Category: Meetings

The meeting focused on infrastructure as Richard, Newham Council’s Sustainable Transport Officer kindly provided an update.  The key  features are:

• Richard explained how “LIP” funding provided to local authorities by TfL for relatively minor transport improvements work.  We are currently in the final year of a three year phase which has seen a number of improvements, not least based on the 2014 “Ward audit” Newham cyclists undertook with Richard.  Richard explained how a series of contraflows, drop kerbs and point closures  were being brought forward in a coherent way to promote  permeability in urban Newham.  Soft measures such as cycle training and work with schools  had been more successful than might have been anticipated.  The current funding may be rolled out for a further year before the next three year cycle.
• Newham Councillors have rejected a plan for Forest Gate which (in response to strong calls from consultation) included some segregated cycle lane.   Whilst we were critical of the details of the plan this is a disappointing affirmation of how far behind Newham Councillors are in promoting cycling. Improvements    are funded by Crossrail so will go ahead, but their nature is not now known.  We will continue to keep an eye and press for improvements that benefit cyclists.
• The Maryland Crossrail improvement plans have yet to be put out for consultation.  It is important that these are coherent with the Stratford Gyratory .
•  Improvements to the Greenway are progressing, including lighting and some extra ramps (e.g. to Memorial Park and Newham Hospital ).  One new ramp has passed the design stage which will promote useful connectivity with the Channelsea Path (although a vital toucan crossing of Rick Roberts Way is not yet funded).
• Redbridge Council are pressing hard for a Roding Crossing to Ilford north of the Romford Rd.  This would increase the importance of utilising the current pathway between the City of London Cemetery and the railway line which is currently unusable for cycling.
• A cycle lane is being put into Jenkins Lane as part of CS3 improvements.
• Implementing the Silvertown Way planned improvements are partly funded and therefore likely to start (with the active support of the local councillors).  This is important as cycle facilities need to be put in place before the Silvertown Tunnel attracts more traffic into this part of Newham.
• The scrapyard blocking the completion of the Leaway between Cody Dock and Canning Town is reported to have found an alternative site.  The timing of any move is not known.
• On street cycle parking shelters are now being installed and well used.  Request from groups of neighbours would be welcome.

We will have a stall at the Forest Gate Festival on 16 July, but more volunteers to do a shift would be welcome.  We will also try to promote cycling at a St Paul’s (East Ham) Street Party on 13 August.  if you can help and have not already volunteered for either of these events please contact me.

The Essex Lanes ride of the previous day was proclaimed a great success.

Next meeting 25 July – probably linked to an evening ride.

After a false start our annual meeting was held last Tuesday at the Wanstead Tap.  There was an excellent turnout including three local councillors who have been supportive of cycling initiatives (John Gray, Terence Paul and Rachel Tripp).  We were assisted by some excellent cheese and beer.

As for the formalities :

1. We approved the minutes from last year .
2. We agreed a new constitution to update our organisation in line with LCC requirements.
3. We agreed the annual report and accounts for 2015/16 .
4. We agreed a budget for 2016/17.
5. Kerena Fussell and Arnold Ridout were elected as joint co-ordinators, Bill Bremner as Treasurer, Olawale Ajibola was elected Local Schemes Lead and Steve Smith as Ride Co-ordinator.

We decided to produce for sale a group T -shirt.

Less formally, we had wide ranging discussions on the following topics

• Stratford Gyratory – proposal now reasonable in principle but details of the junctions will need further work.
• Other infrastructure developments – key funding available from TfL, Newham LIP allocation, and from developments such as Crossrail for some potentially significant improvements.  More information is available from the current list of issues.
• LCC Sign for Cycling campaign – last push before the election.
• Our contribution to the Forest Gate Cycle network Evening 26 May.

We ended with a discussion as to our future focus.  As a result we will consider how the group can focus on schools, as some money is available for promoting cycling in schools and our efforts could pay dividends in terms of increased cycling by both children and their parents.

