Author Archives: RCC

Review of Cycle Parking at Railway Stations

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Unbelievably, it is now three years since our last audit of cycle parking provision at the 14 railway stations in the borough. These two quotes from the DfT’s 2009 Better Rail Stations report (PDF) are as applicable now as then:

“Although half the nation owns a bicycle and 60% live within a 15-minute ride of a station, only 2% of passengers currently use their cycle to access the local station.”
Source – Dft

Compare this to the Netherlands where:

“All major stations in Holland provide extensive cycle parking, usually based around a cycle hub which also offers additional secure storage for a fee of about £1 a day, together with repairs and cycle hire for as little as £3 a day. A typical Dutch intercity station would store 4,000 cycles, but at Leiden this rises to 9,000 and the plan is to more than double this to 22,000 in the near future.” Source – Dft

Although a lot has changed since 2010, we are a long way from meeting the aspirations from that report (in fact, when you look at the National Rail website cycle section, it’s more about telling you what you can’t do – cycling and parking isn’t even mentioned under ‘Getting to and from the Station’ – see Kew Gardens example). South West Trains have been rolling out secure compounds with swipe card access at a number of stations and changes to Richmond railway station have removed the railings that were previously used by many. It is therefore a good time to carry out a new audit to update the information we have and to identify where changes are needed. Two recent examples illustrate this:

Lack of cycle parking space at Kew Gardens railway station

At Kew Gardens station, we were recently alerted by a local resident that cycle parking demand continues to outstrip supply and it is often impossible to find a space, leading to missed trains. Even two years ago we found this to be the case, with demand outstripping supply by nearly 50%. With parking provision for only 34 bikes, it is well short of the 250 spaces that would be needed to meet the DfT’s only target of 5% of passengers arriving by bicycle. Kew Gardens station is managed by London Underground – we’re asking everyone to raise it via their online form and to contact London Assembly Members – Tony Arbour (GLA Member for the area tony.arbour@london.gov.uk ) and Caroline Pidgeon (GLA Member for Transport – caroline.pidgeon@london.gov.uk) and also the Council’s Cycling Champion, Cllr Harborne (Cllr.KHarborne@richmond.gov.uk), to make the push for additional parking at this and other stations where needed (cc us in so we have a record)

New secure parking at Hampton station

Existing cycle parking marked for removal at Hampton Station

Narrow access along platform to Hampton secure compound

At Hampton station we were notified by a regular user of the station that South West Trains are taking out all existing parking provision and replacing it with a single secure parking compound on one platform only.

The secure parking is welcome and it is great to see SWT extend it to more stations but not everyone wants to use it (particularly if their bike is of low value), nor is it convenient if it is only on one platform and you’re rushing to catch a train on the other one.

Additionally, since the new enclosed racks at the west end of Platform 1 are to be the only racks, then ALL cyclists, on entering the station, will be forced along about 3 or 4 metres of the very narrowest part of the platform, conflicting with passengers standing there and cyclists coming the other way, creating safety problems that currently do not occur.

Cycle parking at Hampton station is currently at over 100% capacity – there is no reason why the existing provision can’t be kept to supplement the secure compound – as is the case at many stations with secure compounds e.g. Twickenham.

We have raised this issue with SWT and we encourage all of you who use this station to email their Customer Relations team: customerrelations@swtrains.co.uk

We know there are many more issues out there, so we’re asking for volunteers to review each of the 14 borough stations – counting up current racks and how many are occupied, and noting down any issues, such as poorly installed stands (e.g. too close), poor lighting, poor access. If you would like to join in, email us at info@richmondlcc.co.uk with which station you’re interested in and we’ll pass on some guidance and a simple one pager to fill in when you carry out your audit (like this example). We plan to complete this by end of June.

