AAA Ride 27 July 2019

Despite rain the children of the saturday cycle club run by hte charity Ambition, Aspire, Achieve, were keen togo out for a ride. They (and we) were rewarded by the rain stopping. We used the Greenway, including the newly opened section north of Stratford High Street, and the Olympic Park for an enjoyable (mostly off-road) ride.

We will be looking at running another round of fixing /ride on consecutive Saturdays in the autumn.

Arnold

TfL Cycle Parking Strategy

This strategy has just been published. For some local flavour:

  • a map on page 10 shows that Newham’s on-street parking mirrors outer London rather than inner London;
  • a map on page 13 shows the routes in Newham with a top 5% potential for cycling (as first revealed in TfL’s Strategic Cycling Analysis of June 2017);
  • a map on p 14 shows a strong demand for additional on-street parking in the Beckton area;
  • a map on p 24 shows Forest Gate, Canning Town and East Ham as Town Centres with high demand for cycle parking;
  • page 30 ff provides evidence that cycle parking (over car parking) benefits Town Centres;
  • a map onn p 33 shows the location of cycle hangers over London. Newham has a relatively low provision for hte density of its population.

Arnold

Forest Gate Festival 6 July 2019

A long and successful day at the Forest Gate Festival. A wide rota of us spend all day fixing and talking bikes. This in addition to Dr Bike who was operating next door. We recycled a number of bikes and bits of equipment that had been donated to us for this purpose and received just over £150 in donations.

Notes of Meeting 24th June 2019

Thanks to Steve for the meeting notes & Olawale for photos!

10 of us rode from the “Rhubarb” statue in Stratford to Here East. The focus was on MSG Sphere issues in Angel Lane and Montfichet Road. As several member of the the group took photos we agreed to send ride photos to Kerena for uploading.

Sphere consultation response: The planning proposal for the sphere and NC’s response to this planning application was discussed and our objections based on transport issues only:

1 Generation of excessive car traffic

2 Monfitchet Road inadequate contingency plans

3 Strategic cycling analysis showing high potential Angel Lane are compromised

The full response details are on the NC website Please note that individual responses are required and there is a link on NC website to a standard email for sending a personalised response

Leafleting against proposal was discussed and some members may pursue this

Freecycle

This event is scheduled for 3rd August and is likely to be the most well attended ride of the year, therefore we need as many many members as possible to volunteer to marshal this ride. Training is provided by LCC so please contact Steve Smith if you are interested. The route is to be confirmed, but the plan is to use CS13 and approach the rendezvous point from the north east.

FYR at FG Festival 6 July

NC will have a “Fix Your Ride” stall and we need members to join us as we will be busy.

Feedback on Councillors’ Ride

Councillor Blaney gave feedback – This was a tour NC organised whereby Newham councillors saw Waltham Forest (WF) mini Holland improvements. All were very impressed although many were already sympathetic to such transport and environmental changes. However, as many councillors cannot cycle it was suggested that walking tour to be arranged via Living Streets will widen support for copying these schemes.

LCC Local Groups quarterly meeting – Camden and Southwark quarterly social event agreed cost circa £30

IBikeLondon forum

Likewise there was a positive response to the idea of a forum to share cycling ideas and events

AOB

Bernard suggested a new Newham Parks Ride to be scheduled for August

Brewery ride starting at 11am on Saturday 29th June, marshals needed please contact Bill

School Streets consultation has started – this environmental scheme will be camera enforced – Olawale to draft NC school streets response

Cody dock rolling bridge crowdfunding – NC to support

Newham Ride 16 June 2019

Four stalwarts braved early showers for the latest variation of our traditional Newham Ride. This time we took in the excellent parks on Newham Thameside, including Royal Victoria Gardens, Thames Barrier Park and – for the first time- Lyle Park. They all looked lush, and the last was a surprising delight in an unpromising area of new development and traditional industrial sites.

The gates of Harland and Wolff, which originally adorned the entrance to this comany’s site on Woolwich Manor Way.

With this inspiration we resolved to work out a Newham Parks Ride for next year.

Arnold

Councillor Ride 9 June 2019

We supported a ride, instigated by Councillor Blaney and Richard, for Newham Councillors to see the Mini-Holland developments in neighbouring Waltham Forest.

There was a good turnout of about 10 Councillors including the Mayor and the relevant cabinet members. We are grateful to Waltham Forest campaigner Paul Gasson for leading the ride and providing technical input; and especially Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest Council who spoke from the political angle and answered a raft of questions.

The objective of the ride was to demonstrate on the ground the broad range of community and health benefits that quality cycle provision brings; and in particular how Liveable Neighbourhoods can be implemented. Newham has succeeded in securing TfL funding for a Liveable Neighbourhood in Custom House and has developed progressive plans for one on the borders with Waltham Forest.

As a bonus the weather was excellent.

Along the journey we stopped at the Leyton Cycle Hub;

and Francis Rd.

We cycled a section of the transformed Lea Bridge Rd;

and experienced neighbourhoods which are filtered to exclude through traffic and provide pocket parks.

After a well deserved coffee break in central Walthamstow , we all returned to Newham on an off-road route through the Wathamstow and Hackney Marshes, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

A very pleasant and sociable ride which we hope and believe will help promote the development of quality cycle provision in Newham.

For a full range of photos taken by Robin see: https://www.flickr.com/gp/rsstephenson/UUF75Q

Arnold

Infrastructure News

There are four major issues at present. If you are interested in knowing more about any of these please contact us.

  • The “Madison Square Garden Sphere” between Westfield and Angel Lane: A planning application has been lodged which gives rise on initial examination to some serious concerns. We are going to examine it more carefully with other interested stakeholders and LCC HQ with a view to lodging objections by the end of June deadline. The full application is available here
  • The Freemasons Rd Liveable Neighbourhood potentially covers a wide area and has potential to deliver huge benefits for walking and cycling , particularly when linked to other schemes covering the Royal Docks. The Council are going into detailed design stage and we hope to contribute to this. The area of the scheme is set out in this map.
  • Newham Council are consulting residents in Manor Park west of High Street North on how to counter the large scale rat-running. The recent changes to the direction of one way flows so not appear to have solved the problem as this document showing traffic flows indicates.
  • Newham Council have consulted on how to counter rat running in Manor Park to the east of High Street North. We are awaiting further information on the solution.

    We will be pressing for high quality schemes that make these areas akin to Liveable Neighbourhoods. In its Local Implementation Plan Newham Council have told TfL:

    “The Council is committed to the delivery of Safe and Healthy Neighbourhoods schemes across the Borough in response to resident concerns. Two schemes are already being delivered with 2018-19 LIP funding in the East Ham North and Manor Park wards”





May Bank Holiday Rides

On Saturday 25 May a team of Newham Cyclists took a group of enthusiastic children from the Saturday cycle club of the Canning Town based charity “Ambition, Aspire, Achieve” on a ride of the Greenway and Olympic Park.

Sunday saw a large group of 20 – from Newham and other areas of London take our latest leisurely Newham Ride.

Starting from the View Tube -thanks to Nigel for the photo

Its 15 miles took in the Greenway, Gallions, the Thames to Woolwich, the Royal Docks and the River Lea. The weather was excellent for the duration of the ride and we even managed to navigate though crowds of comic book heroes at the Excel Centre. Once we were back the weather deteriorated.

Our next ride is the longer “Cake Mountain Ride” on 9 June before reverting back to another Newham Ride, using a slightly different route, on 16 June.

Arnold