Safety of new Eastbourne seafront cycle lane questioned

East Sussex County Council is to move ahead with a number of temporary walking and cycling schemes using coronavirus funding from the government.

On Monday (August 17), lead member for transport Claire Dowling gave the go ahead to explore seven walking and cycling schemes, which would be paid for by phase 1 of the Emergency Active Travel Fund – a £250m pot announced as part of the government’s Covid-19 recovery plans in May.

The seven proposals come from 15 possible schemes, which were put out for a short consultation process during lockdown.

Three of the schemes to move ahead are in Eastbourne.

The first is a temporary closure of Terminus Road, between Grand Parade and Trinity Trees between 10am and 10pm.

The other two are for cycle paths: one along the seafront between the Wish Tower and Fisherman’s Green; and another on Princes Road between Royal Parade and the Langney roundabout.

While the cycle path proposals are due to go out for further consultation, concerns were raised by a number of Eastbourne councillors.

They included Lib Dem David Tutt, who is leader of Eastbourne Borough Council as well as a county councillor. 

Commenting on the seafront scheme, he said: “One of the opportunities that the lockdown for Covid has given to me has been to do some tidying in my home office [and] I found some papers on this very subject dated 1994!

“It has been around a long time and if there had been an easy solution it would have happened a long time ago. I really do sympathise with our highways engineers in trying to find something which meets all of the requirements of all the stakeholders. It is an unenviable task.

“Looking at the proposals that have come forward today we have to make sure that what we do is safe. I have to say I don’t think these proposals are safe.”

Cllr Tutt said his concerns were due to the number of road junctions along the proposed cycle path and argued the path should be put on the other side of the road.

Not doing so, he said, could risk the future of any permanent cycle path scheme.

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