Transport News January 2010
Bike hire countdown
Bike enthusiasts will be able to enjoy their first half an hour of riding for free when the London Cycle Hire scheme launches in the summer.
Hackney’s cycle hire stations will be located in Hoxton and Shoreditch.
There are plans for 14 stations in the borough, each holding about 28 bikes.
People wanting to use one of the new hire cycles will only need to pay a £1 daily or £5 weekly access fee, or take out a £45 annual membership to be able to use the scheme.
There will be no extra charge so long as the bicycle is returned within 30 minutes. After the first free half hour of rental, hire will cost £1 for a journey of between 30 minutes and one hour, £4 for up to 90 minutes, and ’6 for up to two hours.
The hire charges then increase incrementally up to a maximum hire period of 24 hours.
The scheme is likely to see a total of around 6,000 bikes available for hire at 400 docking stations across London. People will be able to ride anywhere they want, provided they return their bike to a docking station.
The scheme is expected to generate around 40,000 extra daily cycle trips in central London.
David Brown, Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: “This brand new public transport system for central London will be a low cost and affordable way to explore the Capital, whether for work or leisure.”
More information
Visit: www.tfl.gov.uk
25 January 2010
Don’t miss out on cycle funding
Grants of up to £10,000 are available to help encourage residents to switch to pedal power.
Cyclists, schools, community groups and charities in Hackney are being urged to apply for the funding, administered by the London Cycle Campaign (LCC).
The LCC is looking for ideas that will inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to take to their bicycles. The first round is open until 5 February, but applicants who miss this deadline will have another chance to apply when the second round is open, from 8 to 26 March.
The STA Bikes and Wilton Estate project in Hackney benefitted from the fund last year when it received £4,824 to provide adults and children with cycle training and for cycle maintenance workshops for young people in the youth centre.
More information
For details and to apply visit: www.lcc.org.uk
25 January 2010
Take a walk
Put your best foot forward in the New Year and take part in free ‘Winter Wanders’ in Hackney on 30 January organised by Walk London.
The walks are a healthy way to begin the New Year and a great way to discover new parts of the borough.
Everyone is invited to come to the two free walks by turning up at the meeting points. The walks are part of the ‘Walking towards the Games’ series, which takes in areas where the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place. The first route from Stoke Newington to Hackney Wick is four miles. The meeting point is Stoke Newington Rail Station at 2pm. It takes in the Lee Navigation from Springfield Park past Walthamstow and Hackney Marshes.
The second walk, from Stoke Newington to Mile End, meets at Stoke Newington Station at 11am and will pass through Hackney Downs and Victoria Park.
For more info call the Walk London hotline on: 0870 240 6094; or visit: www.walklondon.org.uk
25 January 2010
Share the road safely
Hackney has a proud reputation of being a ‘cycling borough’, with eight per cent of all residents’ journeys made by bike.
The Council encourages sustainable transport in Hackney, and cycling helps to reduce congestion, improve the environment, and has important health benefits.
Many local people both drive and cycle, and Hackney road users generally get along well. Historically, however, drivers and cyclists have not always seen eye-to-eye.
Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“Road safety and sustainable transport are priorities for us here in Hackney. With New Year’s resolutions currently being pledged, we are encouraging everyone who travels through the borough to follow a few steps to help drivers
and cyclists share the road in a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation.”
Be a better driver:
- Don’t block bike boxes at traffic lights; give cyclists room when overtaking; avoid squeezing past on narrow roads
- Use mirrors regularly to spot cyclists when turning left; when opening doors; and before reversing
- At a T-junction, cyclists on the main road have priority
- Wait until they have passed before pulling out
Be a better cyclist:
- Cycling on the pavement is prohibited. It is slower, more hazardous and makes pedestrians nervous
- Riding on the road is quicker, with fewer obstructions
- Follow the Highway Code. Stop at red lights and use bike boxes at traffic lights
- Free lessons in safe cycling are available through the Council for beginners, seasoned commuters, and for families
25 January 2010
North London Line to close
The section of the North London Line (NLL) which runs through Hackney will close completely from 20 February to 1 June.
A rail replacement service will provide buses every 20 minutes, six days a week, serving all NLL stations in Hackney. On Sundays this will be reduced to two buses an hour. Transport for London (TfL) says the closure from Gospel Oak to Stratford is necessary so it can carry out major engineering works to introduce longer trains and more frequent services.
Ian Brown, Managing Director of TfL Rail, said: “We apologise to passengers for this inconvenience and are doing all we can to minimise the disruption caused.
“We have to close this part of the line for this amount of time because of the nature of the work. Large amounts of material will have to be moved around for the signalling and track upgrades, which means if we were to restrict the work to weekends and then have to restore the railway to working order each Monday morning, the disruption would be over a much longer period.”
Replacement bus services are due to stop at all NLL stations from Gospel Oak to Stratford except Caledonian Road & Barnsbury station.
More information
www.tfl.gov.uk/overground, call: 0845 601 4867, or email: overgroundinfo@tfl.gov.uk
11 January 2009
Rosemary's new crossing
Pupils from Rosemary Works School in N1 have celebrated the official opening of a new zebra crossing that will help them travel to school more safely.
The new crossing in Baring Street, at the junction of Southgate Road, was jointly funded by Hackney and Islington councils as part of a scheme to improve pedestrian access to the school, Regent’s Canal and Shoreditch Park. Work on the improvement scheme started in September 2009 following consultation with local businesses and residents.
The works also included a new road surface, pavements and bike stands. De Beauvoir ward councillor, Christopher McShane, Islington ward councillors and staff from Hackney’s Road Safety Team also attended the opening on 10 December.
11 January 2009
£3.2m travel boost
Hackney has won a multi-million pound funding boost for transport improvements.
Transport for London (TfL) has committed £3.2million for works during 2010/11, including £200,000 for road maintenance and £453,000 for major schemes.
Hackney has developed proposals for a number of schemes it hopes to finance with the funding package.
These include £165,000 to extend the Council’s school travel plan programme; £190,000 for road safety improvements for cyclists and pedestrians around Amhurst Park, N16; plus improvements to the urban realm on West Bank, East Bank and Amhurst Park in Stamford Hill; and the installation of cycle parking at Stamford Hill mainline station.
In addition, £126,000 will be allocated to introduce measures to improve air quality including vehicle emissions testing, and £97,000 for cycle parking and training programmes.
There will also be £175,000 for 20mph zones around Victoria Park in line with the Council’s commitment to introduce such zones on every residential road in the borough by 2012.
Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“While we welcome this funding and the flexibility it will provide in determining local priorities, we regret the 17 per cent cut in allocation to Hackney which means some planned improvements will have to be delayed.”
11 January 2009
Revamped Freedom Pass
A million new look Freedom Passes are set to be issued in the New Year. The pass, which provides free public transport across London for the over 60s and disabled people, has been revamped by IT company, Fujitsu, after being awarded the contract by London Councils.
The new pass combines both Oyster and ITSO smart card technology with a photograph of the owner, rather than having to use a separate photocard, as is currently the case.
All current passes expire on 31 March. Those needing to renew their pass can do so at the Post Office from 4 January. The process should take about 10 days.
More information
To apply for or renew a Freedom Pass, call: 0845 275 7054, email: mobility@londoncouncils.gov.uk, or visit: www.londoncouncils.gov.uk
11 January 2009
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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