A happy new year to all of you reading this. If you are like me, you will be thinking about riding your bike(s) more, if only to shift the kilo or two you've put on since Christmas Eve.

So what to make of 2023? The splash headline has to be Essex's poor handling of the Crouch Street scheme, where it consulted and consulted and consulted ... and eventually got its hand bitten and had to cancel its plans.

It was such a shame because better routes along Lexden Road direct to Head Street and across to Queen Street would have been an indication of the county's commitment both to active travel and fighting climate change, as well as acting as a flagship project for its Safer Greener Healthier campaign. 

That slogan was thrown further into doubt in December when Essex unveiled its latest scheme for the St Botolph's roundabout. The cycling campaign was underwhelmed by the proposals, especially as the changes will cost £11.8 million of our money.

Pedestrian facilities are marginally better than the current layout but that is from an extremely low base. We don't believe the scheme will encourage one more person to try cycling from New Town, the garrison homes or Mersea Road.

The late summer was a sad time for many of us with the death of campaign stalwart Pam Nelson. If there is an afterlife, I know she'll be cheering us on and pedalling in spirit alongside her favourite people.

Pam was most concerned about new road schemes and their effect on the environment. While the campaign doesn't take a stance on this, I know that many of you do. Watch out, then, for Dr Andrew Boswell's climate change case in the Court of Appeal on January 16. If it goes his way we can expect to see big further big changes in UK transport policy.

Finally a special mention for Kim Barnetson and Jean Quinn who are both  members of the campaign but separately to that they run Kidical Mass. Their group staged several rides and it has more planned for 2024. The events have been a huge success and are full of the joys of cycling.

Also in the CCC new year honours list are Phin and Mike of Colchester Bike Kitchen. It is a fantastic resource and I urge you to try it.

I do hope you enjoy this newsletter.

Will Bramhill

Essex County Council has published plans for new cycle lanes on East Hill as part of route 4 of the Colchester cycle network from the city centre to Greenstead and the university.

The road is too narrow to have two wide cycle lanes, so the council has squeezed in 1.5m-wide lanes on each side, along with bus-stop bypasses.

When the campaign saw the original plans we asked the council to take out the downhill cycle lane to make room for a wider uphill facility.

In its final version of the plans the council has kept the two narrower lanes. We thought hard about our response. After talking to a nationally recognised cycle infrastructure designer we have decided to support to the council's plan. We will ask for a number of changes to the design, including:

• 20mph limits for Rosebery Avenue and Guildford Road (and by extension the entire Riverside estate)
• Forgiving kerbs
• Improved timings on the toucan crossing over East Street, and
• Sharper geometry on junctions to act as natural traffic calming

If you want to comment personally on the plans please email trafficregulation.order@essexhighways.org quoting TRAF/8179. Full plans are available at ECC's traffic regulation order page. Our consultation response (as at Dec 27) can be seen here.

The Christmas and New Year holiday has delayed any reaction to the campaign's response to Essex Highways' underwhelming £11.8 million proposals for the St Botolph's junction.

In last month's newsletter we said the project has similarities to the Ipswich Road and Harwich Road roundabouts, which even many motorists detest, and is poor value for money.

We have written to Michael Gove, whose department will be providing the bulk of the funding, to express our concern.

We will keep you in touch with any major developments in the email group (become a member if you aren't already!) and future newsletters.

This is your chance to help fund the campaign. Thanks to everyone for last month's donations. Your generosity came as a surprise! We'll decide how we spend the money raised at Bike Meet over the next few months.

Colchester eCargo ran a free and sustainable parcels service in the city in the run-up to Christmas and helped numerous people have their shopping delivered to their homes. Lee Pugh's company made the television news on December 19. You can watch it at https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001tlcz/look-east-lunchtime-news-19122023. from 04.10.

One of the campaign's most productive activities is commenting on planning applications to try to get more cycle parking and better routes through section 106 developers' contributions.

As a result we were sure to comment on the parking guidance consultation carried out in December by Essex Planning Officers Association. We're not sure what happens now but we hope the group will take our ideas on board in its future work.

If you'd like to read our suggestions see: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gquHR_od-mN6NNgUPUUYbToJsGWV-oWshwhH3IdcHog/edit?usp=sharing

It is amazing how much drivers' behaviour is being changed by the Extra Eyes dashcam campaign run by Essex Police and the Safer Essex Roads Partnership. Whether or not you have a bike camera, you may like to try these Pass Pixi camera warning signs to see whether motorists give you extra space. For more, see passpixi.com/

You can also show your support for cycling with "Cyclists, Stay Awesome" stickers for your car or bike, available from the Road CC shop.

Remember Chris Boardman? Back in the 1990s he broke the cycling hour record three times. Now he is the commissioner of Active Travel England, which is making sure all new cycling and walking facilities are up to scratch.

Listen to Chris explain how cycling can save the world. It's an hour-long video so make a cuppa and have some biscuits to hand!

I love the views across Abberton reservoir and experiencing the change in the seasons. I see lots of wildlife on the journey, from swans and cormorants over the reservoir to barn owls quartering over the fields near Layer de la Haye.

As well as keeping me fit the ride is a great way to clear my head after a busy day. On the rare days when there is a risk of black ice or if there are gale force winds I do drive but I miss my cycle ride.

There are some negatives, including the occasional close pass by a careless or dangerous driver. I have a camera on my bike and I report about one driver a week to Essex Police via Extra Eyes. The most common outcome is that the driver has to pay to attend an all-day safer driving course. I hope that it makes them a better and more considerate motorist.

The other frustration is the lack of safe cycling infrastructrue. I often see people including children riding on the pavement along Layer Road as they don't fancy their chances mixing it with motor vehicles on the terrible road surface. It's a real shame as there is plenty of space to do something to make it safer and more convenient for people to cycle.

Many of you will know by now that Middlemill Weir, above, was badly damaged when the Colne was in spate after several days of heavy rain last month.

The bridge next to the weir is a popular cycle route between the north of Colchester and the city centre but is likely to be closed for months. Diversions are in place via the Leisure Centre bridge and North Station Road.  

Already bags of stones have been lifted into place to stop further damage. The campaign will keep you in touch with progress via the email group.

We have already suggested that the Army is asked to provide a Bailey bridge while repairs/replacement is carried out. We should know more details about what is to happen by the end of the. month.

Sir Bob Russell touches on the history of the weir in this Gazette article.

The next Bike Meet will take place on Monday January 15 at 8pm. We're not sure yet whether it will be a virtual or physical meeting. Please keep an eye on the email group for more information.

This picture taken at the bottom of East Hill, probably before the Second World War, features two cyclists settling in for the long, slow haul up to the town centre. We wonder what they would make of our soon-to-be new cycle lanes.

There's also an early cargo bike cheekily nestling next to a garden fence on the left.

The telegraph poles are painted with white bands which indicate to motorists that the speed limit is 30mph.

Halfway along the shops and houses is a bakery selling Daren bread, a brand of wheatgerm loaf which at the time rivalled Hovis. It may well have been delivered on carrier trikes like those below.

In case you are wondering, I take many of these old photos from Old Colchester and District in Pictures on Facebook. I'm amazed by how many feature bicycles, especially if you look closely. The group was started about five years ago by Cindy Grimwood, who ran it from the care home where she lived in Stanway and pulled in 36,000 members. Cindy died in November -- RIP and thank you for the pix.

No news this month about when Boxted bridge will reopen!

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, Nathaniel Catchpole, Paul Avison and Paul Byrne