metAGM04

Non-Business part

HFCYCLISTS AGM 2004 - NON-BUSINESS PART

Held at the Information Centre, Hammersmith, 7.30pm 9 November 2004

Notes by John Griffiths, approved/modified by Chris Bainbridge.

PRESENT: John Griffiths, Rob Cope, Nicola, Philip Loy, John Smits, Bernard Bunting, Louanne Tranchell, Jonathan Gurney, Bill Ogden, Chris Bainbridge, Ebuni Usifoh.

APOLOGIES: Alan Rowden, Chris Tranchell, Jane Knight, Mark Alderton [with late apologies from Mo Morgan, Roger de Freitas]

PHILIP LOY [LCC Head Office - Borough Groups Development]

Encouraged people to become involved and explained what they might be able to do. People could work on projects like Dr Bike, encouraging children to ride, having rides, perhaps joining up with other groups.

JOHN S: We had a night ride going to Eastbourne a week or so ago. This was with David from the Ealing group. There was going to be four of us but two dropped out.

JONATHAN G: I sometimes go for rides along the canal to Harefield.

BERNARD B: I would like to be involved in training children to ride.

PHILIP L: CycleTrainingUK teach people how to do cycle training. There is a large call for it now that it is part of the Mayor's Transport Plan.

JOHN G: We had a grant from LBHF Education department a few years ago which we used to get CycleTrainingUK to do some training in four local schools. I would like to see us encouraging parents to carry their young children on bikes. It is very visible and keeps a car off the streets.

CHRIS BAINBRIDGE, leader of the LBHF Transportation Policy Team, discussed the LIP process and has sent in this briefing note.

* LIP stands for (Transport) Local Implementation Plan. It's a document which all boroughs are legally required to produce, to show how they intend to implement the Mayor of London's Transport Strategy in their area.

* We have to submit it to the Mayor by July 2005. We intend to issue a draft for public consultation in January, but there is also an opportunity for key stakeholders, such as HFCC, to have an early input before Xmas.

* TfL have produced a list of 66 items that we "must" include in it the LIP and 34 that we are "encouraged" to include.

* in the cycling section, the "musts" are:
- Include details local borough action to support the London Cycling Action plan (TfL cycling strategy objectives) (Note- the council produced its own cycling strategy last year which we intend to include as an appendix to the LIP)
-Set out implementation programmes for London Cycle Network (plus)
- Include a programme for review of key cyclist accident locations, and include this in the "Red Route" reviews of A roads and busy bus routes which we have to do.
- Include details of cycle audit procedures
- Include details of programme proposals for additional cycle access and secure cycle parking facilities
- Include details of adult and child cyclist training programmes (including awareness of problems caused by cycling on footways

We are encouraged to set out how we consult with cyclist user groups and undertake and support measures to make the cycling environment safer and more convenient.

There will be other elements of the LIP which affect cyclists, such as traffic reduction (inner west London has a target of 2%) and 20mph zones, streets for people, town centres.

COMMENTS and QUERIES should be sent to me - chris.bainbridge@lbhf.gov.uk.

JOHN G: Thank you Chris, and I hope that we will be able to help. Either individually or at our next meeting. Concerning cycle lanes, it is good that Roger Khanna said that if there is a regular problem area, and you point that out, we will deal with it. What would be REALLY GOOD is if you took the initiative yourselves.

JOHN S: You have put in all these lanes but you do not deal with keeping them clear.

CHRIS B: We could never have the resources to keep them all clear all of the time, and in many places off-peak loading is necessary, but we are trying to improve our enforcement, e.g. by installing more CCTV cameras.

JONATHAN G: Good to promote carriage of cycles on trains. Make a lot of journeys possible and reduce car use.

JOHN G: Martin Twedell and Catherine Sangster from the bbc's Bicycle Users Group have been asking how they can make input into the Council on matters to do with Wood Lane

CHRIS B: We have a lot of correspondence from the bbc about Wood Lane and other issues. Suggest they write to me.

SBG - GOLDHAWK RD JUNCTION

ROB C: It is a disaster. Very difficult to cross the traffic to get to cycle route on the right hand side

CHRIS B: 80% approval for it in a survey. hfcyclists have asked that we make the islands shared use, but. guidelines from LCN, LCC, CTC, DfT say you should only have shared use where there are few pedestrians or few cyclists, neither of which applies here

SBG - UXBRIDGE RD JUNCTION

CHRIS B: We agreed there were some problems, including a cycle lane crossing all pedestrian flow coming from the Uxbridge rd. I wrote to Cycling Centre of excellence, who replied that they do not wish to arbitrate in the matter. There will be a safety audit and I have asked them to not only deal with present cyclist numbers but also deal with expected numbers of cyclists. A raised divider is going to be removed. We plan to demolish the old toilet building on the corner as the cycle route goes straight towards it. The tram may come before too long so it may only be a temporary measure anyway.

