Cycling, blindness and vision loss

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I was contacted by a lady through this website and we have managed to onboard the RNIB (Royal National Association for the Blind) to see if they can help out – https://www.rnib.org.uk/

What is a quite obvious problem to some – https://londonist.com/2014/08/blind-pedestrians-endangered-by-pavement-cyclists, is massively overlooked by others – I’m looking at all three of you East Sussex County Council, Hastings Police and Hastings Council.

Please visit her page on facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Two-Wheels-Blind-Hastings-St-Leonards-317925272334293/ and maybe we can workout how to untie this muddled thinking of everyone we’ve tried to contact with the simple message – help! I’m having trouble navigating and even being aware of cyclists until the last minute because x,y or z, and I know others are having trouble, please do something about it.

Her name’s Justine and she needs your support.  The rudeness this registered blind lass has encountered from cyclists is fucking unbelievable.  So get over there and help.  Even if you don’t have a clue how to help, get over there and just say hello.  Thanks.

Bikes left on floor

Would you spot these if you had a visual impairment?

In other news, I am still alive and still managing to make no headway.  Who would ever have thought that asking the authorities to ensure that the law is abided by, would be so problematic?  Why so difficult to understand that letting cyclists ride wherever they want, might disadvantage some people that the laws are there to protect?

Well apparently, though shalt not be negative about cycling in any way.  When even a national organisation dedicated to safe streets for pedestrians is telling you ‘…but roads are dangerous and therefore cyclists need to cycle on pavements’, you know things are bad.

I haven’t updated because no-one is viewing my posts, except for Eastern European hacker collectives and typing makes me feel like rot.

Until next years post…goodbye.

Hastings Police Force are part of the cycling problem.

Read More Two police officers in a car not stopping cyclists

Above:  The police were in the town centre for over an hour sitting in their car.  Numerous bikes road past, but they did nothing but keep warm.

On the 16th of April 2016, I received a response from Barry Chandler, Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant, to an email I had sent detailing some of the problems I have had with cyclists and the issues I think need to be dealt with.

I have read your email to the police and I am sorry to hear that you have been involved in several incidents involving cyclists. You mention that a number of signs in the town have been obscured or removed by the council and you are indeed correct in stating that this makes the job of enforcement even harder. It is the duty of the council to notify pedestrians and cyclists regarding the areas of the town which should not be cycled through.

A few thoughts.

The duty of enforcement is made harder by not having any police patrolling to enforce the law. Enforcement is made harder again by those occasional patrols not enforcing the law.  I had heard a long-term Community Support Officer giving wrong advice to an elderly couple who’d had to avoid a cyclist and drawn his attention to said cyclist.  He said he was entitled to cycle on the darkened town centre paving that signal the access route for vehicles.  Wrong.  I have never seen a police officer stop a cyclist in Hastings Town Centre.  As in the featured photo at the top of the page.  They just sat in the car for an over an hour and didn’t stop a single cyclist who went past.  With ‘action’ like this, it’s no wonder that people are getting the wrong idea. Continue reading “Hastings Police Force are part of the cycling problem.”

Cyclist almost gets hit outside Morrisons, Hastings

Read More A cyclist almost gets hit at Morrisons garage

I saw this guy come shooting down the pavement on the left (22/02/2017).  I wasn’t quick enough with my camera and so I have the only have him cycling off.  He turned sharply, without warning onto the crossing and had to slam his brakes on but it was only the quick reactions of the car approaching that meant he didn’t get hit.  He cycled off without even apologising to the driver or looking in his direction.  Obviously embarrassed.

This is a dangerous crossing.  I consistently see cars driving straight through in the same direction of the car in the photo.  It needs to be made safer as I frequently see pedestrians almost hit by cars.

This is not a one of incident.  I see dreadfully stupid cycling all the time and it’s only getting worse.  I can’t get anyone to listen.  If you can help, please contact me.

A big problem with Alexandra Park Cycle Route

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I apologise if I get anything wrong in this article but I can barely think these days and in a lot of pain.  I’m writing to express my concerns over the Alexandra Park cycle route.

If you are one of the few who have ever read this blog, you will know I have been in contact with ESCC and Hastings Council/Town Centre Management who have been slightly unhelpful.

Mike Hepworth, assistant director of Environment and Place wrote a report about the Proposed Designated Cycle Route.  It is dated 4th of January 2016.  We had email communication after this date where he said that he was fairly new to the job.  Given that he knows about the problems with people cycling on pavements and through the pedestrian zone, I am surprised that the Alexandra Park route is dumping cyclists onto the Queens Road roundabout.  This will add to the volume of antisocial cycling and the issues should be tackled first, before allowing more people to cycle in to the town centre.  In our emails I raised this very issue.  It seems that Hastings Council are interested in promoting cycling in the town but not willing to sort out any of the issues, going back more than 10 years, of antisocial and illegal cycling.

The problem with Alexandra Park Cycle Route in pictures

Let’s have a look at what these berks are not just proposing but which looks likely to go ahead very soon.

Additional:  After I had made a start on this piece, I took a break to visit my mum.  On our return journey we were driving down the road below, in about the same position as the silver car, when a cyclist came from the pavement on the left and without stopping rode straight in front of a car turn off of the roundabout and passed in of us, on the other side of the road and headed into Alexandra Park.  This is something I see frequently, though this was a new order of hazardous.

 

The Alexandra Park/Queens Road roundabout, Hastings.

Above:  A quiet day on the roundabout.

A cyclist using the pedestrian crossing. Alexandra Park/Queens Road end

Above:  Bypassing the pedestrian crossing AND on a bike.  All too common.

Another cyclist using the pedestrian crossing. Alexandra Park/Queens Road, Hastings.

Above:  Another cyclist bypassing the crossing.  The Alexandra Park Cycle Route will encourage this behaviour.

Cycling under the train bridge, Queens Road, Hastings.

Above:  Returning to the pavement.

One end of the underpass at the Queens Road Train Bridge, Hastings.

Above:  This is the other side of the path running under the bridge from Alexandra Park.  Commonly in use by cyclists.

Another cyclist using the pedestrian walkway under the Queens Road train bridge, Hastings.

Above:  Another cyclist fresh from Alexandra Park?

A cyclist riding towards me on the park end pavement, Queens Road, Hastings

Above:  This behaviour is increasing and the Alexandra Park cycle route will make it worse.

Two girls cycling on the pavement, Queens Road, Hastings

Above:  Further down the pavement and an old couple have to step aside to let these girls through.

Guy on a bike by the Morrisons pedestrian crossing. Queens Road, Hastings.

Above:  I’ve personally witnessed an older couple being verbally abused by a cyclist for telling him he shouldn’t be on the pavement.

I’m fed up with bad arguments about Alexandra Park cycle route

I could continue down the pavement in pictures as I have enough pictures to stick together and make a video!  As you can see though, there is a real problem here.  The route dumps people onto those very same ‘unsafe’ roads that everyone is taking to the pavements to avoid.  I’m afraid that I’m not very convinced by the rhetoric of the unsafe road argument nor of the appeals to childhood obesity that campaigners are pulling out their backsides.

Let’s have some real solutions to the problems of cycling on pavements.  Talk of monitoring the park route on it’s opening is just pacifying rubbish, said to calm people’s worries.  We all know that it won’t last and then the problem will remain of people cycling wherever they want or speeding as they already do.  I’ve never seen any monitoring of the cyclists who speed on the seafront route and that route is itself problematic, dumping volumes of bikes into the pedestrian zone and onto the pavements.

A picture is worth a thousand words.  9 pictures is even better.