Dear <<First Name>> 

We're not talking about London buses but Colchester Cycling Campaign newsletters.

Below is your regular monthly newsletter which we hope you'll enjoy.

However we are still working on important stories about Colchester council wardens issuing PSPO fines to cyclists again, as well as Essex Police and its failing Extra Eyes service.

Hold on to your hats (or helmets) ... a second newsletter will be with you soon.

Happy cycling,

Editor

The campaign has responded to the draft Essex Transport Strategy. This is the first consultation and a more comprehensive document will be consulted upon next year. Thanks to Stuart Johnson, Chris Stevenson and Will Bramhill for their work on the paper. You can read what they say here.

What is the single biggest thing Essex County Council can do to help cyclists and pedestrians? Put in place a 20mph limit where people live.

This is why the campaign is supporting a new Twenty's Plenty group being started in Colchester this weekend.

On September 19, Daniel Chappell, 37, of Prince Philip Road, Colchester, was found guilty of killing Alliyah Bell, 17, in the Hythe while exceeding the 30mph limit at night. The owner of Chappell's cocktail bar in North Hill is due to be sentenced on October 16.

Then on September 21, Taylen Ireton, 13, a pupil of Thomas Lord Audley School, died in a collision with a car driver near the Cherry Tree pub in Mersea Road (note: it is not known whether excessive or inappropriate speed was a factor in Taylen's death. Two 19-year-old men have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving).

Social media reaction to both incidents was in favour of road danger reduction -- much along the lines of the famous Stop de Kindermoord protests in the Netherlands in the 1970s, which shaped the country's present road culture.

The heartbreak caused by road collisions is at least being lessened in Wales where fatalities and serious injuries are down by 23 per cent on the year. Some 78 people were killed or seriously injured on 20mph and 30mph roads, compared with 101 in the first quarter of 2023 before the 20mph limits went in.

The inaugural meeting of Colchester’s Twenty is Plenty group will take place at 1pm on Saturday October 5 at the One Colchester Community Hub, Long Wyre Street, Colchester, CO1 1LH. https://what3words.com/chips.linen.ants Everyone welcome.

Be aware that there are two types of 20mph limits proposed, one of which is far superior:

1 20mph zones. These are put in place outside schools. While this seems to be a good idea, what about children who walk more than a few hundred metres to school? What about the school holidays or weekends? How does that help older people? Is the fast-slow nature of 20 zones fair to drivers? The campaign argues that zones are a poor choice that will achieve weak results and represent bad value for money.

2 Area-wide 20mph. This is the scheme that has been put in place in Wales. Contrary to headlines in rightwing media this has not been scrapped. A review is taking place covering some 20mph roads and whether they should go back to 30mph – but that was always allowed for in the initial proposal. Note that some detractors will call area-wide 20 a "blanket 20": it is not – there is still a range of speed limits.

For a bit of background, this Damascene conversion is worth reading.

Good luck to the 20mph campaigners!

Builders are set to move in to start work on the new homes at East Bay, at the western end of the path from the Moors. This is a well-used route for pedestrians and cyclists, especially during the school run. At the planning application stage the campaign asked for any closures and disruption to be kept to a minimum – and flagged well in advance. If you use this route regularly, please keep us in touch with what is happening.

If you would like to try an electric bike before buying one – or just sample a bike for the fun of it – Colchester Bike Park has six bikes available for hire. Two are conventional ebikes while the other four have extra cargo-carrying capacity. Details: https://www.spokesafe.com/colchester-ebike-hire

The summer and early autumn is often roadworks season -- and we have benefited from smooth new surfaces on North Hill and the Albert roundabout, as well as at other locations.

If you come across roadworks and want to know who is doing them and how long they will last, this Essex Highways website has the details.

Essex Police has two more free bike marking events coming up at Leisure World, Cowdray Avenue, Colchester.

Simply bring your bike along and have a tamper-resistant sticker expertly applied. Your bike will also be registered on the National Bike Register.

These two measures will increase the chance of having your bike returned if it is lost or stolen.  