[John G still unhappy that a major review could not have been undertaken rapidly, that more space was not made available for cyclists. The islands are being dug up now.]

HAMMERSMITH BWY

BERNARD: Consensus at last meeting here was that it was a very good route.

JOHN S: I do not think that was so.

Confusion whether Transport Management Advisory Panel rejected it or said come back with change.

CHRIS B: It was not rejected and the panel asked for it to be represented, with details made clear.

BILL O: My source [presumably a Panel member] spoke to me after the meeting and told me clearly that it had been rejected.

JOHN G: I was at the meeting and believe that the application was rejected, or rather not recommended. Another application that would give consideration to the concerns raised by the panel could of course be submitted.

[I have asked the officer in charge of TMAP to clarify this. Minutes of meeting to be agreed by the Panel on 13 December, after which we will be sent a copy. The officer states "The decision was, in principle, to ask for a revised report to come back to the Panel as soon as possible, as there were misgivings about some details." - (I am astounded by this -John G)]

EMAILS TO THE COUNCIL

John G has been corresponding with Chris Bainbridge and Cllr Andrew Slaughter by email recently. The matter mainly concerns the layout of the cycle lanes at the Uxbridge Rd junction at SBG, the speed with which it can be reviewed, and what constitutes consultation and community involvement, especially with regard to the Broadway. John is of the opinion that the consultation over the Broadway was just to endorse what the council wanted to do, without having much regard to input. It was also keeping BGOP [Better Government for Older People] in the dark about any problems it may cause to older pedestrians. The Council claims to operate Best Value principles and community involvement etc.

Bernard was upset that any offence might have been caused, any feathers ruffled. He thought that all communications to the Council should be by committee.

[As things have to happen rapidly that is not very practical. Also few people have chosen to involve themselves to the point where they understand the details of what is going on. Whether John G is being unnecessarily haranguing or difficult can be discussed at the next meeting]

CHRIS B: Transport dept likely to codify how it deals with the public. May mean less informal access.

BERNARD B hoped that that would not happen. Asked what the Council thought of hfcyclists.

CHRIS B: That it was a one man show. Council officers had concerns about some of JG's methods.

LOUANNE T: In dealing with some other parts of the Council, amenity groups very assertive, critical of officers, and yet these officers do not take offence at criticisms.

GREEN TRAVEL PLANS

CHRIS B: Schools will have to produce green travel plans. Schedules on when schools have to have this done. Richard Evans working for LBHF part time on green travel plans. Working alongside Gwen Cooke and taking over. [Richard Evans is the National co-ordinator for car free day / in town without my car. Very good news.]

ROLE OF OFFICERS

BERNARD B: Each officer should carry out their own role. The chair should not be writing the minutes

PHILIP L/ LOUANNE T: The role of secretary is to call meetings and perhaps take minutes.

JOHN G We need to fill the role of secretary for the purposes of the constitution and grant applications. If the secretary cannot come to every meeting that is an undue burden.

LOUANNE T John has been keeping the group going for several years. Nobody else does any of the work.

JOHN G: It would be good if someone else would take minutes. [They are also notes that give some background info occasionally. It requires some knowledge of what is going on] We would welcome more people being really involved keeping the group going.

EBUNI

Ebuni showed her light weight plastic cycling cape that she had designed and was promoting. Several people tried it on and sat on a bike with it and rode around. Some comments included -it is so light weight that it might lift up with air underneath it. - It might tear easily. - it maybe difficult to give hand signals -If you are carrying a largish bag on your back it would be rather tight. Some liked it.

Ebuni hopes to market it widely at next years cycling events. see:
http://www.spacecape-enterprise.co.uk

EXPENSES
JOHN G had expenses of £9.96 for food and juice and £5.98 for wine = £15.94

DATE OF NEXT MEETING
TUESDAY DECEMBER 14 at 7.30pm

John Griffiths
020 7371 1290 / 07789 095 748
john@truefeelings.com
OUR WEBSITE www.hfcyclists.org.uk