EAST LONDON CYCLIST
EAST LONDON CYCLIST LOCAL CYCLING NEWS & UPDATES June 2015 www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk @thwheelers Tower Hamlets Wheelers
Six cycling questions for the next Mayor of Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets Wheelers have written to all the Mayoral candidates to ask them the following six important questions in advance of the June election. Responses will be published for you to view at http://wheelers.org.uk/mayoral-election. 1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Will you support dedicated space for cycling on borough roads, and champion a good Cycling Level of Service (as illustrated by TfL’s London Cycling Design Standards) on all highway schemes in the borough? Will you urge Transport for London to address major issues on Cycle Superhighway 2 for which adequate solutions are still outstanding? Will you support making the borough wide 20mph speed limit permanent? Will you commit to regular (at least quarterly) meetings with THW to discuss relevant cycling issues? Will you support using section 106 money to create/improve cycling infrastructure? In addition to creating safe space for cycling, what other measures will you adopt to increase the number of journeys by cycle in the borough?
Upcoming Events Monthly Meeting Wednesday 10 June – 7:30pm Join us as we plan what we’ll be getting up to over the next month. All welcome and visit to nearby pub from 9pm.
Bicycle Maintenance Workshop Saturday 20 June – 11am Hands on workshop with Dr Bike on hand if you need any help. Tea, cake and chat available! More details at wheelers.org.uk/diary
What a busy year! The Wheelers recently held our AGM and it was fantastic to share our many successes during 2014/ 15. It’s certainly been a busy year for cycling with the new cycle superhighways being approved, Tower Hamlets going 20mph and positive progress with our Space 4 Cycling ward asks. Read on to hear a little more information about what we’ve been up to… Twenties Plenty In collaboration with 20's Plenty for Us (www.20splentyforus.org.uk), Wheelers have been working hard to influence change within Tower Hamlets to ensure the council adopts a 20mph speed limit across the borough. We’re delighted th that the change came into force on the 13 April and will now continue to monitor and push the council for borough wide enforcement. Space 4 Cycling Last year, LBTH agreed to all ward asks as a result of LCC’s Space 4 Cycling campaign. The Wheelers have been holding monthly meetings with the council to ensure they fulfil their promise. To date, budget constraints have been restricting, however, the monthly meetings have ensured we can prioritise asks and keep cycling at the forefront of their agenda. Cycle Superhighway 2 Upgrade A huge piece of work for the Wheelers as we responded to the TfL consultation and launched a campaign to address the worryingly watered down plans around Whitechapel Market. We organised a ride to show that cyclists love Whitechapel Market and raised our concerns directly with market traders. Whilst we are delighted that the cycle superhighways have got the go ahead (and work has already begun!), we will continue to monitor both Whitechapel Market area and Oceans estate to ensure our concerns are heard and measures put in place to prioritise cyclists safety. Safer Lorries Campaign The Safer Lorries Campaign was signed off at a London borough wide level, and as a result, the appropriate traffic orders are being put in place. We are currently applying pressure to LBTH to ensure they adhere and conform to this proposal. Bicycle Maintenance Workshop We held 12 successful, and free (although donations always welcome!) bicycle maintenance workshops with our very own Dr Bike on hand to help the residents of Tower Hamlets with their bike fixing needs. It’s a fantastic resource to have on our doorstop and we look forward to seeing more people come along this year. Top rides and events From spooky cycles to tree spotting, to longer rides in the countryside to our infamous Glamour Ride, the Wheelers had another busy year of organising free cycle rides around the borough and beyond. We also visited local fairs and events offering practical cycling tips and spreading the word about our campaigning asks. It’s been a busy year but we have lots more we’d love to do to improve cycling across Tower Hamlets. If you’d like to get more involved, we’d love to meet you!
