Cycling in Hackney News June/July '98Contents
Editorial
News
No stopping us now…"May you live in interesting times!" It's a traditional curse, but we may well benefit from the particularly interesting outcome of the local elections in Hackney last month. Was it the Eye wot won it? Whether or not persuaded by the liberal (small 'L'!) distribution of the Rotten Boroughs section of a certain weekly satirical magazine, voters certainly rejected the domination of local government by any one party - and sent a clear message that it's time 'green' issues took up their place in the centre of local politics. Bridge that gap For years now we have heard excellent policy statements in favour of sustainable transport, access and land use. There are many good things happening, but we often encounter the dreaded implementation gap. True, local authorities are relatively powerless in relation to the 'macro' forces which shape our lives (thank goodness, some might say!), but it is certainly within their power to resist the temptation to make things worse. 'Working for local people' While control was concentrated, it was easy to ignore the reasoned voices of locals arguing in favour of sustainable solutions and against a series of environmental monstrosities passed off as 'regeneration'. Perhaps the new realities will bless our representatives with slightly keener hearing. Within our power Almost everyone is now aware of the need to build sustainability into city life. But financial and social pressures mean that even the best intentioned of us sometimes fail to see that it's within our power to do something positive for ourselves and our community. Fortunately, one of the practical ways we have of persuading the doubters is to continue to promote and support the spread of big city cycle culture. Don't let's stop now!
News
We need your photos - as glamorous or as earthy as you like - to illustrate the delights of cycling in Hackney. To that end, we're holding a competition, with a first prize of a groovy 'Endura' cycling top worth £35 donated by London Fields Cycles, and runners up prizes of 'On Your Bike' books and maps from the LCC. Closing date 31st August 1998. Happy snapping! Send your images to: John Dryden of the Urban Initiatives planning consultancy is studying sustainable access to the Wick area. Due to avelopy (deficiency disease caused by lack of a bicycle), he has been unable to take up our offer of a cycle tour of the area, but we discussed his interim analysis of cycle access in the area at our April meeting. The consultant has correctly identified three major 'desire lines', and observes that the area's dominance by through motor traffic and the existing road infrastructure conspire to create serious difficulties of accessibility for cyclists. We think the solutions should include: removal of 'diffacilities' on Regents Canal towpath; contraflow provision along Victoria Park Road, and junction treatments at Victoria Park Road/Grove Road roundabout, Wick Road/Victoria Park Road, and Wick Road/Cassland Road; facilities to enable movement north/south and east/west along Eastway; recognition of the Sustrans cycleway plan through Lee Valley Park; facilities at Homerton Road/Eastway, contraflow provision up the Eastway slip road; and a route through the railway lands to link Stratford with the Wick. Jonathan Edwardes (of cycling on water fame) is starting a pedal-powered taxi-home-with-your-groceries service from Sainsbury's in Liverpool Road in Islington, and is looking to recruit 'pilots'. If you'd like to know more, call Jonathan on 0171-729 6381. Oddly, there is a requirement for recruits to have a licence to drive a motor vehicle, although this can probably be waived where experience and street sense can be demonstrated. Meanwhile, Groundwork Hackney reports encouraging signals for the Hackney Greenfleet finance application (see report in April/May's Cycling in Hackney), and we hear that Red Star are starting to use cycle power to transfer some of their freight between London rail termini. The process of planning and installing extra cycle parking stands continues. Our April meeting considered a set of maps provided by Greg McNeill of Groundwork. Cycle stands were proposed in several locations on Mare Street, Broadway Market, Morning Lane, outside Sutton House, Well Street and Downs Road. Cycling Officer Liam Mulrooney has been getting grief about new stands from some local residents and traders, but has been receiving eager requests from others. Liam still has a substantial number of stands to install, so we should all be persuading our favourite retailers to request cycle parking from the Council, seeing as it's FREE!!!! Get them to call Liam on 0181-356 8221. People have generally found the stands fine to use, but there was some discussion at our April meeting about their secondary purpose, of preventing pavement parking. People felt that, where possible, they should be installed at the expense of car parking rather than loss of pavement space. In the Netherlands, such arrangements are apparently very common, with the stands separated from traffic by a fluorescent scaffold. Following on the success of our recent meetings with the Council and the police on the phenomenon of footway cycling, Douglas is working on a code of conduct to be launched and publicised in the style of our cyclists' manifesto. Patrick suggested that the launch could coincide with a clear statement by the council that two-way cycle traffic will be re-introduced in Mare Street Narroway. Starting from the Thursday 4th June, our meetings will be held on the first Thursday of each month. The previous arrangement was the first Wednesday, but this often conflicts with several other LCC meetings and also the Neighbourhood committees. Civil engineering work at the junction of Amhurst Road and Sandringham Road is producing a welcome traffic calming effect which residents would like to see made permanent. We have approved a budget of £50 for a leaflet in support of a proposal to maintain the effect by installing a children's playpark and cycle contraflows. Patrick is consulting chief transport planner Roger Blake to take this forward.
Contacts
Borough co-ordinator
Cycling Officer, Hackney Council
News editor and web czar
Workshop guru
Education and training amazon
Planning bloodhound
The sage of Amhurst Road
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