Infrastructure

A pair of S bends here, with an uneven pavement to catch you out if you try to take a racing line outside the cycle lane.

This is a tight set of bends, and usually cyclists cut the corner off on the sea side of the wall, passing the bollard on the wrong side. This gives a better line through the gap, and is much easier than trying to stick to the slalom course.

Note the red bits: here this seems to denote shared use of the segregated cycle lane, going by the tactile paving that’s also spread generously around. But the white line suggests a segregated lane still.

And anyway, there is no law preventing pedestrians from walking on the cycling side (so it’s effectively shared use anyway). Next to a road the Highways Act makes it a criminal offence to cycle on the pavement, but away from roads, like here, that act doesn’t apparently apply. So riding on the pedestrian side here is probably quite legal.

From the east of Worthing Promenade we have a segregated cycle lane along the seafront. Cycle parts are green, with red patches where cyclists might need to take care, or for short shared-use sections.

The lane is just about wide enough for two-way use, although many cyclists cross the line to the pedestrian side to pass each other, especially if travelling fast.

The red banner shelters café seating on the beach, on the opposite side of the route from the café itself.

The road is now a 20 limit outside the Pier, not that it makes much difference as the zone is only a few hundred yards long here.

But it’s a useful start!

Worthing seafront is slowly but surely turning from a bleak expanse of tarmac next to a busy road, into a rather pleasant and relaxing place to be. People are becoming important to planners again!

This space was re-modelled some years ago, and then the road layout was re-done a few years ago. The result is rather a mess, with unnecessary bollards and steps in the middle of the Prom.

Had this are been left flat open space, cyclists would find it much easier to avoid pedestrians going to and from the Pavilion Theatre.

A really nice solution would be to incorporate the new 20mph limit stretch with the Prom and the pavement, removing all edges like they do in Dutch towns!

Looking towards Splash Point and the way to Brighton.

Shared use sign on the Worthing’s Millennium Beacon, with Worthing Pavilion Theatre (at the land end of the Pier) in the background.

A quiet mid-week afternoon, plenty of space for everyone. It gets much busier here when the fair comes to town, or on a hot sunny weekend.