At last! The foot tunnel lifts, both north and south, are now fully operational. Presumably the impending visit of HRH on 25th April got some corporate socks pulled up.
Woolwich foot tunnel and lifts are also open.
I have been checking out the new Bike Week 2012 website (don’t worry, it’s not till June!) and found this very useful page where Helen Pidd summarises in 10 handy points exactly how you can love your bike and make it work for you a whole lot better and longer. http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/page.php?id=80
I would second every single point on this list. It’s exactly what I, and most of the experienced cyclists I know, do. And as the author of the list says- most simple bike repairs can be found really well illustrated on the internet. The Park Tools website has a really good repair section. http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help They also do a really good repair manual. I also own and like Melanie Allwood’s repair manual http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Bike-Book-Mel-Allwood/dp/1844421716 Or if you prefer to see someone demonstrate a procedure, there are plenty of videos online, showing everything from a simple brake adjustment to more complex repairs. Like this one, showing how to adjust a V brake. I can forgive him the slightly annoying American pronounciation of lever, because he demonstrates it so clearly and well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGgidUE8drE
So, go on- get down and dirty with your bike. You won’t regret it (but remember the last point on the list: latex gloves, I never leave without a couple of pairs stashed somewhere in my kit- and avoid getting quite so down and dirty as a result).
I have just received my copy of Lewisham Life through the door and was reminded in the small ad section, of an excellent offer provided by Lewisham Council. A whole day’s cycle maintenance course, delivered by the excellent CTUK, for just ten pounds. If you are one of those many individuals I meet each year on the rides I lead, who confess to absolute befuddlement when confronted by even minor mechanical and maintenance issues, and whose bikes on occasions, need a fair bit of emergency repairing to help them finish the ride, then this is just what you need. A day fettling your bike with guidance from an expert, will demystify the puzzling arrangement of cogs and cables, bits and bolts and you will discover it is quite satisfying, and also quite simple, to sort out the basic things on your bike yourself. And how a little bit of frequent maintenance that takes very little of your time can save you loads more time (and money) in the long term. Here’s the link:
http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/transport/Pages/cycling.aspx
Go on, take up the offer. Your bike will love your for it!
The Cyclists in the City blog has suggested we all turn up for this and show MPs that the Cyclesafe campaign is about more than just training.
Come and tell them to make cycling a legitimate mode of transport not just a training issue.
flashride-wednesday-22-february-615.html
So, 2011 is over. As 2012 gets going, TfL has finally come forward with some new plans for the Bow roundabout. I checked into the excellent Cyclists in the City blog and found news of a press release from TfL announcing that they are considering two options. One is to introduce an advanced phase for cyclists in the lights so that they can get away ahead of the rest of the traffic, with new cycle lanes on the approaches to these lights. Sounds like quite a good idea. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/22247.aspx
The other option is to take a lane from motor traffic on the flyover itself and dedicate it to cyclists. Mmm. Not sure about that one.
But neither option goes as far as what LCC think is needed, as in the plan below.
LCC proposal for Bow Roundabout
The problem for me is that, yet again, TfL is not seeing the whole picture. They have a problem with Bow. A lot of stroppy cyclists getting very angry about what is such a dangerous junction that 2 cyclists were killed there, last year alone. Two bereaved families. Who aren’t content to grieve quietly, but want to know that the deaths of their loved ones will be taken seriously by the authorities and steps taken to ensure as far as humanly possible that nobody else has to go through what they have. A lot of articulate, well organised VOTERS.
Yes I am a bit cycnical, I guess. I will admit, however, that it’s good that TfL have at least listened and appear to want to do something. I don’t mind what their motives are as long as the roads become safer and more pleasant for all travellers. But there are two problems with their proposals. The first is that there is no recognition that this an horrendous junction for pedestrians and no attempt made to do anything to improve their journey across it. Yet pedestrians have been killed and injured here too, in the past.
The second problem for me is that these two proposals represent yet another isolated, piecemeal solution to a problem which we find everywhere in London. Junctions which are dangerous for more vulnerable road users, where the main priority of road planners is maintaining the fastest possible throughput of motor traffic. It’s a London wide problem. And TfL, as a London wide organisation is perfectly placed to do something about it on a London wide basis. And in doing so, to recognise that increasing walking and cycling is key to making London a more efficient city in terms of energy efficiency and transprt efficiency. More journeys walked and cycled equals less CO2 emissions and less congestion on the roads overall- more space for everyone and better, quicker journeys for all. But I see no evidence in this latest press release, that it intends to move forward in this way. It will, if forced by exceptional circumstances, tinker with a few junctions. But that is all. And that will never be enough to make London a safer place for all who use its roads. What it does seem to mean, however, and this is a scenario that fills me with dread, that it may make changes to few junctions, little by little, whenever someone dies and others make a big enough fuss about it. And the implications of that policy are both sad and awful. Some really good work has been done by people pressing TfL for change. Still work to do, as Barry Mason would be saying.
Woolwich Foot Tunnel has re-opened, although, like Greenwich, the lifts are not yet operational. See : bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16281878
Very late this but : From 6pm on Tuesday 20 December 2011 cyclists, pedestrians, and friends and family of recent crash victims will gather outside King’s Cross station for a Xmas vigil to remember loved ones and highlight the unacceptable death toll on the capital’s roads. See : southwarkcyclists.org.uk/events/xmas-vigil-kings-cross-station for more details.
The family of Ellie Carey, killed on her bike last week, is organising a vigil via twitter and Facebook to take place on Wednesday at 6pm, location Bermondsey Square.
I have the greatest admiration for the families of people like Ellie, Brian Dorling, Eilidh Cairns and Alex McVity, amongst others, who have worked, and are still working, so hard to make our roads safer for others. They have made me feel ashamed of my own past complacency and acceptance of the way things are on our roads, and start to actually do something, even if it is only writing lots of emails. They have shown that ordinary people still have the power to change things for the better, (look at what Cynthia Barlow got Cemex to do). Inspiring. I definitely think as many of us as possible should be there to show our support for them.
Local London Cycling Campaign groups in Tower Hamlets and Newham are organising a candlelit vigil at Bow roundabout on the evening of Friday 18 November 2011 to commemorate the two cyclists killed there in recent weeks.
Representatives from Tower Hamlets Wheelers and Newham Cyclists will be at the roundabout from 6-7pm, and people from all over Greater London are being encouraged to join them.
Tower Hamlets’ cyclist Gerry Matthews said, “We hope local people find the time to join our vigil, perhaps for a few minutes on their way home if they travel through the roundabout.”
Regional and local politicians have also been invited to take part, and it’s hoped they’ll stand side by side with local cyclists in calling for the Mayor to redesign the roundabout to make it safe for walkers and cyclists.
Southwark are leading a ride to the site starting 5.00pm at Southwark Needle, London Bridge.
