The Cake Stop lives on

It is a rare person who goes for a bicycle ride and does not also want some tea, coffee and cake. From the turn of the first ever bicycle pedals cake has been as essential as air in the tyres.

Whether your choice is a Victoria sponge, a flapjack, or a slab of bread pudding, a stop for a cake and a good natter can be the highlight of the day.

As more discover the health, environmental, and cost benefits of the bicycle more are exploring the countryside and seek out the cycle friendly cafés who cater for the needs of the wheeler.

That need for a café stop continues
Today, the large ‘club runs’, once a tradition of the cycling club world who shared enormous pots of tea, are less prevalent. Such traditional club runs still exist but with changes in lifestyles, road conditions and other commitments, groups tend to be smaller. However, that essential base requirement remains – cake although espressos and americanos have become more popular. The cyclists’ café stop lives on.

The very best cafés have always tended to be some of the cycling world’s best kept secrets shared by word of mouth, but with web/app access they are becoming more well-known.

In Whitchurch…

There is an excellent reference resource created by cyclists which lists recommended cafés including a map. Whitchurch has two entries – The Silk Mill and Kudos.

The Silk Mill is very popular with groups, has bicycle racks, a friendly policy towards bringing bikes into the grounds, and is a cyclist Refill Station. Kudos, in the town centre is an independent coffee shop serving quality coffees and cakes and is very popular with smaller groups.
Whitchurch also has three pubs in the centre and convenience stores that can also provide refreshments.

The Cycle Coffee & Cake Stops Map can be seen here:
https://cafes.cyclingmaps.net

Value of Town Centre Cycle Parking

  Whitchurch Town Council removed the ‘new’ town centre cycle parking earlier this year as it was deemed to restrict access to some businesses – amongst the reasons it was claimed that it prevented them using the pavements to park on for loading/unloading.

The result is as expected – those visiting town by cycle are again using shop windows, bollards, street signs and drainpipes to lean their cycles against.
This can justifiably upset some people.

Survey
The Town Council ran a survey to seek where parking was required with a number of respondees wanting parking in the town centre close to where they were visiting. However Councillors decided cycle parking should go elsewhere with the racks being moved to locations away from the town centre – in locations totally useless for using the shops or businesses.

But cycling is good for trade
There are numerous studies that have shown provision of such facilities increases trade and they have made themselves into planning policies including those adopted by National Government, County and Borough Councils. Unfortunately Whitchurch lags behind and the town centre with its car congested roads along with pavement parking is seen by some as making it unattractive to visit.
See:
PARKING VALUE and ECONOMICS

Missing the point
Some believe that painting some of the buildings, or smartening the town street furniture with black and gold paint will revitalise the centre into a tourist hotspot. These are in themselves admirable aims but they will not address one of the main underlying blights – that too many unnecessary motor journeys clog the town with motor traffic, increase dangers, raise air pollution, damage the infrastructure and create an unpleasant experience.
At least giving some support to other means of travel would help as has been proven in other localities.

Meanwhile the Urban Cycling group has produced the following image.
It seems to be very pertinent to the situation in Whitchurch in order to support trade and business owners.

20-Minute Neighbourhoods and Whitchurch

Whitchurch is under immense pressure from developers keen to build houses, houses, houses. The town has a Neighbourhood Plan Group that is actively and rightly challenging the government’s numbers but there is one issue that also needs progression – the physical design and layouts of developments and how they cater for and affect local areas and their residents. That becomes a national planning subject.

Developers lining up
In Whitchurch developers are lining up for building at Mill Springs, Bere Hill, Hillside/The Gables and north of the Railway. And that is before the estates at Evingar Road and Owlsa Park/Watership Place are anywhere near completion. Developers have one aim of making money which too often means local needs are pushed down their priorities and they build what they say is popular, rather than what is best for a local community.

Catalogues for profits
Thus developments are to formulaic catalogue style layouts that fail to address the biggest issues over infrastructure, local services, travel needs and liveability. Profits for developers, landowners and shareholders come first above whether Adie can reach a chemist or Jim can get to school.

Come in the 20minute Neighbourhood – PEOPLE FIRST

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) describes them as:

“…a model of urban development that creates neighbourhoods where daily services can be accessed within a 20 minute walk. The aim of such neighbourhoods is to regenerate urban centres, enhance social cohesion, improving health outcomes and support the move towards carbon net-zero targets through reducing unsustainable travel.”

Complying with such planning principles should be part of all developments. Sustrans, the national sustainable travel charity makes an excellent assessment of the 20-minute Neighbourhood stating that the minimum features should revolve around three main areas:


Destination and services

• Food retailers and supermarkets
• Education, including early years, primary school and nearby secondary schools
• Health services, such as a pharmacy, GP and dentist
• Financial services, such as post office or bank
• Employment and jobs either within the neighbourhood or nearby
• Public open space, such as parks and recreation grounds
• Entertainment, such as leisure, culture and entertainment facilities.

Transport provision

• Public transport, including access to a regular bus, tram or train service
• Walking and cycling infrastructure
• Walkable access to a local centre
• Designed for low speeds, reduced traffic, and limited car parking.

Inclusivity

• A mix of diverse housing types to suit different life-stages
• Genuinely affordable and social housing present.

PLANNERS SHOULD ADOPT SUCH PRINCIPLES FOR WHITCHURCH
Not to do so could lead to the rural town being an anonymous characterless suburbia, dominated by traffic and a lack of local services.
PEOPLE SHOULD COME FIRST

Sustrans:
SUSTRANS – 20-minute Neighbourhoods

Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan Update

 

Just a very brief update:
As with all plans and consultations this is no different – it takes a long long time. These are being produced throughout the area and the Basingstoke and Deane plan is towards the end of the programme.

These LCWIPs,
Set out a recommended approach to planning networks of walking zones and cycling routes that connect places that people want to get to, whether for work, education, shopping or for other reasons.

The latest batch of six have just been released for Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, New Forest District (Waterside) and Test Valley Borough (South) and early feedback from other campaign groups is that they seem to have addressed some of the issues raised in the consultations, but ignored others.

That’s the way consultations go, and we await both the Basingstoke Plan which covers Whitchurch, and the adjacent Test Valley (North) Plan with much anticipation.
It is expected that comments at that time will be requested.

Full details of all the LCWIPs are here:
TRANSPORT STRATEGIES