Wheelers Meetings

Notes from Wheelers Meeting & AGM held on 9 April 2003
at Limehouse Town Hall, Commercial Road, E14

Present:
Tom Brenan, Alex Brenan, Alix Stredwick, Mark Pearson, Colin Waters, Owen Pearson, Saul Albert, Steve Collins, Stephen Bradley, Tracy Law, Oliver Schick, Ian Welsby, Peter Steele, Cath Church, Lyndal Peters (LBTH)

1. Introduction

Welcomes to Tracy, Ian, Peter, Cath, Oliver from Hackney and Lyndal from LBTH.

This meeting would incorporate the AGM to elect the committee members and officer posts.

2. Actions from last meeting, 12 March 2003

Actions completed except:
Owen to circulate latest information on congestion charge boundary zone traffic calming schemes.

3. East London Cycling Newsletter & Media Update

Deadline for articles for the May issue is 27 April. Next handout will be on 16 April.
Most local newspapers ran pieces on the LCC All Abilities launch and also the story highlighting the lack of cycle parking at the Tower of London.
ACTION: Alix

4. Borough Spending Plan

Lyndal Peters outlined the current schemes that are to be included in LBTH's Borough Spending Plan (BSP) for 2004-05. They are grouped as follows:
Cycle Training: training for all age groups, council cycle training co-ordinator, contribution to cycle buddy system, Gorsefields - off-road facility.
Cycle Parking: secure parking in housing estates, cycle parking at leisure facilties/parks, transport interchanges and schools.
Cycle Links, Priority and Access Improvements: Adelina Grove/Redman/Ernest/Solebay, Stepney Way/Salmon Lane, Hamlets Way, Old Ford/Hackney Road, Clove Crescent and Tom Thumbs Arch.

Suggestions made at the meeting were funding to improve enforcement of cycle and bus lanes, ASLs at all signalled junctions and more consideration to north-south routes through the borough.

Lyndal welcomes any further suggestions from Wheelers members to be submitted to her by Friday, 2 May.

5. Traffic Schemes Update

Congestion Charge Zone boundary traffic calming schemes
Owen will complete the his action from March's meeting.

Aldgate Gyratory
Colin reported that the cycle count on 26 March had gone well and the analysis of the data is underway.

6. AGM

Election of Committee Members & Officers

Finances
The current balance is £1,404. This figure includes the sum of £1,034 collected for the CC T-shirts. The £1,200 funding from LBTH has still to paid in.

7. Constitution Amendment

To fully comply with the application requirements of some funding bodies the following constitution amendments were agreed:

3. Tower Hamlets Wheelers achieves these objectives by, for instance:
   • liaising with the local council and other authorities
   • forming working relationships with other borough community groups, schools and organisations
   • running schemes to directly help more people to cycle and to aid existing cyclists
   • educating the public about cycle safety and wider road safety issues
   • organising rides and social events
   • regularly sending out press releases informing the media of the Wheelers activities

10. The London Cycling Campaign may dissolve Tower Hamlets Wheelers if no AGM has been held for a period of twenty four months or for other good and just cause. On dissolution any assets will be absorbed into the funds of the London Cycling Campaign.

ACTION: Owen to update constitution document.

8. Funding Applications

Alix reported success with the Community Chest (Neighbourhood Renewal Unit) application with us being awarded £4,456 to go towards the workshop, buddying scheme and cycle training!
The DfT Cycle Projects Fund application has now been submitted with notification of any award due in June.
Alix noted the possibility of applying to the Local Network Fund for projects involving young people and children. This could be in conjuction with groups such as the Family Welfare Association or Youth Action.
ACTION: Alix to submit Awards for All application.

9. Workshop

Saul reported that the first workshop on 29 March had gone well. John Biggs attended, had his bike checked over and chatted for a while about the transport issues of the day.
Next workshop on 29 April, 11-3pm.

10. CC T-shirt

All the cheques received have now been cashed and so we can now pay the printers the required £1,034.
ACTION: Steve and Alix to liaise with the company with regard to getting the job finished.

11. Training & Buddying Scheme

An enquiry about cycle training has led to our first participant in this scheme. We will be providing two hours training with the London School of Cycling to a woman from Poplar.

As decided at the March meeting this scheme will be formally launched at the beginning of May. With agreement from our new trainee we would use them in the publicity launch. As well as a press release, a new set of promotional postcards will be made for the scheme as well as a poster. Health centres, GP's surgeries, libraries, colleges will be targeted.
ACTION:
1. Colin to organise a promotional material distribution list giving location and volunteer to deliver the postacrds.
2. Alix to draft a press release.
3. Gary to design postcard.
4. Owen to ask trainee if she would be involved in launch.

12. Bike Week, 14-22 June 2003

Agreed to hold a meeting at the Coborn Arms, Coborn Road E3 at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 23 April to organise Bike Week events. (This is the same evening and pub scheduled for the monthly social get together from 9pm.)
ACTION: Owen to send email around asking for volunteers to attend.

13. AOB

Bethnal Green road railings: These have recently been installed and are not welcomed by pedestrians and cyclists alike. Tom Brenan has been in correspondence with the LBTH engineer, Peter Thompson to establish why they have been erected and whether the project can be altered and the railings removed. It was agreed that removal would be unlikely as with works now complete the project would undergo several months of testing. It was suggested that a letter campaign could be started to raise this issue and to show the anti-railings feelings amongst cyclists. It was also thought it would be best to keep in contact with the engineer to enable positive liaison to take place for future projects.
ACTION: Tom to draft campaign letter.

The meeting closed late at 9.00pm and most headed off to The Grapes, Narrow Street.

Next meeting: 7.00pm, 14 May, at Limehouse Town Hall.