Reporting the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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We seem to be going through a real time of change for cycling in the UK. In March, Mayor Boris Johnson launched The Mayor’s Vision for Cycling in London and in April the House of Commons inquiry published the Get Britain Cycling report. Along with The Times’s Cities Safe for Cycling campaign, you’d be forgiven for thinking the hard work was done. Or not.  As seasoned campaigner David Hembrow points out – now is the time for serious campaigning to start.  After all we have had already had a National Cycling Strategy (1996), a National Cycle Plan for England (2010), and the London Cycle Network come and go – with precious little to show for it… except examples such as this (more here):

A local farcility

Now we have a real opportunity to influence decision makers in the council and TfL. Outer London boroughs are being invited to bid to be ‘mini-Hollands’ as part of the Mayor’s cycling vision and the council will soon be developing it’s next Local Implementation Plans (LIP) outlining how they will implement TfL’s transport policy, including on cycling, in the borough. (this will be LIP3 – LIP2 is on LBRuT’s website, and here is the submission we made to the LIP2 consultation)

So where do you and I and RCC fit into this? We’ve previously used our ‘Veloteers’ to be our eyes and ears on the ground across the borough, and it has worked to good effect in the Twickenham town centre proposals and other recent consultations. But now we need to up our game.  As the actual users of the cycling infrastructure in the borough, we have the knowledge of where changes need to be made – our challenge is to gather this knowledge and use it to influence the decision makers.

Cyclescape in Action - Click on the picture to see more details on this example

To do this in a more effective way, we are adopting an online campaigning tool called Cyclescape (richmondlcc.cyclescape.org), developed by the sample people who brought you the Cyclestreets route planner (richmond.cyclestreets.net). This simple map based tool allows issues to be logged and collated in a much more powerful and structured way than before. (You can read more about it here). It allows us to engage with the council and TfL with a structured body of evidence cataloguing the issues and constraints that need to be addressed if we are to truly “get Richmond cycling”. But first we need everyone to start logging issues and suggestions for improvements.

So how do you get involved? Cyclescape is a very simple tool and it works like this:

  1. Sign up for a Cyclescape account – its free! (Link to sign up)
  2. Have a look through the existing issues – you can leave a comment with your own observations against them (Example of a discussion of an issue involving a cycle lane)
  3. Log a new issue – add a photo (optional – but so helpful if you do) and a description of why it’s a problem. (Link to log an issue)

When anyone logs a new issue in the Richmond Upon Thames borough, we at RCC get an email notification. We will confirm back to you that we have seen your issue (as most of us have day jobs, we aim to do this within two weeks). We will continually collate these issues and feed them into our ongoing discussions with the council and TfL. You can also set your preferences to be notified of any issues raised in your particular area of interest.

We are asking everyone to focus on the following priority areas which we’ve selected to be in alignment with the Mayor’s Cycling Vision:
  1. Safety issues across the borough (e.g. pinch points, dangerous junctions, parking in cycle lanes)
  2. Examples of poor infrastructure (e.g. poorly designed cycle lanes or shared use paths)
  3. Opportunities to improve permeability and interconnecting “Quiet Ways” via:
    1. Having contraflows in one way streets
    2. Opening up paths to shared use
    3. Creating new cycle tracks
    4. Dealing with other obstructions and issues
  4. Bicycle parking (either insufficient or not present)
  5. Signage (where signage for key routes is poor or missing or cyclist dismount signs where not warranted)

We cannot promise that the issue you raise will be immediately addressed.  What it will do is build the case for change. For example, you can send a link relating to a particular issue to your local councillor. It will allow us to maintain a history of what has been said and done in respect of each item.

Better by Bike – Hiring a Bicycle

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If you are visiting the borough as a tourist, or if you have friends come to stay, what better way to see the borough than by bicycle. As part of our Better by Bike series we’ve collated a list of places where you can hire a bicycle in the borough. Get in touch via our Contact Form if you know of somewhere that we’ve missed.

Action Bikes, Sheen and Whitton
Two stores in the borough, East Sheen (Map Link) and Whitton (Map Link)
Website - https://www.actionbikes.co.uk/hire-bikes/

They have hybrids and Bromptons for hire. They also have road bikes, useful if you want to do some laps of Richmond Park or further afield. The hire bikes are kept at Victoria, but with prior notice they can get them to their Sheen or Whitton shops.

Blazing Saddles, Richmond
Next to Richmond Bridge – (Map Link)
Website - http://blazingsaddlesbikehire.com

They have front suspension mountain bikes in a range of sizes

Park Cycle, Richmond Park

Located at the Roehampton Gate car park (Map Link)
Website - http://www.parkcycle.co.uk/

As well as adult trail bikes they also have children’s bikes, children’s trailers and tag-alongs for very small children and baby seats (which attach to the adult bikes). They even have tandems for hire if you fancy a try. If you fancy emulating Bradley Wiggins, they have road bikes as well.

