Haslemere Town Council has finally given permission for a bike stand outside HasleWorks, the co-working workspace in Petworth Road. But it again turned down Transition Haslemere’s application for two stands in the High Street near Hemmingways and Darnley’s.
Councillor David Round said it was “laughably weak” of Transition Haslemere to quote Government goals for encouraging cycling in towns in support of their proposal. He also said it was “ridiculous” that cyclists want to keep their bikes in view when stopping for coffee. And he claimed that no one shops on a bicycle because …
“you can only carry one or two items”.
Councillor Melanie Odell said that bike stands are “litter” and no more are required on the High Street. And Mayor Simon Dear added that bike stands would be “obstructing the pavement” and “cluttering the High Street scene”.
A spokesperson for Transition Haslemere said, “We have now exhausted all avenues for getting permission for the stands for the time being.”
Have these Conservative councillors not read Jeremy Hunt’s latest broadsheet missive?
‘Climate Change Must Start Locally’ he implored, pledging to ‘Cut Toxic Pollution’ in a recent photoshoot.
Fortunately I live in Cranleigh where we have more enlightened Councillors, and plenty of cycle parking provision in the High Street. A lot of people like me in Cranleigh regularly use bicycles for shopping. With two panniers, a rack box, a front box and a rucksack, I can transport a lot of shopping.
I am shocked and not a little annoyed to learn that Councillor David Round thinks that “no one shops on a bicycle because you can only carry one or two items” – not just because he is so obviously wrong, but because he has the arrogance to present as a decision maker without making any effort to research the subject his role calls him to comment upon.
It is a fact that in Godalming, I have seen a significant increase over the past 5 years in the numbers of people like me who regularly visit the high street to “shop”.
We do all sorts of things besides buying large items – we visit the bank/post office, the opticians, pharmacy, collect the bread, have a coffee, buy a book etc etc.
If you look you will find that we are not some sort of minority group unable to afford a car (and clutter up the town) – but people of all ages many of whom, like me, are also car owners.
One could perhaps conclude that we are a group of intelligent, thoughtful and responsible members of the local community.
(Incidentally, I tend to favour businesses where cycle parking is in sight or very close by. Most weeks, one of my cycle trips will be a “top- up'” supermarket shop of around 6 items of 2 Kg or more)
It appears from Adrian Clarke’s post that the situation is similar in Cranleigh.
Can it really be that Haslemere is so different?
Aged, Tory councillors out of touch with the real world? This is an embarrassingly pathetic decision.
Absolutely agree. We do the same in Farnham. My husband is a Farnham Councillor and wanting to get a rack in Castle street instead of a proposed rack in central car park which will be out of sight. When you own a expensive e bike you don’t want it tucked away in a car park. That is car thinking and not bike thinking.
Perhaps someone should be telling some of these out-of-date councillors to get on their bikes? Just a thought, because some don’t appear to live in the same world as the rest of us mere mortals.
In Farnham we have railings everywhere and very convenient to lock your bike on within view. I also have panniers and a front basket and regularly to a good shop at Waitrose and get it all in.
Apparently cars parked = commerce and bikes parked = clutter. This despite the fact people on bikes spend more locally than people in cars.
Oh dear, have any of you been to Haslemere I wonder as it is very hilly and from my experience very few cyclists do their supermarket shopping by bike. However, there are already little used cycle racks in the town. I have seen a well known cycling resident cycle down through the High Street car park on their way to the station to pick up their partners large estate car then park for free on the High street to go shopping in the town.
Perhaps you would have been interested to hear the comments made at the Alfold Public Inquiry. Thakeham Homes landscape expert believes everyone will walk and cycle to Haslemere Station, Witley and Milford. Walk along idyllic footpaths. Cycle on the A281 – ye Gods battling against HGV’s hurtling along the A road every five minutes on their way to Cranleigh Brick and Tile and Ryudgwick Brickworks. Some people live on Planet Zonk!