Cyclists who use the big Sainsbury's store in Tollgate, Stanway, are annoyed after the company closed the cycle/pedestrian access from Essex Yeomanry Way without warning.

The store says the closure is short-term and is needed for safety during remedial works.

However Andy Sample, a cycling campaign member, said: "You can see from my photo that blocking the route isn't necessary. This has inconvenienced so many Sainsbury customers. They should have thought about this much more carefully."

Signs have gone up to flag a diversion for pedestrians but that is a narrow footway – not shared use. 

Andy said: "The equivalent for people on bikes is the fast and busy dual carriageway. Overgrowth means the footway is so narrow that a cyclist pushing their bike would have trouble passing a pedestrian."

Lesley Scott-Boutell, a Stanway councillor, said: "As soon as I heard about this I raised a complaint with planning enforcement who are continuing to investigate."

Will Bramhill, the campaign secretary, said: "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 who prefer to cycle than drive or do not have 24/7 access to a car. 

"While we appreciate that Sainsbury 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 1m-wide footway. It was only protests by the campaign and local councillors that stopped that." 

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."

An important issue over roadworks became apparent last month when North Station Road was shut between the Essex Hall and Albert roundabouts. 

An electricity utility was working on the footway and had to direct pedestrians into the carriageway, so the road was closed.

However all the signage was aimed at pedestrians even though the path is shared use.

Cyclists used their initiative and ignored the road closed signs but the question has to be asked: what would have happened if there had been a collision – either between a cyclist and a pedestrian or between a driver and a cyclist who had obeyed the "road closed" sign by using the busy Station Way towards the Colne Bank Avenue roundabout?

The campaign has written to Active Travel England to ask if there is an exemplary "instructions to contractors" that can be shared with Essex County Council.

The new cycle lanes proposed for East Hill have gone out to a second round of consultation because of  changes made since the scheme was mooted.

Gone are the bus stop bypasses and there are various other tweaks. Both Active Travel England and Essex safety inspectors are happy with the new scheme.

Stuart Johnson, the campaign chair, said: "Essex County Council have worked hard on a design to improve the safety of East Hill for cyclists. We see the proposed changes as a positive step given the constraints of limited space and multiple bus stops. 

"Please take a moment to sent an email supporting the changes – it makes a real difference to the chance of this scheme being delivered."

TRAF/8556 – Proposed, Various Revocations And Implementations of Speed Limits, Waiting Restrictions, Speed Table, Shared Use Cycle Tracks and Pedestrian Crossings In The City Of Colchester

The details are at https://www.essexhighways.org/traffic-regulation-orders and the email address for replies is trafficregulation.order@essexhighways.org – please quote TRAF/8556 in the subject line of your email.

This is your chance to help fund the campaign. Our thanks to Anna, who has become a monthly supporter, and Maria of Sustrans East of England for last month's donations.

Still on the topic of traffic regulation orders, please write to support this one, which has arisen because new signs are to be installed that will make it clear that cycling is permitted. The old signage, as pictured above is confusing -- even the PSPO wardens had the wrong impression.

TRAF/8391 - Proposed Prohibition of Motor Vehicles on Culver Street West, Culver Street East and Long Wyre Street in the City of Colchester

You can read more at this link: https://www.essexhighways.org/traffic-regulation-orders

The deadline is May 9. Email your comments to: trafficregulation.order@essexhighways.org quoting TRAF/8391 in the subject line

"... but I'm delivering parcels. I can't possibly park in the road."

Grrr!

If you know, you know. This is now permanent. Thank you to everyone who helped with this matter at the Head Street/Culver Street junction, especially DK.

Bike Meet on April 15 included our annual meeting and appointment of officers.  Catherine Johnson, our treasurer, presented the annual accounts which were passed. We will shortly be switching to Metro Bank after Lloyds made changes to the conditions around its "small club" accounts.. 

Will Bramhill gave an update on recent Essex Highways activity before a talk by Matt of Future Bikes, which has moved from Rowhedge to opposite Sainsbury's (the former Drury Arms) in Drury Road. Our officers were confirmed for the coming year – and welcome Kristin Bradley.

The line-up is now: chair Stuart Johnson; vice-secretary Will Bramhill; treasurer Catherine Johnson; committee: Alex Hooper, Chris Stevenson, Jean Quinn, Nathaniel Catchpole, Alan Spence, Kristin Bradley and Paul Byrne.

Note that Kidical Mass is a separate organisation from Colchester Cycling Campaign.

Please extend a big welcome to Kristin Bradley, who is the campaign's new committee member. Kristin, 37, and her husband Ed, and their children Olivia and George, live in Lexden.

Kristin came to the UK from Canada about 11 years ago and did a master's degree in book publishing. She lived in London until moving to Colchester four years ago.

She is the proud owner of three bikes – an Urban Arrow passenger bike, a Brompton and a Dutch bike.

Kristin says she is most interested in cycling "as a form of transportation, getting from A to B". She looks forward to being on the committee and finding out more about what is happening with utility cycling in Colchester. 

She adds: "I'm also very happy to give my experience from a 'kids and cargo bike' point of view. In an ideal world my children could ride their own bikes if it was safe but especially on the school run it doesn't feel safe."

Welcome aboard, Kristin!

• A quick reminder: you can try out passenger cargo bikes and electric bikes here, with a week's trial costing just £12  https://www.spokesafe.com/colchester-ebike-hire

Kim and Simon Barnetson of the cycling campaign had a trip away recently. 

Kim writes: "I just wanted to share a few photos from our trip this weekend. We caught the train on Friday evening to Bury St Edmunds and stayed overnight at the Dog and Partridge, where they found a safe spot for our bikes overnight. 

