Category: Uncategorised

This is the excellent document prepared by Jonathan, Olawale and Chris, which will be submitted to LLDC on Friday (pending any last minute comments). Please do make sure you respond as individuals – see previous post for details!

https://www.newhamcyclists.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/MSG-Sphere-response-revised.pdf

Four stalwarts braved early showers for the latest variation of our traditional Newham Ride. This time we took in the excellent parks on Newham Thameside, including Royal Victoria Gardens, Thames Barrier Park and – for the first time- Lyle Park. They all looked lush, and the last was a surprising delight in an unpromising area of new development and traditional industrial sites.

With this inspiration we resolved to work out a Newham Parks Ride for next year.

Arnold

We supported a ride, instigated by Councillor Blaney and Richard, for Newham Councillors to see the Mini-Holland developments in neighbouring Waltham Forest.

There was a good turnout of about 10 Councillors including the Mayor and the relevant cabinet members. We are grateful to Waltham Forest campaigner Paul Gasson for leading the ride and providing technical input; and especially Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest Council who spoke from the political angle and answered a raft of questions.

The objective of the ride was to demonstrate on the ground the broad range of community and health benefits that quality cycle provision brings; and in particular how Liveable Neighbourhoods can be implemented. Newham has succeeded in securing TfL funding for a Liveable Neighbourhood in Custom House and has developed progressive plans for one on the borders with Waltham Forest.

As a bonus the weather was excellent.

Along the journey we stopped at the Leyton Cycle Hub;

and Francis Rd.

We cycled a section of the transformed Lea Bridge Rd;

and experienced neighbourhoods which are filtered to exclude through traffic and provide pocket parks.

After a well deserved coffee break in central Walthamstow , we all returned to Newham on an off-road route through the Wathamstow and Hackney Marshes, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

A very pleasant and sociable ride which we hope and believe will help promote the development of quality cycle provision in Newham.

For a full range of photos taken by Robin see: https://www.flickr.com/gp/rsstephenson/UUF75Q

Arnold

There are four major issues at present. If you are interested in knowing more about any of these please contact us.

• The “Madison Square Garden Sphere” between Westfield and Angel Lane: A planning application has been lodged which gives rise on initial examination to some serious concerns. We are going to examine it more carefully with other interested stakeholders and LCC HQ with a view to lodging objections by the end of June deadline. The full application is available here
  
• The Freemasons Rd Liveable Neighbourhood potentially covers a wide area and has potential to deliver huge benefits for walking and cycling , particularly when linked to other schemes covering the Royal Docks. The Council are going into detailed design stage and we hope to contribute to this. The area of the scheme is set out in this map.
  
• Newham Council are consulting residents in Manor Park west of High Street North on how to counter the large scale rat-running. The recent changes to the direction of one way flows so not appear to have solved the problem as this document showing traffic flows indicates.
  
• Newham Council have consulted on how to counter rat running in Manor Park to the east of High Street North. We are awaiting further information on the solution.
  
  We will be pressing for high quality schemes that make these areas akin to Liveable Neighbourhoods. In its Local Implementation Plan Newham Council have told TfL:
  
  “The Council is committed to the delivery of Safe and Healthy Neighbourhoods schemes across the Borough in response to resident concerns. Two schemes are already being delivered with 2018-19 LIP funding in the East Ham North and Manor Park wards”
  
  
  
  
  
  

On Saturday 25 May a team of Newham Cyclists took a group of enthusiastic children from the Saturday cycle club of the Canning Town based charity “Ambition, Aspire, Achieve” on a ride of the Greenway and Olympic Park.

Sunday saw a large group of 20 – from Newham and other areas of London take our latest leisurely Newham Ride.

Its 15 miles took in the Greenway, Gallions, the Thames to Woolwich, the Royal Docks and the River Lea. The weather was excellent for the duration of the ride and we even managed to navigate though crowds of comic book heroes at the Excel Centre. Once we were back the weather deteriorated.

Our next ride is the longer “Cake Mountain Ride” on 9 June before reverting back to another Newham Ride, using a slightly different route, on 16 June.

Arnold

With thanks to Rishi, a video of the event.

20 gathered in an upstairs room in the Red Lion High Street South for our Annual Meeting.

The following Officers were elected.:

• Co-ordinator:  Arnold Ridout;
• Deputy Co-ordinator:  Kerena Fussell;
• Treasurer: Bill Bremner;
• Rides Co-ordinator:  Steve Smith;
• Local Infrastructure Rep:  Olawale Ajibola;
• Deputy Infrastructure Rep:  Chris Kershaw;
• Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Rep: Jonathan Rothwell.

A draft Annual Report , Annual Accounts and Budget were approved.

Away from the more formal business:

• Terry Patterson, LCC Trustee, expressed her appreciation of the groups work over the past year and asked members to consider standing for posts as LCC Trustees.
• Louis Martin, from Fossil Free Newham, recalled that Newham Council had now voted unanimously to to go “fossil free”, explained what this entailed and reminded us that vigilance was needed to ensure that this vote was put into practice.
• In response to Steve’s report on rides, there was discussion on categorisation of rides.
• Olawale outlined developments following Newham Council’s successful bid to take part in TfL Liveable Neighbourhoods initiative in Custom House and prospects for the principles to be applied in the Stratford/ Forest Gate areas in partnership with Waltham Forest. Murray Woodburn, from Newham Council, supplemented this and delivered the news that 5 pilot “School Streets” initiatives had been agreed.
• Our discussion on how to communicate better and in a changing environment resulted in a call for a single regular e-mail newsletter to replace the Borough insert into the London Cyclists magazine and continued use of the Yahoo Group for urgent communication – backed up by continued use of social media.
• We discussed forthcoming activities including a possible Councillor Ride, and a partnership event with Stratford Original on 13 June during Bike Week.

Watch this space over the next year

Arnold

The weather was not what Newham Cyclists have come to expect, being rather chilly and dull. Nevertheless 6 of us – the “naturalist wing” – set out for a short jaunt taking in Walthamstow Marshes, Walthamstow Wetlands, the Middlesex Filter Beds, the fringes of Hackney Marsh, and the northern (and greener) part of the Olympic Park. The cycling was broken up by a coffee stop and short wander around the reservoirs of the Wetlands. An excellent variety of different birds were seen, and we were reminded of the quality of the green spaces in our quarter of London. Thanks again to Robin for his photography skills.

Arnold

All proceeds from tickets sales go to AAA – and a portion goes to the Cycle Club that we support.

The latest version of the note outlining the main cycling issues in Newham following our meeting with the Council’s Sustainable Transport office at the end of October is here:

Newham Cyclists Issues of Interest October 2018