OUT IN THE FIELD: Parking charges in Eastbourne, gatherings in Gildredge Park and some drivers’ bad behaviour
As regular readers will know, during lockdown I have taken to two wheels instead of four and having put away my trusty purple bike, also referred to as the Deathtrap, Himself and I are now the proud owners of his and hers matching mountain bikes. I know some cyclists are not as considerate as they should be but I despair sometimes at the behaviour of some drivers too. I am not alone and have been sharing concerns with Eastbourne cycling campaign group Bespoke’s Scarlett McNally, who agrees that many drivers are ‘bullying by mistake’, with decades-old incorrect knowledge of the Highway Code. You can read more of Scarlett’s wise words opposite.
A 25-year plan for the iconic download has now been rubber-stamped and the first two initial projects will see the Beachy Head Countryside Centre play a key role in signposting activities, promoting the downland and supporting education and volunteering activities. And the nearby currently redundant Black Robin Farm buildings will become a place for people to learn about and engage with the Eastbourne downland through workshops, while cottages there could provide holiday accommodation with an eco-tourism focus. Maintaining and restoring the dew ponds – which are in need of a lot of TLC – is also in the pipeline but some aspects of the plan have been put on the back burner. Building a value added brand for the downland like making the most of products produced in the area is put on hold. As is what I felt was a madcap idea of using existing automatic number plate recognition cameras on roads surrounding the landmark to bring in some form of income from vehicles visiting the area. Instead, the council will concentrate on encouraging people away from private vehicle use by improving public transport and connections with Eastbourne. Thankfully common sense has prevailed.
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Hide AdBusiness leaders say they will continue to lobby East Sussex County Council to reverse the doubling of parking charges in Eastbourne which came into effect on July 1. I hope they succeed. It cost me £1.20 through the Ringo app the other day to park in Langney Road for just 30 minutes while I ran into M&S on a quick errand. I for one, won’t be parking in the town centre again.