Minutes of Camden Cycling Campaign Business Meeting on 10th September 2007
Present: James Brander, Stefano Casalotti, Jean Dollimore (chair), Meade McCloughan (minutes), and Dominic Tinley.
Apologies: Jane Boardman, Anne Boston, John Chamberlain, Richard Fletcher and Helen Vecht.
Minutes/Matters Arising
• Guilford Street: Camden Council is to survey speeds in the area; if more than 30mph, then it will be up to us to press for traffic calming to be put in.
• Swiss Cottage: Meade and Jean attended a site meeting as part of the LCN+ Link 26 CRISP. John Lee, from TfL’s Cycling Centre of Excellence, was there and helped put forward the case for better access across the gyratory. We await details from the consultants of a proposed north-south cycle route and improvements to the east-west crossing. As matters are in hand, no need at this stage for another cycle demo.
• October meeting: Koy Thompson, new LCC Director, has agreed to come to our October meeting. Stefano is to take him on a ride around Camden.
Bike Bus
• CTUK now has a project manager on the case (Liz) and things are moving forward (if slowly).
• The first stage is to get the parents trained; this to take place in part in the school playground (Bob Spellar has ok’d this).
• It would also be good to use some of the funds to get Bob Spellar himself trained up.
• The first bus may just be two parents and three children.
• The cycle police have said they would be happy to support the bike bus.
• Stefano to contact Belitha at Camden Council to see if there is any support the Council could provide.
Cycle Maintenance classes
• The dates now fixed: 6th October, 3rd November and 1st December (first Saturday of the month).
• Cost per participant: £50.
• 27 people were on the waiting list; only four have so far signed up.
• Stefano to e-mail the newsgroup to drum up more interest.
• Stefano is in touch with Paul Davis (in the council’s Traffic Planning dept); he is making encouraging noises about being able to provide some funding for maintenance courses (maybe £100-150), but James expressed skepticism about the liklehood of us being able to access such monies (given experience with Bike Breakfast).
• Stefano has also approached various cycle businesses, with no results; James said that Marks and Spencers had been reliable donors in the past.
• As previously agreed, we will not be able to continue with maintenance courses on the current model.
London Borough of Camden Sustainability Taskforce
• The transport meeting is on Wednesday 26th September.
• It is expected that at this meeting Cllr Braithwaite is to be named ‘cycling champion’.
• Stefano to ask Richard if he is planning on going.
• Anne may be going; Jean could go if no-one else can make it.
Camden Climate Action Network (CCAN)
• CCAN is holding a big public meeting on Saturday 29th September (Haverstock Hill).
• Jean, Anne and Stefano all should be able to go.
• James and Meade are already engaged that afternoon at the Mortimer Estate event.
Camley Street consultation
• Deadline for responses: 15th October
• James to e-mail the new membership spreadsheet to Jean.
• Jean to identify local members and encourage them to respond to the consultation (on her return).
• The scheme will go to the Council’s Executive meeting on Wednesday 15th November; we should almost certainly make a deputation (James, Dominic and Stefano all probably able to attend); if possible, a presentation by a local member would also be very good (e.g. the wholefoods person?).
• Stefano to contact the Somerstown Police Officer who thinks the cycle route there improves safety and security; she could be able to respond to the consultation.
Hampstead Heath
• Jean and Matt Winfield (Sustrans) met with English Heritage in August.
• English Heritage seem happy enough with the proposed Kenwood cycle route, which would run outside the fence, but still on its land. The problem is that there appears to be a by-law banning cycling, which would need to be changed.
• Sustrans are keen to have routes leading to visitor attractions such as Kenwood, and are willing to take this project on.
Regents Park: cycling on the Broad Walk
• James has sent out about 50 letters to members, along with a note to 20 or so new members.
• The Royal Parks authorities have been surveying cycling in and around Regent’s Park, as a result of which some of our members have been able to make supporting comments.
• Meade wil be attending the next meeting of the Royal Parks Cycling Group (12th October) at which we expect the outcome trial period to be discussed.
• The Outer Circle islands issue remains outstanding – no developments since last time.
Bike Week Co-ordinator
• Stefano agreed to take on this role for 2008.
• The main issue is publicity, also linking in with other borough groups’ activities.
Minutes of Camden Cycling Campaign Members Meeting on 10th September 2007
Present: as above, plus George Coulouris, Martin Fahey, Martina Grebener (Camden Community Radio) and Lionel Shapiro.
