Cycling in Hackney News April/May '98Contents
Editorial
News
Here come the contras - yeah!Rapid progress requires a vivid dream. Just a few years ago everybody told us one-way systems were here to stay. We thought otherwise, argued the case, persuaded, cajoled ... and suddenly everyone's going our way. Old Street - last obstacle is cleared Shoreditch's ghastly one-way system is for the chop, as soon as the necessary £11/2-2m is found. If you've been following the story, you'll know that the Old Street one-way section remains in the plan, but that we successfully dug in our heels late last year for a contraflow cycle lane, if feasible. We've now had confirmation that the 'pinch point' outside the new Holiday Inn development can be straightened out, making the eastbound bus lane continuous and allowing room for this crucial contraflow when the whole Shoreditch two-way reversion plan gets funded. The sooner the better! High time for Stokey Meanwhile, the bid to put the High Street back into Stoke Newington powers ahead. Hackney's transport planners are continuing to refine their scheme, which would allow bikes, buses and delivery vehicles to use the High Street in both directions. This, along with the end of the Shoreditch one-way, is a key action point in our cyclists' manifesto. Rectory Road would be the two-way bypass for most motor traffic. At the recent cycle liaison meeting we noticed on the plans that access to the High Street from the east would still be difficult for people on bikes, as both Evering Road and Brooke Road were marked to remain one-way eastbound. Cycling Officer Liam Mulrooney said that he had missed that, and will try to overcome the problem. These are early days in the development of the scheme, but the general outline is excellent. You live on a one-way? How passé! A number of smaller streets, too, will soon benefit from new contraflow lanes or reversion to two-way working. In the pipeline are Fanshaw Street N1, Rowhill Road and Powerscroft Road E5, and Downs Park Road E8 (on the short but silly one-way section). How about getting yours done? Let's step up the pace Our aim - to make all one-way streets in the borough two-way, at least for cycle traffic - is looking more and more realistic. The planners support us, so it's time to start persuading our more sceptical friends.
NewsLCC member and parent Sara Mort would love to have a Dr. Bike, maintenance class or other bike event at Stoke Newington School's summer fair (20th June or July 4th). Want to help? Call her on 0181-986 6587. Trevor Parsons is talking to the Parents' and Families' Association of St Monica's primary school in Hoxton Street with the aim of starting a debate on the travel-to-school issue. If the planned contraflow lane on the one-way section of Hoxton Street is to work, co-operation will be important. Plans to civilise the junctions of Chatsworth Road, Powerscroft Road and Millfields Road have been delayed to accommodate residents' concerns, but are likely to be approved soon. The whole Clapton Park area is due for a 20 mph zone, motor traffic restraint and anti-rat run measures. If you'd like to be in on the early stages of the area-wide consultation, get in touch with Cycling Officer Liam Mulrooney on 0181-356 8221. We have decided to donate copies of two excellent cycling books - Cyclecraft by John Franklin and Effective Cycling by John Forester - to Hackney's Library Service. The London School of Cycling, offered to match the gift. What's in it for us? Apart from getting some good books into the libraries, a photo opportunity and the chance to promote our emerging training strategy. David Keane of the new Shoreditch Library will be accepting the donations, and is keen to arrange a pro-cycling display in the library. Anyone got any good photos illustrating cycling in Hackney which we could use in this display or others? Please let Trevor know. (For contact details, see back page). Hackney town centre is due for major investment in the next few years - a total refit and expansion of the Hackney Empire, redevelopment of Central Hall, and a new giant pub next door. Unfortunately the boss of Hackney 2000, the lead regeneration body, has rather old-fashioned, car-centred ideas about travel. On Local Transport Day, 7th March LCC members were among volunteers who conducted a Local Agenda 21 street survey in the area, asking what passers-by wanted to see in the way of streetscaping and travel options to cope with the extra people the investment will draw in. Results are keenly awaited. Butch, resistant, visible, obstructive That's the idea behind the 271 shiny new chrome bike stands starting to pop up around Hackney. According to Greg McNeill of Groundwork Hackney, (one of the funding partners in the scheme) they are designed to look too tough to saw through or pull out of the ground, be extremely visible, and double as obstructions to pavement parking. The stands are funded by Dalston City Partnership, Heart of Hackney, London Borough of Hackney, Groundwork Hackney and Stoke Newington First. Cycling Officer Liam Mulrooney is overseeing the installation process, and needs suggestion for locations in the Dalston City Partnership, Heart of Hackney and Stoke Newington areas. Think of places where they are really needed, e.g. outside shops, pubs, bookies...wherever you want to park! The new Hoxton and Haggerston Controlled Parking Zone starts around now. It's a move in the right direction, but of course we're far from happy with the amount of street space devoted to motor