Major Campaigns

  1. London Cycle Network Plus
    The LCN+ was supposed to be "higher quality" than the original London Cycle Network (conceived before London had its own government), but has often turned out to be even lower quality. LCN+ funding seems to be coming to an end with the Johnson administration, but Brent Cyclists wants the remaining expenditure to be effectively directed.
     
  2. Cycle Highways (sometimes called Cycle Superhighways)
    These are a new route scheme being developed by the current Mayor. They are intended as fast, safe and direct commuting routes into central London.  £160 million is earmarked to be spent on the Cycle Highways. Brent Cyclists wants this money to be spent in ways that are effective.
     
  3. Local cycle links and permeability
    Brent Cyclists are campaigning for more cycle links in Brent. We suggested a small scheme for Old Church Lane which has now been built, and we have come up with plans for a "western alternative" to the A5 via minor roads and open spaces and a cycle path along Fryent Way, for which we are pushing for implementation. There are many places where small changes to the roads, e.g. allowing cyclists through road-closures or to go the "wrong" way down one-way streets would add to the cycle permeability of the borough and make it more likely that people will use their bikes. The waterways - the Grand Union Canal and the River Brent - have far more potential to act as cycle corridors than is currently being utilised.
     
  4. Physical barriers to cycling in Brent
    Brent has a legacy from waterway, railway and major road construction through it from the 18th to the 20th centuries that has cut the area up and made it highly impermeable by bike and on foot. Attempting to cycle around Brent means constantly coming up against these physical barriers which have too few crossing points plus dangerous junctions which isolate the communities of Brent from one another. We want these barriers overcome, which will be a very long term project requiring major new infrastructure and re-planning.
     
  5. Dangerous road junctions
    There are many of these in Brent, and some of them have been worsened in recent times by bad planning, e.g. the Church Road/Neasden Lane/Willesden High Road junction. We want to see dangerous junctions re-engineered to make the borough more attractive for cycling.
     
  6. Poor cycle facilities
    Some extremely poor, in some cases comical, cycle facilities can be found in Brent - paths that go nowhere or end abruptly, confusing mixtures of on and off-road facilities, schemes that are too small-scale to work, etc. There are also markings that lead cyclists into danger by putting them in the wrong place on the road. We want to see all such "facilities" improved or removed.
     
  7. Lower speeds and effective traffic calming
    We campaign for 20mph to become the default speed limit, and support the widening of the currently very restricted 20mph zones. This is vital to overcoming many potential cyclists' fears of fast traffic. We wish to see traffic-calming measures that do not make cycling uncomfortable but are effective at slowing motor vehicles. Hence we oppose the use of speed cushions and support the use of sinusoidal humps. We support other changes to roads and junctions to reduce vehicle speeds - but it is important that cyclists are not "pinched".
     
  8. Brent Cross Cricklewood development
    We want the Brent Cross Cricklewood development to prioritise cycling, walking and public transport. More on this campaign
     
  9. Cycling in Brent parks
    Under an absurd and archaic by-law passed over 60 years ago cycling is almost totally banned in all Brent's parks. We want this overturned, not so there is cycling everywhere in the parks, but so that the council is free to designate cycle routes through parks where appropriate. This is particularly vital to provide places for youngsters and inexperienced adult cyclists to practice. More
     
  10. Cycle Parking
    We want to see sufficient cycle parking at all shops, workplaces and stations
     
  11. Cycle Training in Schools
    We wish to see cycle training being given in all Brent's schools

Biking Borough report

Attached is the report produced by MVA consultancy for the Brent Biking Borough Stakeholder Consultation on 3 March 2010. It contains statistics on the current state of cycling in Brent.

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Brent Biking Borough Stakeholder Consultation Baseline.pdf5.22 MB

Brent's Parks and Open Spaces

General

Historically Brent's parks and open spaces have not been open for cycling. Under bylaws, cycling is allowed in Gladstone Park between narrow hours on weekday mornings, but not at other times, and at no times in other Brent parks.

Gladstone Park: there is officially no cycling allowed there most of the day

The policy seems to have changed recently, on paper at least. The Draft Strategy for Brent parks 2010 stated:

The government's emphasis on green travel has raised cycling onto the political agenda and meant that there is increasing amounts of funding for cycling projects. We continue to improve cycle routes within the borough incorporating, where possible, parks and open spaces that are accessible after dark.

However, so far there has been rather slow progress on actually creating practical routes through the parks, and the legal position remains unclear.

Current Park Routes

There is an attractive and quite long cycle route through the Brent River Park in Wembley, but it does not connect well with roads the the west end (the Harrow Road-north Circular road intersection), and at the north end it decamps into the Wembley Park industrial estate with no good route through to Wembley Park itself.

Minor cycle routes through parks also exist across Roe Green Park, round Gibbons Recreation Ground, round the edges of the Wembley Playing Field (between Tokyington Avenue and High Road, but very narrow), across Vale Farm Sports Ground, Maybank Open Space, King Edward VIII Park, Roundwood Park and One Tree Hill Recreation Ground. At least, all these are shown in green on the London Cycle Guides, but the parks by-laws have not been changed, so the legality of cycling these routes is unclear. What can be said however is that Brent is not actively preventing responsible cycling on paths in any of its parks.

Queens Park

The Corporation of London rather than Brent Council controls Queens Park and is totally opposed to cycling there.

Fryent Country Park

Proposals from Sustrans for "Greenway" links through Fryent Country Park in 2008 caused a storm of protest from local conservationists. Brent Cyclists did not support these proposals, as we felt such routes would not be very useful and very hard to build (the areas are often waterlogged) and we can see the environmental case against. What we are calling for in this area is cycle paths alongside Fryent Way.

There is an obvious route for a cycle path through Fryent Country Park, alongside the main road, the A4140 Fryent Way, which would have no environmental impact and be a useful, direct route.

Welsh Harp Open Space

There are some allowed cycle routes across the Welsh Harp Open Space, partially in Brent and partially in Barnet. These are pleasant but not all that useful, and indeed are little-used. Brent Cyclists wants to see these paths extended and improved so they connect across the Open Space and West Hendon Playing Fields north to south. Ultimately we think a circular route could and should be created around the reservoir, which would be a very attractive leisure facility, and much needed. Currenly, there is nothing like this in NW London - the nearest extended cycle circuit off-road is in Richmond Park.

The Welsh Harp has a cycling history. It was the site of the first track races in Britain, and the overgrown stadium can still be seen, just west of the north end of the reservoir. It is still marked "cycle track" on most maps as if it were still in use - sadly, very far from the case!

The open spaces round the Welsh Harp reservoir are scenic but very little used, because they are hard to access by bike or foot, cut off by major roads. They have great potential for cycling, but they need to be connected up.

Efforts to improve cycle (and walking) provision around the Welsh Harp are made very difficult by the split in ownership of the area. It is partially the responsibility of Brent Council, partially of Barnet Council, and partially of British Waterways. Policy between these bodies is supposed to be co-ordinated by the Welsh Harp Joint Consultative Committee. British Waterways has obstructed attempts to get a connection between the open spaces on opposite sides of the dam because of their concerns about "security". Brent Cyclists made a detailed submission to the consultation on the Welsh Harp Mangement Plan in March 2010, attached here.

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BC Welsh Harp management plan response.pdf55.88 KB