Hovis Freewheel ride, Sunday 23rd September
• Our feeder ride is due to leave Hampstead Theatre at 11am. We should be there from 10:30 onwards.
• James will now not be doing a Dr Bike.
• Possibilities for the route were discussed, e.g. Avenue Road, alternatively Winchester Road….
• Stefano to organize the ride.
St Pancras/Eurostar demonstration
• St Pancras International station officially opens for Eurostar services on 14th November 2007.
• Ralph Smyth (City Cyclists) has suggested that we have a cyclists’ protest about the paltry cycle parking and the cost of putting bikes on the Eurostar.
• This could be combined with a breakfast afterwards.
• Lots of publicity would be needed.
• Routes in to St Pancras for cyclists would need to be checked out in advance.
• If cyclists were to ride in together, a meeting place would also need to decided upon.
• Ralph’s idea was heartily endorsed; he is to organize the protest.
London Borough of Camden proposed east-west local cycle route
• The character and alignment of this route were discussed in detail.
GENERAL POINTS
• as far as possible use the same roads east- and west-bound
• provide access to town centres (Swiss Cottage, Camden Town)
• enable cyclists to proceed easily through awkward junctions
• avoid one-way roads, especially narrow ones
• not involve unduly steep gradients
PROPOSED ROUTE (ignoring the ‘busier’ alternatives)
- Netherwood Street: need to consider access to and from Kilburn High Road
- Sherriff Road: steep, awkward exit into West End Lane (congestion)
- Sherriff Road/ Hemstal Road: route bifurcates east/west – unsatisfactory
- Broadhurst Gardens / Cleve Road / Canfield Gardens: again, unsatisfactory
bifurcation; roads also used by buses (C 11) - Fairhazel Gardens: one-way, with narrow contraflow lane on outside of
parked vehicles – unsatisfactory - Belsize Road / Hilgrove Road roundabout: not easy for cyclists
- Queen’s Grove / Avenue Road: awkward turn for cyclists to and from Elsworthy Road
- Elsworthy Road / King Henry’s Road: again awkward manoevre (it is easier to cross Primrose Hill Road if sticking on King Henry’s Road).
- Camden town: route bifurcates east/west – unsatisfactory
- Miller Street: unsatisfactory surface, likely conflict with motorcyclists (pedestrians)
- Miller Street / Camden High Street: currently not possible to get to Plender Street.
- Plender Street to York Way: very circuitous
- Delancey Street: congested, awkward for cyclists heading to Gloucester Avenue
- Pratt Street: crossing Bayham Street – correct positioning for the cut-through towards Camden High Street puts one at risk of being hit by traffic turning left out of Bayham Street
- Pratt Street to York Way: very circuitous
POSSIBILITIES FOR THE ROUTE
- Sherriff Road: enable west-bound cycling
- use Compayne Gardens: two-way, no buses
- enable cyclists to turn left out of Compayne Gardens to get to Finchley Road
- improve Fairhazel Gardens contraflow, by removing parking on east side.
- provide more direct route through Swiss Cottage via Belsize Road, using two-way cycle crossing of Finchley Road, then going via Eton Avenue / Winchester Road; this could be combined with works to make the Belsize Road entrance to the underground station DDA compliant and generally more pedestrian friendly
- Queen’s Grove / Avenue Road: toucan crossing to enable cyclists to get to and from Elsworthy Road
- enable two-way cycling along northern half of Park Village East, with right turns into Parkway, with a view to making the Mornington Street-Plender Street route two way
- Miller Street / Camden High Street: toucan crossing, with two-way access
- avoid Pancras Way / Granary Street etc by using Royal College Street and the Somerstown Road route (LCN+ Link 28 – currently being upgraded), then Brill Place towards King’s Cross (the road system to the north of St Pancras and King’s Cross stations is now not as shown on the A-Z maps used)
Possible sources of funding?
- LCN+ Link 26 (CRISP underway: Mark Powers, Mark.Powers@jmp.co.uk)
- Olympic Development Authority (approaches to Regent’s Park, maybe over quite a wide radius) [via London Borough of Camden]
- TfL, if planning on making the entrances to Swiss Cottage underground station DDA compliant
• Meade and Dominic to meet with the consultant this coming Friday to pass on our initial thoughts.
