Cycle lanes

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syd
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Aug 2006 18:30
Location: lower sydenham

Cycle lanes

Post by syd »

Hi,

Does anyone know what Lewisham policy is? Lambeth and Southwark seem to have one.
mikej
Posts: 430
Joined: 14 Dec 2006 21:55
Location: New Beckenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by mikej »

Well, Southwark's policy is not to have any segregated cycle lanes - apparently the council likes to use cyclists as traffic calming devices for motor vehicles.

I hope Lewisham's is a bit more user friendly!
syd
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Aug 2006 18:30
Location: lower sydenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by syd »

Re: Cycle lanes
Post by mikej » 29 Aug 2017 13:12
Well, Southwark's policy is not to have any segregated cycle lanes - apparently the council likes to use cyclists as traffic calming devices for motor vehicles.

I hope Lewisham's is a bit more user friendly!
That's messed up!!
stuart
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Location: Lawrie Park
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Re: Cycle lanes

Post by stuart »

Lewisham is competing hard as London's most unfriendly borough towards cyclists. It made its cycling officer redundant instead of promoting cycling as is the government at national and (mostly) local level - even if it is in name only.

Which may explain why there is virtually no cycling infrastructure in Lewisham generally and Sydenham in particular. Sydenham was originally on the Cycling Superhighway map - but lack of enthusiasm from our borough killed that. It really is unforgivable and all should hang their heads in shame.

Which is why election time - seeing candidates photographed on bikes (when I've never seen them riding down Sydenham Road on one) sort of grates.

Sorry about that rant - but they deserve it. I'm not a great enthusiast for thin cycle lanes as often implemented in the UK. But the issue is really getting Lewisham and our councillors thinking constructively about what can be done. Instead of pressing for more car parking rather than cycle/bus lanes in the (IMHO) disastrous Sydenham Road 'improvement scheme'. As for the Southend Lane 'improvement' I once took a professional bicycle trainer up there and asked "Is there a safe way to ride it". I will leave you to guess the answer.

But getting something done - i would start with the Bell Green gyratory. However, that's going to cost money.

My own (almost free) pet scheme would be to have a bus lane running along Lawrie Park Road. That's good for buses. It would also be good for motorists who drive along the road and be very great for cyclists (given that bus lanes are often the best cycling lanes - like they are not less than 2ft wide).

Any more ideas?

Stuart
Pally
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Joined: 2 Aug 2014 05:38
Location: Sydenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by Pally »

Signposted cycling routes through the thorpes, to avoid Sydenham Rd ...both ways. The present signs are inconsistent!

I agree about Laurie Pk rd! Also Bell Gn ...the gyratory is a nightmare! I tend to come round the back way at the back of home park to avoid a lot of it!
syd
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Aug 2006 18:30
Location: lower sydenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by syd »

I found this quite sad document

http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/ ... 0160629.pd

Lewisham council doesn't take cycling seriously.
stuart
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Re: Cycle lanes

Post by stuart »

Yes they had to struggle to put that very thin document together. Over aspiring - do they seriously believe they can double cycling with such vague promises? Oh, and where did CS6 disappear to? (planned superhighway Penge to the City). But trying to be positive - there are two things in there that we should exploit to the hilt:

1) Lewisham Free Cycling Training - I used that some years ago. I had a professional trainer follow me around to improve my cycling - and with it safety. It's surprising that a very experienced rider can ride so sub-optimally with the habits acquired too many years ago. A very valuable lesson. So new or old cyclist - best freebie going!
https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/ ... ssons.aspx

2) All one-way streets should be converted to two-way for cycling unless there are very strong
safety reasons
This is the norm in many countries and works very well. I can't see why it hasn't already been seriously done here as it is a very low cost way of delivering immediate benefits without any disruption. It would make London much more filterable. Problem is Sydenham is strange in being an almost one-way free zone. Are there any you know we should be pressing for?

Stuart
Sydenham
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Joined: 2 Sep 2007 09:08
Location: Wells Park

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by Sydenham »

The cycling strategy document is v0.92 - has it actually been released and approved? Or is it still in draft awaiting sign-off?
syd
Posts: 433
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Location: lower sydenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by syd »

Sydenham wrote:The cycling strategy document is v0.92 - has it actually been released and approved? Or is it still in draft awaiting sign-off?
you so kind to call that a strategy it's a place holder so the council can say stfu. Someone needs to hold these people who work for us to account. I do wonder what the hell do they do
JRobinson
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Joined: 5 Jan 2010 12:40
Location: De Frene Rd

