metDec07
NOTES OF HFCYCLISTS MEETING
Tuesday 4 December 2007 , 7.15pm for 7.30pm in the Info Centre
PRESENT: John Griffiths, Mark Fossick, Bjorn Volk [lbhf], Belinda Shattock, Bill Ogden, Amanda Carter, David Marsh, Gerry Berridge, Paul Alexander, Susie Gretz, Alan Rowden.
APOLOGIES: Cllr Eugenie White, Douglas Chambers, Gwen Cook, John Gilbert, Andy Ellard, Roger de Freitas, Chris Tranchell, Louanne Tranchell.
THIS MEETING WAS PARTLY A SOCIAL OCCASION / PARTY.
GREENFEST West London
The present funding position is very good compared to previous years. We have £1k from Nat Geo Wild, and £3k from a LBHF small fast track grant. Bjorn explained that from travel awareness funding we should expect a further £3k in March with £500 contingency money. Of that £3k half should be spent on travel awareness related items.
John has applied for the group to use Furnivall Gardens beside the river for Sunday 15 June 2008. John has sent Jan Goulstone of LBHF Education dept a notice which Jan has sent to all schools in LBHF to see if any school wants to participate in some project.
John is hoping to get together a harmonious group that would work well
together to plan and organise the event. Bjorn, Mark, Susie, Belinda,
Gerry, Amanda were happy to be involved. Others who helped last year and
will probably be involved include Marlene Pope, and Christopher Harris
and Katie Watson from London Sustainability Weeks. There may be people
from other West London LCC groups. There may be others.
John noted Gwen Cook's interest in being involved. We discussed this and suggest she comes to the January meeting to see in what capacity she can best contribute.
There were many suggestions for the Greenfest, including having people drawing portraits, a beer tent [licensing problems, and in our application have not included], UK Style and Gardens and UK TV food, and Chiswick Kitchen Garden.
WESTFIELD
On Monday 26 November John Griffiths and Tom Bogdanowicz of the London Cycling Campaign met with some LBHF Highways officers to discuss what can be done for cycling at Shepherds Bush Green. The Highways officers were Mike Gilroy, Nick Boyle, Dion Hallett, Colin Glendenning. It was a very useful meeting.
The essence of that meeting was that the traffic modelling was completed
and that although Highways would alter things to help where possible there
was little that could be done without interfering with the flow of traffic.
We discussed where improvements for cyclists might be made.
John claimed that the modelling was done on unclear assumptions. In the model there is no unacceptable queuing. John believes that if the modelling was done on more realistic assumptions of visitor numbers and network conditions, it would show queuing, and even gridlock to a wide area of West London.
Agreed notes of that meeting, and other files referred to, can be found at http://www.hfcyclists.org.uk/SBGopen.htm
Following that meeting John sent some questions to LBHF, to be forwarded to Halcrow, the transport consultants for Westfield, hoping for clarification of some of the assumptions behind the modelling.
John's view is that transport policy and urban design are being driven by the results of flawed traffic modelling. What should be happening is that the design and policy should come first, and if there is not space for all the cars to get through then some measures should be taken to reduce the number of cars.
On 3 December 2007 john sent off a file to be forwarded Nick Morris, who is the Network Management manager for TfL. Network management looks at the smooth running of traffic on the road network, and pedestrians and cyclists are included in the term traffic.
This file questions the assumptions on which the modelling is based. It requested that TfL revisit the modelling. It also suggested they consider imposing a toll on the Westfield car park to reduce the number of visitors coming by car.
Bill thought it absurd that
the file mentioned suggesting a toll charge for the car park. It would
be bad for Westfield business. LBHF Councillors would just laugh.
John pointed out that if it was found necessary to have a toll and LBHF
took the initiative, rather than TfL or the Mayor, it might be LBHF that
gets the money.
Bill thought we should take a softer approach towards Westfield and mention that under the UDP and LCN+ etc they must be nice to cyclists. John pointed out that he had been going to Westfield Cycling Strategy meetings for many months, waving UDP's and LCN+'s etc. Their approach is that as the roadways of SBG are not shown as cycle routes the roads are not recommended for cycling. Our responses to Westfield's draft responses can be found as above.
