Author: Arnold Ridout

After a false start our annual meeting was held last Tuesday at the Wanstead Tap.  There was an excellent turnout including three local councillors who have been supportive of cycling initiatives (John Gray, Terence Paul and Rachel Tripp).  We were assisted by some excellent cheese and beer.

As for the formalities :

1. We approved the minutes from last year .
2. We agreed a new constitution to update our organisation in line with LCC requirements.
3. We agreed the annual report and accounts for 2015/16 .
4. We agreed a budget for 2016/17.
5. Kerena Fussell and Arnold Ridout were elected as joint co-ordinators, Bill Bremner as Treasurer, Olawale Ajibola was elected Local Schemes Lead and Steve Smith as Ride Co-ordinator.

We decided to produce for sale a group T -shirt.

Less formally, we had wide ranging discussions on the following topics

• Stratford Gyratory – proposal now reasonable in principle but details of the junctions will need further work.
• Other infrastructure developments – key funding available from TfL, Newham LIP allocation, and from developments such as Crossrail for some potentially significant improvements.  More information is available from the current list of issues.
• LCC Sign for Cycling campaign – last push before the election.
• Our contribution to the Forest Gate Cycle network Evening 26 May.

We ended with a discussion as to our future focus.  As a result we will consider how the group can focus on schools, as some money is available for promoting cycling in schools and our efforts could pay dividends in terms of increased cycling by both children and their parents.

We had a very productive discussion with Richard Wadey, sustainable Transport Officer for Newham Council, based around a PASTA presentatation (an EU funded project promoting physical activity through sustainable transport approaches) in which a number of towns and cities are participating.  For London this is Newham, Tower hamlets and Waltham Forest.  He also provided a general update of cycling in Newham showing an increase in the modal share of cycling .

Richard shared the information on the Cycle Level Of Service studies of routes in Newham,and projects, particularly Quietway 6, the Greenway, Stratford gyratory  and the Leaway.  These will form part of the Cycle Strategy of the Borough and inform future decision making, hopefully by integrating cycle considerations into all transport schemes.  He showed a Cycle Strategy map showing the potential in the Borough for a dense network of routes with a high level of service (i.e. over 80%).

He also introduced the possibility of secure on street parking hangers and the tool library at Stratford Mobile Garden.

As part of Newham “New Deal” was a new deal for roads involving investing over £100m over the next ten years.  There was potential to ensure cycling was adequately integrated into this vision.

Slides and on-line maps available from me.

Also we:

• noted the acquisition of a cargo trailer that can be made available to anyone who would like to borrow it;
• discussed the LCC Sign for cycling Campaign;
• confirmed our Annual meeting for 11 April at Eat 16 cafe, at which light refreshments will be served; and
• decided that the first in the summer series of evening rides will take place on 23 May and will visit Walthamstow Village improvements.

Arnold

Another healthily attended and lively meeting at Coffee E7:

• Following the meeting with Councillors Gray and Paul before Christmas concerning the various issues surrounding Stratford High Street and gyratory we submitted a briefing note on which we are waiting a response.
• There was a very open catch up meeting meeting with the Newham Council Sustainable Transport officer.  Headlines are:

  Designs have been submitted to TfL for the junctions of the northern Quietway.  Our view was that these were disappointing , and we indicated that we could not support a Quietway which had substandard junctions.  Better progress on upgrading the Greenway.  A small pilot lighting project will shortly be put in place.  Limited improvements are in prospect around Westfield (Stratford Place) as changes are made for taxis and coaches.  There are good designs on the shelf for the wider area waiting for the opportunity to be implemented.

  An cycle assessment of the main roads (but not junctions) has been undertaken which will form part of a proposed cycle strategy from the Borough along with an audit of cycle parking.

  There are further delays in establishing the Leaway between Cody Dock and Canning town.

  All current issues have been recorded for monitoring and it was decided to publish this on this website (to follow).  By way of  general follow up we have been told that Newham’s cycling mode share has increased again,according to the London Travel Demand Survey (Travel in London report 8), up from approx. 1.3% to 2.3% in 2012/13-2014/15.

• A Greenway  users group is planned.
• We noted that the work undertaken so far on the northern Quietway was heavily engineered and that there was still an issue of parking in Cemetery Rd.
• We will be actively participating in stakeholder consultation on the plans for Stratford gyratory, a meeting taking place on 8 March.
• We discussed our ride programme and in particular the forthcoming, and much anticipated, Hoo Ride on 14 February.  To ensure smooth practical arrangements (not least securing the cheapest train ticket to Gravesend), it would be helpful if anyone intending to come on this ride gave advanced notice (newham@lcc.org)

  We will be coordinating rides with a new Community group in Stratford City and we may also be joining in with a CTC ride around Witham in April.

