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Cycle Hub for Forest Hill, Kirkdale and Sydenham
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brencud


Posts: 31
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #1
05-06-2016 11:16 AM

Hi everyone,

The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, made a pre-election pledge to implement a 'cycling hub' in every borough. This follows the three 'mini-Holland' schemes that Boris and TfL funded in Walthamstow, Enfield and Kingston. Assuming Sadiq pursues this, I'd love to see a bid for Lewisham's hub to cover the SEE3 area - Forest Hill, Kirkdale and Sydenham.

I'll be getting in touch with our local councillors to see if there is appetite to go for this. It won't be easy - the railway represents a major constraint, and it may involve changes to streets that would mean we have to change our driving routes and behaviours. I'd love to hear on here any views people have on this.

Thanks.

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john-f


Posts: 85
Joined: Apr 2008
Post: #2
05-06-2016 07:28 PM

Lessons need to be learned from the Walthamstow 'mini-Holland', before taking forward anything here. It is despised by many who live there.

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brencud


Posts: 31
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #3
05-06-2016 08:07 PM

From what I understand, those who despise it do so because their favourite rat runs have been removed. Those who live on those streets then love it, because the rat runs have been removed!

But I agree. I think we would need to look carefully at all three mini-Hollands, and speak to groups supporting them, groups opposing them and the Councils implementing them to see what we can do better.

However, even with the best scheme in the world, I'm not expecting that everyone here will be in favour. There are some people who will never be convinced that enabling a shift away from driving and towards cycling and walking is a good thing. But I'm hopeful that the majority of people will see the benefits in terms of public health, quality of life, road safety, vitality of the high streets, etc. and be supportive.

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BamptonRoad


Posts: 44
Joined: Dec 2014
Post: #4
06-06-2016 12:43 PM

As a local cyclist I would ideally want more cycle racks and a quieter or segregated route into town. Anybody going to Canary Wharf would want an improved route through Deptford. I'd want an easier route turning right from Forest Hill Road into Honor Oak Road but I'm not sure how that could be achieved.

Mostly I prefer to walk locally. The distances are so short that the time saving doesn't really matter. You'd have to find out where people would cycle if they felt is was a safer more pleasant experience. I'd perhaps cycle to the Horniman if it didn't mean crossing London Road at the top. People might cycle to Catford or Beckenham but are those sort of routes too long for this sort of scheme? The best cycle route from Forest Hill to Sydenham is Perry Vale, Dacres and Silverdale Roads. Only really Perry Vale needs much work out of those.

Personally I think we might be better off making walking more attractive. We live in a world where people drive a mile or two to the swimming pool. Ridiculous, particularly in a London where 10s of thousands die from air pollution. Getting people walking locally might be easier than getting them cycling.

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brencud


Posts: 31
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #5
06-06-2016 08:26 PM

Thanks for your post BamptonRoad. A cycle hub / mini-Holland is not about catering for the likes of you or me; the 14% or so of people who already cycle at least somewhat regularly. It's to enable the 86% of people who don't already cycle regularly to do so.

To honest with you, part of my motivation for promoting this is to be able to cycle to the shops with my wife and children. Right now I'd say there are very few roads in the area my wife would choose to cycle on. And as for my kids, they're still too young for road cycling in any conditions, but I do struggle to imagine at point at which I'd be happy to let them off on a bike by themselves around here with the current conditions.

With regard to walking, although the mini-Holland schemes are centred around making an area pleasant to cycle in, the public realm improvements do have the added benefit of making an area much more pleasant to walk around. If we do progress this idea of a cycle hub for the area I would like to closely involve the Lewisham branch of Living Streets, the national walking charity, to ensure that improvements do translate across.

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152047
No Longer Registered

Posts: 135
Joined: Jan 2011
Post: #6
06-06-2016 08:47 PM

We live close to a massively over-subscribed local primary where the catchment area is down to a couple of hundred metres or so.

It is therefore just a little surprising to see just how many children get dropped off by car in the morning.

And before you ask, no blue badges in sight.

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brencud


Posts: 31
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #7
06-06-2016 09:04 PM

Hi 152047, thanks for your post.

I'd like to see safe routes to schools forming a key element of the cycle hub.

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