Bill, who is on the Local Borough Partnership, was somewhat critical of John's approach and thought it was important to go to the top person in order to affect any change. Bill was going to suggest John meet his contact who is in charge of Westfield, but did not think they would like to hear the words toll charge. Perhaps such a meeting could address gridlock, which would affect Westfield just as badly as everyone else.
Bill is going to a meeting on the day following tonight's meeting, and will mention the subject to some LBHF Councillors. He may write to the group clarifying his views.
Bill and Paul related how at other shopping centres they often come across long queues. If it gets too bad the police simply sort it out by moving people on. In this case, where to?
It was suggested that John sends the file to Ken Livingstone. Amanda thought we should bring the problems to the attention of the local papers.
BIKE BOMBS
One thing that came out of the meeting with Highways on 26 November was that there could be no cycle parking outside the Central Line station and along Wood Lane, on the advice of the anti-terrorist police. People may stuff the bike frame with explosives.
John has received two emails, that have been sent or sent on to LBHF Highways, from moderately respected and influential people [not attributed at moment without their permission] saying
***********
The Bike Bomb concept surely was more relevant during IRA bombing. All
Islamic fundamentalist bombing has been suicide style and hence not about
the bomber being able to get away.
*************
a) how many bike bombs have there ever been ? I remember one in the IRA
days 25 years ago.
b) in the age of suicide bombers , it seems daft to prevent bikes from
parking ?
c) the bikes would be yards from the main road and anyone could drive
a 32 tonne artic loaded with explosives and destroy half the centre at
any time .... so why worry about bike bombs ?
**********
BIKE COUNT
Susie Gretz did a bike count on a very cold but dry morning at the Holland park roundabout on Friday 23 November between 8am and 9am. It showed 207 cyclists, with an average of 4.6 cyclists per 80 second light change. The peak flow was 9 cyclists/ light change. This was in preparation for the meeting with Highways on the following Monday.
Paul suggested we give her a vote of thanks, which we did.
VOX POP
Amanda with her daughter has produced a lovely 5 minute vox pop at the London Freewheel event. It consists of interviews with people on the subject of safe cycling. It can be found here. http://files.hfcyclists.org.uk/SafeCycling.mp3
RIDES, EVENTS, ETC?
SATURDAY 8th DECEMBER
NATIONAL CLIMATE MARCH / GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION
Join people all around the world to demand that world leaders take the
urgent action we need to prevent the catastrophic destabilisation of global
climate. The National Demo in London will be one of many demonstrations
on climate taking place all around the world on the same day, midway through
the UN Climate Talks in Bali. Includes cycling protest.
Website : www.campaigncc.org
SUNDAY 9 December 10.30am
RIDE TO JOIN OTHER LCC GROUPS across SW London for XMAS LUNCH in Richmond.
Meet for 10.30am departure from Furnivall Gardens, beside river, 100m
west of Hammersmith Bridge, north side of river.
The traditional LCC SW groups Xmas lunch ride to the Richmond White Cross
Hotel. We aim to get to the pub by 12 to meet up with other LCC groups.
Contact john as below.
XMAS / NEW YEAR RIDE
Douglas Chambers is happy to organise a ride in the week before Christmas
and/or over the New Year. dc.1984[at]yahoo.co.uk
EXPENSES:
John had expenses of £27.80 + £8.09 = £ 35.89 refreshments
and £10.58 web fee.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday 7 January 2008, 7.15 pm for 7.30pm
Please put in diary NOW. There will be some refreshments. We hope to see you.
NOTE, CHECK VENUE WITH JOHN [as below], or read agenda carefully as this will be the second Tuesday of the month, and there may be a clash at the info centre.
John Griffiths [chair / co-ordinator]
020 7371 1290 / 07789 095 748
john[at]truefeelings.com
OUR WEBSITE www.hfcyclists.org.uk