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Questionnaire
- Your Response Thank you to
all those who returned the questionnaire from our last newsletter.
We had 57 replies from about 250 sent out. 56% of respondents are
cycle commuters, and about half of them ride into central London.
It is not surprising that there were more comments about the Uxbridge
Road than all other routes put together. Several suggestions
for routes were made, especially a better north - south route through
Ealing Broadway to Kew and Brentford and they have all been passed
on to Ealing. There was particular criticism of the way cycle routes
were not cleared of debris, and that cars were allowed to park unhindered.
Better cycle parking facilities were requested,especially around
Ealing Broadway Station, and shopping areas. Speed humps should
be passable by cyclists. Specific comments included: "I think
that the present cycle lanes along main roads are not enforced and
are lethal" "The sign
'Cyclists Dismount' should be illegal on cycle routes - you dont
see a sign saying 'car drivers get out and push!" "Need physically
separated lanes on main roads" "...press
campaigns against parking in cycle lanes" "If it
rains I stop using cycle lanes - they tend to have deeper &
more potholes than the centre of the lane so I cycle in the middle.
Can we do nothing about these shoddy repairs?" When we asked
about the priorities for the Ealing Group of the LCC, you said:
first negotiating for more cycle lanes, secondly campaigning about
air pollution, and thirdly requesting better maintenance, enforcement
and cleaning of existing cycle lanes. These suggestions have been
passed on to the Council as being representative of regular cyclists,
and they have responded positively, including some of the plans
overleaf. Cycle
Challenge Our major achievement
this year was to help win Department of Transport money for a project
to increase awareness and use of bicycles at TVU, a large university
with buildings all around the busy Ealing Broadway/South Ealing
area. This "Cycle Challenge" project is funding £18,250
of new bike parking on campus, training and repair workshops, student
activities, free bike competitions, and research. It runs until
1997, and should highlight the responsibilities of large employers
in the Borough to consider their transport impacts. Any TVU employees
reading this? We need help. Contact Error! Bookmark not defined..
Project report Error! Bookmark not defined. Agenda
21 The Cycle Challenge
(see above) is coordinated by the local Agenda 21 transport group,
which comprises a number of local residents and groups who are coming
up with fresh ideas to help solve Ealing's transport and pollution
problems. Cyclists are very well represented, which is a good thing
since the meetings are pretty lively. Our report to this group calls
for more action on missing links in the cycle network, on vicious
speed humps, and sensible design of cycling facilities. The council
seems to be listening, see overleaf for more information. Council
Liaison The first year
of the rejuvenated Ealing LCC has been very productive. We have
made friends in other cycling organisations, environmental groups,
and in the Council. Our approach to Council policy has so far been
to make concrete suggestions, rather than go in with guns blazing.
The Council seems to be listening. Its transport plans have to include
cycle provision, and they now include plenty: The draft "Transport
Strategy for Ealing" encourages cycling and suggests ways to
curb car use. A plan for a 'green cycle route' through Ealing's
parks has met with almost unanimous support. We helped draw up plans
for a contraflow cycle lane so that Ealing Broadway station could
be reached from the south - a plan floated years ago by Sir George
Young. It failed to win discretionary funding from the DoT this
year, but the Council likes the idea of sending a big message to
motorists in the heart of the Borough, and may build it, together
with a pagoda structure to park your bikes at Haven Green. The Council
is now designing integrated transport plans for 'areas' of the borough,
with all modes of transport being considered. Greenford, Acton and
Hanwell/West Ealing are up first for discussion and community meetings;
do participate if you live in those areas. Meetings are being publicised
in the Leader newspaper. BRETS, the Council's
contractors, are now designing and producing a new cycle map for
Ealing. It should be ready by June. LCC and CTC members have gone
over the bike network with a fine toothcomb, suggesting changes
and improvements to the map and to the network itself. We used your
questionnaire replies as a basis. These comments were very favourably
received and the Council is now willing to consider advanced stop
lines at certain junctions, flattening some of the worst speed humps
a bit, and sorting out some gaps in the network. You may also have
seen cycle racks being put in at some train stations. To sum up, transport
policy is improving rapidly in the Borough. Long may this continue. Air
Pollution Because of our
small number of active members, we have not been able to campaign
strongly on air pollution issues, even though this is a major concern
for cyclists. Ealing Friends of the Earth have taken the lead on
this. They recently produced a disturbing report about air quality
in West London, showing certain sites (eg Boston Manor Road) easily
exceed recommended guidelines for exhaust pollutants. Air pollution
forecasts for Ealing can now be obtained by dialling 0800 919094,
to hear a free recorded message produced by the Council. Also try
Error! Bookmark not defined. Locking
Bike Racks The council doesn't listen to everything we say. Some of the new bike racks at stations come complete with locks - these have obvious problems - only one bike can use each rack without obstructing the lock, and they are also prone to vandalism - we advise you to continue to lock your bike with your own lock as well. |