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Bike
Week Wow - two Newsletters
in almost as many months can only mean there is a lot going on,
and for once it's mostly good news. National Bike
Week in Ealing, West London pedalled off to a great start this year
with the well attended Doctor Bike Session outside the Photographer
and Firkin pub on Ealing Green. With many unusual bikes on display,
this year's event was more popular than ever, and the team of mechanics
was hard pushed to keep up with the demand for check-ups and post-coding.
Highlight of the day was the visit by our 'millennium' mayor, Phil
Portwood, who is a keen cyclist and has pledged to cycle to as many
official functions as possible this year. He even has an official
plaque to fit on the front of his bike which sadly wasn1/4t ready
when these photos were taken. Thanks to all who came along and helped
out on the day, and thank-you Mr. Mayor for the drinks afterwards.
Equally well attended was the cyclists' breakfast outside the Town
Hall on Bike to Work day, and the evening provided perfect weather
for the ride through the Borough's parks. The last event
of Bike Week, the Critical Mass ride and picnic in Richmond Park,
generated a lot of publicity, and has prompted a serious debate
over the use of the Royal Park. For those of you who haven't visited
it recently, in the rush hour the park bears more resemblance to
Brands Hatch than a peaceful retreat. Consequently there's a growing
campaign to make it more attractive to visitors by preventing rat-running
traffic using it as a short cut. The Surrey Comet has been running
this as a major news story, and the Richmond & Twickenham Times
wrote a supportive leader saying that, "the Richmond Park closure
is a winnable battle." Bay
Watch Following our
campaign against the removal of the cycle lane in Southall which
was replaced with car parking bays, the Council have reacted with
amazing speed to produce an alternative plan. The new scheme will
remove part of the pavement to create new parking bays, while the
re-instated cycle lane will run past the outside of the cars. While
we welcome the quick response, it seems a shame to remove part of
the pavement in a part of Southall that, on Saturdays at least,
is bustling with pedestrians. It also goes against the council1/4s
stated policy of making more space on the roads for cyclists and
pedestrians. However, as long as the new bays leave the recommended
one-meter-wide safety gap between the cars and the cycle lane, we
will be very pleased to have the lane back. Contra-flow
is go!...Almost. In the middle
of July, Ealing Council outlined four alternative proposals for
improving the area outside Ealing Broadway Station. The good news
is that our long lost plan for a contra-flow cycle lane between
the Uxbridge Road and Haven Green (which was last seen in 1996 disappearing
into the Transport Department "in" tray) has re-emerged
in all four proposals. At the moment (as far as we can tell), the
plan is for the lane to go only as far as the station, not all the
way to the roundabout at the northern end of the Green. The schemes
are due to come up for public consultation soon, so if you can,
please push for a cycle lane that goes all the way; it will save
residents living North-East of the station cycling all the way around
the Green for the rest of their lives. Countryside
Weekend Thanks to everyone
who came and said hello to us at our stall at Countryside Weekend;
it1/4s good to know we have a growing band of members out there.
A few of you brave folk attempted to master Robin's unicycle, a
feat I attempt every year without success, so I was miffed to hear
that one young lad cracked it after only ten minutes. The most popular
item this year was the new Error! Bookmark not defined. which sold
like hot cakes. Uxbridge
Road 1 Bob Davis, a
cyclist who runs the Road Danger Reduction Forum has been hired
by the Council to look at the safety record of the Uxbridge road
and make recommendations on ways it can be made more attractive
and safer for cyclists. In the last five years there have been 137
reported accidents involving cyclists on the Ealing section of the
road, which were sprinkled between 53 different locations. There
are no particular black-spots; though there appear to be a higher
than average number of incidents involving car doors opening onto
bicycles. Bob is going to complete his study by the end of August
and present it to the transport committee in September. Meanwhile...
Uxbridge
Road 2 This month the
joint ECC / Friends of the Earth survey of the whole length of the
Uxbridge Road in Ealing is being put forward to the team responsible
for upgrading it as part of the London Cycle Network (Error! Bookmark
not defined.). The key recommendations are that the route be made
a full cycle lane, (instead of just an advisory one), that parking
restrictions are rigorously enforced, and that all traffic lights
have Advanced Stop Lines with feeder lanes. We are also calling
for access to and from the road to be easier, particularly at major
junctions. At the moment cyclists hoping to turn right onto Windmill
Lane or Greenford Road are sent on a half-mile detour. It1/4s clear
from our last survey that a lot of you use the Uxbridge Road and
desperately want to see it improved, so we1/4ll keep pushing on
this one. Biking
Vikings At the end of
July two transport planners from Odense in Denmark arrived in Ealing
to advise the Council on improving cycle facilities in the Borough.
About 30 years ago Odense had one of the highest rates for traffic
accidents in Europe, since then they have implemented road improvement
measures, including traffic free zones, wide cycle lanes, and restricted
speed areas, which have not only cut the accident rate to one of
the lowest in Europe, but have also increased cycling, so that 30
percent of journeys are now by bike. "I suppose we're about
20 years behind you," suggested Glenn our borough co-ordinator
to one of the Danes. "More than that," he replied grimly.
Map
Launch On Thursday 22nd July the West London cycle map was officially launched with a celebratory cycle ride from Glaxo-Wellcome's Stockley park site to its building in Greenford. The ride began with a sumptuous breakfast followed by speeches. Among those taking part were our ubiquitous mayor, Phil Portwood, Peter Hancock from Glaxo Wellcome, and Peter Mynors from Ealing Cycling Campaign who worked hard to get the map off the ground. The map has been produced with the help of a grant from Glaxo-Wellcome who have generously donated the rights to the LCC. For your copy of this essential guide to cycling in West London, send off the application form on the back of London Cyclist Magazine. Bike
Couriers Any intrepid
business folk out there fancy starting up a bicycle courier company
in the Ealing area? The Council is interested in finding a greener
way to send packages between its borough sites. Contact at Ealing
Council. Next Meeting
The Error! Bookmark not defined. is at 7.30 pm. Thursday 5th August, at Perceval House, Uxbridge Road. W5 (next to the Town Hall.) Cycle round to the back of the building where there is a large bike-shed to park your bike. Please be prompt as we all have to be let into the building together. All members welcome. (We try to keep these meetings short so we can go for a drink afterwards). The following meeting will be held on Thursday 2 September, 7.30 pm, at Perceval House. |