Chalkhill kids get on their bikes as school invests in cycling

With safe cycling in Brent under scrutiny at the Brent Cyclists hustings tomorrow I though it  might be worthwhile to look at some positive things happening on the Chalkhill Estate.

Chalkhill Primary School has used 'Healthy Schools' money to buy bike and scooter storage:

There are two of these covered bike racks with helmet storage

Scooter rack

Sustrans have used their police connection to get some unclaimed stolen or abandoned bikes for the school and the school has spent a grant of £2,000 to buy 10-12 bikes for use by children without bikes.

The teacher in charge has trained in Cycling Profiency and there train chldren and others. He works with Sustrans on bike safety and there is a Dr Bike safety and repair service.

 Cycling Club runs before school every Wednesday. Children can use the large playground to improve their skills and control before other children arrive, The children who attend have named themselves the 'Bike-it Crew',

The school runs a special Bikers' Breakfast with a free breakfast, film and other events.

Cycling is also integrated into the sports and PE curriculun with children taking the bikes out for on and off road training.

Meanwhile 5 minutes up the road from the school additional cycling facilities are taking shape. The children were consulted by the designers of the facility which consists of a BMX track, family cycling track and a scooter course.

BMX track under construction in St David's Close

Part of the circular Family Bike Track

Brent Bikers & the Ballot Box: Hustings Wednesday 14th May in Wembley

Brent Cyclists, the local group of the London Cycling Campaign, are organising a public election hustings for candidates in the Brent Council elections, to take place at:

 

7pm on Wednesday 14 May at CVS Brent, 5 Rutherford Way, Wembley HA9 0BP

cycling.

London Cycling Campaign has been running a capital-wide campaign in the run-up to these elections, under the slogan “Space for Cycling”. Local campaigners have identified one change to the streets in every ward which would make their area better for cycling, and in the hustings Brent Cyclists will be asking candidates to respond to their local ward demands for Brent, and to the wider policy area of improving conditions for cycling and walking. The hustings will be open to the public, and it is hoped to have representatives from all the main parties there, as well as independent candidates.

 

Brent Cyclists Co-ordinator David Arditti said:

Our campaign is about making our streets more pleasant places for everyone. We need better streets in order to liberate the suppressed demand for cycling; most people say they would cycle if there was protected space for cycling, but the cycle lanes in Brent are very poor and give little protection, and the minor roads are generally hostile rat-runs full of parked and moving cars. 

 

The policies that we need are a combination of providing dedicated, protected space on main roads, removing through-traffic from minor roads, and providing routes through parks and open spaces. These policies would allow children to get to school by bike, allow the elderly and disabled to use electric bikes and powered wheelchairs easily, and everyone else to do the short journeys for which the bike is the most efficient option, in comfort and safety. Or town centres and shopping areas would also be improved and be helped to thrive by creating better cycle access. There is funding from the Mayor of London available, and now is the time for our local politicians to take a lead on providing for cycling.

The public can support our campaign, by emailing their council candidates through www.space4cycling.org

'Give us space to cycle' demand Brent Cyclists ahead of the election

Brent Cyclists, the local group of the London Cycling Campaign  launches its Space for Cycling campaign this Sunday (23 March) with a short ride round the borough, meeting at 10:30am at Gladstone Park railway bridge (at the foot of Parkside), and at 11:00am at the café in Roundwood Park, then riding through Willesden and Harlesden to the Grand Union Canal in Park Royal, and back again. Anyone with a working bike is welcome to join in.

The Space for Cycling campaign is timed to coincide with the run-up to the local elections in May, to bring home to local politicians the changes that need to be made to Brent’s roads to make them cycle-friendly. It is part of a London-wide Space for Cycling Campaign being run by the London Cycling Campaign.