We had a very productive discussion with Richard Wadey, sustainable Transport Officer for Newham Council, based around a PASTA presentatation (an EU funded project promoting physical activity through sustainable transport approaches) in which a number of towns and cities are participating.  For London this is Newham, Tower hamlets and Waltham Forest.  He also provided a general update of cycling in Newham showing an increase in the modal share of cycling .

Richard shared the information on the Cycle Level Of Service studies of routes in Newham,and projects, particularly Quietway 6, the Greenway, Stratford gyratory  and the Leaway.  These will form part of the Cycle Strategy of the Borough and inform future decision making, hopefully by integrating cycle considerations into all transport schemes.  He showed a Cycle Strategy map showing the potential in the Borough for a dense network of routes with a high level of service (i.e. over 80%).

He also introduced the possibility of secure on street parking hangers and the tool library at Stratford Mobile Garden.

As part of Newham “New Deal” was a new deal for roads involving investing over £100m over the next ten years.  There was potential to ensure cycling was adequately integrated into this vision.

Slides and on-line maps available from me.

Also we:

• noted the acquisition of a cargo trailer that can be made available to anyone who would like to borrow it;
• discussed the LCC Sign for cycling Campaign;
• confirmed our Annual meeting for 11 April at Eat 16 cafe, at which light refreshments will be served; and
• decided that the first in the summer series of evening rides will take place on 23 May and will visit Walthamstow Village improvements.

Arnold

Another healthily attended and lively meeting at Coffee E7:

• Following the meeting with Councillors Gray and Paul before Christmas concerning the various issues surrounding Stratford High Street and gyratory we submitted a briefing note on which we are waiting a response.
• There was a very open catch up meeting meeting with the Newham Council Sustainable Transport officer.  Headlines are:

  Designs have been submitted to TfL for the junctions of the northern Quietway.  Our view was that these were disappointing , and we indicated that we could not support a Quietway which had substandard junctions.  Better progress on upgrading the Greenway.  A small pilot lighting project will shortly be put in place.  Limited improvements are in prospect around Westfield (Stratford Place) as changes are made for taxis and coaches.  There are good designs on the shelf for the wider area waiting for the opportunity to be implemented.

  An cycle assessment of the main roads (but not junctions) has been undertaken which will form part of a proposed cycle strategy from the Borough along with an audit of cycle parking.

  There are further delays in establishing the Leaway between Cody Dock and Canning town.

  All current issues have been recorded for monitoring and it was decided to publish this on this website (to follow).  By way of  general follow up we have been told that Newham’s cycling mode share has increased again,according to the London Travel Demand Survey (Travel in London report 8), up from approx. 1.3% to 2.3% in 2012/13-2014/15.

• A Greenway  users group is planned.
• We noted that the work undertaken so far on the northern Quietway was heavily engineered and that there was still an issue of parking in Cemetery Rd.
• We will be actively participating in stakeholder consultation on the plans for Stratford gyratory, a meeting taking place on 8 March.
• We discussed our ride programme and in particular the forthcoming, and much anticipated, Hoo Ride on 14 February.  To ensure smooth practical arrangements (not least securing the cheapest train ticket to Gravesend), it would be helpful if anyone intending to come on this ride gave advanced notice (newham@lcc.org)

  We will be coordinating rides with a new Community group in Stratford City and we may also be joining in with a CTC ride around Witham in April.

• We agreed to buy a further banner , some equipment for rides (tools/first aid) and some T shirts for ride leaders.
• The current exhibition at the Design Museum was warmly recommended and there are still tickets for the talk by Emily Chappel at the Wanstead Tap on 15 February.
• Richard Wadey will be talking at our next meeting on 29 February and then our AGM will be 11 April.
• Funds are available from the Council for high quality on street parking bays.  Please let us know of good sites.
• We decided to support, with a stall, an indoor car boot sale  on 20 February at the Field Community Centre, Station Rd.  If you are able to provide some time to man the store please let us know and we will be putting together a rota.

