News

We have asked all candidates in May’s Adur District Council elections to answer some questions on cycling and transport, to help residents decide on their vote.

Here are the responses we have received so far for Southwick Green ward in Southwick. If you do not see a response from a candidate you’re looking for, we have not yet received one, and we’ll publish it when we do.

• David Batchelor, Liberal Democrat
• Jude Harvey, Labour
• Leila Williams, Conservative – no reply received yet

To view candidates for a different ward, see our main 2022 local elections page.

Candidate: David Batchelor
Party: Liberal Democrat

1. What will you do to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?

Now we have the bones of a network we need to facilitate the actual use of bikes. That means more secure parking in town centres, bike storage for residents without garages, and integration with other public transport. If elected, LibDem councillors will use carbon free transport wherever practicable when carrying out their duties. As councillors, we would use the current hike in petrol prices as a rallying cry to encourage more low carbon travel options, including cycling and walking.

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges
or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy
everyday journeys by bike?

It’s a real shame that cycle facilities have passed us by in Southwick. We need cycleways to link the schools, Buckingham Park, Southwick Square and Holmbush. Anyone that braves the Brighton Road or Upper Shoreham Road knows that cycling to Hove and Brighton is not for the faint-hearted and needs sorting.

As the fiasco with Upper Shoreham Road demonstrated, cycle schemes are
tolerated and begrudgingly adopted by Tory councillors after central
government pressure. Cycles are equal and vulnerable road users. There are
not enough segregated safe spaces to give cyclists of all levels of experience
the confidence to use bikes as everyday transport and exercise. In the past,
shared spaces have often been poorly designed and caused friction between
users. Cycling will not be an afterthought for LibDem councillors.

3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?

We will create a cyclists’ Adur Ring. It will link the Coastal Path, Downs Link
and South Downs Way. It will be a marked and branded circuit that will link the
beach to the downs and the river. It will provide a cycling link between
Shoreham and Southwick as well as a link northward to Steyning. It will provide
an opportunity for more residents to use bikes to travel safely between local
towns. It will be a fabulous accessible recreation facility and another amenity to attract visitors. We shall be doing more work on the precise route of the
Adur Ring and, in due course, will publish details on Facebook
@FocusonShorehamanSouthwick.

Candidate: Jude Harvey
Party: Labour

1. What will you do to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?

Consultation has just closed on a possible cycle route along the A259 through Southwick to Hove. Many good ideas were put forward, but it seems to me that over the years council officers put forward good ideas only for Conservative councillors to come up with reasons why we should not do them. As a councillor I want to see action, I want to see improvements made.

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy everyday journeys by bike?

I cycle most days in Southwick and experience the pot-holes and poor road surfaces that entails. I will press the county council to do more on that. The issue of potholes is extremely important. They can burst a car’s tyre but they can throw a cyclist from their bike on a busy road used by heavy lorries – Kingston Lane for example. It’s also difficult for a cyclist to be watching out for potholes at the same time as gauging traffic behaviour.

I will also argue for more reminders of the speed limit would be helpful. Signs that remind motorists of the place of cyclists in the new highway code hierarchy of road users at strategic points would be worthwhile too.

As an Adur councillor for Southwick Green I will want to see improvements to the Square so that it is more bike friendly, including more parking places for bicycles. Much more needs to be done and I will talk to residents about that. On-line surveys and consultations by the county council are one thing, but we need genuine local involvement to bring about change.

3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?

Transport is the biggest cause of pollution in Adur so we would like to make it easier for people to choose to leave the car behind. It should be easier and safer for local people to cycle to work, to school, to the shops or for leisure. I support more cycle lanes, more places to park cycles in town centres and workplaces, more 20mph speed limit zones and an affordable integrated public transport system. More about the policies I support are on https://www.ewslabour.org.uk/2022/04/14/our-priorities-for-cycling-and-transport-in-adur/

We have asked all candidates in May’s Adur District Council elections to answer some questions on cycling and transport, to help residents decide on their vote.

Here are the responses we have received so far for Southlands ward in Shoreham-by-Sea. If you do not see a response from a candidate you’re looking for, we have not yet received one, and we’ll publish it when we do.

• Tania Edwards, Conservative
• Dan Flower, Labour
• Ian Jones, Liberal Democrat
• Anne Younger, Green
  
  To view candidates for a different ward, see our main 2022 local elections page.

