Tower Hamlets Wheelers, the borough group of the London Cycling Campaign, has today launched the Tower Hamlets Cycling Manifesto. The Manifesto sets out our positive vision for cycling – and, more broadly, a better quality of life – in the borough over the course of the 2018-22 administration. It contains 12 principles and three deliverables to which we are asking all mayoral candidates to agree.

Tower Hamlets Wheelers is also announcing two campaigning events in the run-up to election. On the evening of Thursday 5 April, we will be hosting the Tower Hamlets Cycling and Walking Mayoral Hustings at Limehouse Town Hall. We warmly invite all to attend. And on Saturday 14 April, we will be at the Farmers’ Market at Stepney City Farm, talking to people about what they think would help cycling in the borough.

Tower Hamlets Wheelers committee member Julie Plichon said:

"We are publishing the Tower Hamlets Cycling Manifesto to set out a positive vision of what we would like to see the 2018-22 borough administration achieve.

"We are asking all mayoral candidates to agree to the 12 principles contained in the Manifesto and, crucially, to commit to delivering our three specific asks by 2022.

"Our first ask is that the five routes in Tower Hamlets identified by Transport for London in its Strategic Cycling Analysis as having particularly high cycling potential are planned and completed by 2022.
"Our second ask is for low-traffic neighbourhoods: we would like the 2018-22 administration to apply for Transport for London Liveable Neighbourhoods funding. This should be used to bring forward ambitious area-wide traffic management schemes which would keep through traffic on main roads and make residential streets safe and pleasant places to live, play, walk and cycle.

"Finally, we are asking the incoming administration to significantly increase secure residents’ bicycle parking, by installing 75 on-street Bike Hangars a year and working with social landlords to increase secure bicycle parking on estates".

Tower Hamlets Wheelers committee member Alex Jenkins said:

"What we are asking for isn’t really for the benefit of the one-in-ten of Tower Hamlets residents who are already regular cyclists. Instead, we are trying to create the conditions whereby the other 90% of the borough’s population have cycling made available to them as a comfortable, convenient and safe transport option.
"We should be ambitious about the cycling rate which can be achieved: around 41% of trips across Greater London could be cycled, and Transport for London analysis showing that Tower Hamlets may have the highest potential for cycling of any London borough – which means our potential is even higher. However, current cycling rates barely scratch the surface of this.

"To unlock this suppressed demand, new cycling infrastructure in Tower Hamlets should be so attractive, safe and inclusive that it entices those who do not yet cycle, rather than simply making the roads safer for existing cyclists."

Tower Hamlets Wheelers committee member Owen Pearson said:

"Radically increasing the number of journeys made by bicycle should be a major part of the solution for many of the challenges our borough faces. Cycling can help deal with all sorts of challenges such as inactivity, obesity, pollution, inequality, poor access to transport, a rapidly-increasing population, and congestion.

"Tower Hamlets is the fifth-worst local authority area for particulate pollution the UK, with over 8% of deaths in the borough attributable to long-term exposure. Shifting journeys from polluting modes to cycling and walking could be a major part of improving our air quality.

"The population of Tower Hamlets is growing rapidly, with an 86% increase projected between 2000 and 2026. Cycling is one of the most space-efficient uses of the road, and therefore an ideal way of getting around an increasingly densely-populated borough."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. Tower Hamlets Wheelers is the borough group of the London Cycling Campaign with 430 paid-­up members and a further 864 registered supporters living in Tower Hamlets. We have been active in the borough for over 30 years.
2. Our main objectives are to encourage more people to cycle, improve conditions for cyclists and to raise the profile of cycling in our borough. We liaise with and bring issues to the attention of the local council and other authorities. We run cycling community projects and organise social rides and events to bring cyclists in the area together.
3. We are hosting the Tower Hamlets Cycling and Walking Mayoral Hustings on Thursday 5 April at Limehouse Town Hall, 646 Commercial Road, E14 7HA starting at 6:45 p.m.
4. We will be at the Farmers’ Market at Stepney City Farm to talk to visitors about our asks between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday 14 April. Details of both events can be found at wheelers.org.uk/diary
5. The manifesto can be found online at wheelers.org.uk/manifesto2018

A new consultation is out on changes to Cable St, including some improvements to Cycle Superhighway 3. Whilst we would like to see the scheme go further, there are some good proposals here, in particular a major improvement to the confusing junction with Sutton St and a new parallel pedestrian/cyclist zebra crossing and contraflow cycle lane at King David Lane.

