Author: Arnold Ridout

Readout from 30 May 2022 Meeting

A select band avoided the rain to ride Cycleway 16 to look at Temple Mill Lane East, and in particular the crossing over the railway line. Whilst we were there only a small minority of those on bicycles used the eastbound shared path despite the considerable danger from westbound buses. We decided to formulate a list of possible solutions starting with a possible diversion of the buses.

Afterwards we discussed the follow up to the Climate Safe Streets Campaign in the light of the forthcoming meeting between ourselves and Better Streets/20’s Plenty with Councillor Asser.

Next meeting is the Annual Meeting on 27 June.

Arnold

News update

  • As the weather is looking suitable, May 30 meeting will be an evening ride in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with a short stop at the end for (bring your own) coffee/beer and discussion. See events for details. Let me know if there is anything particular you would wish to discuss.
  • Arrangements for the June 27 Annual meeting are crystallising. It is likely to be at the Terence Brown ARC in Hermitage Rd Park (home of AAA) starting at 7.30pm, with light refreshments. Subject to IT constraints we will try to give a Zoom option.
  • We are leading a ride for the children’s cycling club at AAA – Ambition Aspire Achieve, from 10am to 1 pm on Saturday, 28 May. If you would like to help on this please let me know.
  • Our LCC Freecycle feeder ride is Sunday 29 May. There are a lot of sign ups!
  • We have sought a meeting post election with Councillor James Asser, the re-appointed Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainable Transport. This has ben done in conjunction with Jeremy Leach (20’s Plenty and London Living Streets).
  • We have contacted Will Norman (the London Mayor’s walking and Cycling Commissioner) concerning the importance of extracting the best active travel benefits from the Twelvetrees/Stephenson St Development opposite West Ham Station.

Arnold

Readout from 25 April 2022 Meeting

A lot going on.

Events:

  • Around Newham Ride, 30 April
  • A round of maintenance and a ride with AAA on 21 and 28 May.
  • We are looking for availability to help with either maintenance or a ride on any of 18 June, 25 June or 16 July.
  • Freecycle Ride is 29 May. We are looking for more marshals. There are some LCC training spots left.
  • Regular Fix Your Ride 14 May.
  • Nature Reserves of the Lea Ride 15 May.

If you would like any more information on any of the above or if you would like to participate in any of them, please let me know.

Accounts: Bill presented the accounts for the year 2021/2. Our position is financially stable and we are well stocked with material for Fix your Ride. The accounts were approved subject to minor editorial amendments. They will appear in the annual report. A budget for 2022/3 will be produced for next month.

Infrastructure:

  • We have put in comments on the [Twelvetrees Park/Stephenson Street development] which provides some key permeability in an obstructed area. Given TfL presence in the area the Walking and cycling Commissioner has been alerted and after the election ward councillors will be lobbied. Individual submissions were encouraged. This is a connectivity map and this is the Newham Cyclist response.
  • At the Newham Council Regeneration and Housing Commission meeting of 21 April which was scrutinising the Council’s performance in promoting active travel we pressed in evidence for improved leverage of active transport benefits from the current rash of developments and learnt that the Council was contemplating full segregation for the funded Romford Rd scheme and learnt that there was likely to be a general bid for capital funding for active travel developments (which has been lacking to date).
  • We decided to pursue improvements for Temple Mills Lane where the layout creates conflicts between cyclists and buses. We would like to work with Waltham Forest Cyclists and are likely to include a site visit as part of our May meeting ride.
  • In the absence of early consultation we decided to urgently make our own plan for LTNs 5 and 6 (Woodgrange and Capel). Anyone interested in formulating these should get in touch.
  • Reactions to the currently temporary LTNs 3 and 4 on the Council’s commonplace site have been muted but generally favourable.
  • The Redbridge project for Centre Rd, Aldersbrook Rd, Lakehouse Rd and Blake Hall Rd was poor but served to emphasise the need for the Newham end of Centre Rd to be addressed.
  • The Vision Stratford document was interesting. Individual responses were encouraged.

If you would like further information on any of the above get in touch through the usual channels.

Arnold

Climate Safe Streets Campaign

As part of the Climate Safe Streets Campaign LCC asked Newham Mayoral candidates to pledge to the Newham “asks” which were:

  • Borough-wide Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and cycle friendly connection between them.
  • Good quality cycle provision for the whole of Romford Road and Barking Road.
  • A 20 mph speed limit on all borough roads.
  • All schools to benefit from school street treatment.
  • Effective enforcement of parking rules across the borough.

To date a commitment to these asks has been given by the Green Party candidate Rob Callender and by the Liberal Democrat candidate Saleyha Ahsan.

I will update on any further commitments.

Arnold

Readout from 28 March 2022 Meeting

Back to Zoom for this meeting.

