Updates

6th July: Cycling Club Hackney wins London Youth Games -- again!
Congratulations to the youth section of Cycling Club Hackney and their dedicated coaches for another outstanding performance at the London Youth Games on Saturday. See the full write-up on CCH's blog. Kudos especially to Tao Geoghegan Hart, who set an event record.

14th June: Bike Week in Hackney
"Every week is bike week in Hackney." So the saying goes, and it's true, but we are marking the official national Bike Week with a breakfast, a ride and a commuter cooldown. See our diary for details.

1st May: Local elections 2010 - What will they do for cycling?
With the local elections coming up on Thursday, we asked the four parties standing candidates in all wards in Hackney what they plan to do for cycling, and for their views on our current top ten requests for the local authority, including returning all streets to two-way for cycling, making 20mph the default speed limit, expanding the cycle training programme, and setting a 2025 target for one-fifth of all journeys in the borough to be made by cycle.

Today we publish their responses.

3rd April: Tribute to Shivon Watson (AKA Shiv Lizzy)

26th March: Yesterday's cycle pitstop in London Fields

Five cycle mechanics, two gazebos, several dozen bananas, subsidised lights and bells for sale, plus information and advice, courtesy of Hackney Council's Streetscene department.

In essence just a scaled-up 'Dr Bike', the first cycle pitstop was held by Hackney Cyclists a couple of years ago on the Kingsland Road, and the council has since taken it up with enthusiasm. They're planning to do another five or six such events between Spring and Autumn. It's a great way to reward people who've taken up cycling, make sure their bikes are in good working order, and pass on a few tips.

13th March: Construction industry vehicles kill in Hackney and Southwark
London's construction industry killed two more people this week.

On Tuesday, a tipper truck operated by Keltbray killed medical student Muhammad 'Haris' Ahmed in Borough, near London Bridge. The truck appears to have been on its way to or from the construction site of the 'Shard', and was probably not on one of the routes approved in the site management plan. On its website, Keltbray claims to have "nurtured a culture committed to the prevention of injuries and ill health amongst our employees, sub-contractors and others affected by our work activities."

The day after, a skip lorry operated by GBN Services killed Shivon Watson, at the junction of Victoria Park Road and Lauriston Road, as she cycled from home in Bow to work at young people's charity Fairbridge in Hackney.

4th February: February meeting minutes online
Issues discussed included local elections manifesto, the Downs Park Road/Pembury Road/Cricketfield Road junction and bike parking in Dalston..

14th January: London mayor defends abolition of lorry safety unit
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has written to assembly members who voiced the concerns of their constituents about his decision to abolish the Commercial Vehicle Education Unit. Here you can read the letters sent to Jenny Jones on 21st December and Jennette Arnold on 11th January.

27th December: Burns Night 2010 tickets on sale
Our annual Burns Night fund-raising supper and dance will be on Saturday 30th January 2010. The traditional fare of haggis, neeps, tatties and whisky will be served, followed by three hours of frenetic dancing, led as ever by six-piece ceilidh band The Muckers. Tickets on sale now.

1st December: A warm welcome for our deputation on lorry danger
Charlie Lloyd, LCC's expert on large goods vehicles, and a former lorry driver himself, presented our deputation on the dangers of heavy lorries to the full council meeting on 25th November, and received a very warm welcome.

Chairing the meeting, Councillor Muttalip Ünlüer invited fellow councillors to declare any relevant interests. Councillors stood up one by one to declare their membership of the London Cycling Campaign, and a show of hands was called in order to save time.

Addressing the council, Charlie said: “We ask Hackney Council to join us in calling on the Mayor of London to reinstate funding for the Commercial Vehicle Education Unit. Without this vital unit, there is little chance that we can continue to improve casualty rates. In Hackney alone, six people have been killed in collisions with large lorries since 2006 – one pedestrian and five cyclists. Across London, lorries continue to be disproportionately involved in serious and fatal collisions with pedestrians and cyclists.”