We would like to see as many users of CS3 as possible reply to this, supporting the good stuff but asking the borough to go further in creating a low-traffic neighbourhood around Cable St. We have put together a suggested response below. Your response is likely to have the most impact you go to the consultation page and scroll down to the bottom to fill in the webform (and it’ll have even more impact if you put the text sections into your own words), but if you are in a hurry you could just email the suggested response to towerhamlets.consultation@projectcentre.co.uk as that should still count (just make sure you include your name and address).

The consultation closes this Sunday (21 January).

SUGGESTED RESPONSE:

Question 1
Not sure.

Question 2
It is not clear that banning vehicles from entering Martha St from Watney St will necessarily reduce traffic in this area, as under these plans Tarling St will remain open for eastbound vehicles. Watney St has very high pedestrian flows and would benefit enormously from a significant decrease in motor vehicle movements. I therefore ask for a more ambitious approach here to reduce traffic on Watney St: the streets around Watney St could be made no-through roads to motor vehicles with the aim of keeping through traffic on Commercial Rd, and Watney St itself could be made walking and cycling only (with out-of-hours access for deliveries).

If this banned turn does go ahead, I ask that there is an exemption for cyclists.

Question 3
Agree.

Question 4
I broadly support the pedestrian improvements here. However, I ask that the pedestrian-only zebra crossing outside Shadwell station is changed to a parallel pedestrian/cyclist zebra crossing to allow convenient cycling access between CS3 and Dellow St. I am also concerned that, assuming the newly one-way Dellow St permits contraflow cycling, the widened footway at the junction with Cable St will increase the risk of head on cyclist/motor vehicle conflict. A pedestrian refuge set into Dellow St with a contraflow cycle lane running behind it would offer similar benefits to pedestrians whilst avoiding this problem.

Question 5
Not sure.

Question 6
Agree.

Question 7
Given that the Dellow St – Lowood St – Bewley St loop is already access-only, it is not clear how making these streets one-way would necessarily achieve the objective of reducing traffic. If this one-way scheme is to go ahead, these streets should permit contraflow cycling.

I strongly support the replacement of gates with bollards at the end of Dellow St to improve walking and cycling permeability. This also underlines the need for Dellow St in particular to permit two-way cycling, in order that the full benefits of this improved cycling link are realised. I ask that other similar gates on estate roads in the vicinity are considered for replacement by bollards, to improve cycling permeability across the area. I also ask that the link from the end of Dellow St to Wapping is considered for improvement for cycling, including the possible conversion of the crossing on The Highway to a toucan crossing.

Question 8
Not sure.

Question 9
It is not clear how this proposal will necessarily reduce motor traffic in the area, as Martha St will remain open for westbound vehicles. Similarly to question 2, I ask for more ambitious measures to reduce traffic in and around Watney St.

If this banned turn does go ahead, I ask that there is an exemption for cyclists.

Question 10
Agree.

Question 11
–

Question 12
Agree.

Question 13
Agree.

Question 14
I strongly support the proposed pedestrian and cyclist priority over Sutton St, as the priorities at this junction are currently confusing and counter-intuitive.

