East London Cyclist Archives
The newsletter of Tower Hamlets London Cycling Campaign Group
April - May 2002
We're on a roll...
At our last meeting (11th March) we were very pleased to welcome Paula Smith, LCC's community cycling officer, who gave a great insight into how we can get projects going in the borough that will directly get people cycling and improve the cycling facilities available.
We were fortunate enough to also have the company of two Greenwich LCC-ers who were instrumental in two recent schemes of this nature: gaining £2,000 for cycle parking stands and training lessons, and setting up a women's cycle group that has been highly successful in getting more women into cycling.
Now we're inspired to look into various funding opportunities to see whether we could embark on something similar. We will need more help from you lovely lot out there so please do consider getting involved!
We've already seen some new faces at the cycle count, New Year's meal and at our monthly meetings, so hopefully we can keep up the momentum of welcoming new people.
Please contact us with your ideas:
wheelers@towerhamletswheelers.org.uk
Owen, Co-ordinator: 020 7515 9905
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"It's just a green gutter..."
You may have noticed new bits of green paint on Grove Road, and wondered whether these really are new cycling 'facilities'. Very soon after they sprung up, various people on the Wheelers email list circulated their concerns regarding:
a) The narrow width of the lanes, which would encourage vehicles to squeeze cyclists into the side of the road. This would be particularly dangerous under the railway bridge where the road dips to accommodate high vehicles and there is a resulting high wall next to the pavement (meaning no escape for cyclists) and usually a huge puddle too.
b) Whether a cycle lane is appropriate at all in the part of the road which is quite narrow already. Cyclists would be safer if they rode in the middle of the lane to prevent vehicles over-taking, until the road becomes wider further north. We recommend that the lane is at least doubled in width to make it worthwhile.
We wanted to get to the bottom of this, so we contacted the council's transportation department. Our contact at Tower Hamlets tells us that:
- he realises the problems with the lane(s) as they currently stand;
- the lane is not finished yet - its present state is "not the original intention";
- he is looking into why it hasn't turned out the way the council planned it;
- he is confident that changes will be made.
Your ed wrote a letter to London Cyclist to commend the council about recent improvements to the canal towpath and the crossing at the south end of Salmon Lane, also mentioning this new problem in the hope that the council can avoid the "two steps back" syndrome.
We're going to keep a close eye on what happens, and if it's finished but is still unsatisfactory we'll put on more pressure for changes. Join the email group to keep up to date.
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New Year's meal
It may seem a long time ago now but there wasn't room in the last newsletter to report on the meal we arranged on the evening of the cycle count in January. The aim was to say thanks to all the Wheelers who braved the morning freshness to wrestle with clipboards and count the cyclists who traverse the Aldgate gyratory. It was also a good chance to get people together and hopefully encourage more involvement in the group, if just on the social side.
We went to Good Friends Chinese restaurant on Salmon Lane, where we sat at an aptly round table with a big wheel in the middle. Noodles were noshed, crackers were crunched and chop suey was chewed (sorry...).
A good time was had by all until we realised that someone's bike had been stolen. Otherwise it was a great night and some of us retired to the pub afterwards.
Hopefully the new faces at the count and meal will come to future Wheelers events - maybe even meetings! And if you didn't make it to either event do remember that you are welcome to get involved whenever you feel the urge.
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More trailer transport!
Recycling at its best: unwanted furniture pedalled from one end of Roman Road to the other...
a bizarre sight if any of you spotted your ed and our cartoonist trundling some (small) items of furniture along that wonderful through route, again using a nifty bicycle trailer borrowed from some friends in Hackney (see Feb/March newsletter). We'd neglected to tape up the drawers of the cabinet so Ian had to pedal alongside and keep pushing them in as I heaved the load along... Another example of how you don't need a car or a van for what may seem like a tricky load.
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A hasty exit
Do you live in a flat? Or do you need to haul your bike up some stairs for some other reason? There is a solution to that back-breaking problem. If like me it would be impractical to install a DIY pulley system to your landlord's ceiling (that's Destroy-It-Yourself), fixing heavy-duty half-drainpipes to the side of the stairs means that you could just push your trusty steed up at your leisure.
This solution was suggested by fab volunteer Sian at the LCC office after my plaintive request. If you want info on pulley systems and other storage solutions, contact the LCC office and ask for Sian, or contact Alix who'll pass on the info they gave.
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Monthly Meetings
We've changed the days of our monthly meetings to the second Wednesday of every month. [Notes from previous meetings.]
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We want you!
There's plenty for us to do over the coming months and we very much welcome any Tower Hamlets cyclist to get involved - you don't even need to be an LCC member! We have 220 LCC members in our borough - just imagine the impact we could have if just 10% were actively campaigning as part of the group... Over 30 have already joined the email group but you could also get involved and do stuff!
We're a friendly lot so please do just turn up to one of our meetings Ð they're not only for the committee. You can take on as much or as little as you like and it's a great way to get to meet your fellow cycling campaigners who may well live just round the corner from you.
Wheelers social rides are continuing on the third Saturday of every month so please do contact Alex for details. We'll endeavour to give advance notice of ride details in future editions of this newsletter. In the meantime do feel free to come along to our meetings held on the second Wednesday of every month. Check the events & rides page for the latest info.
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