Update 30 04 2025
Campaigning > Cyclewight Latest Update
Dear Members
We hope you can attend the CycleFest this Saturday at Merstone Station. It is a great opportunity to meet up and swap ideas and get out in the glorious weather. There is food and drink on offer as well as plentiful picnic benches. The committee hopes to see you there. Have you got some cycling related ’stuff' you would like to sell on. Bring it along. A poster is attached just in case you have forgotten to share it with others. The weather looks grand,
You may well have seen in several of the news outlets articles about the ongoing dispute between the Council and Island Roads after we issued a press release. This is down to parts of the contract and linked to payments we believe. You can read the various articles in the links below. In the County Press there is an acknowledgement by the leader of the Council that IWC and IR are in legal dispute. We will continue to monitor the situation. The shame is that parts of the cycle network continue to deteriorate.
Catch up. We are still waiting to hear what the Council is intending to do with the government's active travel grant. This is over £350,000. The officer in charge of the Island Green Link has said they are still waiting to hear back from the Department of Transport over several issues before he can add anything to our previous briefing.
We mentioned last month that in Bristol there is a scheme where some crossing lights will change on the press of the button to encourage active travel as well as a means of traffic calming. We have begun to create a list of such lights for the Island. For example at the bottom of Horsebridge Hill and in Pier Street in Ventnor. Have you any suggestions? We have heard from a Councillor who lived previously in Bournemouth and said it had worked well there.
Cycling UK are urging people to write to the government as they prepare a Spending Review. We know cycling would save the nation billions if people were healthier and less money spent on very expensive road schemes (Wisley M25 interchange - more that the whole Active Travel Budget) Follow the link here