NCN2 at Lancing to be closed?

So many cyclists are making use of National Cycle Network route 2 along the coast that local residents and beach hut owners in Lancing have raised a petition calling for the route to be closed.

They are particularly worried about cyclists failing to dismount at Lancing Sailing club, and the shared-use section in front of the beach huts just to the east. Some serious accidents were mentioned, but no evidence of serious problems on the route has yet emerged.

The legal status of riding in the "cyclists dismount" sections is currently unclear. The blue signs themselves have no legal significance, but the sections in question are designated as footpaths. While the Highways Act prevents cycling on footways beside roads, there is no law specifically prohibiting cycling on footpaths away from roads. While cyclists have no legal right to cycle there (i.e. they can't require barriers to be removed) there is no clear legal understanding as to whether they are allowed to cycle there or not. If they are not, then a clear "no cycling" sign, with a bicycle in a red circle, would probably be needed to make the legal status clear. But this isn't very sensible on a cycle route!

A meeting was organised for all those interested to discuss the issues, and the minutes are attached below.

The issue is to be discussed in a WSCC County Local Committee meeting on 12 November 2009 at the Parish Hall in South Street Lancing at 7pm. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Trying to stop cyclists using the route will most probably fail, as many people cycled along here for years before the route was made official. Closing the route may well result in more injuries as cyclists use the nasty A259 road instead. Worst of all, many of the 250+ cyclists currently using the route on a daily basis might decide to go by car instead, leading to horrible traffic jams.

As a cyclist, I think the whole route should be converted to shared use, just like Worthing Promenade. The current segregated cycle lane is too narrow for two cyclists to pass each other, and so the route is effectively shared use anyway. Making it fully shared-use would indicate to cyclists that they don't have right of way (in "their" lane) and "cyclists give way to pedestrians" signs could make this clear.