Name: Tania Edwards
Party: Conservative

1. What will I do to bring meaningful improvement to  cycling in Adur, no in the distant future, but soon?

I have only been a Councillor for the last year (and if I am re-elected) I aim to continue working with the Highways and WSCC to get urgent repairs in Southlands as many of the potholes are at risk of reaching Australia and are a serious hazard to all road users!  Parts of Kingston Lane, Wilmot Road, Arundel Close (crater), Middle Road, are now scheduled to be repaired/resurfaced this year – photos sent to them obviously paint a thousand words!

However the above is mainly remedial work and I feel to help add value to Southlands and in order to link up with all the other surrounding Adur districts to have a more cohesive travel plan for all, whether by bike, walking, active travel through good public services and car, we need to have a major restructuring of Stoney Lane, Kingston Lane, Hammy Lane and last but not least Middle Road.  If we can get these roads/links right, I believe we can enhance the experience for all travellers, encouraging more that are physically able to get out and about.  

There are many families living in Southlands, however over 60% of residents are aged 60 yrs plus, there are a large number of people under0 – 60yrs too that have a variety of disabilities and are in specially adapted homes.  As I mention below, my challenge will be to serve all these needs, whilst trying to work closely with other wards as we are slap bang in the middle and therefore need to work together to achieve a cohesive plan.

The answers to many of the issues raised by everyone so far will depend on the same old issues – quality and proposed layouts.  Afterall we have the technology and the know-how, we just need to get on and apply it.

2. What in my ward, or in Adur more widely, are the specific problems, challenges or solutions that I would like to address that would enable more safe easy everyday journeys by bike?

I have addressed part of this already in Question 1.   

I would add:

• I think that reducing speed restrictions in some areas (which has also been raised by many of the other candidates too) should be considered, some countries e.g. America have brought in ‘dual speed limits’ for areas that have children going to school which apply at certain times of the day (with hefty fines imposed if breached).
• I think that we need to have a national road training programme and awareness for all road users, however I will settle for getting something up and running in Adur to start with, as in the last 10yrs alone the law has changed on so many fronts with regard to road use e.g. who gives right of way to who and people across all ages/modes of travel have not been keeping up and Covid has added to this problem.  I have seen all ages using all modes of transport and they seem to have lost their confidence and/or are completely oblivious to the dangers as they were vastly reduced when we were all in lockdowns.

3. Do I have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in the coming years?

I would very much like to work to get the buy-in from all on how we use our roads and pavements throughout Adur (and nationally).  To achieve this I think that following any training for all, this will help with accountability which everyone needs to take ownership.   In Amsterdam I have been amazed at how pedestrians, car drivers and bike riders can live in harmony and everyone respects each other as equals, whether this is resulting in bike riders being registered I believe this has helped to give bike users a higher profile and formal recognition. 

Overall it is about working with all parties and authorities and whilst discussions are still needed, more doing is also imperative!

Candidate: Dan Flower
Party: Labour

1. What will you do to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?

We have had many consultations on cycle lanes. Many good ideas were put forward, but it seems that over the years council officers put forward good ideas only for Conservative councillors to come up with reasons why we should not do them. As a councillor I want to see action, I want to see improvements made.

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy everyday journeys by bike?

In Southlands safe cycling is especially important with the number of school students on their way to and from Shoreham Academy. The county council likes on-line surveys and consultations. That’s not good enough. Ideas for Middle Road and Upper Shoreham Road appear and disappear without anything happening.  As a councillor I will insist on genuine local involvement to bring about change and to ensure safe, active travel becomes an option for local people. How refreshing would it be if we heard from our children about their experiences of cycling and walking to school, from dog walkers about crossing the roads to the parks and from people with pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters about dropped kerbs.

3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?

Transport is the biggest cause of pollution in Adur so I would like to make it easier for people to choose to leave the car behind. It should be easier and safer for local people to cycle to work, to school, to the shops or for leisure. I support more cycle lanes, more places to park cycles in town centres and workplaces, more 20mph speed limit zones and an affordable integrated public transport system. More about the policies I support are on https://www.ewslabour.org.uk/2022/04/14/our-priorities-for-cycling-and-transport-in-adur/

Candidate: Ian Jones
Party: Liberal Democrat

1. What will you do to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but
soon?

Now we have the bones of a network we need to facilitate the actual use of bikes. That means more secure parking in town centres, bike storage for residents without garages, and integration with other public transport. If elected, LibDem councillors will use carbon free transport wherever practicable when carrying out their duties. As councillors, we would use the current hike in petrol prices as a rallying cry to encourage more low carbon travel options, including cycling and walking.

