Sunday 8th March
A mostly bright morning, with more Clouds later, saw 22 Cyclists leave via Fairfield, Coombe, New Malden, Malden golf course, Copse hill, Wimbledon village, Wimbledon park, Earlsfield, Wandsworth common, Clapham common, Clapham, Kennington, Burgess park, where the option to sign the Petition in favour of keeping the Subway open was taken, then the Peckham Canal path to Peckham for lunch at the ‘Kentish Drovers’. Afterwards, via Camberwell grove, pausing briefly to observe a very shame faced motorist with a very awkward predicament, Dulwich, Brockwell park, Tulse hill, Streatham hill, to Tooting Bec common for Tea & BP, then Tooting, Mitcham, Morden hall park, Merton park, Bushey mead, Raynes park, Motspur park, New Malden, Berrylands, to Kingston. Total 33 Miles, 6 new faces.
Map :-
March 2015 Newsletter
Here’s the our newsletter for March 2015:
- First mini-Holland proposal ‘inadequate’
- Cycle Shorts
- Mini-Hollands for Kingston
- Surbiton’s 20mph
Bread Pudding ride to Little Venice
Sunday 22nd February,
A mostly bright morning saw 15 Cyclists leave via Canbury Gardens, Tow-path to Ham, Aerospace estate, Ham, Ham gate of Richmond park, Roehampton gate, Barnes common, Putney, Putney Bridge, Fulham, Parsons green, Brompton Cemetery, West Kensington, Kensington gardens, Hyde park, Paddington Basin to Little Venice for lunch at ‘the Warwick Castle’.Afterwards, with increasing threats of Rain which were soon delivered along with a very cold head wind, along the Grand union Canal to Park Royal, West Acton, North Ealing, Ealing Common to Gunnersbury park, With Iyad suffering a fall resulting in a few Bruises just before the Tea stop with BP, then more Gunnersbury park, Kew Bridge, Kew Rd, Richmond, Richmond park, to Kingston gate and Kingston. Total 31 Miles, 3 new faces.
Map :-
KCC Responds to Kingston’s Mini-Holland Proposal
· The Kingston Cycling Campaign strongly objects to the design of the scheme set out in the consultation documents.
· This is Kingston’s first Mini Holland scheme; it is important to set a satisfactory standard and precedent for later schemes.
· We believe that full segregation, (protected space), can be provided along the length of this route. Connections with facilities to the north and the south need to be designed at the same time to ensure continuity.
· In the bid document it was stated this road was to get a fully segregated two way cycle track for about half its length and the remainder was to be semi- segregated. Around 70 to 80% of the carriageway length is proposed to have no protected space for cycling, rather there will be Mandatory Cycle Lanes (“white paint” as people call it).
· The proposal may be of some limited value to existing cyclists but will do very little to encourage non-cyclists, or the hesitant, to use bicycles; which is the objective of the mini-Holland programme.
· It is not the dramatic or step change in cycling provision which the mini- Holland schemes are intended to achieve, as in the Mayor’s Cycling Vision for London.
· We met with Councillors from the Administration and without giving any promises they said they would speak to Officers about increasing segregated provision. We welcome this.
· We do not want this fantastic opportunity for our Borough to be wasted and we are confident that if aspects of the scheme are redesigned to incorporate protected space along the entirety of this short route it will prove an outstanding achievement for Kingston.
Meeting to discuss Mini Holland proposals
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 10 March 2015 at 8pm at the Richard Mayo Centre, Eden Street, Kingston on Thames KT1 1HZ http://mayocentre.org.uk/. We hope to discuss the revised Portsmouth Road Mini Holland proposals and feedback from the Sustrans workshop on the New Malden to Raynes Park Mini Holland Link. If you cycle, or would like to cycle, in Kingston please join us.
Bread Pudding Ride to Windsor Park
Sunday 8 February 2015, Windsor Great Park
Sunday 8th February saw 19 Cyclists leave via Portsmouth Rd, Giggshill green, Weston green, Esher, Walton on Thames, Weybridge, Addlestone, Victory park, Homeland park, Foxhills, Knowle hill, Wentworth to Sunningdale for a ‘split lunch’, some at ‘the Nags head’, some at a local Cafe. All back together, via Titterhust, Cheapside, Windsor Great park, with some superb views of Windsor Castle, Englefield green, Egham, Staines, Ashford, Lower Feltham, Hanworth, Hampton, Bushy park for Tea & BP at the ‘Pheasantry’, Hampton wick & Kingston bridge. Total 43 Miles, 1 new face.