• We agreed to buy a further banner , some equipment for rides (tools/first aid) and some T shirts for ride leaders.
• The current exhibition at the Design Museum was warmly recommended and there are still tickets for the talk by Emily Chappel at the Wanstead Tap on 15 February.
• Richard Wadey will be talking at our next meeting on 29 February and then our AGM will be 11 April.
• Funds are available from the Council for high quality on street parking bays.  Please let us know of good sites.
• We decided to support, with a stall, an indoor car boot sale  on 20 February at the Field Community Centre, Station Rd.  If you are able to provide some time to man the store please let us know and we will be putting together a rota.

  Arnold

Again a well attended meeting with a full an interesting agenda.  Our first meting at the Black Lion in Plaistow:

• Following up last month’s meeting with Living Streets we heard that Living Streets were progressing setting up a Newham branch which some Newham Cyclists were likely to join.  This would maintain co-ordination.
• Following last month’s meeting on Forest Gate Crossrail related improvemetns, a collective Newham Cyclist response has been given to this consultation as well as well as other consultations  on Manor Park and the Silvertown Tunnel.  These to reinforce the individual responses.
• There was a very positive meeting with Councillors Terry Paul and John Gray over the Greenway closure.  Interestingly,The day before this meeting the signage had been improved by Thames Water.  Notable also was the number of people cycling in the area and the number that stopped to voice their opinions.

  

  There is hope for the end to the closure from West Ham station to Stratford by April next year, with some limited provisional access before then  The reopening  paves the way for the planned improvements for the Greenway as part of  TfL  second round of quietways – in this case 24hr opening and lighting, and  4 additional ramps for access.  The closure on the northern side is more uncertain despite the overrunning Crossrail related works coming to end.

• We are seeking a similar engagement with these two local Councillors to look at the multiple issues surrounding Stratford High Street and the Stratford Gyratory.  To the obvious ones can be added the frequent parking of construction traffic  blocking the shared use pavement.
• Some more works on the Victoria Park to Hainault Quietway have started in Forest Gate.  We noted that the introduction of a CPZ had led to more parking in Cemetery Rd to the detriment of the route as a Quietway.  We agreed that we could not endorse this Quietway unless the crucial junctions were suitably addressed.
• We decided to go ahead with some traffic counting pilots.
• We noted the recent poll in the Newham Recorder on cycling issue.  Steve Smith put forward an excellent case for cycling.
• We decided to seek a catch up meeting with Newham’s Sustainable Transport Officer in the New Year.
• We noted that further cycle parking has been casually removed without replacement by Newham Council – this time outside Wilkinson’s in Stratford.
• The Christmas lights ride on 7 December was discussed and the 2016 Ride Programme was launched.  (Details elsewhere)
• On street secure parking has been installed by Newham Council in various locations.  A welcome development.  All were urged to identify further suitable sites.

We benefited from Rosalind Readhead providing a talk and stimulating lively and interesting discussion.  Rosalind is an independent mayoral candidate promoting a policy of car free days and active travel, particularly in central London.

She cited a recent study on the health effects of private motor vehicles in London.  some of the figures were very telling. This is a selection:

•  67% of all car journeys could be completed by bicycle in 20 minutes.
• 75 sq kms of London is devoted to car parking.
• 9,500 deaths in London each year can be associated with air pollution.
• Road closures can cause 75% of traffic to “evaporate”.

Her message was that, at the global level,  climate change demanded action; whilst at the local level the adverse health effects of private motor vehicles threatened the existence of the NHS as a service provided free at the point of delivery.

Drawing on the example of Seville she advocated that local areas should be prepared with a detailed plan to promote cycling and other forms of active travel  which will be available when when the political opportunity arises.  This should include a proper cycling network, as opposed to the current “labyrinth” that is the central London grid.

On the business side (a) we discussed the approach to the forthcoming initial planning meeting on the Stratford gyratory,  (b) decided to take up an offer from Murray Woodburn from Newham Council to discuss in detail the cycling aspects of the Forest Gate Crossrail improvements, (c) decided to seek details of the junction planned at  Stratford High St/Sugarhouse Lane and (d) progressed our arrangements for a forthcoming open meeting with Living Streets – now 2 November at 7.30pm, venue to be confirmed.