Reader’s Letter: Hastings park cycle path is the lazy route

You report this week that Cllr Claire Dowling, who represents Uckfield on East Sussex County Council, has decided that the cycle route through the park should go ahead (“Alexandra Park cycle route plan proceeds to the next stage”, 18 March)

The county and Hastings Borough Council are lazily allowing through a proposal which has been the subject of controversy for several years now. It would drive a vehicle route for bikes, electric bikes, powered scooters and other faster-moving vehicles on what is currently a very pleasant route for pedestrians, including very large numbers of people with disabilities and vulnerabilities, and many small children and frail elderly. Already, the cycle lobby groups are claiming that cyclists have ‘the right’ to cycle through this and other parks, and there are many people cycling and scootering there who are ignoring the fact that it is currently illegal under the council’s byelaws to do so. Because of big cuts to the park ranger service, the council has given up any attempt to enforce these byelaws. Some cyclists are riding dangerously, far too fast, shouting at anyone who ‘gets in my way’ and causing a number of collisions, angry confrontations and near-misses. There is no reporting channel for these incidents and some councillors even claim there has ‘never been an accident’ on pedestrian routes used by cyclists. They are wrong. It could be only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.

Disability support organisations need to get involved in this issue before it is too late, and so do the Friends groups of other parks and open spaces which will face the same issue. In spite of Cllr Dowling’s decision the route cannot go ahead yet and we can all act to stop it. Here’s how:

Demand that the safety audit for the route, produced as a matter of routine for all major works, be published and put to both councils for a full discussion. Because the proposed route, as it stands, is quite dangerous, it should not go ahead without the safety recommendations implemented in full. This would cause substantial damage to our listed park, increase the amount of concrete and tarmac at the expense of greenery, and cost a lot more money than is budgeted for the scheme. I do not think this is included in the budgets of either the county council or HBC.

Adopt the suggestion made by one of our county councillors, Godfrey Daniel, that implementation by the county should be conditional on HBC committing to employment of enforcement officers to stop anti-social use of a cycle route, and inclusion of this in their budget as a guarantee that it will happen. At the moment there is no such guarantee.

A key decision, affecting all our parks and open spaces, is for HBC councillors to adopt proposed new by-laws allowing cycling (and presumably other vehicle use) in all of them. The Alexandra Park route cannot go ahead if this is not passed, and then approved by the government’s environment minister. Any organisations or individuals opposing the threat to park users that this represents should make their views known to their local councillors. We should turn up to any council meeting that is considering this to object in the strongest terms.

We have local elections coming up on Thursday 5 May. If you see political canvassers, tell them your views on vehicle use in our parks. At the moment the parties are confused: Labour HBC is in favour, the Conservative opposition is against. At county level it is a Conservative administration in favour. The Green Party is pushing for vehicles in parks, through Julia Hilton.

Confused? Let them just listen to the people for a change.

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