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges
or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy
everyday journeys by bike?

As the fiasco with Upper Shoreham Road demonstrated, cycle schemes are tolerated and begrudgingly adopted by Tory councillors after central government pressure. Cycles are equal and vulnerable road users. There are not enough segregated safe spaces to give cyclists of all levels of experience the confidence to use bikes as everyday transport and exercise. In the past, shared spaces have often been poorly designed and caused friction between users. Cycling will not be an afterthought for LibDem councillors.

3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable
transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district
grows in coming years?

We will create a cyclists’ Adur Ring. It will link the Coastal Path, Downs Link and South Downs Way. It will be a marked and branded circuit that will link the beach to the Downs and the river. It will provide a cycling link between Shoreham and Southwick as well as a link northward to Steyning. It will provide an opportunity for more residents to use bikes to travel safely between local towns. It will be a fabulous accessible recreation facility and another amenity to attract visitors. We shall be doing more work on the precise route of the Adur Ring and, in due course, will publish details on Facebook
@FocusonShorehamandSouthwick.

Candidate: Anne Younger
Party: Green Party

What will you do to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?

Like so many of us I walk, cycle and drive a car, to be honest, not necessarily in that order! Nobody should be made ill, to feel guilty or unsafe doing any of those, but sadly they do. As a Green candidate I know that it could be so much better if we are brave, willing to see other perspectives and open ourselves to change. It is going to be the only way we survive as a race.

I would bring energy, drive and an absolute conviction to a whole range of ideas aimed at improving cycling and active travel, starting on day one. Above all I would look at things differently, putting our health and that of the planet first – because we depend on it (oh and it is very beautiful).

Despite the oft-quoted opinion that the County Council have all the power when it comes to improving active travel, Adur District DOES have some rights and jurisdiction. It would be my priority to push to use these to make early changes to our local roads and infrastructure – a great example being where I live and where I am standing as candidate – Middle Road in Southlands ward.

In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges or
solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy everyday journeys by bike?

Use Adur District’s local powers to make Middle Road safer for school children and all other users by providing cycling infrastructure.

Give support to a motion for a 20mph speed limit for all residential areas of Shoreham and throughout the district, improving safety significantly for cyclists & pedestrians, at low cost.

Back the campaign to develop infrastructure for the Upper Shoreham Road and A259 which is designed to the best specifications and creates a safe artery for cyclists, pedestrians, and mobility vehicles.

Support extension of cycle share schemes into the Adur area.

With local stakeholders, develop a blueprint for effective cycling arteries throughout the district – east to west and north to south.

Scrutinise planning applications to ensure that cyclist provision and infrastructure is a key component within any new build.

Lobby for ‘before and after’ school road closure schemes at local schools (eg. St Peter’s, St Nicolas and St Mary, Shoreham Academy)

Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable
transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?

Besides active travel, other keys to easing the move away from the car are to provide well planned public transport services – rail and road, and to have a shared vision for revitalising and localising our urban spaces. I would support/ lobby for the following:

Station–town-river-sea pedestrianisation via Brunswick Road, East Street, footbridge, Ferry Road.

Given the development of the New Monks Farm area, to lobby for an A27 limited bus service to provide a ‘northern public transport artery’ to the district.

Lobby for bus lane infrastructure on the A259 to increase the efficiency/reliability of the Stagecoach 700 service between Worthing and Brighton.

Lobby for improvement to bus services north of the Upper Shoreham Road including frequency and timing of the Compass 19 service.

Lobby for ticket integration between companies – Stagecoach/Compass/Brighton & Hove – to minimise multiple tickets over extended journeys.

Lobby for extension of Car Share schemes into the Adur area. Car clubs reduce private car ownership and congestion. Ensure all new developments have ‘Car Club’ parking provision.

Lobby with Southern Rail to improve the capacity and frequency of West Coastway services. This is an essential public travel artery and services should include larger, more frequent trains.

Thanks to fellow Green candidate Julian Shinn for many of these suggestions.

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We have asked all candidates in May’s Adur District Council elections to answer some questions on cycling and transport, to help residents decide on their vote.

Here are the responses we have received so far for Buckingham ward in Shoreham-by-Sea. If you do not see a response from a candidate you’re looking for, we have not yet received one, and we’ll publish it when we do.