Richmond Cycles, East Twickenham
Next to Richmond Bridge – (Map Link)
Website - http://www.richmond-cycles.com/content/cycle_hire_in_richmond.php

They have mountain bikes (29ers, so an opportunity to try the different wheel size) and hybrid bikes for hire.

Richmond Station Cycle Hire
Located within Richmond railway station, on the lower (platform) level – (Map Link)
Website - http://richmondcyclecentre.co.uk/

They have a selection of hybrids as well as Bromptons available to hire, useful if you want to try one before you buy.

For some inspiration on routes to try beyond the well ridden trails of Richmond Park and along the Thames, have a look at our list of over 90 routes to try out.

There is also information available on the council’s tourism site.

Get Britain Cycling – Bringing it closer to home

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On Wednesday 24 April, the House of Commons inquiry published the Get Britain Cycling report, making 18 bold recommendations to make Britain’s streets safer and more inviting. The journalists at the Times responsible for the Cities Safe for Cycling Campaign launched a petition urging the Prime Minister to implement the report’s recommendations. (read our previous post on The Times campaign)

Locally the findings of the report are very relevant, as anyone who has followed the challenges with the Twickenham town centre changes or our current campaign for cycling to school will have seen.

We’re asking everyone to take 2 minutes to sign the petition but more importantly, ask your family and friends to sign as well. This isn’t just for those of us who cycle already – it’s for everyone out there who would like to cycle, to the shops, to their place of work, to school with their kids, but who don’t feel our current streets and roads make it safe to do so.

The petition can be found here – http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49196

And you can read the full report online (PDF 2.3MB)

We also want to take the campaign local. Things are improving, we’ve been involved in meetings to make improvements to the Twickenham town centre change but there is lots of potential to really make our borough a much nicer place to live and cycle in.

We want you to write to your councillor and ask for their support to make our streets safer as part of the Get Britain Cycling report findings – you can find a list of local councillors here (there is even a nifty tool to find out who represents you). It doesn’t need to be long, just highlight the points of the Get Britain Cycling report and how that relates to the borough..

We will also be bringing that message to the council, but it is individual contact that makes the difference. Let us know about what response you get and we’ll share it here.

Articles on The Get Britain Cycling report

“The way we travel now is killing us. We’re the fattest nation in Western Europe — 30 per cent of our children are overweight or obese and 30,000 people a year are dying from obesity-related illnesses.” – Chris Boardman writes in The Times

“Leadership from the top required if we are to increase cycling” – Carlton Reid reviews the report for BikeBiz

“Each and every concerned cyclist, would-be bike rider, and proud parent who dreams of a better country for their children has to today step up to be the change they want to see.” – Mark, from ibikelondon on the need for change

“The money is there, the will is there to change things and there is tonnes of space to get this right. But the direction of travel is backwards.” – Danny, from Cyclists in the City on the need for real change at the local council level

RCC Newsletter – 19 April 2013

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Once a month, we send out an email update on cycling in the Richmond Borough. If you’d like to sign up for these, contact us here to be first to hear the cycling news that affects you across the borough.

We also post the newsletters here on our website the following week. Read below and enjoy! Previous newsletters can be found here.

Hello!

So the clocks have gone forward and long sunny evenings are finally with us after all that cold weather. Yet another bumper newsletter, hear about our ride (tomorrow) to discover a hidden borough gem and what we hope is a sea change towards cycling by the council. An update on our campaign push on cycling to school and a new tool to record all your niggles from your local routes. Enjoy and please do share with your cycling friends.

Rides
A great ride this weekend to take advantage of the better weather and explore hidden parts of the borough on your doorstep. Why not bring a friend who’d like to get out on their bike more.

A ‘Ride for Everyone‘ to explore the River Crane this Saturday 20 April. Discover a real hidden gem of the borough on this ride where you’ll get an opportunity to see some of the new cycle path that Hounslow council has added along the river. We’ll stop off for coffee at Kneller Gardens, back just after midday. Get yourself in the mood with this excellent article about the importance of the River Crane Corridor to the borough (and some interesting facts about it’s history) http://is.gd/ywfGJZ
Meet at Richmond Little Green (by Richmond Theatre) at 10.30am.
Details online – http://is.gd/KV0fqs

If you’re joining us, send Paul, our Rides Coordinator, an email at rides@richmondlcc.co.uk so we know you’re coming.