The dates are:
October 13, 10am-1pm and
November 3 5pm-8pm
The location is: https://what3words.com/hiking.lifts.deeper

To take security to the next level visit https://www.bikeregister.com and buy a £19.99 permanent marking kit. This applies a code number that marks your bike for good without damaging it.

The campaign website gives full details of how to prevent your bike being stolen. A group for Bikes Stolen and Found in Colchester is on Facebook. 

Work has started on the bus priority gate at the western end of Clingoe Hill. This is designed to give the Rapid Transit Bus an advantage over cars by getting it to the front of the queue and allowing a clear road ahead.

The zebra crossing will be replaced by a two-stage toucan crossing. The campaign wanted a one-stage crossing but, hey, you don't win every fight.

Working with Active Travel England, Essex County Council has, though, agreed to changes to the design of the central reservation, making the central corral shorter and wider to help cyclists and pedestrians live more harmoniously.

Thanks to CCC member Neil Allen who wrote to Essex to point out the benefit of having one side of the crossing change moments after the other, enabling as smooth a cycle flow as possible. 

An Essex official replied to Neil:

"The system you mention is known as “forward calling” and this is something we are proposing to trial. The [aim will be to see] if this type of set-up is viable and can work operationally, including for pedestrians and cyclists of all speeds/abilities, and as part of/subject to any priority demand calls from the RTS lane/traffic management.

"The trial will be mainly by on-site appraisal, and (for the pedestrian/cycle element) by monitoring (remotely) if there is an additional request for the following crossing: eg, the person crossing the first stage misses the second stage and has to press the button to re-demand it.

"The trial will determine timings, make sure that the following crossing isn’t called too early/late, which could cause unnecessary delays to users (whether that is bus, car, cycle or pedestrian)."

Thanks to Paul at ECC for working with us on this.

An anonymous campaign member has asked us to pass on this plea:

"On a ride out to Dedham I was subject to three near misses, not from cars but from fellow cyclists. Each one in the head-down, arse-up 'personal best' mode.

"I don`t suppose any of them thought anything of it but if the roles had been reversed and I had been in a car I would be all over social media.

"Let`s show each other some respect. If you can't fit a bell, a friendly call will do.

"As a judge said in a trial many years ago 'a cyclist is entitled to their wobble' – and that includes me. Give us more space!"

The next Bike Meet is scheduled for 8pm on Monday October 21. More details nearer the time. Please join us, using the button below, to get the relevant email

This scene will be recognised by most people in Colchester: the view from East Bay over East Bridge. The former Marriage's Mill is on the left and this was converted to flats about 25 years ago. The Siege House can be seen just over the brow of the bridge.

A delivery boy is running with his bike away from the photographer while a finely dressed woman rides towards us on the wrong side of the road. She may simply be being cautious about crossing the tram tracks, which were a cyclist-killer back in the day.

The problem remains in cities where trams have been reinstated: Edinburgh's advice to cyclists includes: "Cross the tracks close to a right angle – this won’t always be possible, but by crossing as close to a right angle as you can you’ll avoid slipping."

Finally a cyclist stops to take a look over the bridge at the river, which at this point is still tidal. Your editor has seen crabs here!

As an aside, it is good to see that the Colne has more wildlife again: this short video from four years ago shows an otter trying to navigate Middlemill.

Cyclists whose interests extend beyond riding to and from work or to the shops may be interested in the Colchester Cycling for Pleasure group.

At last we have movement on the future of Boxted bridge, which is a key route for both utility and leisure cyclists going to and from south Suffolk.

Lewis Barber, a cycling-friendly county councillor, has told us that Essex Highways has published its plans for the replacement bridge.

The campaign has commented that the design, which makes the bridge wider for lorries and fire engines, might encourage higher speeds by cars. We have asked for mitigating measures to be applied.

Boxted parish council is to hold a special public meeting at the village hall at 7.30pm on December 13. Lewis will be there answer questions and consider responses. He says: "I will not be there to 'sell' the plans, so to speak, but as the county councillor for the area and to ensure I hear all comments so that I can continue to liaise with engineers and decision-makers."

View the plans here.

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 and Paul Byrne