Author: Arnold Ridout

With autumn setting in we met via Zoom.

The partnership with Ambition, Aspire, Achieve children’s bike club will be continuing with a maintenance session on the morning of 16 November and a ride with the children on 19 November. Please get in touch if you wish to help on either of these events.

Bike from Boleyn on 9 October went well and established our partnership with Pedal to the Pitch. We will be planning a further ride for the spring when the clocks go back.

The ride calendar for 2022 has almost run its course (except for the Christmas Lights Ride on 11 December) and planning for the 2023 ride calendar will be starting soon. If you have a ride you would like to lead get in touch. We are still looking at a ride around the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

The last Fix Your Ride session at Woodgrange Market for of 2023 is planned for 12 November.

Lots of discussion took place on infrastructure developments ahead of a planned catch up meeting with Newham Council officers on 18 November. Key issues discussed were:

• Progress on the “Woodgrange” and “Capel” Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs 5 and 6).
• Complementary measures for the existing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods now that they have become permanent.
• Romford Road. There is need for clarity on at there now appear to be two sources of funding (Government Levelling UP and TfL Local Implementation Plan funding. There is a need to ensure that improvements to Romford Rd itself are not abandoned in favour of nearby back street routes and to ensure that TfL does not detract from cycle provision to promote bus priority, as has been the case with Barking Rd. A meeting and walkabout with the Council’s project officer is scheduled for 22 November in Forest Gate.
• The Bromley by Bow Gasworks development is a good opportunity, in the medium to long term, to improve active travel permeability and complements the same builders current Twelvetrees development. Newham Cyclists met with the representatives of the developer on 5 October.
• There were clarifications needed following the Council meeting of 17 October in relation north-south permeability in the borough, the Leaway and EV charging.
• There were chances to make representations on developments in the QEOP, particularly in relation to East Village, the Leyton Ladder and Chobham Manor.

Alternative monthly meeting dates/weekday/time proposals and considerations. Reference was made to the discussion on this issue the previous month. Jonathan agreed to take the lead on this.

Next meeting is 28 November and we agreed, in principle, a social in early December.

If you would like any further information on any of the above matters please contact me.

Arnold

Our thanks to Ambition, Aspire, Achieve for providing a venue.

Our rides calendar is continuing.

• The rearranged Bike from Boleyn is now taking place on 9 October. If anyone who has not already signed up is available to marshal on this day please contact me.
• We will be assisting Woodcraft Folk on an evening ride on 28 September. Again if anyone would like to help on this please contact Bill. Woodcraft have expressed their thanks for our involvement to date.
• The next Newham Ride is scheduled for 16 October.
• There is a possible partnership with those involved with the Queen’s Market regeneration programme with a view to a Newham history based ride. It was agreed to take this forward as it can provide a new variation on the Newham rides.

The partnership with the children’s cycle club of Ambition, Aspire, Achieve is continuing. there will be a bike maintenance session at the Abbey Hub on 1 October .. we will be looking to arrange further midweek maintenance sessions and also Saturday rides. Again if you would like to participate in any of these activities get in touch with me.

The next Fix your Ride is scheduled for 8 October. September’s event was busy.

A lot is going on in relation to infrastructure:

• A number of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) have been made permanent. This is good news. it opens the opportunity for complementary enhancements such as the crossing of Water Lane between 2 LTNs, and opens the way for a right turn into Dames Rd.
• The Council have leafleted their decision explore the Woodgrange and Capel LTNs including preparing designs. We considered the need to pursue the actual data so far collected and the proposed designs. In this context we discussed how a more comprehensive coverage of information about LTNs and other topics could be achieved by the Council including what was actually possible.
• The Romford Rd improvement scheme is progressing, with an event scheduled by the Council for 22 October. Details yet to be revealed, but a date for diaries as this should include a meeting between ourselves and the design team in addition to the launch of a data collection project. In the meantime we have helped publicise the data collection project.
• Now TfL had agreed a funding package with the government the Council are likely to be in the process of formulation their LIP bid – the process whereby TfL fund local transport projects.
• There are a number of major developments being followed. These include Custom House Regeneration where comments had been submitted and and responses received from local councillors and the Council’s regeneration officer. At Crown Wharf (which is an important site currently blocking the completion of the Leaway) we are still waiting for a promised contact from the consultants engaged to prepare a transport assessment. We agree to contact councillors and the developers direct with our suggestions if this was not forthcoming soon. Our response to the Beckton Riverside consultation was sent to Sir Stephen Timms who supported the Roding Way – Thames Path linkage by writing to the Newham Council’s Chief Executive. We are engaging with the developers of the Bow Gasworks Estate.
• We agreed to seek a further catch-up meeting with the Council’s sustainable transport team.

The LCC AGM and Community Skills Summit is on Saturday 15 October. details and registration link are in the post below.

There has been contact with the Redbridge Cyclists Co-ordinator, particularly on that council’s sub-optimal plans for the Ilford Hill. Both groups are unsure what is happening with the Ilford Gardens scheme under the A406 bridge.

Any group response to the unfortunate developments in Tower Hamlets would need to go through LCC. It was agreed that rather than a group response individuals should be invited to comment.

The new Sustainable Transport Officer for Newham, Su Guy, has agreed to come to a future meeting.

We discussed the timing and venue for future meetings. Finding a venue and making changes to the timing requires further consultation for which a volunteer is needed.

If you would like further information on any of the above please contact me.

Arnold

A select band avoided the rain to ride Cycleway 16 to look at Temple Mill Lane East, and in particular the crossing over the railway line. Whilst we were there only a small minority of those on bicycles used the eastbound shared path despite the considerable danger from westbound buses. We decided to formulate a list of possible solutions starting with a possible diversion of the buses.

Afterwards we discussed the follow up to the Climate Safe Streets Campaign in the light of the forthcoming meeting between ourselves and Better Streets/20’s Plenty with Councillor Asser.

Next meeting is the Annual Meeting on 27 June.

Arnold