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We sent local candidates for the London Assembly the 10-point cycling manifesto of the London Cycling Campaign (see http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1060). Some have responded, some have so far ignored us - or got nothing to say? In the order they arrived:

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 From Shahrar Ali (Green Party):

  I am in full agreement with the LCC's 10-point plan. These
are laudable aims, wholly in line with the Green Party's
strategic plans for transport across London.

Allow me to excerpt the key planks of our transport policy
below - with a fuller section on cycling included. I trust
this will meet with the approval of your members.

Yours, Shahrar

Shahrar Ali, Green Party
GLA constituency candidate for Brent and Harrow

TRANSPORT

Achieving a major shift from driving to cycling, walking
and public transport is vital to make London a sustainable,
thriving and liveable city. Greens will combine the best in
transport policies with a drive to reduce the need to
travel by building communities which give people easy
access to services, shops and employment.

The Green programme for transport in London includes:

PUBLIC TRANSPORT - TRAINS, BUSES & FARES
·       Bring all rail and tube franchises back under public
control.
·       Cut all bus fares and off-peak tube fares by 20p and
freeze peak tube fares.
·       Protect against station closures, and ensure proper
staffing
·       All new buses to be electric hybrids from 2009 onwards
·       Invest in new tramways and orbital rail routes for outer
London.

TAMING THE CAR - CONGESTION & ROADS

·       20mph speed limit on all residential roads throughout
London.
·       London Drop the £500 million Thames Gateway Motorway
Bridge proposal and spend the money on sustainable
transport.
·       Abolish all the big one-way systems by 2020, beginning
with the worst.
·       All new developments in London to be virtually car-free.
·       Action to get freight off roads and on to water.

HUMAN SCALE

A - CYCLING
A concentrated package of new facilities and other measures
to treble cycling around town centres by 2012.
- Increase cycling from 2% to 20% by 2025.
- Ensure the budget for the completion of the London Cycle
Network Plus (LCN+) to a high standard in all 33 boroughs
with effective removal of all barriers and strong network
links between boroughs.
- New cycle parking for 500,000 bikes by 2012, with new
facilities at work, near shops and in London's
schools/colleges.
- Greater provision for transporting cycles on trains and
taxis, to help improve integrated public transport and
seamless low-impact travel.
- Create a Paris-style mass cycle hire scheme by 2009 and
include all Olympic venues by 2012. [LCC point 8]
- Deliver free on-road cycle training for London's
children, subsidised training for adults of all abilities
and compulsory cycle training for highway engineers and
transport planners.
- Continue the London Freewheel as an annual event, but
also organise a similar mass participation, London-wide
"cycle to work and school" day.
- Display cycling maps, including family-friendly routes,
at key locations such as stations and town centres as
prominently as bus maps.

B - WALKING

·       Create a Central London Pedestrian Zone linking Regent's
Park, Hyde Park, Battersea Park and St Paul's and promote
walking using the Legible London project.
·       Encourage local authorities to adopt the 'Naked Streets'
approach on streets with high pedestrian use, by removing
barriers that encourage the prioritisation of vehicles.

AVIATION
Green Party policies include:
Close City Airport and turn it into an eco-housing village
and Green Industries Park to provide sustainable employment
for East London.
Oppose all airport expansion in London and the South East.
A congestion charge for air traffic.
A ban on night flights.

POLICING FOR ROAD SAFETY
For safer roads, we need:
Greater police focus on road safety.
A Road Safety Unit of at least three police officers in
every borough.

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 From Pat McManus, Left List

Brent & Harrow Left List agrees with the ten points of the LCC's cycling manifesto and
would add to point 8 that it is important that the cycle hire scheme is not privatised but is
run by Transport for London, with input from the LCC and CTC, so that it is accountable
to London's people.

On point 6 a priority must be to bring to an end the situations where a cycle path or track
comes to a sudden end, exposing cyclists to danger on busy roads. As well as the
provision of the cycle network, it is essential that cycle paths are maintained to a high
standard as some are choked with rubbish while on others the surface has deteriorated.
On point 5, Pat McManus, the Left List constituency candidate for Brent & Harrow who is
also a candidate for the assembly, was lead negotiator in his capacity as branch
secretary of NW London Hospitals UNISON, ensuring that the refurbishment of Central
Middlesex Hospital included secure storage for cycles belonging to workers at the
hospital and the provision of showers and lockers for cycling gear/uniforms. The union
has now negotiated the provision of similar facilities at Northwick Park Hospital. There
are also cycle parking facilities for visitors to the hospitals.

