Horsham general election and council candidates’ views sought on cycling

The Horsham District Cycling Forum wrote to all the Horsham District Council candidates and the eight people hoping to replace Francis Maude as Horsham MP asking them what they thought needed to happen to make cycling in the town ‘a safe, convenient and attractive option for everyone’.

The responses from each candidate have been posted on their website.

The letter reads: “Both HDC and WSCC policy is extremely weak on cycling.

“We lack: cycling officers, cycle-proofing of new highway works and the ability to use planned maintenance to improve cycle infrastructure.

“The councils are left unable to secure the maximum cycling benefits from developers and from sustainable transport funding.

“Money is wasted on sub-standard cycling infrastructure. Cycle provision falls into a gap between district and county councils and is ‘tacked on’ afterwards –if at all.

“Highways provision is not subject to effective scrutiny and there is a lack of effective community consultation.

“Millions of pounds of sustainable transport and cycling money are being given a coat of ‘greenwash’ and spent on other schemes or frittered away on ineffective sub-standard provision.

“Meanwhile the planned new junctions on the A264 need an urgent rethink there are still no direct and safe cycle routes between Southwater, Crawley or Warnham.

“Within Horsham itself, it is difficult to get into the town centre by bike and there need to be better quiet links and measures to reduce rat-running traffic on residential roads.

“More cycling will increase trade for town centre shops, restaurants and businesses, attract visitors to the area, reduce congestion and pressure on parking, improve road safety , noise and air pollution, bring health benefits to individuals and the community and improve mobility for all sections of society especially those who do not have access to a car. Horsham should be an ideal place for cycling –but to get more people to choose cycling we need safer and more convenient cycling infrastructure.”

What do you think of the responses and cycling issues in Horsham? Comment below or email the newsdesk.