I strongly support the proposed parallel zebra crossing of Cable St and a contraflow cycle lane on King David Lane. I suggest that to minimise cyclist/pedestrian conflict on King David Lane, demarcation blocks should be installed to separate the contraflow cycle lane from pedestrian space, and the cycle lane should be painted a different colour from the pavement. I also suggest that King David Lane should be subject to some form of traffic management scheme (perhaps a bus gate, or a banned turn from The Highway) to reduce motor vehicle movements in King David Lane itself and also on Cable St.

Question 15
Cable St and its environs are currently dominated by motor vehicles, with a great deal of antisocial and dangerous driving. Given that only 38% of households in the local area have a car, it seems likely that many of these vehicles constitute through traffic. To build on these proposals, I would support the introduction of a more extensive traffic management scheme in order to make the entire area between The Highway and Commercial Rd access-only to motor vehicles. This approach would be hugely beneficial to local residents, pedestrians, and cyclists using CS3.

Several of the proposed interventions would increase car parking spaces. This would make it easier to drive to and from the area and thus contradicts the overall aim of reducing motor traffic. I ask that, where proposed changes lead to additional kerbside space being made available, this space should be used to install bike hangars, as there is currently very little secure residents’ bike parking in the area.

The Borough is currently consulting on a “Neighbourhood Refresh” for the Weavers ward (the north-west corner of Tower Hamlets, around Columbia Road). A major aim of the Neighbourhood Refresh programme is to make roads safer, particularly for people cycling and walking. We think these proposals could be made a lot better, so we urge you to respond to the consultation by its closing date of 30 September. A suggested text is provided below.

The Weavers area is of particular importance to people who cycle in the area, as it includes part of the Quietway 13 route, which will eventually run from London Fields to Farringdon. Although there are some good bits and pieces proposed, overall the proposals do not go nearly far enough. We think that this would be an ideal area for the installation an ambitious series of modal filters similar to the example pictured above, making the streets local-access only for motor vehicles and much more hospitable places for both local residents and people cycling or walking through the area. We urge you to ask for modal filtering in your response.

How to respond

There are several ways to respond: the consultation website includes a map where you can drop a pin to request an intervention in a particular spot, and a webform right at the bottom of the page where you can respond section-by-section. Alternatively, you can email your responses to towerhamlets.consultation@projectcentre.co.uk. A suggested text which you can email in is provided below, but don’t forget to sign off with your name and address! If you put these thoughts into your own words – and add some colour about your personal experience of the area – they may have more impact, but if you don’t have time don’t worry: the most important thing is that a decent number of people reply.

If you live within the Weavers ward, for additional impact you might want to email the ward councillors explaining why you would like a more ambitious scheme.

Suggested response

Email to: towerhamlets.consultation@projectcentre.co.uk

Dear Consultation team

I am writing in response to the Weavers Area Traffic Improvements consultation.

Overall comment:
I welcome the scheme’s objectives of improving the streets for people who walk and cycle. It is particularly important to get such improvements right in this area as it will form part of the Quietway 13 cycle route, and as none of the local main roads currently have any protected space for cycling it is essential that this area provides safe and comfortable alternative routes for all-age, all-experience cycling. However, this area is blighted by rat running, anti-social driving, and vehicle-borne criminality (in particular, drug dealing), and whilst the planned improvements are a step in the right direction it is my view that they should go much further.

This area is bound by several A-roads (Hackney Rd, Shoreditch High St, and Bethnal Green Rd). These roads are much more suitable for carrying large amounts of motor traffic than the backstreets through which it is currently allowed to permeate. I therefore urge the Borough to build on these proposals to create a much more ambitious scheme, centred on extensive area-wide modal filtering, with the aim of making the whole area accessible to local traffic only. This would have huge benefits both to local residents and to people walking or cycling through. In addition, the two B-roads in the area both run on residential streets unsuitable for through motor traffic, and essentially duplicate routes provided by local A-roads. I ask that the Borough investigate the possibility of declassifying these B-roads, which would then allow them to be filtered too.

Section 1:
I ask that the yorkstone paving and raised sections are executed with a bicycle-friendly smooth surface and gentle inclines.

