metMar03

NOTES ON HFCYCLISTS MEETING
Tuesday 4 February 2003, 7.30pm in the info centre

Present: John Griffiths, Jane Knight, Sue Mullins, Ray Warleigh, Andy Weeks

Apologies: Cllrs Charlie Boyle, Gavin Donovan, Stephen Burke, Andrew Jones; Mark Alderton, Chris Bainbridge, Alex Forrest, Bill Ogden, Paul Alexander, Grevil Quinn, John Gilbert [who unfortunately fell out of a skip], Louanne Tranchell, Chris Tranchell, Alan Pearson, Sarah Schubinsky.

MAX

For those of you who knew him, Max is now unfortunately an ex-Max.

CYCLE PARKING AT TESCO'S / BROOK GREEN

Alan Pearson has complained to the management of Tesco's concerning the inadequate cycle parking facilities at Tesco's and has copied John into the email. John suggested to Alan that Alan write to the Chairman.

At the meeting, and from email messages, this seems a popular cause. Not only are there only 4 Sheffield stands, but they have recently been moved from a well lit area near the entrance to a darker spot further away. Apparently the stands are of a toast-rack variety rather than being individually planted, and the rack is not fastened to the ground.

Andy was keen on pursuing this on behalf of the group, and Jane would like to pursue on behalf of Friends of the Earth. Andy might try and chat to the store manager. John will email them with the information he has from Alan and put them in touch with Alan.

HAMMERSMITH BRIDGE ROADWAY

At the recent meeting with Roger Khanna [http://www.hfcyclists.org.uk/rk.htm], Cllr Charlie Boyle asked if there could be a 20mph speed limit on the bridge. RK said No, that it would be unenforceable. At the meeting RK also said that the way to achieve things is to look for Best Practice, see if it is being done better elsewhere, then we will do it.

More recently [25 Feb 03] Charlie emailed RK saying 20mph limit on Tower Bridge. RK said that it was City police who enforced, not Met. John emailed RK saying at Lonsdale rd, Barnes and elsewhere there are new signs that flash saying "slow down" if your speed is detected over 20mph. [Ray has tested this]. RK said that there are many such trials emanating from Suffolk, but the problem is that the Council is not the enforcement agency, it is the Met and they do not have the available resources to enforce 20mph limit. [note: RK seems to think the Met have the resources to arrest cyclists on the walkways of the bridge]

John considered the main threat the sense of being squeezed by buses passing at high speed and very close to you as you went between the stanchions. Perhaps bus speeds could be limited over the bridge?

Jane mentioned that Groundwork and Safe Routes to School might help.

Way forward: Develop a strong case, bring in Jenny Jones, the GLA road safety person, Sue to chat to Cllr Mike Cartwright [the ward Councillor]. John, Ray, Andy [and presumably Charlie] will pursue.

HAMMERSMITH BROADWAY

The new cycling route is being put in on the pavements. It runs from Shortlands, past the Novotel, crosses the Talgarth rd, dismounts down the pedestrian subway under the Fulham Palace rd, and on towards the A4. Sue says she uses the subway regularly and does not find it a problem. Will many cyclists want to go down a subway? Is the Council doing any before and after surveys?

Ray says the route he takes is from Hammersmith rd, to cut across at the lights to the pavement on the central island, nip around to the exit to the bus station opposite FPR. He then waits for the lights, and nips across the traffic so he is placed to proceed towards Queen Caroline st. John thinks that a survey of how people actually deal with the problems on road may lead to sensible solutions for users coming from all directions.

HOW TO INCREASE OUR ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

John has given out leaflets to cyclists at the Olympia bridge and at Riverside mall on the previous day. [bit like giving out water at the Tour de France]. He gave small bundles to Sue and Ray.

PLEASE print some off yourself to carry with you and to give to fellow cyclists stopped beside you at lights etc, they are at http://www.hfcyclists.org.uk/leaflet.htm. This would be a very useful way in which you can help the group.

Ray said he picked up his leaflet at Bushwackers. John will order leaflet dispensers to put in bikeshops and libraries and places like Bushwakers. Jane suggested putting notices in voluntary group newsletters.

PLANNING FUTURE EVENTS

12 APRIL 2003 Saturday
As part of H&F Festival Chris Bainbridge has invited York's Company-of-Cyclists Try-out Roadshow to come to Bishops Park. Many strange and wonderful things to be tried out, as well as some normal bikes. Please come and make it a spectacular day.

