Supporting cycling in Newham
Our neighbours in Tower Hamlets need support!
Many of us cycle into Central London via the Tower Hamlets cycling network.
However “Mayor Lutfur Rahman has taken the most extreme, undemocratic and dangerous decision available to him. He has decided to rip out all the walking and cycling infrastructure in Bethnal Green. “
“Save Our Safer Streets” is fighting back.
Find out more below. Can you help our neighbours?
Ted Maxwell, representing the informal group Save Our Safer Streets, spoke about the removal of the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Tower Hamlets even after being made permanent. The meeting was supportive of the campaign. Ted outlined ways in which Newham Cyclists could provide practical asistance .
There has been one Newham Ride since the last meeting, on 12th November 2023. Next ride is the Christmas Lights Ride on 10 December 2023. There was discussion on improving the link with the LCC website and providing a GPS link of our rides.
The ride for the Ambition, Aspire, Achieve (AAA) children’s club proposed for 2 December 2023 will not go ahead because AAA are engaged with their toy delivery then. A new calendar will be put together for maintenance and rides in the New Year.
Fix Your Ride (FYR) has now finished for 2023. It will start again in 2024.
On infrastructure:
There was feedback from the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) Campaigning Summit. A key message was that campaigning by ‘personal witness’ stories was more effective that reliance on ‘dry data’ (to promote and support cycling). There were also tips on improving outreach through partner organisations and cycle shops. A strategy could usefully include means to attract younger activists. A consolidation of mailing lists increased the numbers by 10%. The suggestion of a separate meeting of the interested to develop an outreach strategy was favourably received.
Other business:
The joint Christmas Social, with Bike from Boleyn, will take place on Monday 11 December at the Boleyn Tavern.
The event will start at 7.00pm although the Tavern is open from 4 pm if you need a warm up.
We will provide a drinks tab (with a limit of £100). Food will be available as follows:
It would help with the arrangements if you let me know you are coming (and haven’t done so already).
Arnold
Although 16 places were booked on the ride were were but six on the day. The weather was damp and cold but the ride covered some beautiful and interesting spots in the borough For those that wish to investigate themselves here is the link to download the GPX file:
www.newhamcyclists.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Newhamride121123.gpx
In relation to rides, the Bike from Boleyn ride has taken place since the last meeting and went well. There will be a local Newham Ride on 12 November.
There has been a maintenance session for the children’s cycle club of Ambition, Aspire, Achieve at the ARC. There is still work to be done at their Abbey Hub and the meeting indicated at willingness to seek to arrange this in November or December. If you are interested in either maintenance of helping with a Saturday children’s ride let me know.
There was a Fix Your Ride session at Woodgrange Market on 14 October 2023 and the last one of the year (i.e. 2023) is scheduled to take place on 11 November 2023.
On infrastructure:
London Cycling Campaign (LCC) HQ have provided membership by ward data. NC have increased membership to 171 but membership is still heavily biased to the north of the borough. The meeting noted that the opening of new university campuses in Newham provided an opportunity for outreach, as did spreading our activities to different areas of the borough. It was also worth seeking lessons from other LCC borough groups with a more successful outreach in terms of local membership and activism.
Other business:
Next meeting provisionally set for Monday 27 November by Zoom subject to other arrangements to be notified.
Details of our 30 October meeting and provisional agenda can be found here. Please e-mail ridoutsat13@gmail.com if you require Zoom access details.
Arnold
Cycle Future Route 7 (CFR7) is a proposed new cycle route that will support a better cycle link between Leyton, Stratford, West Ham and Plaistow.
Newham Cyclists have responded positively to the phase 1 consultation.
Newham Cyclists are now using the registration facility for our social cycle rides on the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) website.
The next social cycle ride will be the Bike from Boleyn Ride on Sunday 8th of October 2023 from the ‘Champions Statue’ (opposite the Boleyn Tavern) to the London Stadium to coincide with the West Ham United FC (WHUFC) home English Premier League(EPL) match. If you are available to marshal please contact Arnold.
NC are putting together an autumn programme of maintenance and a ride for the children’s cycle club at the charity Ambition, Aspire, Achieve (AAA) with whom we have been partnering with for some years.
The NC September 2023 cycle maintenance event Fix Your Ride (FYR) stall was not as busy as the previous month but there were nevertheless generous donations.