Section 2:
I strongly support the principle of narrowing the entrance to Boundary St to discourage fast driving. I strongly support the principle of providing a contra-flow cycle lane here, but ask that the parking spaces proposed for the west side of Boundary St are moved or removed to avoid dangerous vehicle movements across the cycle lane, and that the cycle lane be made wider and benefit from some form of protection.

Section 3:
I strongly support an additional modal filter here, and hope that it will represent a first step in a much more ambitious area-wide modal filtering scheme. I prefer Option A, as the existing Elwin St/Quilter St filter would then continue to prevent antisocial drivers doing laps of Jesus Green. I ask that the existing filter be modified to make it permeable to cyclists.

Section 4:
I strongly support making the southern end of Durant St walking and cycling only. I ask it is designed such that the usable width meets the relevant London Cycling Design Standards for a shared use path and I suggest that bike hangars for residents’ bike parking could be included in the design.

Section 5:
I do not believe that making Ropley St one-way will have a significant impact in reducing traffic in this area. It will clearly not have any effect in limiting southbound traffic, and may even induce some additional traffic in this direction as it will become easier to drive down. For northbound traffic, other options (e.g. Ravenscroft St and Horatio St) will remain open.

I urge the Borough instead to install a modal filter on Ropley St, as this would be a much more effective way of reducing traffic in this area, and to bring forward proposals for filtering other nearby streets as part of an area-wide scheme.

Section 6:
I strongly support the principle of introducing design features to help embed the 20mph speed limit, but oppose the retention of speed cushions as these dangerously narrow the usable road width for people cycling; they should be replaced with sinusoidal humps. I note, however, that a more effective way of embedding a 20mph speed limit would be to introduce an area-wide filtering scheme.

The consultation on how Tower Hamlets spends its Local Infrastructure Fund is currently open, closing on 8 August.

The Fund is made up of payments received from developers and the aim is to spend it on infrastructure which helps Tower Hamlets cope with increases in population and employment. Cycling facilities fit the bill perfectly: bicycles are a space-efficient, healthy, zero-pollution mode of transport -- ideal for a growing borough, being relatively cheap to enable and with plenty of potential for growth in use.

We therefore suggest that you pick “Cycling and walking routes” as one of your top three priorities in answer to Question 3, and then consider suggesting some cycling schemes as your infrastructure project nominations (you are allowed to nominate up to three projects). Examples might include:

• Making your area’s residential streets local access only for motor vehicles (sometimes known as "modal filtering"), thus enabling safe cycling. You could suggest that some money from the Fund is offered as part of a bid for Transport for London funding for such schemes, which is likely to become available via its upcoming “Liveable Neighbourhoods” programme.
• Creating new, high-quality cycleways in your area, or upgrading existing ones.
• Providing secure residents’ bicycle parking in your area (for example, replacing a single parking space with two Bikehangars -- which would hold 12 bikes).

As this is a fund in relation to development, you will have to include some explanation of how your suggestions address the demands placed on the area by development. This should be easy to do with cycling, as it’s a highly space-efficient form of transport which is ideal for an increasingly-dense urban area, and recent Transport for London analysis has shown that it has huge potential for growth in Tower Hamlets. Don’t worry, however, if you can’t answer the questions about how much the project might cost – your suggestion will still count without this.

Click here to get straight to the consultation response page. Remember to reply by Tuesday 8 August.

On Friday, 18th November Tower Hamlets Wheelers [1] will be commemorating the fifth anniversary of the vigil that we organised at Bow roundabout in 2011 [2] by meeting again at the roundabout at 18:00.

We are gathering again at the roundabout to: Commemorate the importance of the outcome of the 2011 event for campaigning (and campaigners), the need to keep lobbying for safe space for people cycling and, on the weekend of the World Remembrance Day, to remember all road traffic victims [3].