 

---

 From Navin Shah, Labour Party

I am pleased to endorse the Manifesto of LCC and in doing so pay a tribute to LCC for championing the cause of cycling with an objective to make London a 'cycling city'. 

 

Whilst major strides have been made in the last eight years under the leadership of Ken Livingstone to enhance the use of cycles and make London a cycle friendly city  - much needs to be done and that is why I very much welcome the 10 point programme proposed by LCC.

 

Cycling is a critical plank of sustainability agenda. I'm happy to confirm that both in my capacity as the former chair of planning and UDP committee(s) in Harrow as well as the former Leader of Harrow Council I've promoted sustainable transport agenda, vigorously promoted 'green' transport policies including green travel plans and road infrastructure with better – friendly and safe cycle routes. If we are serious about addressing the climate change issues and reduce carbon emissions comprehensive strategy for cycling backed up by resources is a vital part to achieve this objective. 

 

I support £500m investment - a 10 year cycling programme proposed  by Ken Livingstone and I welcome policy measures such as completing the LCN+ programme and proposals for making cycle routes safe etc. which go long way in addressing LCC's 10 point plan. I've taken a particular pride in real partnership working with voluntary sectors and lobbying groups over many years across London and I'm happy to confirm that as a Member of London Assembly I'd continue this approach and support the campaigns and good work done by organisations like the LCC.   

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 If we get responses from Bob Blackman (Conservative Party), James Allie (Liberal Democrat), Arvind Tailor (English Democrat), Sunita Webb (UKIP) or Zena Sherman (Christian Party) we'll post them too.

 And of course you can add your comments right here!

 

 

 

The ride for July has now been finalised. Go to the rides page of the website for details.

Some dates for your diaries:

Rides:
19/04/08 Chalfonts and Jordans: Spring is here and it’s time to stretch our legs a little roaming through the wild Chiltern Hills, taking in several Chalfonts and the Quaker Jordans. A picturesque 35 mile ride with hilly bits.
Saturday 19th April, 10:00 am at Wembley Park Station for the 10:13 to Moor Park.

18/05/08 Eltham Palace: A luxurious Art Deco home and an important medieval palace too. Edward II built it in 1305, Henry VIII grew up there and the Courtaulds vamped it up and added their art deco Hollywood style home complete with lemur quarters.
A 35-40 mile round trip if you ride all the way. Many options including taking the train back from Eltham via London Bridge and Thameslink or even starting with a Thameslink down to Blackfriars to meet us on Blackfriars Bridge – but do contact us in advance if you’re doing this so that we know to go that way and can arrange when to meet up.
Sunday 18th May, 10:00 am outside Willesden Green Station.

14/06/08 Bike Week ride: Details to be announced, suggestions and requests welcome!

July and August ride dates to be announced.

21/09/08 London Freewheel. Details to be announced. Among other things, we're aiming to lead a ride back from the Freewheel to Brent at the end of the day.


Stalls:
22/06/08 Gladstonbury Festival, Gladstone Park
06/07/08 Respect Festival, Roundwood Park
14/09/08 Queens Park Day, Queens Park


Meetings - first Wednesday of month
02/04/08
07/05/08 - Annual Meeting
04/06/08
02/07/08 - speaker: Matt Winfield (Sustrans) on the new cycle routes planned for 2012
06/08/08
03/09/08 - speaker: to be confirmed
All meetings at 7.00 pm at Brent Samaritans, 1 Leopold Road, London NW10 9LN

Voting's now open for £50m of Lottery funding, and of the four competitors only one is a nationwide program. It'll improve walking and cycling in 79 local communities by creating new connections or remaking old broken ones. You can see the schemes at http://www.sustransconnect2.org.uk/schemes/ ; there are six in London including - just down the road from Brent - the building of a new straight wide bridge across the railway lines approaching Paddington, giving us a new route between Maida Vale and Bayswater. Other schemes are opportunistic relatively cheap schemes like the one promoted by LCC's Southwark Cyclists in South Bermondsey, opening up a disused railway bridge, or there's reintroducing the Blyth Ferry or completing Glasgow's Bridge to Nowhere.

Don't just take my word for it; go to http://www.thepeoples50million.org.uk/home, compare Connect2 with the 3 alternatives - a new building at the Eden Project in Cornwall, regenerating Sherwood Forest or setting up an urban park in the Midlands - and vote right there, online. Voting ends at 12 noon on December 12th, just a week away, so don't delay; your free vote could bring in £50,000,000 for walking and cycling across the UK.

--

Ben Tansley

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