• Emma Evans, Conservative
• Nico Kearns, Liberal Democrat
• Joe O’Halloran, Labour – no reply received yet
  

To view candidates for a different ward, see our main 2022 local elections page.

Candidate: Emma Evans
Party: Conservative

1. What will you do (and, if incumbent, what have you already done) to bring
meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?

In the time I have been a district councillor there has definitely been a shift in
emphasis to a more sustainable way of living.

With that comes the greater importance active travel, whether walking or cycling it is here to stay.

How we make that safer whilst bringing all of our community along with us is a
challenge. There are polarised opinions both for and against.

We are making strides in the right direction with the Local Cycling Walking
Infrastructure Plan and improvements such as the crossing going in across the A283 at the Red Lion.

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges or
solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy
everyday journeys by bike?

In Buckingham the pinch point for any cycle lane is particularly outside our local shopping parade where the road is narrower and the shops benefit from a lot of passing trade.

I don’t believe the scheme in 2020 was a well thought out one. Had it gone in in
March when the first lockdown happened the problems would have been excusable, however it didn’t go in til September and was not finished when it was removed in January 2021.

Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable
transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district
grows in coming years?

My ambition, should I be re elected, is to find schemes initially that can be supported by many if not all residents. I believe that most would like to see schemes that enable children to have safe routes to school. The new crossing will help with those travelling west to Sir Robert Woodard Academy.

I feel that Eastern Avenue and along Middle Road would also benefit from a scheme, promotion and linking up of the national cycle route is key.

My dream scenario for the town would be for lorry/port traffic to be stopped from using Old Shoreham Rd, Upper Shoreham Rd and the High Street, instead using the route intended for them in Portslade. For the roads such as West St to become left turn only, and for there to be a reduction in the number of bus stops on the High Street.

I am very much looking forward to the new bike hire scheme coming to town, which will have electric as well as pedal power bikes, making active travel a viable option for many at a reasonable cost.

Also with the new developments, whilst controversial they do give the opportunity for a linked up coastal cycle route opening up the river views and safe routes East to West.

Candidate: Nico Kearns
Party: Liberal Democrat

1. What will you do to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?

Now we have the bones of a network we need to facilitate the actual use of bikes. That means more secure parking in town centres, bike storage for residents without garages, and integration with other public transport. If elected, LibDem councillors will use carbon free transport wherever practicable when carrying out their duties. As councillors, we would use the current hike in petrol prices as a rallying cry to encourage more low carbon travel options, including cycling and walking.

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges
or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy
everyday journeys by bike?

As the fiasco with Upper Shoreham Road demonstrated, cycle schemes are tolerated and begrudgingly adopted by Tory councillors after central government pressure. Cycles are equal and vulnerable road users. There are not enough segregated safe spaces to give cyclists of all levels of experience the confidence to use bikes as everyday transport and exercise. In the past, shared spaces have often been poorly designed and caused friction between users. Cycling will not be an afterthought for LibDem councillors.

3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?

We will create a cyclists’ Adur Ring. It will link the Coastal Path, Downs Link and South Downs Way. It will be a marked and branded circuit that will link the beach to the downs and the river. It will provide a cycling link between Shoreham and Southwick as well as a link northward to Steyning. It will provide an opportunity for more residents to use bikes to travel safely between local towns. It will be a fabulous accessible recreation facility and another amenity to attract visitors. We shall be doing more work on the precise route of the Adur Ring and, in due course, will publish details on Facebook @FocusonShorehamandSouthwick.

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We have asked all candidates in May’s Adur District Council elections to answer some questions on cycling and transport, to help residents decide on their vote.

Here are the responses we have received so far for Churchill ward in Lancing. If you do not see a response from a candidate you’re looking for, we have not yet received one, and we’ll publish it when we do.

• Sylvia Knight, Labour – no reply received yet
• Helen Mears , Green Party – no reply received yet
• Steve Neocleous, Conservative

To view candidates for a different ward, see our main 2022 local elections page.

Candidate: Steve Neocleous
Party: Conservative

1. What will you do (and, if incumbent, what have you already done) to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?  

I’ll be honest, I’m not a cyclist myself. However I have plenty of very good friends who are and I’m also a frequent visitor (well pre pandemic anyway) to friends who live just outside of Amsterdam and who cycle everywhere! I’d like to see the rent a cycle scheme put in place as soon as possible, in an ideal world this could/should connect all the way from Worthing across Lancing, Shoreham and Adur into Brighton & Hove. 

