Newsletter October 2024

+ Shaftesbury Avenue Area Safe & Healthy Streets Consultation

Camden are proposing a wide range of measures including the following:

• Convert Shaftesbury Avenue southbound advisory cycle lane into a protected lane (outside Shaftesbury Theatre).

• Introduce protected cycle lanes on both sides of Shaftesbury Avenue, between Charing Cross Road and St Giles High Street. 

• Create rain gardens (SuDS) on sections of the southern side of Shaftesbury Avenue that would act as physical protection for cyclists (subject to survey).

• Ban left turn Stacey St onto Shaftesbury Ave (except cyclists & sub-7.5t motors).

• Create St Giles Passage pedestrian & cycles only zone (closing to motor vehicles).

View our take on the Shaftesbury Avenue plans here. The deadline to respond is 10 November.

+ Petition for Mayor of London to “Protect safer streets in Tower Hamlets”

Tower Hamlets Council is proposing to remove low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) schemes that include pedestrian areas, pocket parks, bike lanes, and new planting – stretching from Arnold Circus to Cambridge Heath Road. Removing the LTNs would set a damaging precedent for London and waste £2.5m of public funds including those from TfL.

Note:                                                                                                                               

• Tower Hamlets has highest rate of hit and runs in London
• 66% of Tower Hamlets households have no access to a car
• The schemes have improved air quality and significantly reduced through traffic
• 3 public consultations showed strong support for keeping the LTNs
• Barts Health Trust, Met Police, TfL, schools, GPs & 82% of businesses support them

Sign the petition to protect safer streets in Tower Hamlets.

+ O2 Centre Masterplan––Phase One ‘Section 73’ consultation & public workshop events

For changes within this huge redevelopment scheme (between Finchley Road & West End Lane). CCC engaged with the original consultation process, mainly looking at cycle and pedestrian permeability and access etc. Opportunities still exist for improved cycle and pedestrian links; funding is available for work on nearby roads. Update on O2 Centre masterplan is here.

Drop-in sessions: 24 Oct: 4.30-8pm / 26 Oct: 11am-3pm / 6 Nov: 4.30-8pm
Public workshops: share ideas and feedback to shape plans for the community centre, green spaces and connections between Finchley Road and West Hampstead.
28 & 30 October and 4 November: 6.30-8pm. Register for a public workshop.

+ Consultation on parking controls for Camden Town CA-F CPZ

After consulting in May/June 2023 to change parking arrangements in the CA-F CPZ. Camden have decided to trial longer parking controls in CA-F (n) subzone.

Find out more on parking controls and share your views here!

+ CCC Monthly Meeting – Mon 21st Oct 2024                                                            7:30 – 9:00pm, online, via Zoom.

Agenda to include: New CCC banner, Fitzrovia and Shaftesbury Ave. consultations; Dartmouth Park LN; Camden's forthcoming Seb Dance & Will Norman engagement; Cafe locations for Camden cyclists meet-ups in 2025. Meeting details here.

+ Next Critical Mass London – Fri 25th October – Hallowe'en Edition!

Last Friday of every month, meet 6.30-7pm under Waterloo Bridge at Southbank

No organisers or planned route – just a spontaneous free expression of cycling en masse, flowing like a murmuration of Hallowe'en bats and crows!. A relaxed atmosphere (fancy dress not withstanding!), sound systems and cycles of all kinds. Suitable for confident riders. More info on Critical Mass here.

+ Camden Cyclists social meet-up, Kiss The Hippo Outdoor Café – Sun 27th Oct

7 Goods Way, N1C 4UR, 2––3:00pm                                                                         VIA Cafe if it rains. Hire Bike and Cargo Bike users welcome! Discuss best routes, cycle lanes and quiet ways at this inclusive and informal gathering. Meet Cycle Buddies from Camden; discuss the best way home and maybe cycle together.

Bike Parking; Lime & Forest Bays, Santander docking & Sheffield Stands. (WhatThreeWords ///mostly.weedy.copper) Map & social meet-up details here.

+ Kentish Town monthly Cycle Buddies Ride – Sat 2 Nov

First Saturday of each month, CCC collaborates with local NHS GP practices, to lead a short, social bike ride from 10am–12pm, meeting at Peckwater Centre, 6 Peckwater Street, NW5 2UP.

Ideal for adult 'returnees', newbies or to gain confidence. Complete beginner? Free lessons from Camden Council here. Stronger riders also welcome and can contribute to marshalling or ride leading. (Come 30 minutes earlier if your bike needs checking). Contact: Suzanne Weller ktride@camdencyclists.org.uk.

Register for the Cycle Buddies Ride here.

+ Kentish Town Bike Workshop – Mon 11 Nov

Kentish Town Health Centre, Bartholomew Road, NW5 2BX – second Monday of each month – 6:30 to 8:30pm.

One participant's response: “As well as making me feel welcome, they helped fix the problems with my bike and I learnt a few things as well. This is a really good initiative and it takes the stress off doing the mechanics. Plus it makes my cycling a lot safer, now the brakes are working properly. It felt like I was cycling on a brand new bike this morning :)”. And free of charge. Sign up for monthly KTBW notifications.

