A Tour de France Show at The Lights

The Lights in Andover have a new and exciting cycling related show in October: Ned Boulting's Marginal Mystery Tour: 1923 And All That (Warm Up Show)

Wednesday 16th October 2024, 7.30pm


It’s all about the Tour de France...

In his latest celebration of the greatest race on earth, Ned delves into the hidden mysteries of a mysterious roll of film from the 1923 Tour de France that fell into his possession during the Covid pandemic, and inspired his bestselling book "1923!"

Part detective story, part murder mystery, part costume drama, part French farce, Ned weaves his own typically ridiculous story into the astonishing discoveries he makes about the hidden world of the 1923 Tour de France, its characters and tragedies, and ties it all together with the wild upheavals of Europe in-between the wars.

And along the way, in an evening's odyssey, he draws a connection between the heroes of yesteryear and the champions of today, from Cavendish to Pogačar and beyond! It’s a touching, hilarious, fascinating journey that bounces between the centuries, but always has Le Tour at its very heart.

DETAILS and TICKETS:
https://thelights.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173650792

Ride and Stride 2024

 Ride + Stride is back on Sunday 14th September when you can join in the enjoyment of visiting the historic church buildings of the area.
It makes a wonderful day out, especially if cycling.
For example there are currently over 30 churches participating in the Whitchurch area.

People all over Hampshire visit as many churches as they wish on foot, bicycle, scooter, horseback, canoe, bus or classic car, exploring and enjoying the countryside.

As there are over 400 due to be open you can have fun choosing which will be part of your itinerary. Many will have refreshments, some will have loos open, and all should offer your group a warm welcome.

Funds are raised through sponsorship that helps fund repairs to historic churches.

Full details are here:

https://hihct.org.uk/ride-and-stride/ 

Use of Community Infrastructure Levy

Whitchurch Town Council has put out a request for suggestions as to how it should spend CIL. Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge which can be levied on new development. It can be used to help deliver the local infrastructure that is needed to support the development. It is collected by the local planning authority, which in this area is Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

The Town Council has stated that it currently holds £13,240.49 of CIL contributions.

It has also stated that:

"The categories of expenditure are Physical (highways & transportation, pedestrian and cycle networks, energy supplies, utilities, flood alleviation measures), Social (education, health, social care, community halls, sports halls) and Green (public open spaces, play areas, parks)."

A suggestion...
Cycle Whitchurch has asked that a small amount of the funding is used to improve cycle parking within the town that would both enhance the street scene, provide an amenity for local and visiting cycle users, and support business and travel needs.
Its provision also supports the aims of the local Neighbourhood Plan, Hampshire's Local Transport Plan and helps mitigate the Climate Emergency.

'Plantlock' cycle parking
It can be placed under
shop windows or in paved areas

Plantlock
The suggestion made is for 'Plantlock' style parking which consists of containers that are dual use – for both containing attractive street enhancing planting as well as providing a place to lock cycles without the need to use shop windows or similar.

It has also been suggested that they could be used for promoting 'edible community planting' such as herbs and similar plants. There are volunteers who could help with this.

Such features are used in many other locations enhancing the local environments.
At low cost it would be a very good use of the some of the CIL monies.
It is hoped Whitchurch Town Council agrees. 

About the Community Infrastructure Levy:
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/planning/policy-and-legislation/CIL/about-CIL

Déja vue at Mill Springs Cycle Path

Once again the poor construction of the Cycle/Footpath at the Barry Jackman Sports pitch site at Mill Springs in Whitchurch has raised its ugly head.

The site, which still remains virtually unused under the ownership and management of Whitchurch Town Council, has been dubbed by some as the biggest white elephant in the town. Others are less kind claiming it to be the most expensive dog walking/dog poo field in the area.
Despite many thousands being spent by the Council on maintenance it remains a drain on the local taxpayer's pocket, and one that even public auditors have questioned.
However in recent weeks we hear the situation is improving and users are being found.

But it is primarily the cycle path that concerns us.

Déja vue – Cycle Path Cracks
The surface of the cycle path that runs through the area is breaking up again just two years after the same defect had been already been 'repaired' by resurfacing.

The cracks are likely to be caused by poor construction/repairs allowing untreated plants to break through the surface of the asphalt during the spring/summer months. There should be a barrier to prevent this happening.

Small 'star' patterned cracking is starting to re-appear that is likely to become worse once the winter frosts come. Freezing water expands such cracks and the surface can break up. This weathering action is one of the major creators of dangerous potholes.
  
If not dealt with they can result in an uneven and dangerous surface for cycling and walking, and in particular for those with sight or mobility impairments.

By not dealing with such damage the Council may be opening itself up to claims for injury or damage adding further burdens on the taxpayer. 

This really needs resolving.

Local Cycle mechanic to 'climb' Everest

A local cycling mechanic is to take on a challenge to cycle the height of Everest in a quest to raise funds to support the opening of the Whitchurch Community Swimming Pool.

UPDATE:
Mike successfully completed this challenge, raising much needed funds for re-opening the local swimming pool. Well done.

