EALING CYCLING NEWS the LCC Newsletter for Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall Autumn 2018 36 YEARS of ECC HISTORY

EALING CYCLING NEWS The LCC newsletter for Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall Autumn 2018 36 YEARS OF ECC HISTORY

THE FIRST GENERATION ECC'S NEWSWORTHY PAST

aling Cycling Campaign was ooking E formed at a public meeting held in Lback the basement of Windsor Road through the Methodist Church in 1982. We had years of news- support from Ealing Friends of the paper cuttings, Earth and the Cyclists' Touring Club, it’s easy to get and we worked with them when a sense of déjà lobbying Ealing Council for cycling vu – especially facilities. when it comes This resulted in the completion of a to our cam- back street north - south route from paign to get Ealing Broadway to Hanger Lane with decent cycle shared use of the pedestrian subways facilities on the Uxbridge Road. Back two miles. To try to make the road under the Gyratory system. The in 1999 we hit local headlines when we safer, it painted green strips alongside second route from Ealing Common to pointed out that its cycle lanes were the junctions and added cycle symbols West Ealing via Mattock Lane took dangerous, in part because they were in the cycle lanes “so motorists are in much longer to implement and was being blocked by parked cars. no doubt about their use”. eventually opened in June 1989. Things came to a head when the The road now has slightly fewer Our campaigning took the form of council installed parking bays on the casualties – just under five cyclists are lobbying councillors prior to meetings cycle lane in Southall. We staged a injured every mile – but it’s not the of the highways committee, sending protest, and made more headlines safe, unobstructed route it should be. letters to the local papers and rallying with a photo of one of our members Almost 20 years on, we hope the our members to confront local ‘cycling’ over a car parked in one of latest report will inspire the council to politicians on the steps of the Town the new bays. That year, the council install the segregated cycle lanes, and Hall for the LCC's annual protest commissioned a report to look into the safe crossings needed to finally make Round London Bike Ride. road’s casualty rate. It found that sev- the Uxbridge Road attractive for en cyclists were injured every mile on everyone in Ealing to use. Anthony Agius, the Uxbridge Road, compared to a Martin Gorst, ECC Borough Coordinator 1982-1989 London average of one cyclist every Current ECC Borough Coordinator