Brent Cyclists coordinator David Arditti said: 

Brent has great potential as a cycling borough but is held back by the poor routes and infrastructure for cycling compared with other parts of London. We need a network of safe routes on minor roads and protected cycle tracks on bigger roads, which would allow everybody to make daily journeys by bike and especially allow children to cycle to school, but these can only come about if there are more restrictions placed on where motor traffic can go. 

We’ll be cycling along Park Avenue North, which is a road which, if it ceased to be a through-route for cars, would make an excellent way to access Gladstone Park by bike. In other places, to get a safe network, we need bikes to be excepted from one-way systems. This is what we would like built into the new design for Harlesden Town Centre, but Brent doesn’t seem to have considered this need. 

Our ride will draw attention to these measures that would make cycling in Brent so much better, in advance of the local elections, and we will be asking the candidates to pledge support for our specific demands, ward by ward.

Declaration of Interest: I am a member of the London Cycling Campaign.

Brent misses short-list for Mayor's 'mini-Holland' cycling funding

Sadly Brent failed to be short-listed for the Mayor of London's  'mini-Holland' cycling funding despite a comprehensive bid out forward by the borough using many of the ideas provided by the Brent Cyclists Group.
 
The shortlisted boroughs (in alphabetical order) are Bexley, Ealing, Enfield, Kingston, Merton and Newham. Richmond and Waltham Forest are also shortlisted subject to addressing certain gaps in their initial proposals.
 
The three or four winners, to be announced early next year, will benefit from very high levels of spending concentrated on relatively small areas to make them, over time, into places every bit as cycle-friendly as their Dutch equivalents. The £100 million will be shared between them, though not necessarily equally.

 Brent will still receive some funding but not at the level of the winning boroughs.

The three or four winners, to be announced early next year, will benefit from very high levels of spending concentrated on relatively small areas to make them, over time, into places every bit as cycle-friendly as their Dutch equivalents. The £100 million will be shared between them, though not necessarily equally.

The shortlisted boroughs (in alphabetical order) are Bexley, Ealing, Enfield, Kingston, Merton and Newham. Richmond and Waltham Forest are also shortlisted subject to addressing certain gaps in their initial proposals.
- See more at: http://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2013/09/mayor-shortlists-eight-boroughs-to-go-dutch-in-100m-mini-holland#sthash.ncm5bJdb.dpuf

The three or four winners, to be announced early next year, will benefit from very high levels of spending concentrated on relatively small areas to make them, over time, into places every bit as cycle-friendly as their Dutch equivalents. The £100 million will be shared between them, though not necessarily equally.

The shortlisted boroughs (in alphabetical order) are Bexley, Ealing, Enfield, Kingston, Merton and Newham. Richmond and Waltham Forest are also shortlisted subject to addressing certain gaps in their initial proposals.
- See more at: http://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2013/09/mayor-shortlists-eight-boroughs-to-go-dutch-in-100m-mini-holland#sthash.ncm5bJdb.dpuf

Brent Council uses Brent Cyclists' ideas for Wembley 'mini-Holland' bid

 Brent Council made the following announcement today:

Brent Council is aiming to revolutionise cycling for residents by bidding for a share of £100 million funding from Transport for London (TfL) to create a 'mini-Holland' in Brent.

The first-stage bid titled Ways to Wembley sets out how the centre of the borough could be transformed into a 'mini-Holland' by overcoming physical barriers to cycling such as major roads and rail hubs as well as encouraging more communities to cycle and creating better cycling infrastructure.

TfL recently invited outer London boroughs to submit applications for their share of funding worth £100 million to create a 'mini-Holland' - so-called because it will create an area which is as bike friendly as any town in Holland. Ways to Wembley sets out ideas for a 'mini-Holland' linking the Wembley regeneration area and popular Wembley Stadium and Arena destinations to other parts of borough including areas of major regeneration such as Willesden and South Kilburn.

It also includes ideas for a cycle hub in Wembley, providing cyclists with cycle parking, facilities, cycling retailers and a travel information centre in together one location. The scheme would also help to link Brent to other areas across the rest of London via existing cycle routes.

