Transport News
Get on your bike
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to help grow and encourage a switch to pedal power across the borough.
Cyclists, schools, community groups and charities are being urged to apply for the funding, administered by the London Cycle Campaign (LCC), but people need to hurry as the deadline is 3 April.
Hackney Freewheelers were one of four local groups to benefit last year.
The unicycle club got a £3,000 grant to hold weekly hockey matches, and work with local schools, youth and women’s groups to promote cycling. The funding helped to buy unicycles, tools and spares parts as well as paying for staff.
The LCC is looking for ideas that will inspire people from across Hackney’s many diverse communities and age groups to take to their bicycles.
The grants are designed to help develop events and projects that encourage people to begin cycling or to cycle more often, and to make cycling an activity open to all residents.
Peter McBride, Head of Cycling, Walking and Accessibility at TfL, said:
“We believe cycling offers fantastic potential for change and want to help you turn your ideas into actions: the Community Cycling Fund for London is there to help you achieve this.”
More information
For more details and to apply visit: www.lcc.org.uk
Another boost for car clubs
Thousands of pounds have been pledged to support the expansion of Hackney Car Club, it was announced this month.
Transport for London (TfL) has awarded the Council £70,000 to promote the scheme locally, as well as fund 60 new car club parking bays in the borough.
There are now 2,363 people signed up to the Hackney club. They will soon be able to take advantage of 99 vehicles for hire in the borough, once the new bays are launched at the end of March. Car clubs offer pay-as-you-go access to vehicles and are a cost effective way of using a car, while reducing the number of vehicles on London’s roads, easing pressure on parking and reducing congestion.
Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“Sustainable transport is a top priority for Hackney because we know that our residents are concerned about carbon emissions, congestion and parking on Hackney’s roads. We want to support people in making greener travel choices.”
More information
For more info, call: 0845 644 8475; or visit: www.streetcar.co.uk
Keep on moving
Moves are afoot to co-ordinate road works and end unnecessary disruption across the Capital.
Transport for London (TfL) is consulting with 18 boroughs on a new permit scheme to ensure work is carried out as quickly as possible, and at the same time as other necessary repairs in the area.
More than 500 organisations will be given the opportunity to feed back on the proposals before an application is submitted to the Department for Transport for approval – with the scheme due to start by late 2009 at the earliest.
It is estimated there are around one million holes dug in London’s roads each year, with little or no regulation.
David Brown, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: “This scheme will help to bring an end to the situation where the same stretch of road is dug up repeatedly by different companies.”
For more information visit: www.tfl.gov.uk.
No such thing as a free ride
Nearly 40 fare jumpers were fined and 11 reported for prosecution in an operation on buses in Dalston last month.
London Bus inspectors and police checked 1,100 passengers, targeting routes passing the junction of Middleton Road and Kingsland Road.
From 11 January, TfL’s penalty for fare dodging rose to £50 to deter people from trying to get a free ride.
Ed Potter from TfL said: “Fare evaders on our buses cost Londoners in the region of ?30million in 2008. This money could and should be used to further improve the service and we urge all bus passengers to have a valid ticket or ensure they have validated their pay-as-you-go Oyster card to travel.”
Look twice
A campaign to reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or injured in London has been launched by Transport for London (TfL). As the weather improves and thousands return to commuting by bike, car drivers are being reminded to ‘give motorcyclists a second thought’ in TV and radio adverts.
One hundred and seventy two motorcyclists were injured on Hackney’s roads in 2007, and TfL is asking motorists to ensure they take that all-important second look before doing any manoeuvres around bikers.
Chris Lines, Head of TfL’s London Road Safety Unit, said:
“Motorcyclists are amongst the most vulnerable of London’s road users. In 2007, there were 4,856 collisions in Greater London involving powered two-wheelers. 944 resulted in a death or serious injury.”
For more info visit: www.tfl.gov.uk
Dalston diversion
A major diversion through Dalston for works to extend the East London line to Highbury & Islington will now start on 21 March. The diversion on Dalston Lane will allow engineers to complete the second of four phases of bridge works between Ashwin Street and Kingsland High Street. For more information please visit the Dalston Traffic Diversion page.
Bike hire is coming
Plans for a London wide cycle hire scheme moved a step closer this month.
Transport for London (TfL) is working with inner London boroughs to identify suitable locations for ‘docking stations’ where people can pick up and drop off hire bikes.
In Hackney, TfL is set to apply for planning permission for 15 docking stations, each holding about 28 bikes, in Hoxton and Shoreditch. Residents in the immediate area will be consulted on the proposed sites.
The scheme, due to be launched in May 2010, will see a total of 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.
Cllr Alan Laing, Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“This is a great scheme for Hackney, where we are already recognised for our excellent cycle routes and growth in cycling.
“More people in Hackney cycle to work than in any other borough in London. As a Council, we want to encourage even more people to get on their bikes, and we offer free cycle training to anyone living, working or studying in the borough.”
On the road to 2012 Games
A brand new cycling and walking route through the borough is being planned for the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
The £11.5million project announced by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), will create two new routes to Games venues from Finsbury Park to Victoria Park, and from Epping Forest and Wanstead Flats to Stratford.
The aim is to enable 385,000 spectators to ‘ride or stride’ to the 2012 events.
The first route will link Victoria Park to Finsbury, passing through Clissold Park, Butterfield Green, Hackney Downs, Churchwell Path and Well Street Common.
An existing route from Victoria Park to Islington along the Regent’s Canal will also see major improvements including renovated surfaces, road crossings with added dropped kerbs and better points where walkers and cyclists access the routes.
ODA Chairman John Armitt said: “Creating a good walking and cycling experience for people during the Games could see more people choosing this travel option afterwards.”
Win with your Oyster
Visitors to the Oyster online shop during March could win one of 120 Apple iPod touches.
Customers can access a range of services, including checking their pay-as-you-go balance; protecting cards if lost or stolen; and setting up auto top-up so that passengers’ credit automatically tops up whenever the balance drops below £5. First time customers can also purchase an Oyster card online and have it sent to their home.
The competition will run until 22 March, and 40 iPod touches will be given away each week.
To enter visit: www.tfl.gov.uk/oyster and click on the win an iPod touch icon.
Keeping crime off the buses
Over 1,000 arrests were made on London buses during one operation to combat anti-social behaviour and pickpockets, figures reveal.
Operation Ridgeway saw a first phase of high-visibility patrols carried out by the Met Police’s transport unit on Halloween and Bonfire Night last year, with a second phase of the operation taking place in the run-up to Christmas.
Chief Superintendent Joe Royle, of the Transport Operational Command Unit, said: “We continue to work with TfL to help keep London moving safely on a daily basis.
“The additional high-visibility patrols carried out provided reassurance to the public during the autumn and Christmas period when crime peaks can traditionally occur.”
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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