In 2011 we were angry that, within the space of three weeks, two people cycling had been killed at the roundabout and a third had suffered life-changing injuries at another junction in the borough despite promises from City Hall and TfL that roads would be made safer for those cycling [4].

Autumn that year was the start of the campaigning period for the 2012 London mayoral elections and Boris Johnson was standing for a second term. The vigil coincided with that opening week. Our publicising activity, taken up by the new power of tweeting campaigners, meant that media interest and coverage was high, strengthened by the news later in the week that the MP (Rushanara Ali) and mayoral candidates would be attending.

The political embarrassment for Boris Johnson was that one of those who died at Bow did so on the blue paint of one of his cycle superhighway (CS); Brian Dorling on CS2 on the morning of 24th October. And, as were all, whilst commuting. Brian long distance from Hounslow to the Olympic site, Lana Tereschenko (afternoon Friday 11th November) on her way home to Bow from Stratford [5] and Mary Bowers, nearly at the end of her journey from Stepney Green to the Sunday Times offices, hit at the junction of Dock Street and The Highway morning of Friday 4th November having turned off the CS3 track.

These were the users that the CS were designed by TfL to attract and cater for, confident cyclists who would lead the way in showing that commuting by bike was possible on London roads. They were all hit by left-turning HGVs and in two cases by drivers distracted by a conversation on a hands free device. Campaigners had been complaining that blue paint was not sufficient since the first brushstrokes had appeared and throughout 2011 a series of activities by cyclists had demonstrated that considerably more needed to be done City Hall politicians and TfL engineers. Over two thousand participants attended the third Blackfriars Bridge flashride [6] and the Bow vigil was planned returning from the 'tour of danger' ride; an east to west campaigning ride across central London of the junctions deemed by TfL as the 'ten most dangerous...' for cyclists [7]. (By the time we got to Trafalgar Sq the number was nearer 600.)

On afternoon of the 2011 vigil, having taken a battering all week in the press and with Johnson's ambition for a second term, TfL announced a review of major junctions on cycle superhighways ('built' and planned) as well as other major junctions [8]. This was the start of a process of broader recognition that infrastructure in London needed to be at the best international standards for those travelling by bike (or on foot).

Hence the importance for the later space for cycling and the safer lorry campaigns [9]; the successes of those and the 'still to be done' can be followed on the LCC blog posts.

Locally we still have much to do, although we recognise that introduction of 20mph signalled borough commitment to reducing road danger. Bow roundabout has not improved for people cycling, (death of Venera in 2013), and barely for pedestrians and we need a voice in the TfL future plans [10]. Construction lorries are still the major cause of cycling deaths and serious injuries in London, with fatalities and injuries yearly in Tower Hamlets from HGVs for all vulnerable road users. We need to see a local voice via borough politicians lobbying for earlier introduction of the better cab design and stronger enforcement of driving standards (of all vehicles) [11].

Meet Friday, 18th November at Bow roundabout 18.00 for 18.15

[1] London Cycling Campaign in Tower Hamlets www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk
[2] www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk/news/tags/bow-roundabout
[3] www.roadpeace.org/remembering/world_day_of_remembrance
[4] www.londoncyclist.co.uk/question-boris-johnson-cycle-superhighway
[5] lcc.org.uk/articles/anniversary-of-bow-death-highlights-need-to-improve-driving-standards-and-lorry-safety
[6] lcc.org.uk/articles/victory-for-london-cycling-campaign-as-mayor-agrees-to-20mph-speed-limit-on-blackfriars-and-london-bridges
[7] www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk/rides/2011-11-12/tour-du-danger
[8] lcc.org.uk/articles/hundreds-of-junctions-to-be-reviewed-by-tfl-after-public-outcry-over-bow-roundabout-and-kings-cross
[9] lcc.org.uk/pages/space-for-cycling & lcc.org.uk/pages/what-are-we-calling-for
[10] tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/bow-vision
[11] lcc.org.uk/articles/win-most-dangerous-lorries-to-be-banned-from-londons-streets