NEW CYCLE PATH

THIS VIDEO
This ongoing Video Diary by myself John Neal, sometimes known as John Longcroft-Neal, as the whim takes me.

TODAY’S SUBJECT is a close look at the proposed new cycle path along Nuneaton’s main road ‘The Longshoot’ However despite hopes being raised in 2021 this morning’s news has put many projects under threat.

Here’s the news report:
‘Works to tackle Nuneaton’s notorious traffic-clogged ring road have been dealt a funding blow. Several major road projects, which formed part of the Transforming Nuneaton programme, have had cash pulled from them.

Also, the Weddington Road cycle lane link. In explaining the decision, councillor Sam Croft, cabinet member for finance at the Town Hall, said that they had become ‘increasingly concerned ‘about the impact of high inflation and high interest rates on the Capital program and asked for a review of all the planned regeneration projects ‘

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Good morning John Neil here it’s Friday the 23rd of February 2024 and I’m going to be looking closely at the plans for a cycle way along Hinkley Road and the long shoot but before let’s have a look at this traffic look this is wow coming down home Lane all right before I go any further let’s just watch one of two cyclists I think most of them college students trying to negotiate the traffic on the roads because there is no separate cycle for them and while we’re at it let’s have a look at how many vehicles have only got

One person in it turned out that every car virtually had only one person in it and just to ease the burden I did stop at 20 but here’s a bit of music just to entertain you as we do It it took 20 cars to go by before I stop spotted one with uh two people in okay it’s time for a confession I know that many people have to drive their car on their own to get to work I actually did it for about six years driving 17 miles

To rugby so I know it’s not a sin but a lot of people might be able to share cars or at least maybe go on a bike to get to wherever they’re going so the vast majority of the vehicles this morning seem to have just one person in

Them think of replacing all these cars with just one person at a time here I’m cycling on the path at the side of the old Hinkley Road it’s not designed for cyclists but it’s pedestrians and this is where a lot of people are riding their bikes because

There’s nowhere else to go and you can see the pedestrians are sort of in my way or I’m in their way it’s not particularly well maintained it’s dirty and there are potholes well I’m here at the uh Junction of the Weddington Road and the old Hinkley Road and all the traffic coming from

Weddington uh has to come around here and then eventually join the rest of the traffic from the long shooting home Lane to get over the bridge because the railways there one of my observations is not only here where there is obviously signs for cyclists uh on the road and for on the

Signals but it’s a mixed bag and it doesn’t seem to be joined up here again we have on the hinley road somebody trying to cycle to college I think and yeah doing the best they can on the pavement well this is the hinley road

And it’s a full 10 m across there are no significant trees on this side because one of the issues was that a cycle wave put down here would interfere with the trees most of the trees here on the other side of the road so we’ll see what’s going on up there but I’ve

Seen I’ve seen a number of people particularly going to the college actually uh coming all across on bikes so that our cyclists and I think there will be a lot more and better for everybody uh for the environment in particular and for the traffic if there was more provision for cyclists which

Would encourage more cyclists but the minute you’re really taking your life into your own hands and I think there’s em opportunity to put uh a cyle right here or this way and so just on Q there’s another cyclist negotiating a pedestrian on the pavement right here I’ve just come on to

The uh the long shoot which is the extension of the hinley road if you don’t know and this is the roundabout where it joins with the eastra way lot of new houses here I’m going to have a look over there and up here in a while to see what um provision there is

For cyclist because there is none along here in fact the speed limit along here is 4 40 m hour and again any number of single occupancy Cars one person per car is going by that’s quite interesting and even oh there’s two hello so along here there are no trees

Really in the way there’s I mean there space there for the cycle way and along here uh there are no major trees unlike let’s say h Lane um along here where this could this path which is for pedestrians as well and there’s a pathway over the other side

Look um that could be a cycle way this will be the right time to show you the plans drawn up by the warer County Council which I have to say are very extensive and the date on this document is February 2021 so three years old let’s have a

Closer look at these plans the top half shows isper way along to the middle of the long shoot and the bottom one Carries On from the middle of the long Shoot To The Junction with the watland street by the long shoot Pub the key on this drawing shows the

Proposed cycle track and one which is then shared with the cycle way and the proposed foot path the existing foot path retained and then the existing new one which is there already which is from the new buildings really and then the curb line and the grass Verge and the existing

Trees I’ll leave the plans in full view here I suggest you stop the video for a moment and zoom in as best you can and have a look at the details and we have cyclist symbols on here so I’m only presuming and I’m pleased to

See that it may be that the newer State here down Greendale Road has got provision for cyclists I’ll have to look later on but first let’s press on down here because yes this uh extra wide foot path there’s a sign saying cyclist in a triangle thank

You they have the problem it’s a narrow foot path the Gans are on it and uh was just me and that lady but uh they got to be careful right we’re now at Junction with leorn Road and I’ll be interesting to see what’s going on down there but first let’s carry on along

Here and more uh cyclist signs nice wide stretch here again for about 50 yards and then I must admit a fair number of trees so that’s have a look at the problem from here to the long shot PB all right one two three big trees there three more here as

