Hackney Cycle Liaison Meeting report
4th March 1998

Present:

Liam Mulrooney (cycling officer)
Roger Kite (road safety officer)
Roger Blake (transport policy planner)
Chris B. (Powerscroft Rd resident/Save the 22 bus campaign)
Dave Bracken (LCC)
Trevor Parsons (LCC)

Apologies:

Debbie Hardy (police)

Agenda:
1. Minutes of last meeting
2. Matters arising
3. Training
4. Clapton Park
5. Stoke Newington one-way system review
6. Road Danger Reduction Charter
7. Dalston - Cow Bridge route
8. Parking
9. Albion Road
10. Market Porters' extension suggestion
11. Consultation on major developments
12. Any other business

1. Minutes of last meeting

Agreed as a true record.

Back to the agenda

2. Matters arising

Maurice Hope (east-west) route

Liam showed us new plans for the junction at Southgate Road and Northchurch Road. The idea is to put in a mini-roundabout, with associated paraphernalia including a zebra crossing to the south. The entrance to Northchurch Road on the east side would continue to be cycles only. Liam said that the new arrangements would provide a measure of improvement in safety, due to traffic on Southgate Road having to slow down, and would certainly make it more convenient for cycle traffic crossing Southgate Road. The plans are not ready quite yet, but there was general approval for the idea. The scheme has yet to be submitted to Islington for their comments. There would be no harm in Hackney's cyclists talking to Islington Council and Islington Cyclists Action Group on the subject.

Exceptions to traffic orders for cyclists

Liam said that he had checked, and there would be no problem for us to look through traffic orders to find ones which might benefit from exceptions, especially from bans to right turns. However, this would be a hell of a job, and we agreed it would be better to suggest individual places which could benefit from exceptions and suggest them to Liam.

North-south route - crossing of Balls Pond Road

Liam set out three options which he is considering for this route:

• Keep present route, and improve crossing of Ball's Pond Road
• King Henry's Walk - Ball's Pond Road - Southgate Road (right turn from King Henry's into Ball's Pond Road would be limited to cycles only)
• Boleyn Road - Kingsland Green - Bentley Road

In all cases the arrangements for entering and/or crossing Ball's Pond Road would be improved.

Collision statistics for Queensbridge Road.

Liam provided LCC with some collision data for a Queensbridge Road as requested.

Old Street one-way system review

Liam has checked the pinch point on Old Street which we feared might mean that a contraflow cycle lane could not be fitted in. It seems that plans are indeed afoot to straighten the street and pavement in front of the new Holiday Inn (under construction), which would give room for a continuous bus lane and a general traffic lane eastbound plus a contraflow cycle lane westbound. Pleasing news!

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3. Training

It had been hoped that John I'Anson from Hackney's Education Department would attend this meeting, but unfortunately circumstances prevented this. Nevertheless he was reported to have said that the option of cycling training could be considered for inclusion in the sport section of the curriculum, which would give us a way in.

It was decided to set up a meeting between Liam, Roger Kite and Claire Tansley, who is co-ordinating the training project for LCC in Hackney.

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4. Clapton Park

Chris from Powerscroft Road was at the meeting to discuss this issue, specifically the proposals for Powerscroft Road, Chatsworth Road and Millfields Road. Liam rehearsed the planners' strategy for the Clapton Park area, (bounded by the Lea Bridge Road, the River Lea, Homerton Road/High Street and Lower Clapton Road). The main aim is to reduce rat running, which is currently bad and would/will certainly worsen if/when the M11 Link Road opens. This could be done by a combination of methods, including closing off routes to motor traffic and installing traffic calming measures. There would be many other benefits from these measures, including a 20mph speed limit over the whole area.

The planners are adopting a 'cell' approach, tackling the area as a whole, rather than taking measures piecemeal. They are aware of the need for wide and detailed consultation with the community, and are planning to start by holding 'surgeries' for local interest groups, after which options would be drawn up, households and businesses/services consulted generally, finishing with the reference to committee, which might be some time in October. The money for this work would come from a variety of sources and budgets, so timing and co-ordination will be a delicate job.