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy everyday journeys by bike? 

Specific problems in my ward are more to do with inconsiderate parking. I have many emails from residents complaining about people parking on corners of roads which obstructs views for both cyclists and drivers alike but makes things considerably more dangerous for cyclists. WSCC and Adur District should be able to work closer together to tackle this.

3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?  

I would be an advocate of car free developments moving forwards so that we can try and change mindsets and reduce reliance on cars. There are many such developments in Brighton & Hove. 

I also have particular ambitions to help re-generate Lancing and I have made no secret of the fact that I would love to see South Street, from the Asda entrance to Chester Avenue pedestrianised, even if only during the day (as per George Street in Hove). This could encompass cycle lanes too so that getting into the centre of the Village is less of a problem for people on bikes. 

We have asked all candidates in May’s Adur District Council elections to answer some questions on cycling and transport, to help residents decide on their vote.

Here are the responses we have received so far for Marine ward (Shoreham Beach). If you do not see a response from a candidate you’re looking for, we have not yet received one, and we’ll publish it when we do.

• Pam Alden, Labour – no reply received yet
• Victoria Benson, Green Party
• Julia Watts, Independent, Shoreham Beach Residents’ Association
  
  To view candidates for a different ward, see our main 2022 local elections page.

Candidate: Victoria Benson
Party: Green Party

1. What will you do to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?

I do not think that shared cycle/walking routes work unless they are generally very quiet so the footbridge can be quite difficult to negotiate at times!  I’m not sure if anything can be done to alleviate this problem.

The posts at the Shoreham Beach end are, in my opinion, positively dangerous; it would be good if they could either be removed or repositioned.  I would also like to see a ramp to the west next to the steps. 

I would like to see a proper cycle path along Beach Green, many people drive over the speed limit along this road.

I think a 20 mph speed limit across all of Shoreham Beach would make both cycling and walking safer. 

2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy everyday journeys by bike?

There should be more cycle racks around the town; definitely more at the station and the bus stops on the A259 if we want to encourage people to use public transport.

20 mph speed limit on most residential roads would also be good to see. 

Drains between the kerbs and the roads should be elevated so they are less hazardous for cyclists.

3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?

Electric charging points more readily available.

Cycle routes going north south as well as west east.

‘Blue sky thinking’: A tram system between Worthing and Brighton

Candidate: Julia Watts
Party: Independent, Shoreham Beach Residents’ Association

I cycle every morning between the beach and the top of Mill Hill.

I would like to investigate the following:-

1. The possibility of some kind of crossing for bikes between the Ferry Bridge over Riverside Road. I know theres a pedestrian crossing but cyclists tend to cross farther west of this into Ferry Road.
2. Are the posts at the end of the bridge to slow cyclists down dangerous? (They are to me but maybe other people have better balance and eyesight! )
3. What is the plan for the cycle route running behind Beach Green if Beachbox does not go ahead? It is in a very poor state of repair.
4. I would like to see more bike racks in the town particularly around East Street and Brunswick Road.

I know a lot of people would like to see separate cycling lanes over Ferry Bridge but I actually think shared space largely works.

I would like to see electric car charging points becoming available across Shoreham for those residents who are unable to charge their cars on their drives.

Click here to go straight to candidates’ responses

On 5 May 2022, around half the seats on Adur District Council are up for election. Much of the power to bring positive improvements to our streets lies in the hands of our elected councillors. With this in mind, we’re offering three questions to all candidates. We’ll publish their individual responses, to help voters decide how to vote.

If you’re an election candidate, you can email us with your answers. We’ll be very grateful and will share your words with your potential electors.

The questions…

Adur District Council (as well as West Sussex County Council and the Department for Transport) lay down strong commitments through their policies and strategies that call for cycling and walking to be made easier and safer through the construction of high quality infrastructure. Yet no permanent cycle infrastructure has been built in Shoreham for over 25 years.

1. What will you do (and, if incumbent, what have you already done) to bring meaningful improvement to cycling in Adur, not in the distant future, but soon?
   
   
2. In your ward, or in Adur more widely, what specific problems, challenges or solutions would you like to address that would enable more safe, easy everyday journeys by bike?
   
   
3. Do you have any other ambitions for cycling or other forms of sustainable transport in Shoreham and Adur, particularly as the population of our district grows in coming years?

