Update 31 05 2025 - CYCLEWight

Please do keep the 28th June free for our Kidical Mass ride. It is in Ryde again beginning at the Golf Course end of Spencer Road. The rides are really good fun and are not just for young people. They are a statement  that roads, including main roads, are for everyone and there is a need for decent provision for all. When looking at the issue of the main road to Cowes (see below) it makes support of Active Travel even more important. We will be sending a poster out later.

Commuter Challenge The main road Newport to Cowes has become a 'long running' topic mainly due to the fact that people in motor vehicles are diverted so far. We have decided to remind people there is an alternative to sitting in a traffic jam on Forest Road. We are going to do a commuter challenge on Wednesday June 11th. A volunteer is going to drive to Cowes while two others are going to cycle by bike and e-bike. Who will be quicker? Please come along. We are leaving from outside County Hall at 8.00 finishing at Red Jet terminal in Cowes.

Island Green Link. A press release was issued earlier this week by the IW Council about the Island Green Link. "After a long and anxious wait, the Department for Transport has confirmed the Isle of Wight Council’s funding allowance for 2025/26 to progress the IW Green Link scheme. This allows us for the first time to award contracts for the delivery of works. The available grant monies need to be committed by the end of March 2026. The focus of the works for this year will therefore be those to be delivered on land already in the control of the Isle of Wight Council. The next step is for the council to procure the right contractors to help deliver the works. Following the Government’s spending review in June, we expect to learn what level of support DfT will make available to support Green Link delivery beyond 2025/26.”

We have written to the Officer ,who is leading the project, to meet as soon as possible to find out more. We are pleased some of our earlier suggestions were accepted.

Island Roads and Isle of Wight Council. We have spent a long time trying to understand why we have made so little progress on some of our projects (see earlier briefings).  We had been informed that the delays were because of the dispute between Island Roads and Isle of Wight Council. We decided to issue a press release Here. This was covered widely in the local media and it did evoke a response from the Leader of the Council inviting CycleWight  to meet the Council. Here The recent change to the way the Council is run has meant the meeting has been delayed until it becomes clear which Councillor is now overseeing infrastructure. Watch this space as they say.

CycleFest 25 was an excellent day. Once again we had lovely weather. It was great to meet up with lots of different people. Isle Access were there with their adapted bikes. They were very happy to meet people who were interested in helping out with their work. We had children come who were entertained by Sue Bailey with her story telling. We are already planning next year and how to raise the profile of the event. Please follow the link to see pictures of the day.

Pedestrian Crossings. A couple of months ago we wrote about the scheme in Bristol where pedestrian lights changed as soon as someone pressed the button. We think this is a great idea and have begun to create a list of suitable crossings where this could be done. Here is a link  to an article from one of CycleWight’s favourite cycling advocates, Ranty Highwaysman. In real life he is a transport engineer so it is a very well written and researched piece. Please do read it and send us your suggestions where it could be done on the Island.

George Wilks writes: The IOW blind society, Sight for Wight, has purchased three electric tandems, so that their visually impaired clients can experience the joys of a bike ride. Three pilots, Dave Downer, John Hardiment and myself have done two sessions on the bikes, each taking three people the length of the Cowes to Newport path and back. It's a massive exercise in confidence building, and a fair bit of learning on both sides, but it's been great fun. As we progress, we may look at trips further afield. Ruth – It felt very liberating going out on the ride. As a visually impaired person, when you’re independently moving, you don’t necessarily get to move at much speed so having the wind whistling through your hair gives you a sense of freedom. Charles – It was a thrill to be going along the road and to hear the sounds of nature; the birds singing, the wind in the trees, and the trickling of the river nearby. If anyone is interested in finding out more, possibly with a view to joining us as a pilot, please do get in touch through CycleWight.