On 4 Feb 2015 at 8:49pm ON YER BIKE wrote:
I see the path is nearly finished, apart from the end near earwig corner, where does it go after this? up the dirt track to the top of Mill road or down to the junction.
On 4 Feb 2015 at 9:21pm Grafter wrote:
I was hoping they would put in an island to protect cyclists turning right to get on the track. It will be a bit dodgy crossing the oncoming traffic there. When is the opening day.
On 4 Feb 2015 at 11:08pm bells and whistles wrote:
Up the track and down Mill Rd I think
On 5 Feb 2015 at 1:11am Wiggo wrote:
It's going to use Mill Road and the crossing at Malling Hill has recently been upgraded to cater for bikes and pedestrians. The aim is to avoid Earwig corner - nothing stopping cyclists navigating that as now if they wish but the cycle path is meant to avoid that and also the B2192 Earwig Hill road. Although sadly not the hill itself...
On 5 Feb 2015 at 7:41am Zzz.. wrote:
Thank goodness its nearly finished! Once its done BT are allowed to dig up the road to install superfast broadband for Barcombe and Ringmer.
On 5 Feb 2015 at 8:58am Grafter wrote:
That makes sense now!
On 5 Feb 2015 at 9:45am Cav wrote:
There are notices up at the top of Mill Road about resurfacing, so presumably the track is getting re-done. Is the path mixed use or just for bikes?
On 5 Feb 2015 at 12:59pm Ian Eiloart wrote:
The cycle lane officially goes up Mill Road, which was due to be resurfaced this week: and I presume that it has been.
That's not a very attractive route for cyclists, because it means an unnecessary climb compared with going via Earwig Corner.
It was chosen (not by me, I hasten to add) because (a) the route needed to be completed in order to retain the funding used to build the rest of the route, (b) it was the cheapest option for completing the route, and (c) there are plans for rebuilding Earwig corner that will allow the cycle route to go that way, but they could not be brought forward in time.
Hopefully, the plans for Earwig Corner will be brought to fruition relatively quickly.
Cav: all of Mill Road is mixed use, but there's a gate at the northern end which means that it isn't a through route for cars or larger vehicles. It's just an access route for Mill Road itself, the nature reserve, and the currently disused pit.
The link below takes you to the report on East Sussex County Council's consultation
Check it out here »
On 5 Feb 2015 at 1:47pm bells and whistles wrote:
I supported the Mill Rd route because I cycle into Lewes with my kids and would avoid Earwig Corner and the A26 at South Malling at all costs (have been hefting bikes over gates and cycling through mud for too long...) Really looking forward to it being finished!
On 5 Feb 2015 at 2:44pm Fairmeadow wrote:
There are development associated plans to improve Earwig Corner, by digging out part of the bank below the houses to make room for a turn-right lane for traffic leaving Lewes for Ringmer, and also putting in traffic lights.
That may well reduce the evening queues leaving Lewes. It will do nothing for cars queuing from Ringmer and Uckfield in the morning. I doubt it will make the junction more cycle friendly either.
The official plan is for cyclists to access Lewes via Mill Road and Church Lane, but it would be perfectly legal for them to join the main roads if they are sufficiently confident and prefer to do so.
On 5 Feb 2015 at 3:25pm Bob wrote:
@Ian Good to hear there are possible future plans to extend the cycle route through Earwig Corner. The Mill Road 'solution' is ridiculous and dangerous for many reasons, particularly for those using the cycle lane from Ringmer-Lewes direction (going down a steep hill and then joining a notoriously dodgy junction with a main road). Also there's barely room down Mill Road for cars to get up and down in single file, let along cars, cycles and pedestrians all at once and in different directions.
I pretty much guarantee that cyclists are going to get knocked off going down Mill Road as a car hurtles up without realising the cycle route goes that way now. And I wouldn't be surprised if residents' cars end up with scratches down the side as people try to squeeze passed each other.
It really is a poor 'solution'.
On 5 Feb 2015 at 4:53pm Cav wrote:
Finding this thread really interesting compared to some of late on this forum. Thanks all. Fairmeadow, do you have a link for any of the plans for earwig corner? Digging out that bank would be a major job.
On 5 Feb 2015 at 5:21pm Sussex Jim wrote:
It will be interesting to see how many cyclists will use this expensive route when it is finished. And how many cars will "hurtle" up Mill Road "knocking off" cyclists? This will still be a normal road, for all road users.
On 5 Feb 2015 at 5:25pm Old Malling wrote:
Mill Road is surprisingly busy so yes, it's not necessarily the safest option. Especially at the top end which gets very narrow. It will be much safer than cycling via Earwig Corner though.
On 5 Feb 2015 at 5:33pm Biggles Wiggins wrote:
All MAMIL s should be executed on sight.More cycle paths needed,keep em off the roads.
On 5 Feb 2015 at 7:26pm Fairmeadow wrote:
Cav, there is a plan prepared by East Sussex CC Highways and an aspirant Ringmer developer called Gleeson Strategic Land. It was presented at the recent examination of the Lewes District Local Plan, but I don't think it is formally in the public domain. The Gleeson application was refused ( on other grounds) but an appeal has been lodged. Watch this space.
On 6 Feb 2015 at 10:56pm Sarah wrote:
Given the roadworks have been going on forever and the massive amounts of earth being shifted about I sincerely hope the new cycle path will be used by several hundred cyclists per month. I regularly travel to Ringmer and rarely see a cyclist on the road. I hope central government guidelines aren't insisting the council build a path based on irrelevant data and they're actually fixing a significant problem?
On 7 Feb 2015 at 10:33am George Dawes wrote:
If its as well used as Lewes to Beddingham then you have more 'chance of seeing a copper on a Friday night' than a cyclist.
On 7 Feb 2015 at 2:29pm Cooper7 wrote:
I cycled once
On 7 Feb 2015 at 4:54pm Roly Mo wrote:
Sarah, I'm presuming you drive like Mr Magoo, because I encounter several cyclists every day, cycling to and from Ringmer.
On 7 Feb 2015 at 5:16pm Lotus7 wrote:
Cooper you should be on tri-cyclic medication
On 11 Feb 2015 at 9:51am Commuter wrote:
Roly Mo,
I guess it may depend on time of day?
I use the route every weekday out of Lewes around 8am and back again around 6pm, and like Sarah I see very few cyclists on the current road, old cycle path or existing footpath.
I have been using the same route for three years, and it seems to make little diffence whether it's summer or winter, school holidays or not, I rarely see cyclists along there.
I see no more than five or six cyclists using the route (in either direction) per WEEK. Some days/weeks I don't see any using any part of the route between Earwig Corner and Ringmer village at all.
On basis of my own experience I can understand Sarah's comment. Maybe it's more popular with cyclists at other times of the day?