Brent Council has worked in partnership with Brent Cyclists on the Ways to Wembley bid and incorporated many of the group's ideas.

Brent Council Leader and Cycling Champion Muhammed Butt said:

"I'm a huge supporter of cycling so I'm 100% committed to Brent winning this major funding opportunity. As Brent's Cycling Champion I've led initiatives to encourage and promote cycling, and to raise awareness of our fantastic bid I've attended meetings with the Mayor's Cycling Champion, Andrew Gilligan and TfL, and listened closely to the ideas of the local Brent Cyclists group.

"I recognise that at the moment there are too many physical barriers which make cycling in our borough difficult. That's why we've put forward some imaginative ideas about how we can ensure that road, rail and Tube links don't sever cycle routes. They also address how we can encourage people from every community to take up cycling so it genuinely becomes an activity for all.

"This is an excellent time to invest in cycling infrastructure in Brent with the ongoing regeneration of many parts of the borough and I hope we can realise the full potential of our bid."

Ways to Wembley, which is the first stage of Brent Council's bid for a mini-Holland, sets a target to increase cycling to 4.3 per cent of all journeys in Brent by 2026.

The first-stage shortlisting by TfL is expected to be announced in August and the chosen projects in September.

To see the full Ways to Wembley document, visit www.brent.gov.uk/cycling.

Brent Cyclists propose an achievable cycling revolution in the borough

Crossing the Welsh Harp

Brent Cyclists have issued an incredibly  thorough and imaginative 'Draft Cycling Plan for Brent' which aims to improve cycling across the borough and cycling links with central London, as well as tackle the major barriers to cycling in Central and North Brent. If their vision is realised it would not just be a cycling 'improvement' but a cycling revolution.

They argue that a 'mini Holland' is required in Central Brent:

The plan required to tackle these barriers to link the communities of mid-Brent with practical cycling and walking routes will be a major piece of work in itself. Brent Cyclists’ suggestions for priority changes needed for the mini-Holland in Wembley and Neasden are as follows:

A)

Alterations to the Neasden north and south roundabouts, to the cycle / pedestrian underpass at Neasden (or complete replacement) and to Dudden Hill Lane, Neasden Lane North and Blackbird Hill to create a viable cycle route to Wembley Park and the north of the borough, from the south and from central London. This will be discussed later under the heading “Jubilee Line Quietway”. This will be a completion of a Quietway using main roads and needs to be entirely segregated. This is a very large scheme in itself.

B)

A new link between Wembley park and Neasden spanning, or going under, the Metropolitan Line to fill in the long gap between the North Circular Road and Bridge Road crossings. This already features in the Wembley area Masterplan, but needs to be a priority step, before extensive redevelopment.

C)

A new link across the Chiltern Line between Wembley Park and the Harrow Road area, at Sherrans Farm Open Space

D)

Extension and improvement of the cycle route on the Brent River Path in both directions. At the north end, quality links to both new crossing A) above and to Bridge Road via North Road. At the south end, an improved, more efficient crossing of Harrow Road and an improved, safer linkage to the Stonebridge/ Abbey Road cycle bridge.

E)

Segregated cycle tracks along Forty Avenue and East Lane, or, where there is insufficient width, mandatory cycle lanes with removal of all parking.

F)

Prioritisation of cycling, walking and buses on Ealing road by removing the north-south through route for cars, forcing them to use Bridgewater Road instead, which is a more suitable route.

G)

Closing the through-route via St Johns Road and Llanover Road to cars to create a bike priority route parallel to the West Coast Main Line and opening up a route through the North Wembley Industrial Estate from there to Windermere Avenue, with appropriate crossing facilities at East Lane, to extend this route northwards.

H)

Linking Neasden Recreation Ground with Welsh Harp Open Space with a new path built in collaboration with the Canal and River Trust (who control the reservoir) which would either use the dam or a new bridge across the Brent. This should also, with the cooperation in addition of Barnet council, become part of a circular leisure cycling and walking route all round the reservoir. Brent Cyclists have already suggested several detailed options for this scheme.