Colchester Cycling Campaign uses Email Octopus to create this newsletter. If you would like to do the same for your organisation please use this link https://emailoctopus.com/?urli=XN4MS. The campaign and the new group each get a "new joiner" benefit of 15 USD (about £12). 

The Cycle Advocacy Network CAN) is an initiative by Cycling UK, the national cycling charity. There is now an Essex group which brings together activists from across the county. 

It has already held its first quarterly meeting with Essex County Council, where Tracy Vickers, the head of sustainable transport, and Kris Radley, a programme manager with Jacobs, gave details of how cycling schemes are graded and taken forward to construction.

We hope for great things from the new CAN, which has a webpage hosted on our campaign's site at www.colchester-cycling.org.uk/can.html

We have split the theft pages on the campaign website. We now have "How do I stop a thief taking my bike" and "Help, my bike has been stolen". Please feel free to share these links.

We have also approached British Transport Police to see whether greater liaison between us would pay off, especially if bikes are being taken to London for stripping and/or resale.

A rare Van Moof bike was found dumped in Colchester last month, and a few days ago an expensive Whisper ebike was snatched from the bike rack at Sainsbury's on the Via Urbis Romanae. See https://www.facebook.com/groups/265883708816264

A camera on the bus gate between St John's Street and Osborne Street is now in action, which should make that route across the south of the city centre a lot less attractive to car rat runners. https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/25115220.new-bus-gate-enforcement-osborne-street-begun/?ref=mr&lp=6

The great Jane Jacobs was one of the original urbanists. Colchester became one of the first cities in Europe to commemorate her work by holding annual Jane's Walks.

This year's events are free and will be held from this Thursday to Friday May 11.

You can find the Jane's Walk 2025 programme here: https://www.walkcolchester.org.uk/janes-walk

There's also a fundraising grand quiz on Thursday. Tickets are on sale here 

More details of Jane's Walks here: https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/25090194.colchester-janes-walk-festival-22-walks-take-place/

Find out about Jane Jacobs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Jacobs

Cyclists face life sentences It's a shame that Labour's first substantial pronouncement on active travel is on these lines. The reaction on social media was intense. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/apr/24/death-by-dangerous-cycling-crime-policing-bill

Bus stop changes "Bus stop boarders" have been scrapped after parliamentary concern from two blind lobby groups. Floating bus stops passed muster however. The DfT has three months to clarify the design of floating bus stops.  https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-04-02/debates/320FC947-4BAF-41B7-B684-C6BBE3516197/BusServices

Red light, green light: a guide to cycling and the law from the Environmental Transport Association: https://www.eta.co.uk/news/a-no-nonsense-guide-to-cycling-and-uk-law 

Thanks prof 1: Adrian Davis has put together this tremendous resource for active travel campaigners. Ignore the Scotland bit ... it's only because Adrian is at Napier University: https://blogs.napier.ac.uk/tri/essential-evidence-scotland/?utm_source=localtransporttoday&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=essentialevidence25&utm_term=quarterpage_marchedition&utm_content=shorturl 

Thanks prof 2: Ian Walker of Swansea University came up with the idea of "motornormativity" – why people think using a car is "so normal". He talked to the Active Travel Cafe on April 29. That video is not online yet but a fascinating "lunchtime chat" with a US group is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVwsCFCgT_o. There's also a Wikipedia entry.

The next Bike Meet is on Tuesday May 20 and will be a "meet the members" event at a venue to be decided in the city centre. Please watch for emails which are automatically sent to members. Get on the mailing list using the link below.

This month we feature another shot of Colchester High Street with St Nicholas's church standing proud.Look closely and you can see three cyclists riding up the "hump" in the Via Decumanus that quite possibly marks the eastern edge of the original Roman fortress and Legio XX barracks established in CE43*. 

What is fascinating about this shot for cyclists is the handwritten note, sent in 1903: "I managed to get home alright on Saturday. C nearly had a fit because I would ride the bike. She was afraid I should be taken up as I had no lamp, so set off and walked to soothe her."

Cars were a thing at the time but they were few and far between. Perhaps the writer meant "taken up" as being in trouble with the police. 

For those that don't know, we lost St Nich's in 1955 to a new Co-op store. The church was built directly on Roman foundations but such was the rush to build that no proper study was made. The octagonal pulpit, though, made of Portland and Caen stone, was then moved to St Barnabas’s Church. 

Read more about the tragedy of St Nich's: https://colchesterheritage.co.uk/Monument/MCC406

* The remains of the fortress are incredibly deep here ... some 3m and more below the current ground level.

If you want to try leisure rides, Colchester Cycling Campaign recommends both Cycling For Pleasure and Happy Handlebars. Both clubs run a variety of events for people of different abilities. 

Cycling for Pleasure: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594722180845186

Happy Handlebars: https://www.facebook.com/HappyHandlebarsColch

Other clubs and local routes to try: https://www.colchester-cycling.org.uk/maps-rides-clubs.html 

Colchester Cycling Campaign has lots of LOCAL cycling advice on its website. If you have a question, make our advice page your first port of call.

Visit https://www.colchester-cycling.org.uk/advice.html

Colchester Council has apologised that repairs are taking so long on this important cycle route. See https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/25113517.colchesters-middle-mill-weir-still-not-fixed-500-days/

At last there is movement on Boxted bridge but it is unclear how much nearer we are to repairs and/or a replacement. Read the latest here: https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/25121425.site-visit-final-decision-boxted-bridge-confirmed

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-secretary: Will Bramhill
Treasurer: Catherine Johnson
Your committee: Alex Hooper, Chris Stevenson, Jean Quinn, Nathaniel Catchpole, Alan Spence, Kristin Bradley and Paul Byrne