Transport for London need Dutch lessons
Transport for London has produced the final response to their consultation regarding their plans to redesign the Mile End Rd/Grove Rd/Burdett Rd junction. Despite London Cycling Campaign (CCC), THW and Queen Mary University (QMU) proposing simple changes to improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians in addition to their proposal, they are going ahead with their original plans. Both Wheelers and QMU believe more could have been done and that the consultation process was flawed.
Over 15,000 people work and study at QMU Mile End campus, and many travel through the junction as cyclists and pedestrians. TfL’s held a consultation event at QMU, which was meant to run 11-2 but they left at 12.30, their reason being “not a single person had attended to speak to us about the scheme”. We know many people from QMU, and from outside, who went after 12.30. Having run this type of event before, TfL and their partners must know people are most likely to visit during their lunch break. This is not effective consultation.
After the Queen Mary U debacle, THW handed out TfL’s information to over 150 cyclists at the junction from 7.30-9.30 one morning and also posted info and links to well over 500 people on our email group, mailing list and Facebook page. We aren’t there to do TfL’s work for them but did so because we believe cyclists using the junction should have the opportunity to comment and would have relevant points to make about cycling and cyclists’ safety there.
TfL posted info to 3130 addresses in the area but the responses they received totalled 109. We wonder how many of these resulted from Wheelers’ efforts.
We appreciate TfL has to consider many viewpoints, not least managerial and political but Boris Johnson endorsed the Go Dutch principles. So, if TfL haven’t managed to work out the best way to implement them at this junction, a simple crossroads, how effective will their efforts be at the other junctions along CS2, and at Bow roundabout, not to mention across the rest of London? Are they really serving the needs of cyclists adequately.
LCC’s response to the consultation sums it up: ‘Mayor Boris Johnson pledged to make London’s streets “as safe and inviting for cycling as they are in Holland ” in response to LCC’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign. The pledge applies to Cycle Superhighway 2, which is an important route in this respect. We believe that the proposed changes provide some substantial improvements but fall short of the standard that could be achieved.’
Wheelers think some of the figures in TfL’s report may be incorrect, that some of the comments and conclusions recorded in the report are wrong, and we also believe the consultation process to have been inadequate considering the junction’s importance, the danger it poses to vulnerable road users, and the scale of the planned works.
THW are considering our response to TfL’s report. If you have comments to make, please send them to this group by replying or to me, david@towerhamletswheelers.org.uk
Further reading - LCC's post Junction of Grove Road/Burdett Road and Mile End Road isn't going Dutch
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