John Arthur, our chair, delivered his annual report at our AGM in February, and it’s also published in full here on the website. But we feel it may have flown under the radar, so the purpose of this short article is to shine a light on some of Cycle Winchester’s achievements in 2023.
Of course, the report also highlights our frustration at the slow pace of improvements in facilities for cyclists, and worse, some gains that had been promised and funded were subsequently withdrawn.
But let’s dwell on the positives.
We increased our membership by 71%, and our social media following by 15-22%. Additional support helps us make the case that cycling is not just a niche, and that politicians should heed our appeal for better cycling infrastructure if they want our votes. Members benefit from several discounts (two new in 2023) and also help us to fund aspects of the campaign.
In similar vein, participation of over 400 in our Mass Ride last September was at least 50% higher than any previous ride, and we hosted the biggest Kidical Mass in the country.
The heart of our day-to-day work is in dealing with planning consultations that might impact cycle travel (positively or negatively). The full report lists 17 such consultations. We don’t always get our way, but we always make our voice heard, and often prevent implementation of very detrimental changes. For example:
- The planned changes to M3 Junction 9 include a cycleway from Kings Worthy to Winnall; National Highways dropped this cycleway at an early stage, but we fought to have it reinstated. As a result of our participation in the Planning Inspectorate process, Cycle Winchester is now recognised as a formal stakeholder and is in regular negotiation with National Highways.
- The first versions of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans published by Hampshire County Council were wholly inadequate. We convinced Hampshire to revisit these and improved versions are now in draft.
- Advanced Stop Lines on Jewry St / City Rd / Hyde St provide some protection to cyclists crossing this junction.
- The initial provision for cyclists travelling to the Sports and Leisure Centre at Bar End, and related redevelopment of the Goods Sheds in Barfield Close were deeply disappointing, but our tenacious work has resulted in significant improvements in the latest Goods Shed plans.
Cycle crime is rife in Winchester, and we ascertained that the Sports Centre and Station are hot spots. In response to our attention, the Sports Centre made some improvements. South Western Railway has not been so responsive. Thefts in 2023 were down by around 50% from 2022, though still 2 bikes a week!
Our final note of unmitigated good cheer is to celebrate our school Bike Buses. These start from the premise that – in the absence of safe cycling infrastructure – we can provide safety in numbers; with experienced adult riders marshalling the vulnerable kids wherever there is a risk of conflict with traffic. The bike bus from Colden Common and Twyford to Winchester secondary schools, and the bus to St Bede Primary, both flourished in 2023. Many new faces came to a bike bus workshop we held in November, and more bike buses are in the wings, aided by a £1,000 grant we were awarded by Winchester City Council. The St Bede bike bus, and its coordinator, Dr Emma Street, feature strongly in a new cycling documentary, Chasing The Sun, which will be screened at the ARC, Winchester on May 18th 4pm and 7pm. Booking is open!
The sight of youngsters pedalling themselves to school, and hopefully starting a lifelong cycling habit, goes a long way to overcome the frustrations of our long campaign!