Greetings fellow cyclists! The worst of the winter seems to be behind us now so I hope you’ve been able to get out on your bike but meanwhile, Havering Cyclists have been busy campaigning and raising local cycling issues. Please read on for details.
TRAFFIC CALMING REMOVAL: SPEED HUMPS
At a time when other councils are looking at ways to make local streets more inviting for vulnerable road users, incredibly, Havering Council has been spending its very limited resources on removing speed humps. Two were removed from Hornchurch Road without our being consulted and we were shown plans for three more in Mawney Road, Romford, Dagnam Park Drive, Harold Hill and Burland Road, Collier Row.
We have objected to these in the strongest terms and now await the outcome.
LOWER THAMES CROSSING: HAVE YOUR SAY
There is an argument to say that in the face of a Climate Emergency, this whole scheme should be scrapped. However, in the event that it does proceed, we need to ensure that cyclists’ needs are met. We have responded and have concerns that they do not have a solution for the walkers and cyclists using the A127 who will now be trying to cross new 70 mph slip roads to and from the M25. The consultation is open until 25th March so there is still time to have your say at:
https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/ltc/consultation-2020/
GALLOWS CORNER
We have been looking at the problems facing cyclists trying to negotiate Gallows Corner. There are shared use paths all around the junction but the problems are in knowing where to go and in getting across the road at points where there is no controlled crossing. We had been told that the junction will be upgraded at some point but there is no indication as to when this will be so we are looking at developing our own proposals around signage and path width. Please get in touch with any suggestions.
CYCLISTS SAFETY ISSUE: RUMBLE STRIPS
You may recall that Havering Council had been wrongly installing rumble strips on many of Havering’s rural roads across the full width of the carriageway and in doing so, creating a significant hazard for cyclists. We have submitted a list of offending roads and still await a plan for them to be corrected.
DANGEROUS JUCTION: WHALEBONE LANE/A12
We have been pressing TfL to provide crossing facilities at the busy junction of the A12 and Whalebone Lane and have now been assured that this junction is on the list of junctions for review.
A CYCLING CHARTER FOR HAVERING
Sensing the great reluctance of our local council to give any credence to the idea that people want to cycle, we have decided to try building a mandate for better cycling facilities by drawing up a “cycling charter”. We are preparing to launch the charter soon but if you would like to know more, please get in touch.
SLOWBIES CYCLE GROUP
The Slowbies Cycle Group (Upminster) has been meeting most Fridays at St Laurence Church Hall (Corbets Tey Road end Entrance) at 10:00. (Departs at about 10:05) and returns at about 12:30 -13:00.
If you would like to come along, please check Haveringcyclists on Facebook or Twitter for announcements.
LOCAL CYCLE INCIDENT LOG
We are looking to create an incident log so that we can capture incidents involving cyclists and inform our discussions about safety issues on our roads.
WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS?
Please get in touch to let us know you views on any of the above or if you have a suggestion for something that needs addressing for Havering’s cyclists.
CAMPAIGN MEETINGS
Our meetings are moving to the third Wednesday of each month at the Community Room at Tesco Roneo Corner. The next meeting will be at 8pm on Wednesday 18th March.