metSeptember06

NOTES OF HFCYCLISTS MEETING
Tuesday 5 September 2006 , 7.15pm for 7.30pm in the Info Centre

PRESENT: John Griffiths, Brian Assiter, Gwen Cook, John Gilbert, Louanne Tranchell, John Smits, Bill Ogden, Gerry Berridgre, Paul Alexander.

APOLOGIES; Mo Morgan, Susie Gretz, Zuzana Simcova, Andy Ellard, Elizabeth James, Jane Egg, Jonathan Gurney, Jane Knight, Chris Tranchell, Bjorn Volk.

GREETINGS TO NEW LBHF OFFICERS
We welcome Graeme Swinburne to the borough. He has started working in a joint position with RBKC as Transport Planner. We hope he will come to one of our meetings. John Griffiths will send him an invite. We also welcome Bjorn Volk who has joined the transport planning team.

CYCLE PARKING at CHARING CROSS HOSPITAL
Jane Knight has recently been looking at ways to improve cycle parking at the hospital. Yesterday Jane and Bjorn Volk and John Griffiths had a look around the grounds seeing where space might be available. John Smits noted that the car park near the corner or St Dunstans rd normally has a lot of space in it. If you have any suggestions or comments please feed them to Jane at nettle@onetel.com.

Soon Chris Bainbridge and Bjorn Volk will go to a meeting of West London Travel Planners concerning travel plans for the Hammersmith Hospital Trust.

KING STREET
John Griffiths went to a meeting of the LBHF Cleaner and Greener Scrutiny Panel. Mike Gilroy [lbhf] gave a presentation on King street. Phase 2, Leamore Street to Macbeth Street will start soon, and should be finished before the final Christmas shopping spree. Cycle stands will be put in, some parallel to the kerb, which is also useful to stop vehicles mounting the pavement. The chair of that meeting, Cllr Eugenie White, pointed out that is easier and cheaper to put them in at time of road works than at a later time.

John will write to Mike Gilroy urging lbhf to consider being generous with the number of stands they put in, as cycling is expected to increase, it will be costly to install them later, and cyclists spend a lot of money in the shops.

There was discussion on whether there should be a formula or guidelines for how many are put in.

DEFUNCT BIKES
At yesterdays CGSP John asked what is done about defunct bikes. The Operational Services Manager replied that an obstructing bike can be given a ticket saying that the bike will be removed in 24hours, it is then has to be stored for 28 days before disposal. This presumably only for obstruction, as opposed to for aesthetic reasons and for freeing bike stands. Several members of the Scrutiny panel considered it a problem that should be addressed.

Brian has done a count of defunct bikes at Shepherds Bush Green prior to coming to the meeting. There were 3 defunct bikes on the 11 stands outside the Central line station, and 5 defunct bikes attached to the railings outside the W12 Centre on the other side of the road. [On the way home John counted 4 defunct bikes on the stands near the taxi rank outside the Piccadilly line entrance].

Brian suggested that often a bike has a wheel stolen or is damaged by vandalism, and it is then slowly picked to pieces. Bill said 2 bikes were stolen from his street in the last few days, and John Griffiths has seen 2 bikes with rear wheels removed across from his place this week.

We would like a system to remove these defunct bikes. It should give more than 24 hours notice, 14 days perhaps, and the bikes should not end up as landfill.

There is a problem as to which authority would deal with ticketing the bikes and removing them, but as the Borough makes claims to being Cleaner and Greener, there should be someone out there who will do it.

It is believed that RBKC has a system for dealing with such bikes.

Perhaps the bikes will end up at an auction where people can fix them up for resale. Or can we get them shipped to Africa to be fixed up there. John Gilbert and Bill Ogden have had some experience with recycling / workshop systems and noted funding would be needed for setting up workshops to fix up the bikes.

John Griffiths will write to the Council urging them to consider the problem. At our meeting at the hospital yesterday Jane and John discussed the problem with Bjorn Volk.

There was a Cycle Crime committee involving LBHF and the police, but this has gone quiet recently. John Griffiths will also check what is happening to this.

EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK 16 - 22 September
http://www.mobilityweek-europe.org/
http://tinyurl.com/pauoy all cities
http://tinyurl.com/ozh7p lbhf
and see the two items below.

SANDS END FETE
Saturday 16 September. As part of European Mobility Week. Community event, with some cycling training and Rickshaw rides, but we are not sure of details. If interested in being involved contact john Griffiths as below.

IN TOWN WITHOUT MY CAR
22 September, Robert Evans MEP, will be attending the Brent Car Free Day in St Johns Road, Wembley at lunch time where the street will be closed all day. He is hoping to join a pre-work ride in H&F if we can get enough people together. If you can join in please liaise with Chris Tranchell on hammersmithcomtrust@runbox.com

TIME OF YOUR LIFE
Event on Friday 6 October, where cycling will be promoted to older people. Gwen Cook is involved in organising a cycling component of this event put on by BGOP, Better Government for Older People. The event is in the Town Hall, and the cycling part in an outside marquee. The event from 10am to 4pm, the cycling part from 11am to 3pm. There will be 2 cycle instructors there using bikes from Pedal Power and 2 Doctor bikes, all funded by Good Going. If you can spare any time to go along and help, please contact Gwen on gwen.cook@btinternet.com . John Griffiths can deliver some promotional material in the morning, and Gerry said she would help.

WEST LONDON GREEN FESTIVAL
We hope to organise this again next year. Either Parsons Green or Furnival Gardens. Parsons Green has the advantage of funding that comes from Groundwork -West London / Chelsea Football Club that may not be available for Furnival Gardens. See www.greenfest.org.uk.

ANY RIDES?
John Griffiths will lead an ultra short Chaos ride leaving this Saturday at 5pm. Meet in Furnival gardens by the river wall for quick trip to see if any cars will be floating away in the very high tide in Chiswick Mall. Could also nip down to Putney.
Please let John know if you expect to come along.
020 7371 1290 / 07789 095 748, john@truefeelings.com.

If you want to lead a ride soon let us know.

PROMOTION
There is a word document / pdf file on our website that can be chopped up into 3 promotional leaflets that you can give to a cyclist you might come across. An opportunity for brief encounters and a chat which may lead somewhere.

www.hfcyclists.org.uk/leaflet.doc
www.hfcyclists.org.uk/leaflet.pdf

EXPENSES
John Griffiths had expenses of £17.12 for tonight's refreshments.

DATE FOR NEXT MEETING
Tuesday 3rd October, 7.15 for 7.30pm. at info centre.

John Griffiths [chair / co-ordinator]
020 7371 1290 / 07789 095 748
john@truefeelings.com
OUR WEBSITE www.hfcyclists.org.uk