I)

Replacing one or both of the spiral pedestrian footbridges across the North Circular Road at Kenwyn Avenue and the St Raphaels Estate with wide cycling and walking bridges with long, straight ramps. There is enough space in both these locations for this. These bridges must be connected with good, wide paths to the minor roads at either end.

Extensive proposals are also made for North Brent:

A)
A N-S route from Blackbird Cross on the A4140 via Salmon Street, Fryent Way, and
Honeypot Lane. Segregated cycle tracks or mandatory cycle lanes with no parking all the way are needed. On Fryent Way where there is the obvious opportunity to create cycle paths between the existing road and footpaths, and this could be the first part of the scheme. This route requires the collaboration of Harrow in Honeypot Lane, and it should be taken by Harrow all the way to Stanmore. Kingsbury Circle is currently a dangerous interruption on this route and needs either signalising or replacing with a Dutch-style roundabout (which TfL is currently experimenting with at the Transport Research laboratory in Berkshire).
B)
An E-W route on the A4006 (Kingsbury road and Kenton Road). These roads are wide enough for general segregation if the whole width of the road is redesigned. This requires the co-operation of Harrow on Kenton Road, and the route should link to Harrow town centre. Radical changes to the very dangerous Northwick Park roundabout (shared with Harrow) would be necessary, with cycle tracks on the roundabout, and signalisation.
C)
A new cycle path through West Hendon Playing Fields, N-S, along the Brent-Barnet boundary (to link with B) above) and with the existing path through Welsh Harp Open Space and to Birchen Grove, linking with the Jubilee Line route (see later).
D)
The LCN route on Draycott Avenue, Windermere Avenue and Grasmere Avenue needs cutting as a through-route for cars.
E)
A N-S route from Burnt Oak to Wembley is needed. Slough Lane /Salmon Street is already low-traffic due to aggressive traffic-calming, it being easier for cars to use Church Lane for that stretch, but the northern continuation in Roe Green and Stag Lane is too busy. The Stag Lane / Roe Green route needs cutting for motor through-traffic (buses could be allowed). The general traffic on this route should be on the A5 and A4006
F)
An route E-W route from Colindale to Queensbury via Holmstall Avenue and Beverley Drive is needed. Beverley Drive is wide enough for segregated cycle tracks,
G)
Cycling in Roe Green Park needs regularising, with widened paths and a proper link to the road at the Roe Green / Kingsbury Road junction.
H)
Church Lane (B454) is an important link road between Kingsbury and Neasden, but is  hostile to cycling because of high vehicle speeds combined with chicaines created by traffic islands and intermittent parking. The islands and hatching should be removed and replaced by zebra crossings, and on-street parking should be removed and replaced with cycle lanes or tracks.
I)
Old Church Lane (which has one of the better cycle facilities in Brent, a two-way track at its western end already) serves no function in the traffic system and should be closed to motor traffic. It is a cut-through for traffic turning left on to Blackbird Hill, but traffic can make that turn from Tudor Gardens 

These proposals merit serious consideration and would contribute enormously to Brent's Climate Change Strategy by encouraging more people to leave their cars behind and take to their bikes, secure in the knowledge that safe and secure routes are in place. As well as making commuting cycling more attractive it would also increase leisure cycling improving health and tackling obesity.

Brent Cyclists deserve congratulation and thanks for this far-sighted and thorough report which must have required an enormous amount of work by a small voluntary organisation.

It has not been possible to do the full 25 page report full justice in this summary. The full report can be found HERE

North End Road reconnection controversy returns to Wembley Park

Controversial plans to reconnect North End Road in Wembley with Bridge Road at the Bobby Moore Bridge, beside Wembley Park Station, (see plan above) remain in the revised Wembley Plan which the Brent Executive will approve for consultation  this evening.

