View this email in your browser

Welcome to the Colchester Cycling Campaign Newsletter

I’m very pleased that we are sending out another Newsletter to our members. I’d like to warmly welcome all our new members - we’re delighted that you have signed up. You are important to us because the more people we have involved, the greater our influence can be.

A number of you joined because you saw us at the ECO Festival on 4th September. Everyone who went to this came away saying how good it was, and I hope it becomes a regular event. We were delighted to participate and have the opportunity to explain our work to so many people. Lots of people helped by adding stickers to our map of Colchester to show where there are problems for cyclists and where better infrastructure is needed. We will use this to lobby Essex County Council for more investment.

I hope you enjoy this Newsletter. We are hoping to bring it out more frequently in future. Please let us have feedback on improvements to it that you’d like to see.

Alan Spence, Chair

In this issue:

• CCC’s new logo

• Chesterwell victory

• Extra Eyes Campaign update

• ECC Active Travel Fund

• Planning response roundup

• News roundup including: Cash for Greenstead, Working with The Gilberd School, all change on the A12, and much more…

New Logo

We’re very pleased to share Colchester Cycling Campaign’s new logo we’re sporting at the top of this email. The design came from CCC member Jim Rayner and was refined together with others. We wanted something that was instantly recognisable, is clear to read and can be used across all mediums. You may have seen our new banner at the Eco Festival along with some rather fetching t-shirts.

The logo was officially adopted at October’s Bike Meet and you’ll begin seeing it on our social media and other communications.

We hope you like it as much as we do!

Chesterwell Victory

CCC has helped Colchester and Essex councils to win a planning appeal in the north of the town. The campaign was one of the objectors to a scheme to relax controls on motor traffic in and out of the 1,600-home Chesterwell estate, being built between Mile End Road and Bergholt Road. The original layout, agreed about nine years ago, was designed to force private cars to use the A134 northern entrance/exit only, while an entrance/exit on to Mile End Road would be for buses, bikes and taxis only. There were two reasons behind this idea: a longer car route into town would encourage people to use green transport rather than drive, and Mile End Road and Nayland Road would remain a lightly trafficked cycle corridor.

Two years ago Mersea Homes, one of the developers, put in two applications: the first to make the access to Mile End Road a permanent free for all, and the second to only enforce the “gate” restriction after five years. CCC opposed both schemes.

Colchester planning committee refused the first but allowed the second. Mersea appealed against the refusal and the case was heard by a planning inspector a couple of months ago. They turned down the appeal – a win for the campaign. Will Bramhill can provide more details if you need them.

Extra Eyes

For a number of years Essex Police has allowed road users to submit video footage of careless or dangerous driving. Previously most close passes on cyclists were dealt with by sending the offender on a driving awareness course at their own expense. Recently we felt that more and more close passes were resulting in no further action by the police. We wrote to the Chief Constable in July with our concerns which resulted in a meeting with the team that processes the videos.

After analysing the most recent data from Essex Police we were very pleased to see that the percentage of close passes resulting in action has increased from 40% in July to 60% in September.

If you capture some careless or dangerous driving on video please report it to Essex Police at https://saferessexroads.org/driving-complaints-2020/.

Active Travel Fund Update

For the last 15 months we have been working with Essex County Council to secure up to £4m of new cycling infrastructure in Colchester. This has involved multiple meetings with Essex Highways, local councillors, local business representatives, Walk Colchester and a representative from a charity for the visually impaired.

After many discussions, the steering group settled on plans for a North-South route from North Station to Butt Road and an East-West route from Lexden Road to East Hill with a new surface crossing over Balkerne Hill.

The plans finally went to consultation early in the summer and we were delighted that the plans received strong support from the 800 people who responded.

Essex County Council have just confirmed that they will be proceeding with the east-west route. While we are disappointed that budget constraints mean that it is not possible to complete the entire scheme, we think this is a great start to make cycling safer and more convenient in Colchester. Full details at https://www.essexhighways.org/news/20/essex-set-to-become-safer-greener-and-healthier

Planning roundup

An important, though less glamorous, part of CCC’s work is commenting on, and constructively objecting to planning applications received by local councils.

You can find all of the planning applications we’re responding to here

Please get in touch if you'd like to get involved, we’d really appreciate any help CCC members can give as it’s a great opportunity to influence physical infrastructure before it even goes in.

Greenstead Wins Big

The Greenstead estate has won £2.3 million from the Estate Regeneration Fund, with the news announced as part of last month’s budget. CCC is still trying to discover the details but we understand that there is a cycling element, possibly to provide a high-quality route between the estate and the university. If you are local and know more, please get in touch with us.

Gilberd School

Will Bramhill has been working with county councillor David King on how ECC can improve routes to and from the Gilberd School. Ideas are at an early stage but David will meet Cllr Lee Scott, the highways portfolio holder, in the next few weeks. If you would like to be more closely involved, email Will at will@colchester-cycling.org.uk.

Barriers

CCC is working with Walk Colchester to try to get various barriers removed from cycle paths across town. Most serve no purpose except to annoy cyclists while inconveniencing people with disabilities and cyclists with long bikes or bikes with trailers. Watch this space.

The Missing Link

John Collett, who neatly works with both CCC and the Colchester Civic Society, is still doggedly pursuing the landowner of a small section of marshland next to the River Colne to see if we can join up the cycle route between Meander Mews and Rouse Way.

A12

National Highways – the trunk roads authority that used to be called Highways England – has consulted on its plans to reroute the A12 between Boreham and Marks Tey and increase the route to three lanes each way. We have asked for a cycle route to run the length of the road (far enough away for it to be a pleasant experience). We have also asked for a cycle bridge that will connect the east of Marks Tey with the railway station and the western part of the village (Ashbury Drive, Godmans Lane). Our hope is that this will tie into a segregated cycle route alongside London Road between Stanway and Marks Tey. https://docs.google.com/document/d/16UrgDv2ww9DHQvtXSJeWONId2aATrnWeKcO7T_jYDM8/edit?usp=sharing

Ears to the ground/Get in touch

The campaign is only as good as the information it receives. Is there a cycling issue in Colchester you think Colchester Cycling Campaign should be looking at? Do you want to get more involved in the work CCC do? We are always delighted to hear from our members and keen to have more volunteers to get involved. Please speak to one of the committee members or email admin@colchester-cycling.org.uk

Not already a CCC member? Join for free today