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WSCC gives approval to Cycling and Walking Strategy

Over the last year WSCC has been drafting a much-needed new cycling strategy. A lot of good work has been put into developing a system for listing potential cycle routes so the council can be ready to bid for any external sources of funding that become available.

However, the draft document leaves out hugely important issues such as how to improve our streets so that people of all ages and abilities can realistically choose to use a bike for everyday short trips and how to ensure that the thousands of new homes due to be built in the area will be cycle-friendly.

Matt Davey appointed as Director of Highways and Transport

Matt Davey has been appointed as Director of Highways and Transport at WSCC to replace Nicola Debnam who was lured away.   Matt Davey comes from Wokingham Borough Council where he was Head of H&T.   He has been working in municipal engineering for more than 25 years both in the public and private sector. He has been leading highways and transport services at Wokingham Borough Council for the past six years overseeing a partnership arrangement with private sector suppliers.

Walking and Cycling Strategy Approved by Committee

At an Environmental and Community Services Select Committee meeting today, the West Sussex Walking and Cycling Strategy was approved by members of the Committee. It will now go to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport for possible adoption as an official strategy for the County Council.

A video of the meeting can be found here: http://westsussex.public-i.tv/core/share/open/webcast/0/0/560/231762/0/0/start_time/6604000

The Cycling and Walking scrutiny process at WSCC

The Environmental & Community Services Select Committee (ECSSC) is the committee that is set up to scrutinize the workings of our County Council. In February of 2015 it agreed to set up a Task and Finish Group (TFG) to examine the ‘offering’ of the County Council on Cycling and Walking. A report had been completed in time for the Committee meeting and in response to the, then, Government’s initiatives on cycling and walking. Most people thought the report a poor piece of work. 

Arundel Station Cycleway

A new shared-use cycleway has been built at Arundel station. The new route passes under the railway bridge, on the north side of the railway, and along the eastern side of the A27 towards Arundel.

It is unknown which organisation devised and funded this bit of infrastructure - but it is welcome.  It means that people on foot and on cycles can get from the station into Arundel without having to risk the A27 and the roundabout into Arundel. 

Seville Builds for People on Bicycles, with Great Success!

Seville has recently built 75kms of reasonably-good off-road cycleways, and the result has been impressive: in just a few years the number of people cycling daily has risen from 6,000 to 70,000. And these are ordinary people, wearing ordinary clothes, treating cycling as just another sensible transport choice. The city has benefitted from a significant reduction in pollution thanks to the reduced number of motor vehicles on the roads.

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jan/28/seville-cycling-capital-southern-europe-bike-lanes

National Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy

The Government has voted to include the legal requirement of a national Cycling and Walking Strategy in the Infrastructure Bill. This will mean that when the Infrastructure Bill is passed, the Secretary of State for Transport will be legally obliged to produce a national strategy for investing in cycling and walking. It is quite possible that this will also mean that highway authorities, like WSCC, will also be required to produce strategies for such investment.

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