If you are a candidate emailing us at shorehambycycle@gmail.com, please mention your party, and the ward in which you are standing.

Answers from each Adur District Council ward

If you do not see your ward listed, we have not yet received any responses. We will share them when we have them.

To check which ward you live in, you can use the WriteToThem site.

• Buckingham (Shoreham)
• Churchill (Lancing)
• Cokeham (Lancing) – no responses received yet
• Eastbook (Southwick) – no responses received yet
• Hillside (Southwick)
• Manor (Lancing)
• Marine (Shoreham Beach)
• Mash Barn (Lancing)
• Peverel (Lancing) – no responses received yet
• Southlands (Shoreham)
• Southwick Green (Southwick)
• St Mary’s (Shoreham)
• St Nicolas (Shoreham)
• Widewater (Lancing) – no responses received yet

On 13 March 2018, a small group of friends gathered in Shoreham’s legendary Duke of Wellington pub.

They discussed how Shoreham-by-Sea, our charming, lively town, really wasn’t as easy as it should be for making short journeys by bike, and how the local media narrative on cycling really wasn’t helping. They decided to set up a community group called Shoreham-By-Cycle, as a way of having a useful dialogue with the decision-makers whose actions shape our journeys and our lives.

It’s been a busy four years. Many meetings with local councillors, West Sussex County Council and Adur & Worthing Councils, but also with Sussex Police, Tim Loughton MP, schools, employers and others.

There have been consultations. So many consultations. There have been steps forward, but also steps backwards. Mistakes have been made. Funds have been awarded, but bids have been blocked.

Notably, something there’s been very little of is action. Over the last 25 years, both our councils – district and county – have published a series of strategies, plans and policies on infrastructure, transport and environment. Over and over again, our elected members – at district, county and Westminster level – issue warm words on a need to encourage cycling and walking. But despite decades of announcements and commitments, there has been no construction of any permanent quality cycling infrastructure in Shoreham for over 25 years. And as Shoreham grows in population, the need to act positively on transport options grows ever more urgent.

Over the last four years, Shoreham-By-Cycle has received huge levels of support from many people, organisations and community groups across Shoreham and beyond – all keen to support us in our efforts to see positive change for our streets and our town. We have nearly a thousand Twitter followers, and over a thousand Facebook followers.

Join Shoreham-By-Cycle

But now we’re making it official. Shoreham-By-Cycle is becoming a membership organisation. As a member, you can be better informed about the journey we’re on together, knowing that your voice is being heard. With membership, we can demonstrate the strength of support for progress, and show our councils that the people of Shoreham and Adur are tired of empty words and environmental pronouncements that aren’t backed by action.

How much is Shoreham-By-Cycle membership?

You choose. Membership starts at £2/year, but we invite anyone who would like to to choose to pay a little more: £5 or £10.

What happens to the money?

At the moment, our expenses include things like website hosting, printing and occasional other costs like online advertising to spread awareness. As we expand, some modest funds, carefully spent, will help us take on more challenges and speak to more people.

Who can join Shoreham-By-Cycle?

Anyone. Anyone who wants to add their voice to the growing movement that’s asking for positive improvements to our streets. It doesn’t matter how often you ride a bike – or even if you don’t ride a bike at all. You just have to believe the people our our town and area will benefit from well-designed infrastructure that makes cycling a safe, easy option.

Councillors, whether district or county, are welcome to join Shoreham-By-Cycle as members, but won’t be allowed to sit on our committee, as we prize our political neutrality. We hold councillors to account, but we have no party affiliation.

Join us now

We’re on the verge of positive change for Shoreham and Adur. But we need to work together and show our councils, and other decision-makers, how many of us are united. So join us now, and we’ll see how much we can achieve together.

West Sussex County Council is once again asking for your opinions on much-needed improvements for cycling and walking across the county.

This time around, there are three areas up for discussion:
1) Chichester
2) A259 Brighton Road, from Shoreham to Portslade
3) Lancing and Sompting

Certain parts of the consultation are clear and straightforward, while some parts do not explain the options and proposals as well as they might.

So here, we offer a few pointers and recommendations you may want to bear in mind. We hope this will help when you complete the survey before 12 April 2022.

Firstly, open the survey, but keep this page visible as you work through it.