He added: "It's difficult to believe that our cycling mayor is disbanding the only police unit in the country that has the powers to properly investigate unsafe lorry operators, and bring them up to standards set by Health and Safety law."

The opposition spokesperson asked whether LCC was aware of the alternative arrangements being offered by the London Mayor, chiefly relying on the Freight Operators Recognition Scheme. Charlie responded that, although welcome, the FORS scheme is voluntary meaning that the low-end operators are unlikely to join.

Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods, welcomed the deputation and assured us that Hackney Council has already called on Boris Johnson to reinstate funding for the unit. He also agreed that the council's own Lorry Safety Working Group, formed last year at our request to bring together road safety officers, user groups, the police, freight operators and the Olympic Delivery Authority, should meet quarterly and work throughout the year to tackle the hazards associated with lorries.

The most urgent issue is London mayor Boris Johnson's recent decision to disband the Met police's Commercial Vehicles Education Unit -- the only organisation in the country that has the power to properly investigate unsafe lorry operators, and bring them up to standards set by Health and Safety law.

We will ask the council to make a formal request to the mayor to restore the unit's funding. Hackney North MP Diane Abbott has already put down an early day motion in parliament on this issue.

Our deputation will also be asking the local authority to ensure that its own Lorry Safety Working Group meets regularly to investigate how the dangers presented by heavy lorries in the borough can be reduced and eliminated. This working group was convened a year ago, at our request, after five people were killed by lorries in Hackney between 2005 and 2008, but has only ever met twice. In London's leading cycling borough, we would expect a working group of this nature to be meeting at least quarterly, bringing together interested parties (including freight operators, the Olympic Delivery Authority, police, and user groups), and publishing regular reports on what actions it is taking.

If you are free on Wednesday evening, please come along to the town hall to show your support. The council meeting starts at 7pm, and the deputation will be quite early in the agenda.

9th November: How to give an interview
If you're exhibiting in our borough and you want to tell the world about your work, where do you give your interview? On a bike, on Hackney Downs, of course.


Camerawork by Arnau Oriol. Cycling by artist Jennifer Crouch and exhibition promoter Kevin Martin (unseen).

28th October: Cycling levels in our borough are four times the London average
Can't believe we haven't been crowing about this for months!

We finally have some hard data about the modal share of cycling in Hackney, thanks to Transport for London's 2009 Travel in London Survey. It turns out that cycling levels in our borough are 8 per cent, which is twice that of the next most successful borough (Richmond) and four times that of the Greater London average. Blimey!

27th October: Minutes of our September and October meetings
Topics included 'cycle highways' and our independent traffic count at Stoke Newington one-way system. We also elected a new committee at the October meeting.

17th September: Car-park Free Day!
This Saturday afternoon the courtyard of a Haggerston housing estate, usually dominated by parked motor vehicles, will be greened over, to mark European Mobility Week. The freed-up space will be filled -- just for the day -- with instant lawns, gardening demonstrations, games, film shows, and cycle mechanics(!). Dubbed 'Green For A Day', the event takes place between 1pm and 6pm at the Broadway Market end of Whiston Road, and is being promoted by Hackney Homes and Hackney Streetscene, with the co-operation of the Whiston and Goldsmiths tenants and residents association. All are invited to come and enjoy the transformation. More.

1st September: Minutes of our July meeting online
Topics discussed include the massive Haggerston West and Kingsland redevelopment, and the opportunity it presents to restore routes for cycling between Shoreditch and Dalston that don't require people to use Kingsland Road or Queensbridge Road if they don't want to.

20th August: Gyratories make A10 'cycle highway' impossible
Local LCC groups are being approached to give their views on Transport for London's new and as yet untested 'cycle highways' scheme. One of the corridors pencilled for this scheme is the A10 corridor between Tottenham and the City.

The two outstandingly cycle-hostile parts of the old A10 are, of course, the gyratory systems at Stoke Newington and Tottenham. It was only a year or so ago that Transport for London said it couldn't (or rather wouldn't) get rid of the Stoke Newington gyratory system. Plans for reforming even worse mess in Tottenham exist but the go-ahead has yet to be given. Previous two-way plans for Tottenham were stymied by TfL in 2003.

