metOctober09

Notes of HFCYCLISTS MEETING

Wednesday 7 October 2009, 7.15pm for 7.30pm at the home of Sharon Norris,
48b Overstone rd, Hammersmith, W6 0AB

PRESENT: Sharon Norris, Owen Powell, Susie Gretz, Julie Askins, John Griffiths, Ayse Kardes, Petrona, Lynton McLain, Colin Murphy, Melanie Miller, John Wright.

APOLOGIES: Stephen Burke, Paul Saunderson, Gerry Berridge, Paul Alexander, Bill Ogden, Phil Lamond, Sharon Khan.

SKYRIDE

Sunday 20th September 10am - 4pm. Those here who went on the Skyride enjoyed it a lot. Congratulations to all who acted as marshals or took part.

The London Cycling Campaign had undertaken to lead feeder rides to the central area. Our group had been asked to organise the led rides from Ravenscourt Park. However no one had come forward to carry out the role of ride leader. The LCC engaged Bea to lead the first ride. A couple of days before the ride the LCC approached Paul Saunderson who had enrolled as a marshal and promoted him to this role for the second ride. Paul will be given £50 for his expenses and our group will receive £150 for our involvement such that it was. This money comes from the GLA.

Gerry had gone along to Ravenscourt Park and collected over 60 email addresses to join our email group. We all thanked her for this. These addresses are now being added slowly at the rate of 10 per day, which is all yahoo groups allow you to add without the person needing to have a yahoo identity. We encourage those joining our local group to support the aims of the LCC by becoming members of the LCC - www.lcc.org.uk.

There was some criticism of the organisation of the Skyride. This included safety issues to do with overcrowding at some places and poor communication before the event for those involved in helping.

RIDES

It has been suggested that local LCC groups organise led rides to THE - WAVE Saturday 5 December - see http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

October 25 - Melanie suggested a ride to Borough Market for Apple day

Sharon suggested a trip to Islay for whisky tasting, perhaps next year. Please contact her if you might be interested - 07977 092 070

UPPER MALL

LBHF held a consultation day on a scheme to introduce a shared space, permitting cycling, on a stretch of the riverside around the Old Ship pub. We welcome this. Although this area is a de facto shared use space there are many who would like to ban cycling beside the river, and making it legal would help prevent a clampdown as on the footways of Hammersmith Bridge.

Wording on signs could read "Pedestrian Priority, Considerate cycling permitted".

If you want to see details and a pdf or jpg file and possibly comment on the proposals please contact Annelise Johns of LBHF
annelise.johns@lbhf.gov.uk / 020 8753 3005

WESTFIELD / ACCESS TO A3220 BRIDGE - HUNTS CLOSE STEPS / RAMP
This is on the east side of a crossing over the bridge from Westfield. On 5 September we organised a site visit to look at the steps / ramp in question. see
http://www.hfcyclists.org.uk/WestfieldStepsHuntCloseInspection.doc
http://www.hfcyclists.org.uk/WestfieldStepsHuntCloseInspection.pdf

John G contacted LBHF today to find out whether the crossing was in use yet. The answer was yes, it is open, but the signals are bagged. Some work is still to be done on the Westfield side.

Colin visited the steps today. All the vegetation blocking the route had been removed and a tight corner had been opened up. He found that the crossing was open, the traffic lights were no longer bagged, but they were not operating. This might appear a little dangerous. The traffic coming from the Holland park roundabout is fast moving and the sight lines for pedestrians and cyclists coming from Westfield are poor. Very few pedestrians were using the crossing however.

RAMP ON UXBRIDGE RD
This is the ramp to take cyclists off the eastbound Uxbridge rd to lead them to the Toucan crossing of the A3220. This did not appear to Colin to be in place yet. Some work was being done on the Toucan crossing from the Central line station to the West12 centre.

FPNs at SBG

I spoke to Chris Bainbridge of LBHF on the phone before the meeting. He had been to a neighbourhood watch meeting at Shepherds Bush Green recently. Some of those present were interested in the layout of cycle lanes etc at SBG and hopefully we will be introduced to them.

Chris also learnt that the police are giving out Fixed Penalty Notices to cyclists at SBG. This is on the pavement where shared use is indicated. Apparently the police only consider that you are allowed to cycle on the footway if there is a stretch of green paint. Chris is to meet the local police soon to try and resolve the FPN matter.

WESTFIELD OPEN A YEAR

Westfield opened on 30 October last year and perhaps we should have a party there to celebrate how wonderful it has been for cycling. Colin commented that it is a perfect example of how not to do things, where different authorities can always say that one of the other groups is to blame. Some were keen to dress up for the occasion.

GREENFEST

There is a planning meeting for next years event next Monday 12 Oct at 6.30pm at John's place in West Kensington. Please contact him as below if you wish to be involved. see www.greenfest.org.uk

LCC GROUP CONSTITUTIONS

LCC became a charity a few years ago and would like all the local groups to have the same basic constitution. There is discussion going on between the LCC and the various local group co-ordinators. There are questions about how non-members of LCC are included and how groups with very few members will handle it.

BIKE IT

We were pleased to see Owen Powell from Sustrans again. He is working for the Hammersmith Primary Care Trust [PCT] on the Bike-it scheme. This is to introduce programmes to increase the number of children who cycle to school in a number of primary schools in the borough. The target is 12 schools. So far he has recruited Lamarnier and Sacred Heart, Melcombe, and St Pauls primary schools

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/bike-it
owen.powell@sustrans.org.uk

CYCLE SHOW

Earls Court 8 -11 October 9 am - 5.30 pm
http://www.cycleshow.co.uk

WOMENS LCC RIDE TO THE CYCLE SHOW ON SUNDAY

see http://tinyurl.com/yjda9q2
reduced entry price / free breakfast / chance to win a bike / need to book - see web page

EXPENSES

[John - last months refreshments - £23.63 not yet paid]
John webhosting - £10.35
Sharon - tonight's refreshments cost a little less than £20 - detailed sum to be sorted out.

DATE / PLACE OF NEXT MEETING [note: change from normal Tuesday]

This will be on WEDNESDAY 4 November, 7.15pm for 7.30pm
at the home of Julie Askins
105, Henchman St
East Acton
W12 0BN
020 8740 5453

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