GET INVOLVED LOCALLY – CONTACT [email protected] IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN DOING SOME CYCLE CAMPAINING OR WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH OUR ORGANISED RIDES AND ACTIVITIES IN TOWER HAMLETS
Six cycling questions for the next Mayor of Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets Wheelers have written to all the Mayoral candidates to ask them the following six important questions in advance of the June election. Responses will be published for you to view at http://wheelers.org.uk/mayoral-election. 1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Will you support dedicated space for cycling on borough roads, and champion a good Cycling Level of Service (as illustrated by TfL’s London Cycling Design Standards) on all highway schemes in the borough? Will you urge Transport for London to address major issues on Cycle Superhighway 2 for which adequate solutions are still outstanding? Will you support making the borough wide 20mph speed limit permanent? Will you commit to regular (at least quarterly) meetings with THW to discuss relevant cycling issues? Will you support using section 106 money to create/improve cycling infrastructure? In addition to creating safe space for cycling, what other measures will you adopt to increase the number of journeys by cycle in the borough?
Upcoming Events Monthly Meeting Wednesday 10 June – 7:30pm Join us as we plan what we’ll be getting up to over the next month. All welcome and visit to nearby pub from 9pm.
Bicycle Maintenance Workshop Saturday 20 June – 11am Hands on workshop with Dr Bike on hand if you need any help. Tea, cake and chat available! More details at wheelers.org.uk/diary
What a busy year! The Wheelers recently held our AGM and it was fantastic to share our many successes during 2014/ 15. It’s certainly been a busy year for cycling with the new cycle superhighways being approved, Tower Hamlets going 20mph and positive progress with our Space 4 Cycling ward asks. Read on to hear a little more information about what we’ve been up to… Twenties Plenty In collaboration with 20's Plenty for Us (www.20splentyforus.org.uk), Wheelers have been working hard to influence change within Tower Hamlets to ensure the council adopts a 20mph speed limit across the borough. We’re delighted th that the change came into force on the 13 April and will now continue to monitor and push the council for borough wide enforcement. Space 4 Cycling Last year, LBTH agreed to all ward asks as a result of LCC’s Space 4 Cycling campaign. The Wheelers have been holding monthly meetings with the council to ensure they fulfil their promise. To date, budget constraints have been restricting, however, the monthly meetings have ensured we can prioritise asks and keep cycling at the forefront of their agenda. Cycle Superhighway 2 Upgrade A huge piece of work for the Wheelers as we responded to the TfL consultation and launched a campaign to address the worryingly watered down plans around Whitechapel Market. We organised a ride to show that cyclists love Whitechapel Market and raised our concerns directly with market traders. Whilst we are delighted that the cycle superhighways have got the go ahead (and work has already begun!), we will continue to monitor both Whitechapel Market area and Oceans estate to ensure our concerns are heard and measures put in place to prioritise cyclists safety. Safer Lorries Campaign The Safer Lorries Campaign was signed off at a London borough wide level, and as a result, the appropriate traffic orders are being put in place. We are currently applying pressure to LBTH to ensure they adhere and conform to this proposal. Bicycle Maintenance Workshop We held 12 successful, and free (although donations always welcome!) bicycle maintenance workshops with our very own Dr Bike on hand to help the residents of Tower Hamlets with their bike fixing needs. It’s a fantastic resource to have on our doorstop and we look forward to seeing more people come along this year. Top rides and events From spooky cycles to tree spotting, to longer rides in the countryside to our infamous Glamour Ride, the Wheelers had another busy year of organising free cycle rides around the borough and beyond. We also visited local fairs and events offering practical cycling tips and spreading the word about our campaigning asks. It’s been a busy year but we have lots more we’d love to do to improve cycling across Tower Hamlets. If you’d like to get more involved, we’d love to meet you!
GET INVOLVED LOCALLY – CONTACT [email protected] IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN DOING SOME CYCLE CAMPAINING OR WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH OUR ORGANISED RIDES AND ACTIVITIES IN TOWER HAMLETS
