheme is part of Colchester City Council’s commitment to improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions, and is supported by funds from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

Andrea Luxford-Vaughan, the portfolio holder for planning, environment and sustainability, said: “Cargo bike rental is designed to make sustainable transport accessible and affordable. Cycling plays a vital role in shaping our city's future."

The scheme complements other council transport initiatives such as the electric car club, ecargo bike short-term hire scheme for businesses and a forthcoming ecargo bike short-term hire scheme for residents in New Town.

Full details of hiring an ecargo bike are given here: https://www.spokesafe.com/colchester-ebike-hire

Last Saturday Colchester’s Kidical Mass group held its fourth ride of 2023. Although the ride is the focus of the event, this was so much more. 

Firstsite let us use a studio and we held a craft and face-painting session before setting off.  

Each ride has its own challenges and this one was arguably our most complex yet, with a route around the city centre. We did wonder if this might put some riders off but no, we were again amazed at the turnout of 80 riders, most of them  in fancy dress.

We were supported by some wonderful volunteers who helped with the crafts and an amazing team of marshals who ensured everyone was safe.

We were met with cheers and waves from passersby and ended at Castle Park – with free cake.

Many of the riders were keen to know about our next ride and we will be working on our plans over the winter months. Keep up to date with us on Facebook.

If you are interested in the national Kidical Mass movement, its page is here.

Note that Kidical Mass is run by a group entirely separate to Colchester Cycling Campaign. We do, however, support its aims and membership may overlap.

The city's climate action initiatives have been evaluated by the Climate Emergency UK. The not-for-profit co-operative has ranked councils across the country on seven actions.

Colchester City Council received an overall score of 34 per cent, above the district council average of 29 per cent. 

The council was commended in particular for its shared transport schemes. The review has also identified areas that require improvement.

 “We welcome the review of our climate action from Climate Emergency UK," said Andrea Luxford-Vaughan, Colchester portfolio holder for planning, environment and sustainability.

"This review does recognise that we are doing well on many parts of the climate and environmental agenda but identifies areas where we could do more."

Read the full report at https://councilclimatescorecards.uk/scoring/district/#jump=colchester-borough-council

Colchester Cycling Campaign is taking part in a consultation on new standards for cycle parking in the city and Essex in general. 

If you'd like to read the developing campaign submission before we click the button, please email will@colchester-cycling.org.uk.

Alternatively you can see the consultation and make your own comment here: https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/rci/essex-parking-guidance-consultation-2023/

Have you heard of the "common good"? No it's not related to the "greater good" from the film Hot Fuzz. Basically the common good means factors or values that are shared and beneficial to everyone.

A new study has found that cycling is the only variable to have a significant  positive influence on four facets of the common good. It found that higher cycling levels help political participation, social participation in organisations, neighbourhood solidarity and neighbourly helpfulness. 

Read more here:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494423001731

October's bike meet focused on a presentation from the team developing the masterplan for the Tendring/Colchester borders garden community.

We were joined by representatives from Latimer (the main developer), planners from Haworth Tompkins and Kjellander Sjoberg as well as a transport planner from Stantec.

The developers left us in no doubt of their commitment to prioritise active travel. From keeping cars away from the front of properties to making sure that every dwelling has accessible cycle storage, it was very encouraging.

The main point we raised at the meeting was the need to provide safe cycling links from the garden community to Colchester, Wivenhoe, the university and surrounding villages.

The next Bike Meet is set for 8pm on Monday, November 20. If you are signed up as a member of CCC (it’s free!) you should receive updates and links by email. Please don't worry if we use lots of odd phrases such as LTN 1/20: we've caught a nasty case of highwayese. Just ask and all will become clear. We look forward to seeing you.

This cyclist only just made it into the shot as he contemplated a long climb up East Hill. We presume he didn't do it one-handed but he might have done (he's carrying a can or a box – it could even be a battery).

He appears to be sporting a "tank top" sleeveless jumper and has Brylcreemed hair, which might date the photo to the late 1940s or early 1950s. The bike is possibly a Raleigh, BSA or Rudge – and similar examples are still going strong in the city now.

The road leading  to the right is East Street and the road over the junction is now Guildford Road and the Riverside estate. For today's view, see https://maps.app.goo.gl/QhwLpgCCv1DBTGKn6

Essex Pedal Power Colchester has celebrated giving away its 100th free bike in Greenstead. The initiative plans to hand out 700 bikes by the end of 2025.

The aim is to help residents enjoy the health benefits of cycling as well as better access to training, work and education.

The £1 million project is supported by Colchester City Council, Active Essex and the NHS.

Natalie Sommers, the Colchester City Council portfolio holder for communities, said: “We aim to open up new and exciting possibilities for residents.”

Lee Scott, who until recently was Essex County Council cabinet member for  sustainable transport*, said: “This achievement showcases our commitment to a greener future."

Essex Pedal Power also operates in Clacton, Basildon and Harwich. For more information  see: https://www.activeessex.org/essex-pedal-power

* The new cabinet member, appointed last month, is Tom Cunningham,from Braintree. The campaign looks forward to working with him.

Will Bramhill, the campaign vice-secretary but acting in a personal capacity, has lodged a complaint with Essex County Council over the closure. Watch this space. 

Have you signed the Colchester Cycling Charter yet? If not, please do. If you work or volunteer, please ask your organisation to sign too. The more people on bikes, the fewer traffic jams will snarl up our city.

Feel free to pass on this newsletter via email and social media by using the link at the very top ... and encourage your friends to join the campaign so they receive their own copy every month.

Chairman: Stuart Johnson
Vice-secretaries: Alan Spence and Will Bramhill
Treasurer: Catherine Johnson
Your committee: Alex Hooper, Chris Stevenson, Jean Quinn, Mike Polom, Nathaniel Catchpole, Paul Avison and Paul Byrne