Work will begin at
the end of February to build a new deck for the Cement Mills
Viaduct on the Cowes to Newport section of Route 23. It will
involve a 6 week diversion along the waterfront path. This is a
major investment in the cycleway network and by April we will have
a safe surface over this picturesque part of the route. We
understand that delays in ordering materials will mean the bridge
not now be open until May. Island
2000 are pushing ahead with plans to produce the all
important cross Newport link from Shide to Dodnor. With land
purchase completed, Martin Gibson outlined to route which will
skirt around the Shide river park with a dedicated cycle path
following the river through Matalan car park and access road,
following South Street and using the wide unused strip between
Pyle Street and High Street.and into County Hall access
roads. All this could be completed this year. This is
an eagerly awaited project which will add great value to the
Island's network. www.island2000.org.uk There
is a public meeting on Monday 29th January (7 p.m.) at the
Yarmouth Institute to discuss progress on Route 22 Yarmouth to
Newport. Sustrans is involved in the £5m project to build a
cycleroute that follows much of the old railway line. Increase
in Cycling is one of the targets the IW Council has set itself and
regular counts are made manually to check on progress. Now
technology comes to the rescue with buried wire loops to be
installed to count cyclists on cycleways throughout the year.
Three sites have been identified for the loops including the south
end of the Cowes-Newport route and Freshwater to Yarmouth. The
disruption to Newport traffic with the closure of Pyle
Street for new gas pipes has affected cyclists. We have lost
the contra flow in Trafalgar Road with the reversal of traffic,.so
deserve an emergency east bound contra flow from West Street to
Nodehill to compensate. CycleWight
will be organising a work party shortly to improve the neglected
entrance to the Cowes to Newport cycleway at Arctic Road.
Volunteers required! With only a
miniscule budget for maintainance of the footpaths, bridleways and
cycletracks it is certain that there will be criticism of
the Council for overgrown paths and bad surfaces. It was suggested
by Andy Newman of the Wayfarers that there could be a 'live' web
page to report in problems on the cycleway network and for the
Council to update progress on each topic and to state the
priorities. The 2007 Cycling
Festival is planned for the 15 to 23 September with three routes
on Sunday 16 September for the 'Cycle The Wight' and the 3, 7 and
14 Hills Killer on the 23 September. Claire Whittington of
the IWC Events Team is looking for volunteers to lead other
cycling events in the week Can you help? Contact her at claire.whittington@iow.gov.uk
www.sunseaandcycling.com Island
2000 will be starting shortly on a conservation and habitat
improvement at Merstone Station on the Newport to Sandown section
of Route 23. Priorities for the IWC
cycling budget for this year will be the Cowes town through route,
making progress with the West Wight route 22 and a 'tidying up' on
the Wootton section of Route22. |
