Author: elmbridgecycle

This month’s Sunday bike ride will be this Sunday 18th July at 11:00am.

As usual we’ll meet at the Hand and Spear at Weybridge Station. We will head south towards Telegraph Hill, then across Wisley Airfield towards Ripley for lunch at a suitable pub. The return will follow the canal and then cut through Byfleet to the newly opened path at Seven Arches Bridge.

The route will be about 15 miles taking 3 hours or so depending on how long we stop for lunch. If you want to come along just turn up on Sunday at 11:00am outside the Hand and Spear.

Thank you to all those who provided feedback about the proposed shared use cycleway along Oyster Lane. We’ll be consolidating the comments and publishing a write up on the Elmbridge Cycle website in due course.

After almost 15 years of procrastination the footway under Seven Arches Bridge has finally been opened.

This is a strategic connection between Weybridge Station and Brooklands. It gives access to Brooklands Museum, Mercedes Benz World, Brooklands Community Park and the superstores. It also opens up routes to Byfleet and Wisley and beyond.

Forming part of a much needed strategic north/south route cyclists and pedestrians will no longer have to follow the busy Brooklands Road and negotiate the roundabout at Wellington Way.

For pedestrians and cyclists this short piece of footway has changed the map of Weybridge.

This is a bit off-topic but if you’ve every tried to get your bike out of Weybridge station then you’ll know that it can be a bit awkward.

Peter Harman, ex-councillor of the St George’s Hill ward, has started a petition to get the south-side exit ramp reopened at Weybridge Station.

You can help by signing the petition on-line by clicking here. It’ll only take a minute.

The next Thursday Evening bike ride will be this Thursday, July 1st at 6:30pm.

We’ll start from outside the Hand and Spear at Weybridge Station and explore the off road back routes to New Haw and beyond. The ride should last no more than 2 hours with the possibility of some liquid refreshment at the end.

If you want to come along just turn up on Thursday at 6:30pm outside the Hand and Spear.

Feedback required! Surrey County Council are proposing a shared use footway from Byfleet and New Haw railway station along Oyster Land and Barnes Wallis Drive to Marks and Spencers and Tesco. There’s a map of the proposed route here: http://bit.ly/cqVdpb I’d like to get some feedback about what people this of this proposal? The kind of things I’m interested in are:
* Did you know about it?
* Do you use that road?
* Is there a need for a shared use path on this road?
* Is this the best use of of available funds (£25k)?
* Do you have a better idea?
* Can you see any technical problems with the proposal (eg very narrow footway under the railway bridge at the Station)?

Feedback of any kind would be much appreciated, you can email me by just replying to this message. I’ll consolidate all the comments and publish a summary on the Elmbridge Cycle website.

This month’s Sunday bike ride will be this Sunday 16th 20th at 11:00am. It’ll be a short one this time, back by 1pm.

We’ll start from outside the Hand and Spear at Weybridge Station. The route will be over Chertsey Bridge towards Shepperton, Littleton, and Charlton and back through Upper Halliford to Walton Bridge, returning to Weybridge Station before 1pm. About 10 miles, 1-1/2 to 2 hours, mainly on-road cycling.

There’s been a change of plan. Since the Seven Hills Road closure starts on Sunday I’ve decided that we should take advantage of this. While there is no traffic Seven Hills Road it’s a delightful route that leads to Redhill Road and from there to Telegraph Hill on Chatley Heath. Returning from there through Cobham and either Convent Road or Old Common Road back to Weybridge.

It’ll still be a short ride, with no break for lunch, and we’ll be back at the Hand and Spear by 1pm.

If you want to come along just turn up on Sunday at 11:00am outside the Hand and Spear.

19th to 27th June is Bike Week and this ride will be part of that. There’ll be stickers and ballons and so on. Also check the Bike Week web-site (bikeweek.org.uk) for other local events that you might be interested in.

Bike Week is coming up. We have a ride scheduled for June 20, do try to come along to that.

Let us know if you are planning any local events such as a company bike to work day or cycling breakfast.

