Bexhill cyclist deflated over greenway punctures

The greenway running alongside the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road opened to much fanfare at the end of June.

But cyclist Tim Fouraker says the stones used to surface the greenway are ‘like little pins’ and have taken their toll on his bike.

Tim said: “Considering it’s a cycle path, I have not been on there once without picking up a puncture on my mountain bike. Sometimes I have had more than one flat.”

Tim, who lives in Havelock Road, said: “They (the council) have surfaced it with these tiny little flints.

“If you get down and pick up a handful and look at them, they are razor sharp.

“They are like little pins.

“The whole thing is surfaced with that from start to finish.

“When you are three or four miles from home and you get a puncture, if you cannot fix it, you are in for a long walk.”

Tim added: “I actually did a 5,000 mile cycle ride across the Andies and I only had two punctures.

“On this greenway, it’s hard to travel two miles without getting a puncture.

“It puts it into perspective.”

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “The surface used on the shared use cycle and pedestrian path provided as part of the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road contains rounded gravel chips which should not cause any damage to bike tyres.

“This kind of surface is commonly used around the country for paths of this nature and is less coarse than the surface used on the equestrian paths which also run along the Greenway.

“We have not been made aware of any significant issue of cyclists getting punctures but if Mr Fouraker continues to experience problems we’d ask him to contact us with details of any specific issues and locations so we can make further enquiries.”

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