Many questions are self-explanatory, but here are some that we feel need particular attention…

“How effective would the following initiatives be in encouraging you to cycle/walk/use public transport more often around your local area?“

Several good and effective measures are listed here, but a significant exception is ‘Shared paths to be used by both pedestrians and cyclists‘. We firmly recommend selecting ‘Not at all effective‘ here, as this design creates conflict between people on foot and people on bikes.

The next section deals with Chichester. This isn’t our patch, so we won’t make suggestions there. But do complete this section if it’s relevant to you and your journeys. Contact Chicycle for advice or expertise around Chichester.

Shoreham’s section of the survey deals with the A259, from the Adur Ferry Bridge to Portslade – NOT Shoreham High Street

Some important things to know:

The A259, from Shoreham to Portslade, has long been recognised as an important (but currently unsafe) cycle route, primarily for commuters, but partly for south coast leisure tourers trying to follow the convoluted route of National Cycle Network’s Route 2. There’s an added need to address this important road, given the coming construction of hundreds of new homes along Shoreham’s waterfront, and the new residents’ need for safe local journeys that will not add to traffic congestion.

The A259 creates an important connection with Brighton & Hove, whose seafront cycle route is heavily used. Many Shoreham people make regular journeys to our neighbouring city. Proposals for the A259 are in addition to those for Upper Shoreham Road. Our district needs a network of multiple routes. This new consultation can support that goal.

A259 proposals maintain on-street parking and vehicle capacity, and do not involve changes to Shoreham High Street.

Back to the questions…

“Overall, to what extent do you support suggested improvements that will help to improve walking and cycling along the A259 between Shoreham and Brighton and Hove border?” 

For the reasons we mention above, we advise ‘Strongly support‘, for such a significant route.

To what extent do you support the following individual improvement ideas along the A259 between Shoreham and Brighton and Hove border?

This question asks for your feelings on specific measures.

A dedicated, two-way space for cycling: We advise ‘Strongly support‘ – far and away the most appropriate format for this route.

Shared use paths: We very much advise ‘Strongly oppose‘. This design would create conflict between people on foot and on bike, and is no longer recommended in urban and suburban environments.

Raised tables along some side road junctions: We advise ‘Strongly support‘ with the option to add comments in the next question.

Floating bus stops: We advise ‘Support‘ or ‘Strongly support‘, with the option to add comments at the next question. Such features must be well-designed, but reduce danger considerably, as people using bikes no longer have to pull out around stopped buses.

New and improved crossings: We advise ‘Strongly support‘, in order to ensure there is safe access to locations like Lidl, Halfords and McDonald’s, whether people are on bike or on foot.

Cyclist-priority traffic signals: We advise ‘Support‘ or ‘Strongly support‘, though with a separated route, there should be limited need for this measure.

Do you have any further comments about the proposals along the A259 between Shoreham and Brighton and Hove border?

Here, you can add additional notes and thoughts. Some things you may want to consider:

The case against shared use pavements is clear, creating conflict between people on foot and on bike. You may like to share your thoughts on this here.

Raised tables at junctions must have continuous priority for people cycling. Their design should ‘kink’ carefully into the junction, to provide protection from turning cars, and to comply with current best practice.

The next part of the survey moves on to three proposed ideas for Lancing and Sompting areas. You don’t have to fill this in, but you may like to.

Overall, to what extent do you support suggested improvements that will help to improve walking and cycling within Lancing and Sompting? 

We recommend ‘Strongly support‘ here – especially given the construction of housing at New Monks Farm and how many more Shoreham children are set to attend Sir Robert Woodard Academy.

To what extent do you support the following individual improvement ideas for Lancing and Sompting?

Our main recommendation here, as before, is a ‘Strongly oppose‘ for the idea of shared pavements. This design is deprecated and unsuitable in most environments.

Which of the 3 cycle routes in Lancing and Sompting would you consider to be most important?

All three of the proposed routes are important for the future of cycling in Adur. The Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan makes clear we need a network of routes: north-south as well as east-west. So, rather than ranking routes as 1, 2 and 3, we recommend going to the option of ‘All routes are equally important‘, selecting ‘1‘, and then moving to the next question.

Do you have any further comments about the proposals within Lancing and Sompting?

Here you have space to add additional thoughts, so if you want to add more about the importance of all three routes, or your feelings about shared pavements, for example, you can.

Questions? Ideas? Ask us!

You have until 12 April to complete WSCC’s survey. If you would like any more information to help you understand the important issues, just let us know, either by email, via Twitter or on Facebook.