A quiet haven at present

When the original plans for reconnection were published four years ago LINK they attracted opposition from the Wembley Community Association which wanted to keep the low traffic levels of North End Road which serves the quiet residential area of  Empire Court and Danes Court.  At present the road ends in pedestrian and cyclist ramps at Olympic Way between Arena House (soon to be a secondary free school) and 1 Olympic Way. Since 2009 the Victoria Hall student accommodation has been built on North End Road.

North End Road leading to Victoria Hall

Brent Council say that 'a new road link at North End Road is a key component of the overall strategy enabling the promotion of highway access into Wembley (and beyond) from the North Circular'.  They claim that the new connection will benefit the development area during stadium events and reduce traffic along Neasden Lane and Forty Lane 'allowing prioritisation for non-car modes. The connection may also facilitate improvements to bus services, depending on results of the bus strategy'.

Henry Lancashire in his submission to Brent Council says that the proposed link will conflict with the popular bus stop opposite Wembley Park Station and increase the danger of pedestrian access to the bus stop. He states that the current access enables cyclists to take a safe route from the Brent River Park and can only increase in popularity if the proposed cycling/pedestrian bridge across the Chiltern Line from St David's Close is built. Brent Cyclists also express a preference for the link from North End Road to Bridge Road to be for cycling only. They state 'This would be far cheaper to implement than a connection for motor vehicles, and, with work and highway adoption or land-take in the Atlas Way/Fourth Way/Fifth Way area, could provide a viable, high-quality corridor for walking and cycling via the Brent River Path all the way from Stonebridge Park to Bridge Road.

Lancashire suggest that the required land acquisition for the link will be a) costly and b) damaging and in particular that the green space associated with the river opposite Victoria Hall will be lost: 'This is a valuable wildlife corridor used by species including wrens, robins, blackbirds and pipistrelle bats'.

Brent Council respond that the bus stop will be moved 'slightly to the south' and will be accessed via the Olympic Way underpass (people  dash across the road at present and I don't really see that changing).  They say negotiations are still going on for land acquisition and they are trying to keep the costs down: 'The scheme has been revised to remove the need for land from Victoria Hall'.

In their submission to the Council Quintain Estates and Developments state:

We do not consider this connection to be justified to mitigate the impacts of development and instead it appears mainly top be based on a need to provide circulation to and from the Industrial Estate on Stadium Event Days. In any event,  it is not required to mitigate the impacts of development currently consented in the regeneration areas.

 I am currently trying to find the likely cost of the proposal which in 2009 was put at £20m.

Jenny Jones investigates Brent cycling issues

Jenny Jones and Shahrar Ali listen to Brent Cyclists' concerns

Jenny Jones, the Green Party's candidate for London Mayor, visited Brent today as part of her fact-finding tour of London boroughs regarding cycling facilities.  Members of the Brent Cyclists' Group and Brent Green Party told her about some of the local issues and took her on a ride from Wembley Park down to Neasden Shopping Centre and Gladstone Park.

One of the central issues was the problems cyclists face in crossing the North Circular at Neasden. The North Circular splits Neasden in half and travelling south the cyclists has the choice between 'Death Canyon'  where the main road goes under the North Circular at the Neasden Stonehenge roundabout and joins another roundabout at the top of Neasden Lane, or the pedestrian underpass to the Neasden shopping centre which is shared with pedestrians. Many users have worries about safety in the pedestrian underpass.  Travelling from south to the north there are even more problems with cyclists having to negotiate fast-moving traffic from a slip road which joins the main road from the left.

Pointing out the dangers at Neasden roundabout

Jenny promised to look into the possibility of a road level crossing at the North Circular for north-south transit and any interim improvements that could be made. I told her that this had been cited as a possible route for children cycling from the south of Brent to the Ark Academy and remarked that this seemed to be a way of reducing the pupil population of Brent!