Mike the SpokeMechanic says:

Please support this fantastic event in aid of the pool.

At midnight on Saturday 15th June, I will be setting out on a challenge to raise money for our community swimming pool here in Whitchurch.

 

I will be cycling the height of Everest while not leaving the county - at Faccombe Hill.

• One hill
• One road
• 8849m of climbing
• 120 repetitions
• Over 20 hours on my bike
• Riding a distance of 300km

Please help me raise funds to get our swimming pool back open and available to the community.

Full details of the challenge can be found at https://www.spokemechanic.com/everesting including a link to the donation page.

 

Thank you all in advance.

The Swimming Pool

A keen and committed group of local volunteers are aiming to bring the swimming pool at Testbourne School, which has been closed since 2019, back into use as a true Community Pool. 

There is a massive amount to be done and the team have been hard at work ranging from dealing with a lease to arranging insurances, covering legal requirements, sourcing essential services, and of course raising the much needed monies to carry out all the necessary work.

Mike's challenge above is a part of the massive fund-raising effort which also includes pub quizzes, sponsored walks, raffles, music events, auctions and many other activities. 

If you can help with fund-raising please see the website: https://wcsp.org.uk/

Town Council rejects call for cycle parking

Whitchurch Town Council has rejected a request from a local resident for increasing the cycle parking provision in the town's centre. 

Whitchurch is very popular with visiting cyclists, many of whom bring trade to the town being attracted by the cafés and shops. The town is also often a stop for organised cycle rides and events, and there are local people who use their cycles to visit the local businesses.

However, the lack of suitable cycle parking has led to some cycles being left against shop fronts and in some cases cycles have been left laying on the pavements or even taken into shops blocking doorways.

Council had previously removed cycle stands
Two years ago, in what many felt was a regressive move, the Town Councillors removed most of the cycle parking that had only recently been installed and was starting to be well-used.
Some had claimed that the cycle stands hindered certain businesses from parking vehicles on the pavements for loading/unloading! Meanwhile others considered the Council's decision a knee-jerk reaction to a small orchestrated campaign that went against improving the town centre for all.

The Council reacted by relocating the cycle stands to areas outside the town centre including to the sports ground on the edge of town at Mill Springs where they now sadly reside empty as the sports area remains unused.

Understanding
This latest rejection shows that the Council still has far to go in understanding the wider issues. Towns and villages that recognise the value of provision for cycling (and walking), including parking, invariably see an increase in trade and economic vitality, as well as improving the environment, encouraging Active Travel and supporting Climate Emergency aims. This is also recognised by the Borough and County Councils. Since the cycle parking was removed by the Town Council at least three businesses have closed their doors.

It is a shame the benefits are not seen by Whitchurch Councillors.

*Note: as an aside to the decision not to provide more cycle parking the Councillors requested Whitchurch in Bloom to remove their beautifully decorated cycles from some existing racks. This makes little difference as they did not prevent cyclists using those racks as they simply locked to the colourful bikes. Instead it just removed some lovely bright colour from the town provided by a keen award-winning volunteer group who understand that a pleasant environment attracts more people to use the town facilities.

This cycle parking that helped add trade and vitality was removed by the Town Council. Apparently it was obstructing the pavement – for motorists!

The result of failing to address the need for adequate cycle parking in the town centre means more cycles are still leant against shopfronts or left obstructing footways.
As the weather improves this will inevitably get worse.

Failure to provide adequate cycle parking can lead to obstructions.

Fill That Hole – Pothole reporting site relaunched

Last week, to mark National Pothole Day a refreshed version of the reporting tool Fill That Hole was launched (https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/) by CyclingUK.
The site is now simpler than ever and helps councils keep roads safer.

Almost all councils accept reports through the new site, and for the small minority that don’t, the tool will link you directly to the council’s website.
Hampshire County Council are one that does accept reports.

Potholes are a plague
Potholes plague roads across our country and for all road users can become a hazard that far too often has resulted in loss of life or serious injury. Since Fill That Hole was originally launched in 2007 by the Cyclists' Touring Club (now the charity Cycling UK) nearly 200,000 potholes have been reported in the UK.

255 seriously injured or killed

Potholes are dangerous for everyone, but as Cycling UK has recently highlighted, they pose a particular risk to people cycling.
It is known that 255 people have been seriously injured or killed due to road defects in the last seven years, but the real number of injuries is likely far higher given these figures only include reports which reach the police.

Road maintenance budgets are being cut
It’s therefore little wonder Fill That Hole has proved so popular over the years, especially as councils have seen their roads maintenance budgets increasingly squeezed, worsening the nation’s pothole crisis. The latest round of proposed cuts by Hampshire County Council will make this worse in this area.

The Relaunch
However, technology has moved on since 2007, which is why Cycling UK has relaunched Fill That Hole, with support from Cycle SOS, to ensure it’s easy to use, gets reports to the right places, and can help campaign for increased investment in local roads maintenance.

About Fill That Hole:
https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/about/about

Report a road defect
https://www.fillthathole.org.uk