At the local neighbourhood committee in February the plan for Powerscroft Road and Chatsworth Road had been deferred. Liam took the opportunity to reassure Chris about measures which were of concern to his fellow residents in Powerscroft Road. In particular they had been opposed the reversion to two-way of the one-way section under the misapprehension that there would be free passage of all traffic along its length, which is not the case. There would in fact be a semi-closure at the junction with Almack Road only allowing buses and cycles through.

Chris said that residents would prefer to see a speed table at the junction of Powerscroft Road and Chatsworth Road instead of the double mini-roundabout. Liam said that he was now proposing a single mini-roundabout in conjunction with a speed table across the whole junction area. Chris said that, on the basis of what he had heard, he thought that his residents' group would support the proposals when they returned to committee.

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5. Stoke Newington one-way system review

Liam spread out a huge map of the Stoke Newington High Street area showing the latest version of the plan to revert the High Street to two-way. The current scheme would work as follows:

• Rectory Road by-pass Most through motor traffic on the A10 would use Rectory Road, which would revert to two-way. Signal timings would make this much the preferable route.

• Stoke Newington High Street northbound With the intention of allowing access and necessary deliveries, all traffic would be allowed up as far as the junction with Church Street, where buses and cycles would be allowed to proceed north, and all other traffic would have to turn left into Church Street.

• Stoke Newington High Street southbound Similarly, all traffic would be allowed down as far as Brooke Road, where most motor traffic would have to turn off.

Trevor pointed out that, as the plans were drawn, access to Stoke Newington High Street from the east would continue to be very difficult, particularly by cycle, as both Evering Road and Brooke Road would remain one-way eastbound. Liam said that he hadn't noticed that, and would examine that problem again. These are early days in the plan, but the general outline met with approval.

Back to the agenda

6. Road Danger Reduction Charter

Trevor said that the LCC in Hackney would like to commend the Charter (read it here) to the Council for consideration and adoption in due course. The Road Danger Reduction Forum (RDRF) promotes the idea of reducing danger at source, rather than simply trying to mitigate the danger by removing vulnerable road users from its path.

Roger Kite said that he had heard about the RDRF, and had reservations about some parts of the approach. However, he agreed to read the Charter and associated briefings and consider them. Copies of the Charter were distributed and briefings are to follow.

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7. Dalston - Cow Bridge route

Liam reported success in getting approval for the contraflow cycle lanes on Rowhill Road and Downs Park Road. Trevor asked whether the Downs Park Road contraflow (on the short one-way section to the north of the junction with St Mark's Rise) would be compatible with a future contraflow on the other one-way side of that triangle. On the basis of a sketch, Liam said that he thought it almost certainly would be. There is also the possibility that vehicle parking spaces will be removed from the narrow section of Downs Park Road immediately to the west of this point, to make life easier for everyone.

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8. Parking

London Underground Ltd. has plans for improvement at Seven Sisters tube, for instance 'Countdown' information at bus stops and inside the station. After they have done their review, Liam will put in new parking provision around the station.

There are more parking stands to come around Old Street station.

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9. Albion Road

Dave mentioned the problem with car parking outside the build-outs on Albion Road which had been discussed in the February Hackney LCC meeting. Liam confirmed that parking restrictions are due to be put in force at these points.

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10. Market Porters' extension suggestion

Trevor passed on a suggestion from Shoreditch resident Andy Clarke that there could be an extension of the Market Porters' route along Swanfield Street, Virginia Street, Calvert Avenue, and Rivington Street. This would provide a useful through-pass of the area. Since most of the route would be in Tower Hamlets, the main point for Hackney to consider is the crossing of Shoreditch High Street, and making Rivington Street two-way for cycles. Liam will write a note and add this to the file on the Shoreditch one-way system review.

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11. Consultation on major developments

Trevor asked how LCC in Hackney might best keep informed about proposed major trip-generating developments in the borough, so that we can be sure to give our comments on time. Liam replied that Patrick Field is on the mailing list to receive the weekly summary of planning applications. Trevor said that LCC would review its distribution of this information. [Dave Bracken has since said that he is prepared receive these mailings and network the information amongst members.]

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12. Any other business

Liam gave Dave an extract from Hackney's Unitary Development Plan detailing the Council's guidelines for cycle parking provision in new developments, as requested. We will make this information available on the website just as soon as possible.

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