View more details about Kentish Town Bike Workshop.

+ The 4th Annual Liveable Neighbourhoods Conference -13 November

Insights from a panel of experts on the elements required to create better streets for everyone, including building the case for change, securing funding, good engagement, design, implementation, completion and monitoring.

Liveable Neighbourhoods details and registration here.

+ 2024 LCC AGM & Campaigning Awards – Weds 20 Nov

Covent Garden Community Centre. Every year, LCC hands out campaigner awards to not just its own borough activists and groups, but to other organisations and those working across London to make our city and boroughs better for walking, cycling and wheeling.

More details and registration for the awards & AGM here.

+ Camden Cycling Campaign are now posting on Blue Sky (while still holding out on Twitter amongst other platforms!). If you find the bot-riddled 'X' a bit too unbearable, why not take a look at an alternative media site?

Have a look at @camdencyclists.bsky.social here.

+ A Car-free day event was a “great success” despite volunteers facing aggression and threats from frustrated motorists. Former Camden councillor, Janet Grauberg, the new chair of West Hampstead Amenity & Transport (WHAT) said: “lots of passers-by on the day gave positive comments and enjoyed seeing West End Lane without cars.” The event gave visitors and locals a taste of how much nicer this road could be by closing West End Lane to the relentless stream of through motor traffic, from 7am to 6pm (except emergencies) on Sunday 29 Sep. WHAT hopes it will be an NW6 fixture.

Read the CNJ article on Car-free Day here.

+ Getting to school just got awesome! – A family ride around Camden to celebrate Cycle to School Week

Volunteer ride Leader, Suzanne Weller says, “there are very few ways to get around Camden that are as much fun as by bike. It’s perfect for keeping healthy, stress-free and protecting the environment. No need to sit in traffic jams or sweat over finding a parking space. You can arrive at your destination feeling invigorated and ready for the day ahead”.

If you want your child to ride to school with other families, why not join the Thursday 07:30 Bike Bus at Chalk Farm bridge and learn how to set-up your own Bike Bus ––a cycling party with music, whistles and bright colours. The children love it and are full of energy when they arrive at school!

Read the Camden Cycle to School Week Ride write-up here.

+ LCC Mass Flyering Day – Tues 24 Sep

Many thanks to those of us who spent a couple of hours at the morning and evening peak travel times, handing out a total of 750 flyers to cyclists at and during the morning and evening rush hour.

People responded really positively – all acknowledging the roads should be much safer for people cycling. John Chamberlain, one of our leafletting group, said “When I asked where people started their journeys from, most of those I spoke to were not Camden residents, but had come from Islington, Haringey or Barnet”. So hopefully they will have signed up to their local groups/newsletters.

+ “Remember LTNs' silent supporters” Letter to Camden New Journal – 19 Sep
Melanie Etherton wrote a clear letter in support of the Dartmouth Park proposals, informing readers that “LTNs do not push traffic onto boundary Roads” and that a 2023 review of 46 LTNs across London found “no change in median motor vehicles on LTN boundary roads … Once walking and cycling was made safer people choose to drive less. Dartmouth Park residents should be reassured by the experience of other Camden residents”. Read the letter in full here on the CCC web site.

+ Hampstead Heath Visitors guide – arriving by bike

Our new guide for visiting Hampstead Heath by bike is here.
Hampstead Heath offers respite from London’s busy-ness. This sprawling green space boasts a variety of landscapes, from wild meadows and woodland to swimming ponds and hilltop views.

Getting to Hampstead Heath by Public Transport is easy; this map shows the stations & bus stops but––does not clearly show how to arrive by bike––which is where this guide comes in! Have a look!

Cycle route to Dartford

Twitter can still be useful for keeping up with events past as well as current, with some careful navigation. A short round-up:

• On the 100 year anniversary of the car industry coining the term 'jaywalking', a look at a New York judge's comments on navigating the city on foot during this time. “We are almost like hunted animals unless we ourselves are riding in cars.”
• A study from Lyon has found that traffic light exemptions for people cycling lead to improvements in traffic flow.
• The Dutch Cycling Embassy on why Dutch cycling networks enable people to cycle from anywhere to everywhere in their city.
• London's Walking & Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, informs us that with more bikes than cars in the City of London, the proposed new cycle route from Aldgate to Blackfriars will connect key destinations with London's expanding cycle network.
• In 2012, Ghent wanted to increase their 22% cycling mode share to 35% by 2030. A short film about how decisive and creative action achieved this 11 years early!

• “I lived in Paris in the 90s. A city totally dominated by cars. Hard to walk in, a nightmare to ride a bike in.” Taras Grescoe looks at how Paris has transformed into a city where a city where “cars, rather than people, have trouble moving.“

• Finishing off with some slightly belated, but still very welcome, UK “breaking news”, the decision to go ahead with the Lower Thames Crossing (essentially being called for to alleviate the excess traffic created by the Dartford road crossing!) has been delayed until May 2025! by transport minister Louise Haigh. Transport Action Network welcome the delay “which gives an opportunity for Louise Haigh to do something better.”

Many thanks,

Camden Cyclists