TAKING EALING CYCLING CAMPAIGN TO THE 21 ST CENTURY

CC is 40 years old this year. ECC, at 80 bikes and dispensing scores of maps on the Uxbridge Road and are Lleast in its current incarnation, is and leaflets. currently involved in the council's only 23 years old. The original group David Eales took on our monthly e- resulting cycle safety efforts. Our folded in 1989, and the LCC mail newsletter and increased its guidance on the segregation of the encouraged people (including our readership dramatically. We began to Steyne Road roundabout was accepted, current Borough Coordinator, Martin hold Dr Bikes and leaflet stalls at and we are now regularly approached Gorst) to start a new group in April school fêtes, teach-ins at Scout groups, to give our input on cycling issues for 1995. I turned up to my first ECC and made our social rides a regular major developments such as the meeting that August, when about half monthly event. Our campaigning Southall Waterside project. a dozen of us met in a living room in efforts also benefited, gaining regular It’s been quite a ride over the last Northfields. I used to type up the contact with the council and regularly twenty years. Cycling is becoming a minutes and hand deliver them to the providing responses to planning no- mainstream way of getting around LCC: no e-mail! tices. London. Cargo bikes now make deliv- We got a second wind at a strikingly Recently we have succeeded in eries in the capital and parents cycling successful Bike Week in the early changing the access to the McDonalds with kids on board are becoming com- 2000s during which a number of new branch by the A40 and saving the Bike monplace. Here’s to the next twenty active members turned up, including Hub cycle parking on Haven Green, years. the late David Eales. We held increas- both of which involved our Peter David Lomas, ingly successful Dr Bike sessions on Mynors attending public enquiries. We ECC Borough Coordinator 1990s/2000s Ealing Green, looking over more than joined the protest over the fatalities AUTUMN RIDES SCHEDULE All rides start from Ealing Town Hall. Meet at 9.45am for a 10am departure. Bring locks, and as the evenings start to draw in, don’t forget lights. 7 October 4 November 2 December South Bank Ealing Garden Suburbs Fulham Palace Koestler Trust Exhibition and Bishop’s Park ur popular annual ride to the local ride exploring the social short ride for the shorter days of O Southbank Centre to see the Aand architectural history of Bed- Athe year. We will ride down to Koestler Trust Exhibition which show- ford Park and Brentham Garden Sub- Chiswick Bridge, cross the river to cases stunning art produced in the urb. Sir John Betjeman described Mortlake and ride on through Barnes. UK's prisons, secure hospitals, and de- Bedford Park as "the most significant We will join the riverside path as far as tention centres. suburb built in the last century, prob- Putney, and then cross back over the We will spend a couple of hours at ably in the western world". We then river to reach our destination: the his- the Southbank, giving us easily enough move on to visit Brentham Garden toric Fulham Palace, once the home of time to have lunch and visit this truly Suburb, notable as the first garden the Bishop of London, and now offer- uplifting, emotive and thought-pro- suburb founded on co-partnership ing a small museum and an elegant voking exhibition. We will be given a principles , influenced by William café. We will return home via the guided tour led by an ex-prisoner. Morris and the Arts & Crafts Move- neighbouring Bishop’s Park, which of- We should return to Ealing by ment. fers a relaxing green space on the 4.30pm. Bring lights and a good qual- This will be a gentle ride, with riverside, and on through the quiet ity lock. Treat yourself to lunch at the plenty of stops to look at the buildings roads of Fulham, back to Ealing via foodie paradise of the food market on and hear about their history. It will be Ravenscourt Park and Acton. the South Bank a “long half day” with a mid-morning We should return to Ealing by 2.30- refreshment break and returning to 3pm. Ealing by around 2.30pm. Helen Hayes

THE NEW BOSTON MANOR CYCLEWAY

he crossing outside Boston Manor surface, and that junction crossings Tstation is being dug up this were designed with cycling safety as a September. Transport for London are priority. The result is popular with installing a combination pedestri- cyclists of all ages and abilities, and EALING an/cycle (or "toucan") crossing. This the only common complaint is that it will help people cycle from the Ealing ends quite suddenly at the M4 flyover CYCLING side of Boston Road to the new bi-dir- on one end and the Ealing borough CAMPAIGN ectional cycle track Hounslow recently boundary on the other! installed. Ealing Council have met with area All are welcome to our meetings at residents and shown plans proposing a 7:30pm on the first Wednesday of shared pavement area to connect the every month. The next dates are: Hounslow route to Boston Road and 3rd October and 7th November. Cawdor Crescent. Many members of Our new venue is the Questors ECC expressed disappointment at this Theatre opposite Walpole Park: scheme's lack of ambition to Ealing 12 Mattock Lane, W5 5BQ Council Leader Julian Bell when he at- tended our August meeting, and he responded with sympathy and agree- ment. The Boston Road connects Hanwell In 2014, Hounslow Council to Brentford, potentially linking the consulted the public on plans to im- West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhood prove cycle facilities on the Boston scheme with CS9. The alignment is lis- Manor Road. Hounslow decided to in- ted as a "high potential" route in the stall a 3m wide bi-directional off-road Mayor of London's Strategic Cycling cycle track on the western side of the Analysis. A high-quality scheme to street. The cycleway runs from the match and extend Hounslow's could station, past Boston Manor itself, all create a large number of new cycling the way to the entrance to Glaxo Smith journeys in West London. @EalingCyclists Kline. Take a ride on the new route on the [email protected] Our sister group, The Hounslow Hounslow side of things, and see what www.ealingcycling.org.uk Cycling Campaign, worked with coun- we hope to achieve on our side of the Registered Charity #1115789 cillors and officers to ensure that the tracks. cycleway was built with a high-quality Nick Moffitt