The summer schedule for cycle rides will be:
Sunday 16th May 11am
Sunday 20th June 11am (Bike Week)
Sunday 18th July 11am
Sunday 22nd August 11am
Sunday 19th September 11am

Thursday 27th May 6:30pm
Thursday 1st July 6:30pm
Thursday 5th August 6:30pm
Thursday 2nd September 6:30pm
Thursday 7th October 6:30pm

They all start from the Hand and Spear at Weybridge Station. The Sunday rides operate all year round and generally take 3-4 hours including a leisurely stop for lunch at a pub. The Thursday evening rides take place during the Summer months only and are normally about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Routes are normally posted here about a week before each ride. Anyone who registers on this web-site will also receive email notifications of each ride.

Cyclists of all ages and abilities are welcome and the group will go at a pace that is suitable for everyone in the group. Children under 14 should be accompanied by a responsible adult.

April’s bike ride will be this Sunday 18th at 11:00am.

We’ll start from outside the Hand and Spear at Weybridge Station as usual. The route will be south along the Basingstoke canal towards Woking and then back along the A320 towards Chertsey. It’ll be the usual format, ride for an hour or two, stop for lunch at a pub and then ride another hour or so before returning to Weybridge Station. 10-15 miles, 3-4 hours.

If you want to come along just turn up on Sunday at 11:00am outside the Hand and Spear.

The Guardian writes about the Post Office planning to abandon the use of bicycles:

In a letter to the Labour peer Lord Berkeley – which was read out in a House of Lords debate on 29 March – the outgoing chief executive said that bicycles “posed a wider safety risk associated with British street networks where the rider is exposed to greater risks than other vehicle users.”

Seven Hills Road will be closed to motor vehicles from 29th March until 11th April. It will however remain open to cyclists during this period.

There will be no special provisions or signage and cyclists may have to dismount and use the footway from time to time along the route.

The right turn from Byfleet Road into Seven Hills Road will be problematic and cylists are advised to turn left into Seven Hills Road South, perform a U-turn and then cross Byfleet Road using the traffic lights.

While there is no motor traffic on Seven Hills Road it’s a delightful ride, well worth enjoying at it best.

Councillor Ian Lake has provided the following information:

“The road will be open to cyclists at all time. The carriageway will be closed for lengths at a time so this will only be achieved by use of the footway and so at those times cyclists will have to dismount and push their bicycles until there is unobstructed carriageway for them to use to continue their ride.

It is not intended to provide specific signs for cyclists about access. It may be beneficial to provide signs telling cyclists to dismount where necessary, at the extremities of the works site and I will be discussing option this with Southern Gas Networks. The use of this standard sign will allow it to be repositioned each time the site location changes.

Cycling will not be permitted on the footways. There will be gaps in the barriers at certain locations but these are not intended to be for cyclists alone. The traffic management must be robust to prevent vehicles getting into Seven Hills Road. As the footway will always be open, I trust cyclists will use their own judgement about how and when to access the footway.

I am aware that it may not be clear how cyclists will access Seven Hills Road from the Byfleet Road if approaching from Painshill. I believe there are two possible options, one by turning into Seven Hills Road South and then using the traffic signals to cross the road, the other by dismounting and crossing the road on foot pushing the bicycle when considered safe to do so.

I must stress whatever manoeuvres cyclists take is entirely at their risk assessment of the traffic and conditions. Surrey County Council cannot be held responsible on how to direct cyclists at the junction.

Cyclists coming from Byfleet will just have to dismount and push their bicycles along the footway into Seven Hills Road.”

Burhill Golf and Leisure Limited have given consent to cyclists to use Convent Lane, subject to the usual caveats. They have issued the following statement, although it is not clear whether SCC have provided the requested indemnifications:

“In principle, Burhill Golf and Leisure Limited is prepared to grant consent for cyclists to use Convent Lane during the periods of closure of the Seven Hills Road, subject to the following conditions:

1. Anyone using Covent Lane does so at their own risk and Burhill Golf and Leisure Limited nor Notre Dame School will not take any responsibility for any injury to themselves or others or damage to any belongings suffered by anyone using Convent Lane. Burhill Golf and Leisure Limited and Notre Dame School will require written confirmation that Surrey County Council will indemnify both companies against any claims that arise.

2. Anyone using Convent Lane must not stray from the tarmaccadam road surface.

3. That this temporary consent does not construe any other right whatsoever to those using Convent Lane and does not permit or create any permanent right of way of any sort and the right of use can be terminated at anytime by Burhill Golf and Leisure Limited without the need for the service of a notice.

4. Consent is only granted for those days that Seven Hills Road is actually closed.”