2007 updates

28th December 2007: Burns Night tickets on sale
Our annual Burns Night fund-raising supper and dance will be on Saturday 26th January 2008. Tickets on sale now!

18th December 2007: Bike Show focuses on effect of Olympics and cycle sport
This week's Resonance FM Bike Show discussed the 2012 Olympics and its effect on cycle sport and the  surrounding area in general. The show featured West Hackney's Patrick Field, cycling around the perimeter fence with presenter Jack Thurston. It also included an interview with Michael Humphreys, chair of the Eastway Users Group, talking about the destruction of the popular Eastway road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross circuits, and summarising the current position on the interim facilities and plans for the legacy velopark on the Olympics site. If you missed the show or would like to listen to it again, it's available to stream or download in a range of formats from the Internet Archive. Worth a listen.

1st November 2007: Three-week closure of the Greenway
The Olympic Development Authority is temporarily closing the Greenway (affectionately known as the brownway because of the whiff) between Marshgate Lane and Stratford High Street from 10 November until 30 November. This is to allow for some demolition to take place safely.

Advance warning signs will be displayed at the entrance points to the Greenway, informing users of the closure and providing alternative routes. The suggested alternative route is via Pudding Mill Lane and Marshgate Lane leading to Stratford High Street. For further information on this work or the construction programme, call the ODA's community relations team on 08000 722 110. 

22nd October 2007: Hackney's permeability improvements win London Cycling Award!
We are very pleased to announce that Hackney Streetscene has won this year's London Cycling Award for best facility for their cycle permeability programme. Congratulations to Streetscene engineer Bronwyn Allen and her colleagues. Also many thanks to those Hackney LCC members who contributed their local knowledge about places that needed cycle gaps, dropped kerbs etc.

It's great that a programme of individual small-scale improvements adds up to something that's considered significant enough to merit a London-wide award. Recognition that, in creating a good cycling environment, details matter.

Obviously there are lots more blockages and obstructions that need fixing, whether it's banned turns, one-way restrictions or lack of dropped kerbs, so let's hope that we can turn this into a rolling, accelerating programme of improvements.

13th October 2007: Stokey one-way system removal budget demand by Green party
This week's Hackney Gazette reports that the Greater London Assembly's two Green party members, on whose votes London mayor Ken Livingstone depends for passing his budget, are demanding funding next year for a project management team to work on removal of the Stoke Newington one-way system. Sounds as if the days of the Stokey gyratory might finally be numbered. Excellent news and not a day too soon.

4th October 2007: Hackney's permeability improvements deserve an award
We have nominated Hackney Streetscene for an LCC award for their work introducing small-scale but important permeability improvements. Click here to see a selection of these improvements that make help to create a fine-meshed network of route choices for cyclists. 

We would very much like to see a complete permeability survey of our borough (as first proposed nine years ago), identifying all unnecessary barriers to cycling, whether physical or legal, from which a priority list of works can be drawn for a rolling programme of re-openings.

3rd October 2007: Evening Standard calls Hackney 'cycling heaven'
Yesterday's issue of 'London's quality newspaper', which until recently bashed cycling as regularly as possible but has since undergone a miraculous conversion, featured a double-page spread contrasting cycling in the City and Hackney. Andrew Gilligan's article castigates the City for inaction, and realistically credits much of Hackney's growth in cycling to demographics and geography. But in other respects it's a bit of a caricature, as Gilligan himself acknowledges, erroneously claiming that Hackney's cycle routes are "largely segregated", and simplistically asserting that the secret of Hackney's relative success is "cycle lanes".

In fact, for years our approach has been to reject tokenistic devices such as "cycle lanes" (have you noticed the absence of grit-strewn dooring lanes in Hackney, as compared to neighbouring boroughs?), in preference to engineering that reduces motor traffic speeds, opens up route choices for cycle traffic through increased permeability, and improves the streetscape in general, especially for pedestrians. It's slow going, but improvements, large (eg Shoreditch two-way), medium (eg the tamed Shacklewell Lane / St Mark's Rise junction) and small (eg east end of Farleigh Road now permeable) are there to be seen. Of course engineering is not everything, and Gilligan rightly alludes to the promotion and training work being done in Hackney's schools, workplaces and streets, though omitting to note that this was initiated by grassroots organisations such as ourselves and STA Bikes, with the latter support of the local authority.

Nit picking aside, we're grateful for the attention and adulation of a previously sworn enemy (whose correspondent could do with some cycle training, to judge by the photo!)

8th September 2007: OpenStreetMap is mapping Shoreditch and Hackney
Join in the OpenStreetMap ShoHo mapping party this weekend to help fill in a major omission in the free (as in free speech) map of the world -- Shoreditch and Hackney. All you need is a bike and a camera or notebook. A GPS will be supplied. Starts at 10am on Saturday from the Transport 2000 offices at 12-18 Hoxton Street, London N1 6NG, and at 10am on Sunday from the Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Road, London E8 1JH.

13th August 2007: take part in research about bikes on trains
Do you carry you bike by train? Protel Fieldwork have been commissioned to research all about it. They want to talk to you for about 20/25 minutes and will give you a £5 gift voucher for turning up. They are especially interested in experiences of South West Trains. They are running daytime interviews next week at Hackney Empire reception rooms, Mare Street, London E8. Please drop by any time during the following sessions:

• Wednesday 22nd, noon - 6pm
• Thursday 22nd, noon - 6pm

NB change to venue and times first advertised here. If you can't come during these times but would still like to contribute to the research, please call Protel Fieldwork on 024 7623 8400.