Map :- http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/viewtrip/2894668
Mini Holland Meetings with Officers and Councillors
Officers
On Thursday 22 January 3 campaigners from Kingston Cycling Campaign met with Officers from the Royal Borough of Kingston to discuss their Mini Holland proposals for Portsmouth Road. We were accompanied by the Campaigns Officer from the London Cycling Campaign http://lcc.org.uk/. We saw detailed plans of the proposals for the first time. These were frankly disappointing. The plans confirmed our fears that this is largely a “white paint” scheme with limited protected space for cycling. The areas of segregation are small; perhaps the southerly, heading away from Brighton Rd, 20% of the Northern bound carriageway, which is fully segregated. Additionally semi segregation by means of armadillos is proposed towards the north end, near Kingston, on both sides of the road but only for a short distance, particularly on the southbound. In all, so far as one can tell, only about 20% of the scheme has any protection at all. We are awaiting copies of the plans so we can comment further. There are some nice landscaping features and 2 raised pedestrian crossings but the cycling provision is certainly not to Dutch standards. We made the point that proposals such as these will do little or nothing to encourage cycling among those who don’t already ride. Schoolchildren will not want to ride along Portsmouth Road protected by white lines.
Councillors
On Monday 26 January another 3 campaigners met with 2 Councillors from the Conservative administration of RBK. Cllr Richard Hudson who chairs the Infrastructure, Projects and Contracts Committee, responsible for the Mini Holland Projects, and Cllr Andrea Craig, Lead member for Children and Young People, who is also a keen cyclist. This was a positive meeting. All wanted the Mini Holland schemes to be realised and to succeed. All, whilst recognising we may not agree on everything, want a degree of consensus to be achieved. All wanted schemes to be designed, so far as possible, for new or occasional cyclists, particularly children. All recognised schemes should benefit the whole community. We discussed various forms of physical protection for cycling such as armadillos and stepped kerbs. On the face of it there is room on Portsmouth Road for more protected space for cycling than is in the current proposal. Without making any promises Cllr Hudson said he would speak to Officers following the consultation to see if the degree of segregation can be improved.
Please do complete the consultation; link below. Everyone we speak to wants protected space unless you say so you can hardly blame Councillors or Officers for being unaware of that;
Bread Pudding Ride to Wraysbury
January 25th. A mostly overcast but dry day saw 25 Cyclists leave via Kingston bridge, Bushy park to Hampton, Hanworth, Feltham, Bedfont, Stanwell, Stanwell moor, Poyle to Wraysbury for a ‘split lunch’ at the ‘Perseverance’ & the ‘George’. With everyone back together via Staines, Knowle green, Ashford, Charlton, Shepperton to Halliford garden centre, for Tea & BP, also saying hello to our friends from ‘Cheam & Morden CTC, then lower Sunbury, Hampton, Bushy park to Kingston. Total 31 Miles, 2 new faces.
Map :-www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/2885398https://flic.kr/p/qW2i2Z
Portsmouth Road Consultation
The public consultation on the proposed Portsmouth Rd mini-holland scheme opens today. You can find all the details on what is proposed and how you can make your voice heard:
RBK Portsmouth Rd Consultation
You can also read the Portsmouth Road Full Proposal Document (PDF)
If we don’t let the Council know what we think, we can’t complain about what they give us. Rich, one of our supporters, has produced a template to respond to the consultation:
https://stuffrichwrites.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/response-to-portsmouth-road-consultation/
Please feel free to adopt it or adapt it.
The Council’s proposals will not prevent this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxqtgYon0Lk
We want protected space infrastructure so truck drivers can not endanger their fellow citizens in this way and 8 to 80 cyclists will use this route.
First Ride of 2015 – Great Bookham and Effingham
Meeting for our first bread pudding ride of 2015
Sunday 11 January 2015:
A bright Sunny morning, with more cloud later, saw 20 Cyclists ready for the first ride of ‘15 via Lower Marsh, Berrylands, Tolworth greenway, Hogsmill & Bonesgate paths, Horton country park, Ashtead common, Leatherhead, Fetcham to Great Bookham where a small detachment stopped for lunch at ‘Domestique’ Cafe, while the remainder continued to Effingham for lunch at the ‘Sir Douglas Haig’. With everyone back together via Effingham junction, Martyr’s green, a partially flooded Plough lane, Cobham, Fairmile to Claremont lake for Tea & BP, then Esher, Littleworth, Hinchley wood, Long Ditton, Surbiton to Kingston. 1 new face, 28 Miles.
Map :-www.plotaroute.com/route/30393
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kingstoncyclingcampaign/16068794710 11/01/2015 Kingston Market Place meeting point
Kingston Cycling Campaign 