Surely it’s time to take down the no cycling signs on the prom
SHOULD cycling on the prom be allowed?
It’s one of those questions our local politicians never seem very keen to push to the top of the agenda, happy to ignore the situation – and the police seem pretty reluctant to enforce.
Even so, riding on the promenade at Felixstowe is against the law – but every day there are people cycling freely along the walkway.
Not everyone is pleased and there is always muttering.
I once reported on a story where a woman rider was attacked by a man with a walking stick who took umbrage at her cycling, and on another occasion received an angry letter from a reader after we took photos of a woman going on an international charity cycle ride with her bike on the prom (just because it was a nice backdrop for the picture!)
I’ve never had any hard and fast feelings about cyclists using it.
But recenty as we enjoyed an evening stroll, twice cyclists came up behind us and overtook – and neither time did we hear them until a whoosh as they sped past.
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We weren’t knocked over, it made Mrs C jump . . . and it sparked the debate.
Most cyclists using the prom are not doing so at busy times – early morning or evening, people going to and from work or exercising – and there is very little danger. I hold my hands up and admit that I have cycled along it early in the morning when it was completely empty.
No cyclist would ride along it on a busy sunny Sunday when it’s thick with crowds strolling, or during an event such as Art on the Prom or the historic vehicle rally, because it would be too dangerous . . . and it would be far easier to use the road.
Cycling is said to be worth �3 billion a year to the economy and 13 million of us are now regular riders for green or health reasons, with cycle lanes springing up everywhere.
Surely it’s time to take down those no cycling signs – it won’t make the prom a cycling-free-for-all and put pedestrians in danger any more than doubling the number of country paths will see the countryside awash with walkers.
If anyone is that bothered we could have a cycle lane on the seaward edge of the prom, and bans during special events.