30th June 2007: Last chance to book for the best view of the Prologue
The Tour de France Prologue is just a week away, if you want to join our ride to the event and get access to the exclusive London Cycling Campaign viewing platform in Park Lane, please book online by this coming Monday, 2nd July. The Hackney ride leaves Hackney Town Hall at 10.30am, but to join it you must register. See you there! 

26th June 2007: Want to be a freelance cycle trainer?
Cycle Training UK, the biggest provider of cycle training in London, is recruiting trainers in our area to deliver training in schools this autumn, plus some training of individuals over the summer. You will need to be a National Standard Accredited or Provisionally Accredited instructor, or be prepared to train to become an instructor on the following dates: July 12/13/19/20 or August 4/5/11/12. More information on the CTUK website jobs page. 

12th June 2007: Olympic road and path closures
The Olympic Delivery Authority has published details of extensive road closures (in PDF format) within what is planned to become the Olympic park. A second, slightly different version of the map and information is here. The affected roads are Waterden Road, White Post Lane, Carpenters Road, Marshgate Lane, Pudding Mill Lane and Bridgwater Road. Warton Road has already been closed for a few months. Temple Mill Lane is likely to close as part of the Stratford City development. All footpaths, towpaths, cycle ways and water ways will also be closed on 2 July, though the ODA says that it intends that the Greenway and the Lea Navigation eastern towpath should remain open. Let's hope so. We have unfortunately seen what can happen to intentions and assurances when it comes to delivering the Olympics, with the velopark area now planned to be shrunk from 34 hectares to at most 10 hectares, a replacement road racing circuit shoehorned alongside the A12, and no proper replacement mountain biking facility provided. Poignantly, the now demolished Lee Valley cycle circuit (AKA Eastway) continues to appear on the map used by the ODA to publicise the road closures.

28th April 2007: Saturday family cycling club
STA Bikes has started a Saturday club for families, with the aim of getting you all confidently riding on road together. 
There's free cycle training at all levels, and beginners are welcome. You don't have to have your own bike - you can borrow one for the morning. Dr. Bike, refreshments, obstacle courses, advice, information, free maps and leaflets, puppets shows and fun family bikes on selected dates. English, Spanish, Arabic and Amharic spoken!

Every Saturday until 30th June, 10am - 1pm, at Sir Thomas Abney Primary School, Fairholt Road, N16. Booking is essential. Contact Gail Bristow on 07828 254 598 or gailbristow@aol.com

(Bonus: families who attend will be eligible for a free ticket to a VIP area to watch the Tour de France Prologue at Park Lane on 7 July).

19th April 2007: Tour de France in London - book your place on the viewing platform
On Saturday 7 July, LCC will be leading rides from various points around London to the Tour de France Prologue. You can reserve now for entry to the exclusive viewing area by Achilles Way overlooking the Prologue race through Hyde Park.

25th March 2007: Take a Sunday jaunt to the country with Hackney Cyclists!
Join Hackney Cyclists for some easy-going Sunday rides out to Essex and the Thames Estuary, all featuring pub lunch stops and a maximum of 28 miles cycling. You can even borrow a bike for the day if you haven't got one yet. All the info you need is on the rides leaflet (140KB PDF) and in our diary.

3rd March 2007: February minutes online
Read up on proceedings.

2nd March 2007: Hackney Cyclists AGM
All LCC members in Hackney are warmly encouraged to attend our annual general meeting next week, which will consist of a short formal meeting and elections followed by free buffet and pay bar. Details.

4th February 2007: Another chance to join the 'Spokes and Sprockets' maintenance class
The Bike Project is booking up now for its next six-week introductory cycle maintenance course held on Thursday evenings at Hackney City Farm. The course starts on March 8th, runs until April 12th, and costs £48 waged / £24 unwaged. To book, please contact Therese Kilpatrick: therese AT thebikeproject.org.uk or 07766 713176.

30th January 2007: Dismount sign removed
The anti-cycling sign on Kingsland Road has gone, in response to our lobbying. 

28th January 2007: Giant trailer stolen recovered
We got our megatrailer back! Details.

19th January 2007: "Off your bike", says the East London Railway  
Disappointingly, Transport for London's East London Railway has again erected an anti-cycling sign on one of Hackney's busiest cycle routes (the Kingsland Road). 

18th January 2007: Canal towpath scheme starts soon  
British Waterways will soon be starting work on a major programme of work on the Regents Canal towing path between Old Ford Road and Camden Town, including the whole Hackney stretch. In addition to surface improvements, there will be new signage, mirrors under bridges, and even rumble strips and chicanes, designed to slow down some of the less thoughtful people who cycle along the canal. We support pedestrian priority on the towpath. Nice and slow, everybody!

13th January 2007: Dozens of bike lockers for Frampton Park Estate
The Frampton Park Estate Bicycle User Group has secured funding to install dozens of secure individual bike lockers on the estate within the next few months. Members of the LCC in Hackney distributed leaflets across the estate today asking residents to register their interest in hiring a locker. This will be the biggest installation of secure cycle parking in the borough to date. Funding is being delivered directly from the Cycling Centre of Excellence division of Transport for London.