Tower Hamlets Volunteer Cycling Rangers Project

The Volunteer Rangers project aims to engage local people who cycle in Tower Hamlets to highlight maintenance issues on the local cycle routes and their own personal routes - such as broken glass, pot-holes, and missing signs.

The project will also be testing out an 'audit' process where volunteers highlight where simple measures could be put in place to make sections of the borough easier to cycle through - such as dropped kerbs allowing easy cycling through a cut-through, and allowing two-way cycling on one-way streets.

The Volunteer Rangers project is a pilot project funded by the Healthy Borough programme and launched in December 2009. Transport Initiatives, a small consultancy specialising in cycling projects, is managing the project for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and NHS Tower Hamlets.

Contact of Transport Initiatives (020 8525 4512) if you would like to find out more and get involved.

Project Updates

Rangers map out their routes and areas on a big map of Tower Hamlets.
Credit: Alix Stredwick/Transport Initiatives

July 2010
There will be another chance to join the Cycling Rangers project this Saturday during the Wheelers Workshop. Drop in anytime during the workshop hours of 11.00am-3.00pm at Limehouse Town Hall. For more details, contact 020 8525 4512.

Cycle Parking news: as a result of the Rangers cycle parking suggestions, a set of new cycle parking stands has now been put in by Tower Hamlets council on Three Colt Street E14 (Dundee Court outside of Vesuvios Caffe, Wheelers post-workshop café).

June 2010
Now there are 20 Rangers on the scheme, following a successful recruitment day on 29th May at the Wheelers Workshop. Thank you very much to the Wheelers for letting TI 'set up shop' in their workshop space. We have also teamed up with the CTC to link up officially to their website fillthathole.org.uk. If you would like to submit reports via CTC for Tower Hamlets, please get in touch to be a Ranger, so we can collate all these reports under the same project.

Read Bob's Bancroft Road Audit.
Credit: Bob Chew

The first audit reports have come in! On the right is an example of a small improvement of the type we're looking for on Bancroft Road where a dropped kerb is needed - thanks Bob! The text that Bob added in to his audit form is highlighted in yellow to show how simple it is. All instructions are given to Rangers in the Volunteer Booklet.

Here are some other examples from neighbouring Hackney of the kind of thing we are looking for in Tower Hamlets for the audits.

Clapton Park dropped kerb, before and after

Albion Drive permeability, before and after
Credit: Hackney Cyclists

More Hackney examples can be seen on the Hackney Cyclists' permeability web page.

January 2010
At present, 14 Wheelers have volunteered to be 'cycling rangers'. A briefing session is arranged for Monday 25th January at the council offices. Drop-in any time between 5:30pm & 7:30pm to meeting room MG22 at Mulberry Place (ask at reception). It'll probably take you 30-40 minutes at the most.

There will be another session at the Wheelers Workshop on 30th January from 1pm-3pm - see the workshop page for location details. Again, the briefing is drop-in between these times.

If you are interested in joining up, please come along to one or other of the briefing sessions! - contact or tel 020 8525 4512 or just drop-in.

Basically, there are 3 different aspects to the Rangers volunteering, and you can choose to do as many or as few as you like:

Regular reporting of street faults such as pot-holes, missing cycle signs, and blocked routes (minimum every two weeks).
A one-off 'audit', to highlight future improvements on the streetscape that you would like to see for cycling.
Suggestions for where new cycle parking should be prioritised.

All of these you would do in an area (e.g. an area round where you live); or along cycle route of your choice; or along another route of your choice (e.g. if your route to work doesn't actually follow a Tower Hamlets cycle route).

Come along to a briefing, find out more and get involved!