Why don’t we widen Eastbourne’s cycle paths?

Bespoke Cycle Group are campaigning to get East Sussex Highways to restore some of the busy shared paths in town to their original width.

These include Cross Levels Way, outside Bannatyne’s Health Club, but mostly Lottbridge Drove.

There has been huge disappointment across the county, in terms of the £2.5m allocated to the county for Covid-19 active travel measures.

Much of which has not been spent.

Disappointingly none of the main schemes, in the Eastbourne area, proceeded following ‘consultation’ with stakeholders.

This new campaign is very much simpler.

Along Lottbridge Drove, which is one of the busiest cycle routes in the town, are long sections where half the path has been allowed to become overgrown. It is matted brambles, soil and grass.

All that needs to be done, to support Covid-19 social distancing, is to increase the width from around one-and-a-half metres to over two-
and-a-half metres by restoring the path to its original width.

No land needs to be bought, no conflict with road users, just a severe clearing and pruning to expose the tarmac path underneath.

Shared use paths, such as the nearby Horsey Sewer path, are built to the accepted three metre wide standard plus a 50cm border.

Lottbridge Drove was probably originally like this and Bespoke have shown, by clearing the soil, that there is at least one metre that could be restored.

Other Bespoke members have logged similar requests over last few months.