We are invited to have a stand there. This is our chance to start organising how to deal with the public in a dynamic way, rather than just giving out leaflets. Please contact John if you wish to be involved.

[same day there is Community Spirit event in Kings Mall, also tree planting celebration at the Scrubs. Jane says FoE hope to muster six people to cover these events. We may be able to squeeze a bit of input onto FoE stand. If there is a mass response to this email we may be able to have a stand in the Kings Mall to press for public opinion on Surface Level Crossings of Broadway.]

13 APRIL 2003 Sunday
As part of H&F Festival we are having a Spring celebration ride to Richmond Park. Suitable for all the family. Mainly on paths and quiet roads. Bring picnic. Meet 11.45am for 12noon departure at Furnival Gdns beside the river. Back by 4.30pm. Please come along / help with support.

14 JUNE 2003 Saturday
BikeWeek event. Barbecue on beach in front of Royal Festival Hall in the evening.

22 JUNE 2003 Sunday
BikeWeek event
West London Green Festival [provisional title]. Something that we are in the first throes of planning, in collaboration with other local LCC groups.

The idea is for an event in Bishops Park. Voluntary / environmental groups would be invited to engage with the visitors and to promote themselves and their causes. There will be a mass picnic with people encouraged to join in music making. Somewhere amongst this there will be things to promote cycling.

John has applied for a grant from London Cycling Campaign to promote and run the event. He has applied to the Council to use the park for the day. Waiting on both.

The ethos behind John's thinking is to run the event without paying out money unless essential. One reason behind this is that there is no money to hand out. The other is that John thinks that it makes it difficult to expect some people do give their time and energy and creative effort for free if some other people are paid for their time.

Jane thought it was good to be able to pay performers as at Car Free Day, as they relied on sources like this.

John said we could control whom we invited, and there would be no need to invite any entity that had given us problems in the past.

John said that he would put together a group to organise it. A group that would make the planning process a pleasure and be effective without conflicts. [We need not include anyone that had caused problems to the group or stress in the past.]

THE CYCLING STRATEGY

Chris Bainbridge says Roger Khanna would like to have his input into this draft strategy. So instead of going to deputies for approval in March it will be delayed a month. The upside of this is that if we want to suggest anything else we have the opportunity.

THE TRAM

Details about the tram are slowly leaking out. John has been given a set of plans by the Ealing group of the LCC. They were handed out by TfL to community representatives at a meeting in Ealing. LBHF were confused as to whether these plans were secret or not. There may be more detailed plans that have not yet been released.

Consultation in LBHF over the tram has been, and is, very poor. One has to get information from the protest sites that have sprung up. Sam Covington has set up "Save Shepherds Bush Streets" at www.ssbs.org.uk. Ealing's save our streets is the centre of information.

The problem is that anyone who thinks they may be disadvantaged by the plans is violently opposed to the tram. This includes people who fear that their quiet back streets will become rat runs or used as major thoroughfares. Nobody is actively waving flags for the tram.

Jane is in favour of the tram, but would understand how you could be upset if your street became the main drag. Louanne in a phone conservation this morning said that the Croydon tram had vitalised that area and was a blessing. Rik in a recent email praised the West London tram and hoped it would go all the way to Holborn.

In LBHF the two tramways occupy a 6m wide strip taken out of the middle of the road. There is one 4m lane either side of this for all other traffic. The tram will have fewer stops than buses do. Other traffic is excluded from the tramways. The tram will have a modified garage door opener to set traffic lights in its favour.

One problem is what happens if the regular traffic in its single lane gets blocked. Say a bus breaks down or there is a traffic incident. With only one lane what happens?

Another problem is evaporation. The Eastbound traffic in the area around Shepherds Bush Hammersmith and City line Station just evaporates. Where will it go? This uncertainty [or not depending upon your security clearance] may cause some difficulty for those officers pressing the case for the tram.

The tram loading areas may also present problems.

We hope that cycling will be made easier down the Uxbridge rd if these plans are accepted. We are linking up with other LCC groups along the line to discuss the proposals.

EXPENSES

John had spent £9.77 on 3 bottles of wine. Only one drunk. 2 put in cellars for future meetings. Also £2 on guillotining leaflets.

NEXT MEETINGS

Tuesdays 1 April, 6 May, 3 June. 7.30pm at Info Centre. PUT in diary NOW please.

John Griffiths [co-ordinator hfcyclists]
020 7371 1290
07789 095 748
john@truefeelings.com
our website www.hfcyclists.org.uk