NC have had regular monthly meetings with the LB Newham council team working on the Romford Road Active Travel Scheme (RRATS) improvements. At the September 2023 meeting it was stated that the completion of phase 1 has been pushed back to December this year (2023) and phase 2 (at the Ilford end of the scheme) will not now start until the New Year (2024). A current project recurring ‘issue’ has been the need to secure approvals from the Transport of London (TfL) bus team with regards to the existing bus service enabling infrastructure on Romford
Road, but LB Newham plan to seek approval for the whole RRATS project from TfL by July 2024.
The LB Newham RRATS team are planning a further public engagement event next month (October 2023). A very important point was made at the meeting which was that what had been constructed/installed and planned so far was good, but there needed to be more publicity and explanations of the overall plans to provide reassurance and continuing support for the project and final aims. Delays on the implementation of RRATS caused by TfL ‘issues’ were a concern and if this jeopardised the current scheme (for which time limited central government funding is at stake) then an earlier Newham council plan based on making existing Romford Road bus lanes 24 hour operational and and existing cycle lanes mandatory could be deployed. It will be useful to engage with London Cycling Campaign (LCC) HQ on these issues.
There was a NC Catch Up meeting with Richard Wadey (the new LB Newham Head of Transport Policies and Programmes) on the Tuesday, 8th of August 2023.
The Catch-Up meeting discussion centred around the financing of LB Newham’s sustainable transport developments for which there was £5m from the capital budget for the 2023/24 financial year. Highlights of the Catch Up meeting were :
1 A LB Newham borough-wide 20mph speed limit on borough adopted roads had been approved by the LB Newham cabinet on the 5th of September 2023.
2. A programme of installing bike hangers (aka on-street secure cycle parking
storage units) was progressing. The council wanted these storage units spread across the whole borough.
3. 4 more Healthy School Streets (HSS) were proceeding taking the total up to 25 (out of a possible 84 borough schemes).
5. Consultation was proceeding on the TfL Cycle Future Route (CFR7) [Leytonstone to Stratford section] – a high cycleway quality scheme. However there were no plans announced for the section of CFR7 from Stratford Town Centre southwards towards Plaistow and Barking Road A124 along the current A112 alignment.
6. Early work had started on the proposed Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN 8) area scheme (south of the Romford Road A118 alignment). NC plan to accompany council officials on a planned audit ride on 26th of September 2023.
7. Work was under way on improvements to the environment within existing LTNs with regards to new Public Realm schemes around the filter location areas.
8. No further progress to report on the proposed LTNs 5 (Woodgrange) and 6
(Capel). The sense of the meeting was concern at the lack of progress given the
money already spent and allocated to these schemes in the near future. If the
problem was primarily with proposed LTN 5 scheme then the council should be
urged to implement the LTN 6 scheme separately where their seems to be better
political and general support for implementation. The closure of Balmoral Bridge to ‘cut through’ or ‘rat running’ motor traffic (including from residents of LTN 5) would be a ‘step change’ improvement.
Other infrastructure news:
There are tours of the proposed development at the Bromley by Bow Gasworks
(BBBG) mentioned and continuing engagement on the development’s Active Travel modes intention and provision.
NC have been active in consultation response on the Beckton Riverside proposals. These include much needed improvements to Tollgate Road and Woolwich Manor Way for Active Travel modes. We were pressing for Active Travel mode facility improvements within the development area itself.
NC have submitted a highly critical response to the Silvertown Tunnel Active Travel proposals.
AOB:
The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) Volunteers and Campaigning Summit will take place on Saturday, 18th of November 2023. We discussed the NC Social Media strategy. It needs to become more active and be aligned with that of the LCC itself.
improvements within the development area itself. NC have submitted a highly critical response to the Silvertown Tunnel Active Travel proposals.
AOB:
The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) Volunteers and Campaigning Summit will take place on Saturday, 18th of November 2023.
We discussed the NC Social Media strategy. It needs to become more active and be aligned with that of the LCC itself.
Our meeting on Monday will be held on Zoom between 19.30 and 21.00pm.
The Zoom details are the usual for our monthly meetings but if you would like me to send them or an invite please e-mail ridoutsat13@gmail.com
The draft agenda is below.
Arnold
We were only five on this beautiful ride in the September sunshine. The ride was medium difficulty with some steep but not long hills on mostly quiet country lanes
Thanks to Robin for the photos