Have a look at our Rides Information page for more details on upcoming rides – http://is.gd/IxqE3S

On Sunday 12 May The Thames Bridge Bike Ride will be coming through the borough. The organisers are looking for volunteers to get involved helping out on the day – find out more online – http://is.gd/7ordkC

Monthly Meeting
Great turn out for Monday’s meeting and a couple of new faces came along to raise issues that we’re going to take forward and try to help resolve. Next month’s meeting is on Monday 13 May. Location details online – http://is.gd/eahg52

LCC Policy Forum Seminar Series
We had a big contingent of RCC members at the LCC Policy Forum seminar series launch on 8 April. The speaker was London’s new Cycling Commissioner (and Teddington cyclist!) Andrew Gilligan. General impression of the event was positive and Andrew demonstrates a real understanding of the issues and challenges, many of which we’ve faced here in the borough. The proof will be starting to see changes on the ground, and there’s evidence of that already in our dealings with Richmond Council recently. There’s an audio recording of the event online (http://is.gd/ahTrqE) and a write up by Danny Williams who chaired the event – http://is.gd/0a3ptl

Continue reading →

RCC Newsletter – 15 March 2013

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Once a month, we send out an email update on cycling in the Richmond Borough. If you’d like to sign up for these, contact us here to be first to hear the cycling news that affects you across the borough.

We also post the newsletters here on our website the following week. Read below and enjoy! Previous newsletters can be found here.

Hello!

Well, we were hoping March would bring warmer weather, but at least the days are getting longer every week. This month we’ve lots on the campaign front, with Boris’s Cycling Vision and the local impact, while it’s business as usual for the council and TfL in their consideration of cycling locally. An update on our campaign push on cycling to school and of course the usual round-up of rides and workshops. Enjoy!

Monthly Meeting
Next month’s meeting has been moved back a week to 15th April as the previous week many of us will be at the LCC Policy Forum seminar series launch on 8th April, with Andrew Gilligan and Danny Williams (http://is.gd/mHBxhl). We’ll been discussing the upcoming council Cycling Liaison Group Meeting amongst other things. Do come along if you can, it’s always nice to see new faces. Location details online – http://is.gd/eahg52

Continue reading →

RCC Newsletter – 11 February 2013

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Once a month, we send out an email update on cycling in the Richmond Borough. If you’d like to sign up for these, contact us here to be first to hear the cycling news that affects you across the borough.

We also post the newsletters here on our website the following week. Read below and enjoy! Previous newsletters can be found here.

Hello!

Brrr! That’s the general assessment for this month. But don’t let a bit of snow get in the way of getting out on the bike, it doesn’t stop the Danes or the Dutch! This month we’ve feedback from the Annual Meeting in January (with lots of new faces), a campaign push on cycling to school, consultations needing your input and cycling in the snow!

Monthly Meeting Tonight
Our next meeting is tonight, Monday 11th February in The Old Ship pub in Richmond at 8pm. We’ll have feedback on the recent Cycling Liaison Group Meeting and an update on the status of the Twickenham town centre changes as well as news on our schools cycling campaign. Do come along if you can. Location details online – http://is.gd/eahg52

Annual Meeting
It was a full house for our Annual Meeting last month with 14 present. There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm amongst the attendees which bodes well for 2013 and lots of new faces elected to positions on the committee. We pulled together a summary of what we got up to in 2012 – http://is.gd/iWfkpW – and you can read the minutes to see the names of the new committee members and campaign plans for 2013 – http://is.gd/VeAT4j

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RCC Newsletter – 12 January 2013

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Once a month, we send out an email update on cycling in the Richmond Borough. If you’d like to sign up for these, contact us here to be first to hear the cycling news that affects you across the borough.

We also post the newsletters here on our website the following week. Read below and enjoy! Previous newsletters can be found here.

Hello!

The festive period is over and now it’s time to plan ahead for 2013 (and work off some of those mince pies!) We’ve news of our Annual Meeting on Monday, a jaunt to Box Hill and the follow up article in The Richmond Magazine to that editorial

Annual Meeting
On Monday 14 January we have our Annual Meeting in The Old Ship pub in Richmond at 8pm. It’s an opportunity to hear what we got up to in 2012 and our plans for 2013. Come along if you’d like to get involved – no matter how small a part you can play, it really helps. Location details online – http://is.gd/eahg52

Continue reading →

Cycling in Richmond – Perspectives of a new and fairly timid cyclist

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We were contacted by a local borough resident about the upcoming Cycling Liaison Group meeting, where she hoped to share her perspectives as a new and less confident cyclist. We think it makes a great read, so we’ve published her note in full here.

