Part of Horsham road could be coned off for cycling and walking

Part of a major Horsham road could be temporarily coned off for cycling and walking to help maintain social distancing as the coronavirus lockdown eases.

West Sussex County Council has submitted a number of safe space cycling schemes to the Department for Transport to consider.

One of the seven schemes is for Albion Way in Horsham.

The county council said it be looking to cone off one lane in each direction from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose to the Bishopric to provide space for people to cycle and walk between the supermarkets and rest of the town centre.

This was one of the suggestions made by Horsham Lib Dems last month.

They also called on the county council to complete the ‘missing link’ in the Horsham to Crawley cycle route, remove on-street parking to give more space outside busy shops such as the Roffey Parade and in Springfield Road and widen narrow and busy pavements such as on the North Street bridge over the railway line, divert traffic to make busy direct walking and cycling routes like Kings Road walking and cycling only and using bollards or planters to stop cars rat-running through dense residential areas such as New Street.

They also suggest introducing school streets which give more safe spaces for children on foot and bikes by removing cars near school entrances at the start and end of the day.

Francis Vernon, chair of the Horsham District Cycling Forum, felt taking measures to enable active travel would be ‘crucial’ in allowing people to get around safely due to the need to maintain social distancing.

He said the group supported plans for a pop-up cycle lane in Albion Way, but given it is only a short stretch of road he felt it should link up with the existing cycle track by Prewetts Mill near the Sainsbury’s roundabout.

They would also support extending it to the junction with North parade and beyond to East Street to create a ‘backbone’ safe cycle route across town.

He added: “Pop-up cycle lanes are just one of several measures recommended in the new Government guidance, such as widened pavements, ‘school streets’, where motor traffic is restricted at pick-up and drop-off times and low-traffic or traffic free neighbourhoods. We hope that WSCC will consider these ideas, so that this is just the beginning for Horsham.”

Roger Elkins, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “We have been working closely with our district and borough partners to look at a whole host of ways we can improve cycling provision as a direct response to the easing of lockdown. If the schemes get the go-ahead, they will form part of a series of measures which will make a real difference for cyclists in each of the county’s seven borough and district areas as the Government eases lockdown.

“There is no guarantee the Department for Transport will accept the schemes for funding, but we believe we have presented a good case which could result in 21km of new, temporary cycleways in West Sussex.

“Alongside these schemes which would require central funding, we will continue to work with our district and borough council partners on other measures which could be introduced at minimal expense but add even more safe space for cyclists.”

Geoff Farrell, chair of the West Sussex Cycle Forum, added: “The announcement of these schemes being put forward to the DfT is excellent news. Not only has WSCC got the bid in well before the deadline, but it shows that the council is taking seriously the need to restructure our transport infrastructure.

“The West Sussex Cycle Forum looks forward to hearing that the bid is approved, that the work is starting ASAP and more importantly - that this is just the beginning.”

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