Join Shoreham-By-Cycle

To stay informed on efforts to really enable cycling in Shoreham-by-Sea, you can become a member of Shoreham-By-Cycle – a growing community group on a mission to improve our streets.

2021 was not a good year for our town, or for the journey towards easier, safer transport.

A year ago today, West Sussex County Council, against the advice of their own officers, and that of the Department of Transport, removed a temporary cycle lane which, though incomplete, had already seen a doubling of cycling numbers along Upper Shoreham Road.

Later in the year, West Sussex County Council was admonished by the Department of Transport, and told that, as a result of its failure to monitor, test, and improve the temporary scheme, it would be the only local authority in the country to be barred from applying for a significant round of muti-million-pound transport funding.

In 2021, WSCC conducted two major rounds of consultation around the task of installing high-quality well-planned cycle infrastructure on Upper Shoreham Road. Each time, we were assured that DfT guidance would be followed, that objections would be judged on merit and that consultations would not be reduced to mere referendums. On all three counts, we were repeatedly disappointed.

In 2021, bold positive-sounding statements were made by government at district, county and national levels around environment and the need to enable active travel. But action remained scarce, despite 25 years of plans and strategies for cycling and walking that are periodically published but never implemented by WSCC or Adur District Council. 
At the end of the year, we were told that, despite DfT’s insistence that the most recent consultation should not be judged on numbers, a statistically debatable 50/50 ‘vote’ was to be the headline result of the consultation, and was not enough to assure progress.

In December, a decision was taken to add an additional round of consultation and delay, bringing Shoreham to a total of five consultations on this one topic, just for one road: a two-mile road which independent traffic engineers have described as “possibly the easiest place anywhere to install a well-designed cycle lane” and “an open goal”; a road where separated cycle lanes would have space to co-exist beside ample spaces for car parking, creating tangible, attractive improvements for all users.

So what will 2022 bring, aside from more consultations? We hope it will bring more action, more conviction, and more evidence that when our political leaders issue warm words on environment and transport, they are ready to follow through and show leadership. Shoreham is growing – by many thousands of people. With a road network that is already clogged and saturated, the urgency of enabling truly sustainable transport along important routes has never been more acute. Will our councillors and MP continue to delay the inevitable and fail to properly represent and champion the opportunity to improve our town? Who knows?

As the challenge grows bigger, so must Shoreham-By-Cycle. This determined community group is growing. We will soon be opening membership widely to anyone who wants to be part of the harder-than-it-should-be struggle to make cycling a normal, easy, stress-free sustainable way to make short journeys in and around the fabulous town of Shoreham-by-Sea.

Join us. We’ll share more information soon.

As the next stage in West Sussex’s consultation process for Shoreham, an online survey is about to come to an end – allowing local people to express their thoughts on new proposals for improvements to streets.

If you live in, live near, or travel through Shoreham, and you haven’t yet participated, the deadline is stated as Sunday 1 August – but we don’t know whether submissions close at the start or the end of the day, so our advice is to ensure you complete your survey by the end of of Saturday 31 July.

What’s on offer?

After a good response to March’s initial engagement, West Sussex County Council has moved forward with a choice of two outline designs for Upper Shoreham Road, as well as some initial ideas for the Middle Road area.

The proposal is NOT to return to the temporary orange plastic wands we saw last winter. Instead, plans involve good design, attractive changes and layouts that retain space for parking cars.

The big question: One-way or two-way?

WSCC would like to know your thoughts on whether Upper Shoreham Road would best be served by a single two-way cycletrack on the south side of the street, or a pair of one-way tracks – one on each side.

Our firm recommendation is for the ‘one way, both sides’ option.
It is simpler to understand – particularly when driving. Here we explain more:

Other things you may want to consider in your response to the proposals:

Proposals for Middle Road / Eastern Avenue area

WSCC is also looking for your thoughts on what kind of measures might improve safety for journeys in the area around Middle Road.

Our thoughts on these:

• It’s good to see ideas like continuous footways, traffic filters and School Streets being considered, but…

• The measures on the WSCC map may not be in the best-chosen locations to address problems.

• Three key roads, Middle Road, Eastern Avenue and Stoney Lane, appear unimproved by the proposals.

• Stoney Lane in particular needs changes, to address problems at the start and the end of the school day. It may benefit from becoming a School Street.

Whatever your preferences, you don’t have long to participate. Complete the survey NOW – and tell your friends.