the website of South Ashford Community Forum
If you want to get out and about on your bike but are not sure where to start, have a look at information from the following organisations. They can help you find the safest local cycling routes, as well as point you to kit and training and link you up with other cyclists.
Junctions are another dangerous hotspot for cyclists, with collisions often occurring because drivers failed to look properly.18 Between 2011 and 2016, 45% of all cyclist deaths occurred at or near junctions, with more than half of these recorded at T-junctions. Just under a third of all cyclist deaths were recorded on roundabouts, mini-roundabouts and crossroads over the same period.
Turn your head to look, don’t just rely on a sideways glance.
Bikes are smaller and narrower than cars and it can take longer for our eyes and our brain to notice that they are there. Turning your head and looking for longer will help you to spot bikes and will help you to judge their speed and distance, so you can pull out safely and avoid a crash.
Never drive into a bike box if the traffic light is amber or red. Riders need this space to enable them to move safely through junctions. Don’t drive or park in cycle lanes either.
Cycling is also much better for the environment than driving. More than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions are produced by cars and other vehicles,6 whereas cycling is generally considered to be a zero-emissions form of transport. Even when emissions from production and maintenance of bikes are taken into account, the emissions associated with cycling are significantly lower. And if UK citizens cycled to work with the same frequency as people do in the Netherlands, for example, where more than a quarter of journeys are made by bike, carbon dioxide outputs could reduce by more than 1,500 tonnes per year.
Estimates suggest that around 12,000 premature deaths could be prevented over the next 10 years if the UK and Scottish governments meet their targets for increasing the number of journeys made on foot or by bicycle.
Choosing to ride a bike instead of driving can also help to reduce congestion in urban areas – almost four in ten people acknowledge that many of the two-mile journeys they currently make in a car could instead be made by bike.
Brake, Cycling -The facts 2018
#BikeSmart
Drive slowly in places where people liveThe vast majority (77%) of cyclist casualties are from incidents on roads with 30mph speed limits.15 At this speed, cars travel an average of 23 metres (or 5.75 car lengths) before stopping, and anyone hit by a car travelling at 30mph has a 20% chance of dying.
Driving more slowly will give you more time to spot danger and more time to react. It also means you can stop a lot more quickly. 20mph is the right speed in places where people live, work and play. Slow traffic makes more people want to walk and cycle in their communities.
Cyclists are also vulnerable on roads outside towns and cities. In 2016, 59 cyclists died in collisions in rural areas, while 43 died in urban areas.
Many crashes involving bikes on rural roads are because drivers are travelling too fast.
Slowing down will help you to take sharp bends more safely and you will be more likely to spot riders in front of you. Brake
Brake:
#BikeSmart
Cycling is one of the healthiest, cheapest and most environmentally friendly forms of transport available, with the benefits to public health, congestion and the economy widely acknowledged.
Cycling is an excellent form of exercise and can help with both weight loss and physical fitness. It also reduces the risk of serious conditions like diabetes and heart disease later in life, and can contribute to higher overall personal wellbeing. Cycling can boost brain power too, by increasing blood flow to the brain by around 30–40%.
Even cyclists in busy cities report better lung health. Riders can experience five times lower pollution levels than drivers, because air is more able to circulate around them when they are riding, compared with being stuck in a vehicle. Cyclists who use quieter routes away from busy traffic see even greater benefits.
Brake, Cycling -The facts 2018
#BikeSmart
For Road Safety Week 2018, we are shouting out about the safety of those on two wheels, and encouraging everyone to be Bike Smart.
Cycling’s popularity has really taken off in the last few years and people are making longer trips on average than ever before. As well as being a fun hobby, cycling is an excellent way to stay fit and commute short distances, and it’s much better for the environment than many other forms of transport. However, cyclists are also one of the most vulnerable groups of people on our roads, and despite efforts to improve safety, the number of cyclists killed or injured has remained shockingly high for the last 15 years.
Work being carried out by South East water is unlikely to affect traffic on the A28, Chart Road.Details were exhibited today at Godinton Village Hall of work proposed to reinforce the water supply in preparation for the construction of 5000 homes at Chilmington Green. Whilst works may cause disruption on Godinton and Repton Park, the 200m of pipe to be laid along Chart Road will be laid in the verge avoiding any need for disruption to traffic.
Work will also be carried out on Ashford Road and Magpie Hall Road in Kingsnorth.
https://corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/ashford
As part of an ongoing programme to improve the water supply network South East Water are planning to install a number of new water mains across Ashford.The £1.3 million project will involve the installation of new equipment and water pipes, which will help us to increase the amount of water they can pump through their extensive network of underground pipes and better control the flow of water.
It will also ensure they can continue to maintain water pressure to the area as the Chilmington Green development is built.
South East Water are still shaping our plans, but work will take place in the following roads; A28 Chart Road, Chilmington Green Road, Evergreen Way, Loudon Way, Sir John Fogge Avenue and Sweet Bay Crescent.
Work is due to start in October and last for 10 months.
Sout Eat Water’s project team will be holding a drop-in session for local businesses and residents to find out more about the scheme and answer any concerns you may have.
This will take place between 5pm and 7pm at Godinton Village Hall, Loudon Way, Ashford, TN23 3JJ on Thursday 27 September.
To keep motorists, pedestrians and their staff safe, a mixture of road closures and temporary traffic lights will be used throughout the works, and will be agreed with Kent Highways before work starts.
If you have any concerns during working hours then their contractor, Clancy Docwra, will happily answer any questions on site. If you would like to speak to South East Water direct please call our Customer Technical Centre on 0333 000 1100.
South East Water
https://corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/ashford
It will be necessary to close Beaver Road, Ashford from 19″” September 2018 for up to 1 day.
The road will be closed between the junctions of South Stour Avenue and Lower Denmark Road.
There is no alternative route. Every effort will be made to maintain access for residents whenever it is safe to do so.
This is to enable to Remove damaged bus gate bollard and replace with new bollard to be carried out by Telent.
Beaver Road is closed close to the Junction with Norman Road to allow repairs to a leaking gas pipe