We started with a discussion of the Climate Safe Streets Campaign and in particular our borough “ask” for 20mph throughout the borough. Jeremy Leach from the 20’s Plenty Campaign joined us and provided some horrifying statistics on the safety of some Newham main roads using crashmap.co.uk and the lack of 20mph streets in the south of Newham. He provided some positive news on the progress of the campaign for 20mph (notably, more boroughs adopting it, TfL fitting limiters on buses, EU rules on intelligent speed assistance, and a more enlightened attitude to enforcement). He advised pushing for a universal 20mph in Newham rather than on specific streets, and sought help in making local candidates aware of support for this – a principle we have consistently applied in consultation responses for some years now.

In the broader discussion on the campaign, the general view was that all our asks (relating to low traffic neighbourhoods, Romford & Barking Rds cycle provision, 20mph, school streets and enforcement of parking rules) were important. Members were urged to use the LCC campaign tool to e-mail the mayoral candidates and to approach local candidates using the same information.

We decided to lobby the Mayor of London to reverse the disappointing LLDC decision to give planning approval to the MSG Sphere and also decided to keep monitoring its requirements for transport improvements. We also decided to respond to consultations on the important development at Twelvetrees Park This provides an important opportunity for permeability and accessibility in an area severely lacking both and huge potential to open up good cycling connections. We can call upon a useful earlier Transport Assessment of the area.

In the past busy month there had also been consultation responses on Brampton Academy Highway Scheme, Pool St (QEOP), the Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside Opportunity Area Planning Framework Document and a planning objection to Velor park (site of the Showcase Cinema).

Our ongoing non-infrastructure activities include:

  • Seeking volunteers for our partnership with the AAA children’s cycling clubs.
  • A possible Bike from Boleyn Ride on 1 May.
  • The continuation of the Fix Your Ride Stall at Woodgrange Market on the second Saturday of each month, but switched to 2 July for the Forest Gate Festival. This will need heavy support.
  • An Essex County Lane Ride on 3 April and a Discover Newham Ride on 30 April.
  • A feeder ride to the Freecycle event of 29 May for which marshals are required.

We decided to postpone our Annual Meeting unless the need to submit accounts made that impossible. This would avoid complications of a clash with the local election campaign.

Finally we briefly discussed plans for the sell off of a section of West Ham Park. Submissions can be made (by 16 April 2022) to the agents at:alex.soskin@savills.com   and hbushell@savills.com

If you are available and would like to participate in any of the events mentioned please get in touch via newham@lcc.org.uk. Also if you would like more information on any of the matter mentioned or other cycling issues.

Arnold

Ride Report 20 March 2022

Rather better weather than for our first Discover Newham Ride permitted us to catch Thameside at low tide following a cut through Beckton Park to Royal Albert Dock. Route map above. By the time we got to Cody Dock for coffee it was a great day for sitting outdoors. Exciting looking works are going on there. The other main interest on the ride was the sheer scale of the development currently going on in Newham. Hopefully this will include opening in up the route over the entrances to Royal Albert Dock, where the dock gates look like they are being worked upon; and further extension of the Thames path.

Arnold

Readout from 28 February 2022 Meeting

Our numbers were down for the first indoor meeting for over a year at a comfortable new venue in East Ham.

  • We heard about members’ progress on the Joyriders Challenge
  • We discussed the outcome of the positive catch up meeting with Newham Council. There is (funded) progress with the existing scheme of 7 Low Traffic neighbourhoods and the ongoing roll out of School Streets. Work is about to begin on Romford Rd improvements and there is a funded plan in place for the Leyton Rd from the borough boundary to Stratford. There are early signs that further low traffic neighbourhoods may come on stream. We have emphasised the importance of ourselves being involved at the planning stage. Also it would be useful to reappraise “old” low traffic neighbourhoods. A revision of the Cycling Issues Chart in the light of this meeting will be posted on this site.
  • Other infrastructure developments are dominated by large planning applications and planning framework documents. We are pursuing our policy of encouraging development money for cycle infrastructure from major developments and ensuring that documents outlining future planning in the borough reflects the need for improvement in active travel.
  • On future events: Our ride calendar is in place. We decided to continue our partnership with the AAA Saturday Children’s Cycling Club. This involves a session of bike maintenance in Canning Town and Stratford with, the following week a ride for the children. Fix Your Ride at Woodgrange Market starts again on 12 March. We decided also to organise a feeder ride to the Freecycle on the weekend of 28/9 May. Free ride leader and ride marshalling training is available from LCC over the next few weeks. We have received a request for cycle assistance for the Moonwalk overnight on 14/15 may. If you would like to participate in any of these events please let me know.
  • We decided to approach the Council about the apparent default to “Cyclists Dismount” where there are works that have disrupted cycle provision. Recent experience has shown that this is not always necessary and that works often require better signage.
  • Our annual meeting will take place on April 25. Details to be confirmed.

If you would like further information on any of these topics or other matters concerning cycling in Newham please get in touch.

Arnold