  Arnold

Again a well attended meeting with a full an interesting agenda.  Our first meting at the Black Lion in Plaistow:

• Following up last month’s meeting with Living Streets we heard that Living Streets were progressing setting up a Newham branch which some Newham Cyclists were likely to join.  This would maintain co-ordination.
• Following last month’s meeting on Forest Gate Crossrail related improvemetns, a collective Newham Cyclist response has been given to this consultation as well as well as other consultations  on Manor Park and the Silvertown Tunnel.  These to reinforce the individual responses.
• There was a very positive meeting with Councillors Terry Paul and John Gray over the Greenway closure.  Interestingly,The day before this meeting the signage had been improved by Thames Water.  Notable also was the number of people cycling in the area and the number that stopped to voice their opinions.

  

  There is hope for the end to the closure from West Ham station to Stratford by April next year, with some limited provisional access before then  The reopening  paves the way for the planned improvements for the Greenway as part of  TfL  second round of quietways – in this case 24hr opening and lighting, and  4 additional ramps for access.  The closure on the northern side is more uncertain despite the overrunning Crossrail related works coming to end.

• We are seeking a similar engagement with these two local Councillors to look at the multiple issues surrounding Stratford High Street and the Stratford Gyratory.  To the obvious ones can be added the frequent parking of construction traffic  blocking the shared use pavement.
• Some more works on the Victoria Park to Hainault Quietway have started in Forest Gate.  We noted that the introduction of a CPZ had led to more parking in Cemetery Rd to the detriment of the route as a Quietway.  We agreed that we could not endorse this Quietway unless the crucial junctions were suitably addressed.
• We decided to go ahead with some traffic counting pilots.
• We noted the recent poll in the Newham Recorder on cycling issue.  Steve Smith put forward an excellent case for cycling.
• We decided to seek a catch up meeting with Newham’s Sustainable Transport Officer in the New Year.
• We noted that further cycle parking has been casually removed without replacement by Newham Council – this time outside Wilkinson’s in Stratford.
• The Christmas lights ride on 7 December was discussed and the 2016 Ride Programme was launched.  (Details elsewhere)
• On street secure parking has been installed by Newham Council in various locations.  A welcome development.  All were urged to identify further suitable sites.

We benefited from Rosalind Readhead providing a talk and stimulating lively and interesting discussion.  Rosalind is an independent mayoral candidate promoting a policy of car free days and active travel, particularly in central London.

She cited a recent study on the health effects of private motor vehicles in London.  some of the figures were very telling. This is a selection:

•  67% of all car journeys could be completed by bicycle in 20 minutes.
• 75 sq kms of London is devoted to car parking.
• 9,500 deaths in London each year can be associated with air pollution.
• Road closures can cause 75% of traffic to “evaporate”.

Her message was that, at the global level,  climate change demanded action; whilst at the local level the adverse health effects of private motor vehicles threatened the existence of the NHS as a service provided free at the point of delivery.

Drawing on the example of Seville she advocated that local areas should be prepared with a detailed plan to promote cycling and other forms of active travel  which will be available when when the political opportunity arises.  This should include a proper cycling network, as opposed to the current “labyrinth” that is the central London grid.

On the business side (a) we discussed the approach to the forthcoming initial planning meeting on the Stratford gyratory,  (b) decided to take up an offer from Murray Woodburn from Newham Council to discuss in detail the cycling aspects of the Forest Gate Crossrail improvements, (c) decided to seek details of the junction planned at  Stratford High St/Sugarhouse Lane and (d) progressed our arrangements for a forthcoming open meeting with Living Streets – now 2 November at 7.30pm, venue to be confirmed.