It is unimaginable that a priority cycling route should be diverted via a gyratory. And it would be equally unacceptable and impractical for a 'cycle highway' to scuttle off onto back streets whenever it hits a problem that TfL doesn't want to face.

So the answer we've sent back is: "Not on the A10 unless you get rid of the gyratories."

Members are encouraged to come and discuss this issue at our next monthly meeting in just under a fortnight's time on Wednesday 2nd September.

25th June: Minutes of our June meeting online
Topics discussed include Hackney town centre and the London bike hire scheme.

17th June 2009: Our most popular Hackney Cyclists breakfast yet!
This morning's cyclists' breakfast in London Fields was very lively, with hundreds of cyclists passing and a good proportion stopping by. A large number of new members signed up as well. We served organic porridge oats with nuts and dried fruit, croissants baked locally in Stoke Newington, freshly brewed coffee, tea, juice and organic fruit -- all went down a storm and we absolutely ran out of food by 9am. Using no disposable crockery or cutlery, we had a team washing up on site.

London Fields Cycles provided a sterling Dr Bike service as always. Many many thanks to all those who helped -- notably David Withington and Katie Hanson who slogged it out in the kitchen all morning, Sean who ferried the croissants across Hackney in his trailer and flagged down passing cyclists, Helen and Michael Cordy who set up at 6:30am and worked tirelessly throughout, Ben Webster who organised the site end, Ben Edmund, Wheelers Keith, Gillian, Alan Limbrick, Diler, Jean Morris, Bea, Chas, John Ackers, Daryl, Adam from the workshop, Charlie, Marian and Oliver who helped out in one way or another -- and to our treasurer Brenda, who co-ordinated the whole operation. What a team!

Breakfast photos courtesy of Chas Wilshere of the Pressmen.

7th June 2009: Public meeting on 20mph for Hackney
This Wednesday, 10th June, you are invited to join us to review progress on 20mph as the default speed limit for our borough. Organised jointly with the Hackney branch of Living Streets, the meeting will feature a panel including Alan Laing (the cabinet member who has responsibility for streets and transport), Rod King (founder of the 20's Plenty For Us campaign), Josh Hart (Living Streets) Inspector Andy Walker (Hackney borough police), and representatives of other local parties.

>> 7:30 to 9:30pm, at the Hothouse, 274 Richmond Road, London Fields, E8 3QW

To read the whole piece you have to subscribe or sign up for a free trial, or get the dead-trees version, but you get a flavour from the first paragraph anyway.

For an example of why Hackney Cyclists almost always counsels against cycle lanes as a solution, you can read our detailed comments on TfL's proposal to put cycle lanes on Old Street (50KB PDF) back in 2005.

TfL withdrew the proposal, to our satisfaction, though it has yet to take up any of the positive suggestions we made in our comments (20mph speed limit, minor kerb realignments etc).

7th January 2009: TfL releases hilariously negative report on Stoke Newington
After months of foot-dragging, Transport for London has finally released a disappointingly poor report (1.3MB PDF) they commissioned on the feasibility of getting rid of the one-way system that has blighted the main streets of Stoke Newington for 40 years. The report takes a transparently unenthusiastic approach from the outset, and concludes by rejecting all options.

Maintaining current levels of through motor traffic is clearly the most important agenda for TfL, though we can't make a serious assessment of that based on this report because, well, no traffic modelling was done for any of the options.

Hilariously, the report even claims that turning the High Street back to two-way working would result in worse conditions for safety and the urban realm, as well as for walking and, wait for it, yes, even for cycling!

Such claims flatly ignore common sense, let alone the evidence of TfL's own flagship gyratory-removal scheme just two miles down the road in Shoreditch, where walking and cycling levels have soared, road danger has been reduced, and business on the high streets has boomed.

It is almost as if the writer of the report was given an outcome, and asked to make the facts fit.

What's next? Perhaps the Shoreditch one-way system should be restored in order to benefit pedestrians, cyclists and the urban realm!