Well the speed limit on here is 40 uh it is long and straight and it’s fairly wide I must admit but there are plants s to reduce this to 30 which would be a good idea after all it’s 30 along the uh Weddington Road and home Lane which are similar Roots but there’s

A number of trees here but I’m still thinking that we should be able to put a cycle along it’s really quite a stretch from here the curb to the front of the houses and the gardens there are some trees here but leave them there and just go around them

I’d be happy to do that I’ll just go on a little further and see what trees are right at the top here well I’m just looking across to the junction with the A5 which is the top end of this plan for the cycleway and I really cannot see a problem here

This is the foot path that could be made wider up to here up to these trees um I don’t see what the problem with the trees is which was mentioned to me so right I’m going to double back and have a look at the uh new housing estat

Because a major factor in this discussion is the fact that there are thousands of houses here and uh the traffic just going to get worse and a proper Cycle Way would certainly help the problem of excess traffic Davidson’s homes Mana Fields Sunburst Drive let’s see what we

Got down here there’s quite a wide foot path for a start and there’s no foot path over the other side let me go up on this foot path as such and see what we can see but I have to admit it’s a very wide foot path here and easy to cycle on But

There again these roads are not too difficult now what’s H going on here these water retention spots and a nice little ride through to Here to be honest I’m just randomly checking out what Pathways and cycleways there there are they’re not marked as cycleways as such but they would certainly accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists because they got to be about 4 MERS wide possibly five and this brings me back onto the road

Again again with a pretty wide section to to ride my bike along if I was living on one of these houses and wanted to cycle into town this would be a pretty good route pretty safe I have to admit from here on in I just got hopess lost in this housing

Estate so let’s cut through to what this video is really all about two places I think that people might want to get to one of the is the station and the other one is the North warshire South leerer College which you’ve got here they got a

Big bike park look and I’ve seen a number of youngsters coming along here to get to the college let’s just suppose one of the residents in these new houses wanted to come to the town center get on a train and commute let’s say to Birmingham or London even it would cost

Look £64.95 a month that’s over 700 a year just to park likewise here at the railway station it would cost 864 30 to have a season ticket for the whole year and here in the long stay car park near dunelm region Street 24 hours would be

£550 and 4 for four hours that’s going to be well over 700 to park for the year so finally let’s have a look at the facilities if you did come along on a bicycle where here are four uh racks for locking a bike against with a covered area over

The top okay good and inside the station on Platform One there’s a whole row here of bike racks that you could lock your bike against I’m not sure if there’s any any cameras watching them I wouldn’t put a very expensive bike there but they’re there anyway but

Here’s a good one this quite amazing there’s a machine here well this is amazing look it’s a a multi-tool this is on the uh Deluxe repair station there’s a pump pump your ties up banners a tire lever and a place to hang your bite to get it ready brilliant

Provision for cyclists but these I think they’ve uh somewhat gone past it sad looking sight this is at an eon station and there is some provision for cyclists which is good this is Meadow Green apparently now if you to drop me here and say where are you in the I would not

Have a clue because this was I don’t even know which Big Field I would now be stood in uh there’s a road going I’ve got I’ve just lost my perspective all together my be I’ve got no idea around but um just to show that these trees are

Important if there are look at the size of this one and it’s been built around which has meant that there is quite look quite a wide Road here often you know the houses are packed in quite tightly which they are but there’s a big Frontage which is

Fantastic and you can see these they’re not just Pathways they are cycleways surely so easy to cycle along so I’m pleased about that and with electric bikes it is so much easier to cycle and not get hot and sweaty um other countries do it I know it’s a popular uh reference but

Amsterdam the the Netherlands and other countries on the continent all manag to arrange for cyclists to go about the town and indeed places like London not that people have just preferred it they’ve done it because it’s an absolute necessity because the traffic there is so bad the quickest way to get around

London is to be on a bike so all we got to do here is think ahead and say right we will encourage cyclists we will have Cycles ways and we’ll have them on the main roads and straight into town where most of this traffic would end up going

So why that planned Cycle Way along the H Pinkley Road and long shoot is not been um brought into operation when there are millions of pounds put aside for it it’s beyond Me it is now Monday the 26th of February 2024 and just out on the internet from the commentary live uh newspaper it announces this works to tackle Nan’s notorious traffic clogged Ring Road have been dealt a funding blow several major road projects which formed part of the transforming Nan program have had cashed

Pulled from them also the Weddington Road cycle Lane link which I hadn’t mentioned in explaining the decision Council samcraft Cabinet member for the finance for the town hall said that they had become increasingly concerned about the impact of high inflation and high interest rates and so on well I knew

Money was tight and in fact some councils here in Britain have gone bankrupt and are on the edge of going bankrupt so it is a serious matter and yeah so many developments that I’m thinking of we’re just going to have to live with they ain’t going to happen so the traffic the cycle

Ways the vision for the future or not only in the balance they pull the plug what can I say that’s it to see how go on from here well thanks for watching the video um don’t know where to go from this oh dear so yeah you will see me in

The next one okay Bye