Our meeting took place on 27 April at Coffee E7.  As usual lively

Headlines

• We discussed the wide ranging review meeting which took place with the Newham Council Sustainable Transport Officer on 24 April.  Further details are annexed below.
• We looked at the slack.com communication platform and decided to trial it for a couple of months with a view to replacing the Yahoo Group (if the trial turns out successful). (if you would like to participate in the trial and did not give your name at the meeting please indicate this via our e-mail address)
• We discussed future rides and were grateful to Steve for volunteering to be our ride co-ordinator.
• We decided to take the opportunity of publicising our group at (1) the Newham show, (2) the Forest Gate Festival and (3) the monthly Dr Bike sessions in Stratford.

Upcoming matters

• The next Newham Ride is 2 May (see calendar).
• The committee will be meeting Sustrans and the new Newham Council project officer in relation to the Quietways.
• We will be riding the route of the proposed “A 406 Quietway” with Sustrans and Newham Council.

Annex

Issues discussed with Richard Wadey (Newham Council Sustainable Transport Officer) 24 April 2015

•  LIP projects: most  ward audit schemes slated this year as “early winners”” have been implements or are shortly to be implemented  – mostly around Stratford and associated with the Greenway Diversion. 

• Next year priorities likely to be contraflows around Stratford/Plaistow N and A 406 route – see below). We drew attention to need for priority to be along proposed quietways i.e. Ismailia Rd FG.
•  Royal Docks: separately funded and opening up a route north of Albert Rd. We pressed for improvement to crossing of road to London City Airport. 

• Gallions Roundabout: separately funded. Our priority is widening path to Cyprus and ensuring traffic crossing on all legs. 
• A 406 QW: Sustrans have done initial scoping and land ownership looks helpful, as key plots owned by LBN, or TFL or (ultimately) AM Trust.  Northern section is most direct if it follows road rather than Little Ilford Park.
• QEOP: There is a proper plan for Penny Brookes St, Montfichet Rd and Westfield Ave.  These now need funding but this may come from neighbouring developments. 

• Quietways: Henniker Rd the preferrred route for northern QW.  LBN have appointed a project manager who we are arranging to meet with Sustrans in May.  We agreed with Richard that junctions s are key (Leyton Rd, Leytonstone Rd, Dames Rd, Woodgrange Rd, Forest Drive.) 

• Leaway: land for route south of Cody Dock likely to become available shortly.  Plans already developed for Canning Town subject to some minor issues. 
• Stratford Gyratory design sessions to take place this summer.
• Newham Cycle Strategy should be put in place 2015/6.   We supported the idea of a detailed strategy drawing , for example, on ward audit projects.

15 of us gathered at Coffee E7 for the annual meeting , fortified by a buffet.  We benefited from the presence of Richard Wadey -Sustainable Transport  Officer for Newham Council and Councillor David Christie, both of whom have gone out of their way to consult over the previous year.  We are grateful for their support.

On the formal side the annual accounts and report were adopted (see earlier post). Bill’s oral presentation of a budget for next year was similarly approved.

Elected onto the Committee were: Kerena Fussell and Arnold Ridout, as joint Chair; Bill Bremner as Treasurer and Olawale Ajibola as Cycling Schemes Lead.

Richard gave a talk on the application of TfL’s Cycling Levels of Service (CLOS) assessment.  Right click on the link below for a copy of his presentation.

Cycling in Newham – Cycling Levels of Service (CLoS)

It emerged that Newham has a  high level of walking and public transport use, but a relatively low (but significantly increasing) level of cycling.

CLOS is likely to be a useful tool.  It is instructive how low the score was for the proposed Upton Corridor scheme, to which we have lodged formal objections (see earlier post).

This opened up a series of open discussions ranging from the lift failures in the Woolwich Foot Tunnel to our website and communications to our proposed rides for the forthcoming year (the next being a Newham Ride on 4 April).

Some future guidance emerged:

• The CLOS can  be incorporated into our campaigning.
• We need to publicise our objections to schemes on our website.
• We need to contact our local Councillors and respond to consultations as individuals as numbers count.
• We need to increase our liaison with pedestrian groups.
• There is a gap in our communications in the absence of a platform for discussion.