vehicle storage in this area of high residential density and low car ownership. We have achieved some revision of the plans, including the safeguarding of streets for future cycle infrastructure, and getting cycle parking included as an integral part of the scheme. We'll be interested to see how enforcement works in practice, and look forward to a progressive reduction in the supply of car parking space both on- and off-street, as time goes on. London Underground plans improvements for Seven Sisters tube, including 'Countdown' information at bus stops and inside the station. New parking provision (for bikes, of course) will follow. Old Street station is also due some more. Bike Week runs from June 6th-14th, with the theme of 'You can do it - get on a bike!' We'll be having a Hackney Cyclists' Breakfast on the east-west Maurice Hope route on Friday 12th, sponsored by Hackney Wholefoods of Southgate Road N1, plus a strong presence at the Stoke Newington Midsummer Festival in Stokey Church Street on the following Sunday, including supervised bike parking. What's more, Claire Tansley will be organising a mystery tour of the borough. Current 'road safety' practice is mostly a harm minimisation strategy, trying to reduce casualties by reducing the exposure of vulnerable road users to the road. The antidote to this negative attitude is the Road Danger Reduction Forum, which concentrates attention on the root causes of road danger, promoting the use of less damaging forms of transport in order to create a safer road environment for all. The Forum has produced a Charter which has been signed by over 20 local authorities, and we are now seeking to have this Charter adopted by Hackney Council. Watch this space for more news. March's LCC in Hackney meeting welcomed news of plans for the junction of Southgate Road and Northchurch Road, one of the more difficult points in the east-west route. The idea - presently at the drafting stage - is to put in a mini-roundabout, plus a zebra crossing to the south. We like it, and look forward to further improvements in the priority of the route. Anyone like to start a 'Friends of Maurice Hope' group? Planning permission was recently granted for a 'local neighbourhood theatre' in the school on Clissold Road with 110 car parking places, but no provision for cycle parking or storage of pushchairs, prams and buggies for people who walk there. Dave Bracken is fighting a rearguard action to improve provision, and has agreed to be our development watchdog, keeping an eye on new planning applications so that we can argue for a better deal for walking, cycling and the local environment generally. Contracts have been signed for a wonderful foot and cycle bridge over the River Lea, designed by Whitby & Bird working with the Art of Change, with funding from the Government Office for London, London Borough of Hackney, Lea Valley Regional Park, Groundwork Hackney and many others. It will provide a connection to the Sustrans London-to-Harwich mainline when that's ready. Patrick is advancing his plans for bringing a cycle freight operation to Hackney. Groundwork Hackney is backing his application for support from the European Regional Development Fund, initially for a feasibility study. Among the possible clients of the service are Tesco plc (home deliveries) and Hackney Council (internal mail). As Patrick puts it, "Cycle-freight is labour intensive and fits in well with the current administration's ambitions to get people into employment. Freight cycles also provide an instant, mobile traffic calming."(!) The operation's base could provide premises for our planned cycle centre, too. As reported last month, John Templeton is putting together a Sunday afternoon of bike related films at The Rio in Dalston. Working programme: Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Bicycle Thieves, plus a few short films. We could have an LCC stall in the foyer. The earliest the event could be held is June. Any ideas call John on 0468 165 989 (mobile), 0181 806 1604 (home) or email john@diggers.demon.co.uk. Our Burns Night fundraiser was huge again, and well oversubscribed. Well done Claire, Keith and all those who worked so hard to organise it. It's quicker and safer on the road Footway cycling has been a hot issue in the media recently. The persistence of a few individuals, coupled with the concerns of local councillors and the Hackney Pensioners' Forum, has resulted in the Council producing an official report on the subject. Fortunately the report, written by Liam Mulrooney, is excellent, seeing the problem in the broader context, and recommending a constructive approach of education, training and positive pro-road cycling publicity, rather than an expensive and largely fruitless clampdown. Trevor and Patrick went to a meeting of interested parties recently, and our suggestion of advertising positively stating that cyclists belong on the road was welcomed. If you know of any places that might benefit from exceptions for cyclists, e.g. right turn bans which need not apply to us, let Trevor know. He's collecting a list to pass on to Liam. Thanks a million, Cathi! Big shout to Cathi Davis for her hard work on the newsletter over the last year or two, and to Nev for, well, being one cool geezer. The pair of them have moved to Cork. Best of luck, and maybe see you there for The Tour! Contacts
Borough co-ordinator
Cycling Officer, Hackney Council
News editor and web czar
Workshop guru
Training strategy amazon
Planning bloodhound
The sage of Amhurst Road
|
