London news
DIY Street Turnpike Lane project comes to an end - May 2012
The DIY Streets project in Turnpike Lane is coming to an end after two years. All construction is complete and we are in the process of carrying out post-monitoring. We were able to put into place 19 interventions to slow traffic and encourage active travel, including an entirely new junction lay out, a shared space community hub, a much improved cycle/pedestrian path and a playable green space. The project has been well received by residents and many have signed up to care for street planters and tree pits. The tiled street name 'art in the community' will be installed at seven locations once fabrication is complete in June. Residents are already talking about taking other projects forward and we intend to hand over the blog and facebook group to the local residents association.
Greenways closures during the Olympics - April 2012
East Londoners will have to make changes to their cycling routes as the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) confirmed this week that some Greenways in and around the Olympic venue in East London will be closed for the duration of the Games. Make sure that you don't get caught out and make a note of the following changes:
- National Cycle Route 1 - the Lea Navigation tow path running along the western edge of the Olympic Park from just north of the International Broadcast Centre (at Eastway) to Stratford High Street (just north of the new floating towpath under the Bow flyover) will be closed from the 3rd of July until the 10th of September 2012.
- Part of the Greenway that links Victoria Park to the Olympic Park will be closed from the 30th April to allow for improvements works prior to the Games. This closure affects the section from the Wick Lane entrance to the athlete warm-up tunnel. This will be reopened in December 2012.
Sustrans will be working with LOCOG in the run up to the Games to ensure that the NCN1 diversion will be adequately signed to help users stay on-route, and that all other changes are clearly signed.
A revised version of the London Cycle Guide for the Olympic Park and surrounding area will be available from June 2012, which will outline the changes, including details of the diversions and temporary cycle parking locations. In the meantime you can view a map of the changes online at www.london2012.com/accessandparking.
Vital crossing on the A20 to stay - March 2012
Locals in Mottingham in the London Borough of Greenwich can breathe a sigh of relief this week as Transport for London announced that it will not be removing the signalised toucan crossing after all. The crossing, located on the busy Sidcup Road, was initially earmarked for removal under TfL's Traffic Signal Removal Programme, but following pressure from Sustrans and other key stakeholders the decision has now been reversed. This is a fantastic result for those using the London Greenways Network, and for many of the families who walk and cycle to school in the area, who will be able to cross the road in a convenient and safe location.
New Connect 2 Project - Feb 2012
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The new connect 2 project will help people to cross the busy Harrow Road at Paddington. The A40 Harrow Road is one of the busiest in North West London. This new half a million pound project will allow local people to walk and cycle safely across this extremely busy and intimidating intersection, to provide a vital link to and from the station, shops and offices around the Paddington Basin. Once complete, it will also form part of the wider network connecting people on foot or bike from Maida Vale to Hyde Park just a mile to the south to allow them to get between work, school and home in more active and healthy ways.
The construction work will begin immediately and following the agreement signed this week between Sustrans and City of Westminster, will be funded by Sustrans' lottery-funding, The City of Westminster, Transport for London and developer contributions. The work is due to be complete and the route open for cyclists and pedestrians in the early summer (2012).
Budget for London Greenways more than doubles - February 2012
Since 2005, Sustrans has worked alongside TfL, the boroughs and other managing authorities and delivery agencies to scope, develop and deliver a network of quietly trafficked and off-road routes which form the London Greenways network. Though much work has already been done to deliver parts of the greenways network, there is still a way to go. Sustrans has worked in a number of ways over the last year to encourage the Mayor to increase the amount of ring-fenced-funding available.
Following a meeting with the Deputy Mayor for transport last year, we developed a business proposal of quick wins and major schemes (pdf) which we knew were ‘ready to go’ to show just how much extra demand there was for progress. We then commissioned a study to look at the air quality (pdf) benefits of London Greenways which showed overwhelmingly lower levels of air pollution on the network when compared with busy main roads.
It’s a real pleasure to hear that the Mayor has more than doubled the ring-fenced funding for London Greenways for 2012/12 and 2013/14 to £1.9m per year. This is in addition to the funding which boroughs allocate to greenway development in their area.
Active Travel - February 2012
Our Active Travel initiative is underway and we're looking to recruit 'Champions' who will help encourage people to walk and cycle more in the lead up to the Olympics. This project is also supporting local people in the London Borough of Redbridge to cycle more as part of the Mayor of London's Biking Borough initiative.
Fundraising talk - January 2012
Joff Summerfield came to Sustrans London to give a talk to the public about his adventures around the world on his penny farthing. Joff is the first person to complete the circumnavigation on a penny-farthing since British-born Thomas Stevens, who completed the trip in 1887.
It was a great evening and raised funds for Sustrans. Look out for future fundraising talks on the Sustrans online shop.
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