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by JRobinson »

they are probably understaffed - if it's anything like the london borough highways team that I work for, they will be mostly fire fighting queries, and other more pressing work, whilst being under funded, and under resourced, with budget cuts every year it's sometimes difficult to get 'none urgent' work done. If enough people make enough noise, it'll get done, but then you'll have to ask 'what isn't getting done instead'?
would you prefer someone to be writing a cycle strategy for the borough, or looking at how to reduce accident rates, or managing school crossing patrols, or many other things that possibly only one person is paid to do...? (maybe not great examples as probably they're not done by the same person, but you get the idea)
syd
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Aug 2006 18:30
Location: lower sydenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by syd »

JRobinson wrote:they are probably understaffed - if it's anything like the london borough highways team that I work for, they will be mostly fire fighting queries, and other more pressing work, whilst being under funded, and under resourced, with budget cuts every year it's sometimes difficult to get 'none urgent' work done. If enough people make enough noise, it'll get done, but then you'll have to ask 'what isn't getting done instead'?
would you prefer someone to be writing a cycle strategy for the borough, or looking at how to reduce accident rates, or managing school crossing patrols, or many other things that possibly only one person is paid to do...? (maybe not great examples as probably they're not done by the same person, but you get the idea)
I'm not blaming the team as they do the operations I want to know what the vision is. The councillors are the ward directors and I'm curious about their overall strategy. It seems like it's a safe working class ward so do nothing but focus the spend funds on the surrounding areas middle class areas.

I don't believe I'm asking for much just some interest in the well being of Sydenham. In the 20 years I've lived here the only major change was killing the cherry blossom tree at the junction of Sydenham and Kent House road and replacing it with an unloved windswept pavement. I can't believe someone signed that off without consulting locals residents. It's time they remember we pay for their services
stuart
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Re: Cycle lanes

Post by stuart »

OK - its hard to get anything done, there is little dosh. Perhaps we should put the 'vision' thing on one side - or leave it up to Lewisham Cyclists & the LCC to lobby on our behalf.

Getting back to Sydenham - why not try and do one thing at a time? Focus on one small but important change that would cost not too much but would have a benefit.

Crack that and we can move on to the next. Crack that and we have got things moving and we know the people we can trust to get things done - and, perhaps, the ones to avoid. Then we can work with them to not only share a 'vision' but maybe a chance to implement some bits of it.

Watyathink? And what would be the one improvement we would start with?

Stuart
JRobinson
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Location: De Frene Rd

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by JRobinson »

sod the quick wins - go for something big like getting cycle lanes put in at the Bell Green gyratory, and up Perry Hill, and Southend Lane.
syd
Posts: 433
Joined: 23 Aug 2006 18:30
Location: lower sydenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by syd »

Agreed
JRobinson wrote:sod the quick wins - go for something big like getting cycle lanes put in at the Bell Green gyratory, and up Perry Hill, and Southend Lane.
Agreed!

Sydenham has been targeted for managed decline while other parts of the borough get more than their fair share.

Lewisham councillors are disrespecting us
stuart
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Re: Cycle lanes

Post by stuart »

JRobinson wrote:sod the quick wins - go for something big like getting cycle lanes put in ... Southend Lane.
I dream of that too. You may remember when we had a two lane road so you could ride comfortably prime in lane 1 and motorised traffic could roar away in lane 2.

Now lane 1 is dedicated in much of the road for parking. We are supposed to share a lane with cars with some nasty strangle points where you can be squeezed on the side or honked or worse from behind if you try and keep the lane. A horror of recent road engineering. And you think you can reverse that overnight or even in the next 10 years? Having given people street parking - you think you can easily take it away?

Remember cycling is in the sub < 5% market around here. Motoring is more like 95%. The votes aren't there. The politicians say nice words about cycling but they know which side their bread is buttered. That's the realpolitik

Give them something they can crow over that doesn't upset their core vote too much and you may be business. Its a case of growing the cycling base so that its like Hackney where cycling has got real clout and they can now get real results.

That's why I would go for quick wins rather than slow defeats. I've been cycling in London since 1972 and seen far too many grand plans fail. Whereas the successes have almost been accidental - like for most cyclists the real cycle lanes are bus lanes - not the two foot of useless and often dangerous painted lane the boroughs don't even both to re-paint as it wears away.

I have to say I'm disappointed. I will support any feasible beneficial plan you come up with. But bear in mind what I said upthread about councillors on bikes.

Stuart
Chris Best
Posts: 439
Joined: 6 May 2005 11:37
Location: Sydenham

Re: Cycle lanes

Post by Chris Best »

Providing an update on this thread as the Mayor and Cabinet agreed the report below on Wednesday
http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/ ... mittee.pdf
including the Lewisham Cycle Strategy 2017 - http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/ ... 202017.pdf
This follows the consultation carried out this year.
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