Other issues covered included the lack of cycling routes in the north of the borough and the intensive use of cars in that part of Brent, the impact of the Brent Cross Regeneration on cyclists and concerns about the changes being suggested for Staples Corner.

Link to Brent Cyclists blog HERE

Calling all Brent cyclists - meet Jenny Jones and tell her about local issues

Jenny Jones, Green Party candidate for the London mayoral elections,  will be coming to Brent on Friday to meet cyclists and investigate with them how cycling could be improved.

Her visit will start at Wembley Park station at 10am on Friday August 19th where anyone interested should come and meet her. She will then be able to cycle to any spots in the borough which give cyclists particular difficulties.

Could everybody who decides to come respond to Collette.Bird@london.gov.uk with their telephone number in case of any emergencies or delays.

Bestway takes on Barnet Council in Brent Cross Battle

Barnet Council has been given an ultimatum of the likelihood of impending legal action by a major local company who fear the loss of their successful business to a massive waste dump.  The controversial Brent Cross Cricklewood (BXC) regeneration plans, which are fiercely opposed by thousands of local residents, politicians and campaign groups, call for the compulsory purchase and demolition of Bestway cash and carry and its replacement with a huge waste handling facility and incinerator, taking refuse from all over north London.

Bestway have discovered major flaws and inconsistencies in the plans and proposals put forward by Barnet Council and their development partners.  An official letter from the North London Waste Authority in early September stated that they no longer needed the site.  This was hastily retracted a few days later, quite likely following discussions between Barnet Council and the Waste Authority. Bestway are now challenging the whole scheme on the basis of this and other serious flaws and irregularities.  A letter from Bestway on the 8^th October asks Barnet to meet with them, the developers and the North London Waste Authority as a last ditch attempt to resolve matters, since Barnet has stated that it is likely to confirm the BXC application by October 29^th.  Otherwise, lengthy and costly legal action would likely follow.

Malcolm Carter, Head of Property, Bestway Holdings says, “I cannot understand why Barnet is still pursuing the Bestway site as it is patently not required any more.”

Alison Hopkins, member of the Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Plan and Dollis Hill resident says, “Barnet Council is allowing a single unelected official to decide the future of much of North London.  This is clearly undemocratic, especially in view of the cosy relationship that seems to exist between it and the developers.  Barnet’s motive is for financial gain to cover the massive losses made by ill-advised investments in Iceland banks and huge project overruns.

“A judicial review could kill the project altogether.  This will likely cost Barnet millions of pounds better spent on services for local residents.” 

The Brent Cross Cricklewood scheme has been formally opposed since last year by both Brent and Camden Councils. It was wrongly stated at Barnet's Planning Committee that Brent had withdrawn its opposition, and that brought a stinging response from Brent's Head of Planning to Barnet officials.

The Coalition has been fighting for several years the proposals for a Brent Cross incinerator, the demolition of houses with gardens, and the massive increase in road congestion.  It is now calling on Barnet Council to reconsider before it is too late.

CROSS BRENT BIKERS BASH BRENT CROSS PLANS

Brent Cyclists have come out in strong opposition to the traffic plans for Barnet Council's proposed Brent Cross Cricklewood development.

They say, "We object that the plans for cyclists along the A5, south and northbound, would create new and significant hazards on a route which is already difficult to negotiate.

Southbound it would be impossible to travel across the North Circular without a massive detour and negotiation of ramps. The only direct alternative for cyclists will be to use the flyover. Few cyclists will want to risk that; to get on and off the flyover you have to ride across two lanes of fast traffic on slip roads at each end. This will significantly increase the chances of casualties, and possibly deaths, among cyclists. The A5 is an ancient route that the public has been able to traverse in a straight line for close on 2000 years. These plans will remove this right from cyclists and pedestrians. They also contradict the Mayor's plans for 'cycle superhighways', which are supposed to be 'safe, direct, continuous, visible, comfortable and informative'. "