Safe Cycling in Richmond

Given the forecasts for further growth in the population of Greater London and the increase in congestion that is likely to result, there is a need for Councils to encourage greater use of sustainable methods of transport, including cycling and walking.  The DfT has estimated that 2/3 of all journeys are less than 5 miles.  There would be huge benefits if more of these could be made on foot or by bike.

For this to happen in Richmond to a significant extent, hard to reach groups such as older women need to be persuaded to take up cycling, and it needs to be safer and more attractive for children to travel to school by bike.

As a 50+ year old woman who has only resumed cycling in the last couple of years, I feel I have an insight into what needs to be done to encourage people like me to cycle.  Most of these relate to the provision of more safe cycle routes that don’t require cycling on main roads.  Whilst Richmond has some significant advantages in this area due to its legacy of tow paths and parks, I feel that since its election the current Council does not appear to have built on this with further improvements, unlike some neighbouring boroughs.

I would like to make the following general comments to the Cycling Liaison Group:

  • There is a general impression given by the Council that cyclists are seen as 3rd class citizens (with motorists a clear 1st and pedestrians 2nd).  Nobody would dream of building a road that stops in the middle of nowhere, yet this frequently happens with cycle lanes (for example those on the Kew Road) which are put in place where the road is wide and disappear as soon as the road becomes narrower and more dangerous for cyclists.  Road works closing pavements with cycle lanes often provide alternative routes for pedestrians but leave cyclists stranded.
  • If less confident cyclists are to be encouraged to get on their bikes there is a clear need to segregate cars, pedestrians and cyclists better.  Yet this seems to be getting worse not better in Richmond.  For example, following roadworks in 2011 at the junction of St Margarets Road with St Margarets Drive and Northcote Road, the markings on the pavement to indicate separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians were removed.  I complained several times to the Highways and Transport department in late 2011 and 2012 and each time was told that they would be reinstated.  This was not done.  I wrote again in April 2012 pointing out the work had not been done but received no reply and am still waiting.  This causes potential pedestrian/cyclist conflicts and is dangerous.
  • There is also a need to reduce the actual and perceived threat from motor vehicles through the use of more cycle lanes on busy roads, 20mph zones in quieter ones and better education of drivers (for example most appear not to know that they should not drive within the solid lines separating the road from those cycle lanes that are enclosed by solid, as opposed to dotted, lines).  The most successful cycle tracks are ones which have a kerb at the side separating cyclists and pedestrians and cyclists and cars, as in the Netherlands
  • Speed bumps are great for reducing traffic speed which is welcome, but please can we have the type that have a gap in the middle (or at the side) for cycles rather than those that are continuous from one pavement to another.
  • Signage on certain routes is missing at key junctions – making it easy to get lost for first timers.   There are also a number of paths where it is unclear whether cycling is permitted or not (for example across Richmond Green.

I would like to make the following specific requests to the Cycling Liaison Group:

  • The tow path between the turn off to Petersham Meadows and Ham House is part of a vital route from Richmond to Kingston, Ham and Teddington for those wishing to avoid cycling along the frankly scary Petersham Road.  Despite this it has been virtually impassable (and sometimes closed) for most of the last 3 months.  If I do not wish to arrive in Kingston with my bike and myself coated in mud, I have been forced to dismount and walk for almost a mile through the meadows and along the main road to regain an off road path at Ham Common.  I feel it is completely unacceptable that such a key cycle link is in such a state.  I raised this with the Parks department in July 2012 and was told that they would like to do something about it but don’t have funding.  If a road was in this condition motorists would be up in arms.  I think funding should be found from other areas if necessary to bring this forward.
  • Access from the Northern bank of the Thames towpath to the A316 cycle path is only possible if you carry your bike up a series of steps beside the bridge.  Whilst this may not be a problem for younger, stronger cyclists, it is a clear disincentive for older and weaker residents.  Is there any chance of a ramp along one side of the steps to enable a bike to be pushed rather than carried up the steps.