Regular visitors to this website will already know about the recent CRISP that was set up by Brent Council to study the route for LCN+ route 5. Briefly, the proposed route was to follow the A5 from Kilburn to Burnt Oak, a very busy, noisy and hazardous road for cyclists with special difficulties related to the junction with the North Circular road.
David Arditti proposed a western alternative which was discussed with CCC members at our August meeting. He made a detailed report for the consultants, Babtie who were responsible for the CRISP. The photo above shows a view of the Welsh Harp from the western alternative route.
David’s Report is here (includes a 500kb image of a map of the route)
As reported in the October newsleter, the CRIM involved a walk along the A5, which enabled us to confirm how bad it is. Babties said they had ridden David’s route and liked it.
The Draft Report on the CRISP was encouraging, in recommending both improvements to the A5 and the development of David’s route. At the subsequent meeting to discuss the report, the cycling reps (from Barnet, Camden and Brent) strongly supported the western route, saying that it would be almost impossible to bring the A5 up to a good enough standard for an LCN+ route. Even Babties seemed enthusiastic and the LCN+ reps proposed applying for a variation from the A5 route. As we left the meeting, we believed that the result of the meeting was that LCN+ route 5 would almost certainly follow David’s western alternative.
But the final CRISP report was a great disappointment. Babties recommend that LCN+ Route 5 work will focus on the A5 route. Apparently Brent Strategy Department sent Babties an email message supporting the A5 route.
It seems that Brent Council believe they should encourage cyclists to use a route with an environment like the one below, rather than the one above. The photo below can’t convey the noise level of over 75 dB or the smell of exhaust.
CCC’s committee is attempting to pursue this travesty of a process that is supposed to take stakeholders suggestions into account in designing cycle routes. There is really no prospect of turning the decision round for route 5, but we do feel that we should raise awareness as to what has happened.
