hfcyclists
the bureaucracy

Understanding the strategies and funding of cycling

In LBHF the Environment Dept includes a Transportation Policy Team and a Highways Dept.

The Transportation Policy Team apply for funding for cycling schemes and use consultants to try and come up with answers. They also deal with Green travel plans and things like cycle parking. They also deal with important things like buses and trams and pedestrians.

The Transportation Policy Team are responsible for producing the LIP, the Local Implementation Plan. This is a 5 year plan showing how LBHF will implement the London Cycling Action Plan and the Mayor's Transport Strategy. Our response to the draft LIP here. The LIP should be finished by early 2006.

The funding for cycling projects comes from people like LCN+, London Cycling Network Plus. That is a London-wide body, financed by TfL [Transport for London], attempting to provide high quality strategic solutions. The LCN+ is divided into sectors. LBHF is in the NW sector. We have been priviliged to attend some of these meetings.

The Highways dept spends its money maintaining the roads. As cycling is a part of the traffic, and by having a modal shift from cars to cycles one can help reduce congestion and pollution, we would like to see the Highways dept more concerned with cycling. However their motto appears to be "Don't play with the traffic" [response - we are the traffic]. They are good at filling in potholes. They are also be reponsible for Home Zones, which are a good thing.

In the past we may have been critical of the liaison between the two departments. In the past we may also at times have felt that consultation with us was for form, rather than for the purpose of listening.

The Council staff are called Officers. Theoretically the elected Councillors have some say in how they operate. Fear of being unelected, or losing controlling power, may influence some Councillors.

There is an Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel where some Councillors and representatives of groups scrutinise Council Officers. We go along to these meetings but do not have a seat on the panel. The meetings are rather polite and have been likened to being savaged by a wet mackerel.

These days we have a good relation with many Council Officers and Councillors. see who's who

The LCC has about 250 members in LBHF. We have about 250 members on our email lists, with probably about an overlap of about 50. We would like to influence things for the benefit of everyone, in a win-win situation.

If you keen to be involved in the engineering and political side, it is good to join the email group lcc-issues. Send an email saying who you are to to:
lcc-issues-subscribe@yahoogroups.com . Also contact the hfcyclists co-ordinator to see how you can be involved.