Borough of Havant Cycling Strategy
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Havant Borough Council is
committed to:
- promoting the positive sides of cycling - health, enjoyment,
costs and convenience
- developing safe cycle routes
- providing more safe cycle parking at council centres for those
who cycle and encouraging industry and commerce to follow this
example
- encouraging leisure cycling as a desirable social activity
- producing suitable publicity material and advising everyone
within the Borough of the advantages and benefits of cycling
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We have now published the Havant Borough Cycle Map which has comprehensive
information about current cycle facilities across the Borough
at the time of press (autumn 2009).
For more information about cycling in Hampshire, including the
county's cycle path network, follow this link to
the County Council's web site >>.
Our original Strategy was published in 1996 and is currently
being reviewed with the objective of having an
updated and
wide-ranging Strategy in place by the end of 2010.
Statistics
In the Havant area only 4.2% of journeys to work are made by
cycle compared to 6.5% in neighbouring Portsmouth and 11.1% in
Gosport (2001 census).
However within the Borough there are considerable differences
between individual Wards. The topography of the area highlights
this point and shows up particularly when comparing the hilly areas
west of the A3(M) with less than 3% cycling to work, with the
flatter, more level Wards such as Battins, Bedhampton, Bondfields
and Hayling Island which are all over 6%. Interestingly, over 35%
of journeys to work are of less than 5km distance, and are so ideal
for cycling (or walking).
The level of accidents involving cyclists in Havant is high
and is the third worst area in Hampshire behind Portsmouth and
Southampton.
For example, between 1992 and 1995 there were 214 cycling
injury accidents, an average of 71 each year with a serious
accident occurring every month. Almost half of the accidents
involve children.
Our Cycle Network
Havant Borough Council has taken opportunities to provide
lengths of cycle routes during the past few years with sections
being continually added as funding permits. The intention is to
eventually link up what may at present be individual lengths, into
a coherent pattern forming a core cycle network across the Borough.
This expansion has been funded not only by the Borough Council but
also from contributions made by developers of housing and business
schemes.
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The map [left] shows the currently planned cycle
network which will ultimately be constructed across the Borough of
Havant. However this is being revised for the new strategy
which will be issued for public consultation later in 2010. The
current strategy for example pre-dates the development of the
National Cycle Network.
Click the thumbnail to view a full
size image of the Borough of Havant Cycle Network as described in
the 1996 Strategy (120kb). This Strategy is currently being
reviewed. Use your browser's 'back' button to return to this
page.
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We aim to establish a network of cycle routes linking into the
cycle networks of our neighbouring authorities, to serve the
following purposes:
- provide cycle routes to work
- provide cycle routes to public transport interchanges
- provide safe cycle routes to schools and colleges
- provide leisure routes
- make crossings at junctions and roundabouts as safe as
possible
Our original aim, under the present Strategy, is to
establish a
primary cycle route network
(numbered P1-P6) of six main routes across the
borough which will link together to form the main framework. A
network of
feeder routes (numbered
F1-F9) link into the primary network allowing
cyclists greater choice of movement between areas. To promote more
leisure cycling, additional
leisure routes (numbered
L1-L5) are proposed along the coast and on Hayling
Island, linking into the Hayling Billy Trail, which is itself being
upgraded to form part of the
National Cycle Network (Route 2) being promoted
by
Sustrans, the cycling charity,
using National Lottery and Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
funding.
This network will no doubt change in the revised Strategy, if
only to reflect a decade of development and changing government
priorities. The updated network will probably include more off-road
sections of route to more formally contribute to national accident
reduction targets.
As funding becomes available, we seek to implement additional
cycle facilities in order to eventually produce the network
described above.
Progress to Date
So far we have achieved the following:
- P1 - Widley (Portsmouth boundary) to Cowplain (East Hampshire
boundary) provided as part of the A3 bus priority route and completed in 2008
- P3 - Havant to Cowplain (East Hampshire boundary) is
complete north of the Middle Park Way / Woolston Road
junction. This includes a traffic-free crossing of the A3(M). A
further section running alongside the Hermitage Stream is currently
being planned, along with the on-street section along Middle Park
Way past Park Community School, and this should be in place before
Easter 2011
- P4 - Havant to Rowlands Castle (East Hampshire boundary) is
complete (forming part of National Cycle Network route
NCR
22)
- P5 - Emsworth to Portsmouth via Havant and Broadmarsh is mostly
complete except between Denvilles and Havant town centre (forming
part of National Cycle Network routes
NCR
2 and
NCR
22)
- L1 - Hayling
Billy Trail between Havant railway station and
Hayling Island (forming part of National Cycle Network Route
NCR
2) is mostly complete,
with a mixture of on-street and off-street
sections.
There are also many other short sections of the routes being
completed which will eventually combine to form
the comprehensive network.
Other facilities
A more balanced choice of transport will lead to improved
conditions and greater freedom for all, rather than restrictions
which are the lot of many at present.
We worked with South West Trains to provide additional cycle
parking at Havant railway station. This seeks to establish the
station as a principal interchange point on the journey to work
using the Hayling Billy Trail as a key point of access.
The Borough Council aims to encourage cycle and motorcycle use
through the planning process.
Advice to developers regarding the expected
measures they should take to cater for cycles and motorcycles in
any of their developments is also available on this site.
More information (external web sites)