Monthly meetings, workshops and training
We usually meet on the third Monday of each month at 7.30 pm at Primrose Hill Community Centre though at the moment our meetings are held remotely. Our AGM is in May and our annual party is in December. In other months we either have a speaker or we discuss whatever people are interested in, e.g. new and current campaigns. The Kentish Town Bike Workshop is held on the first Monday of each month at Bartholomew Road Health Centre (currently on hold).
Interaction with LB Camden, TfL and Royal Parks
We have four joint meetings a year with a group of Camden Officers and London Living Streets to discuss the development of cycle and walking routes throughout the borough, how cycling and walking issues can be incorporated into local area schemes and how well they are addressed in built schemes. Councillor Julian Fulbrook (Camden’s Councillor Cycling Champion since summer 2015) is an important participant in these meetings. Additional ad-hoc meetings are arranged to discuss projects in detail. We also have occasional meetings with TfL officers and we participated in the Royal Parks Movement Strategy meetings.
We review and comment on major construction projects (especially regarding cycle storage and access) and because these can cause major problems on the neighbouring streets we often ask for a place on the construction liaison group to represent the interests of cyclists (and pedestrians).
Bike Week
We hold two regular events in Bike Week, a national event which usually takes place in June. On Wednesday morning from 8-10 a.m. we provide a Free Cyclists’ Breakfast, run jointly with Camden Council (the 2019 event was the 22nd in succession). The Ride all Round Camden for 2019 was on Sunday 16th July and was led by Geoff Stilwell, marshalled by Camden Cyclists and Camden Cycle Trainers and accompanied by police officers. The route started from Regents Park and ended at the Town Hall, roughly following the border of the borough clockwise with a picnic in Golders Hill Park. This was the 12th time we had run the event (we took a break in 2018). We did not run it in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid restrictions.
Social Rides
During summer months we organise a ride each month. These usually include the popular Lea Valley Ride and a train-assisted ride in Herts, Kent or Essex as well as other rides taking in parks and other destinations such as the Welsh Harp and Fulham Palace. Some of our routes are here. Many of these rides are short and aimed at families. We also lead feeder rides from Swiss Cottage and West Hampstead to the summer Ride London Circuit.
Campaigning Rides
Our last major campaigning ride was in support of the proposals for CS11 which was to run from Brent Cross to the West End via Swiss Cottage and Regents Park. Eventually this was put on hold due to opposition from Westminster Council (see below). In previous years we have led feeder rides to campaigning rides organised by LCC. In addition we have ‘inspection rides’ the most recent of which was led by Steven Edwards in the Gospel Oak area.
Campaigning Highlights
 Royal College Street August 2013 |
 Pancras Road, July 2015 |
The new Royal College Street scheme replaced the old two-way track with two one-way tracks and doubled the available width. It opened in August 2013 and won an award from LTA; a cycle counter installed in April 2014 showed over 100% increase in cycles since before installation.
The Royal College Street southern extension with stepped tracks was completed in summer 2015 and included another cycle counter. The northern extension opened in June 2016. Midland Road and the crossing to Judd Street were opened in May 2019. So now we have a continuous cycle route from Kentish Town Road to Blackfriars (branded as Cycleway 6).
 Royal College Street northern extension, June 2016 |
 Opening of Cycleway 6 May 2019 |
The Tavistock Place scheme started as a trial in December 2015. It won an LCC award in summer 2016. After two more consultations and a Public Inquiry in October 2017 a decision was made to keep the layout as is and we are now waiting for improvements to the junctions.
 Demo in favour of Tavistock Place trial, Nov 2015 |
 Tavistock Place, June 2016 |
Campaigning Continues
Camden’s Draft Transport Strategy 2019-41 includes a Cycling Action Plan and a borough-wide cycle network. 2020 saw great progress with a tripling of the amount of segregated lanes to 10km (some of these are experimental and will be up for consultation in summer 2021). There was also continued progress on permeability and the introduction of new modal filters has removed through traffic and made many more of Camden’s streets safe for cycling and walking.
We have put in a lot of effort to support schemes under consultation. As well as using social media, we have made leaflets and little cards which we hand out to cyclists at junctions on the road under consideration. This started with the Tavistock Place scheme, continued with Gray’s Inn Road (now under construction) and more recently with Haverstock Hill.
The consultation on Delancey-Pratt was agreed in 2015 but implementation has been delayed for another consultation on the Parkway junctions.
Our proposal for the “Clerkenwell Boulevard” was launched in summer 2013; this is now to be considered by Camden within the Holborn area study but is also part of LCC’s proposal for the “London Boulevard” – a route from Old Street to Tottenham Court Road. It is also under consideration by TfL in their StreetSpace proposals as the Holborn to Old Street route.
