Lambeth Cycle Conference - quick feedback

Lambeth Sustainable Travel team had worked hard to pull together the Lambeth Cycle Conference on Saturday, which kick started a new borough cycling strategy: Quoting the invitation:

Lambeth wants to make a leap forward to become a place where cycling is normal for everyone – young, old, women, men, rich and poor. Lambeth hopes that the Mayor’s recent Vision for Cycling will be an opportunity to tackle main roads and junctions which have put many people off cycling and we believe that the time is right to make a big difference to cycling in the borough.

 A big question was whether there will be the political will when it comes to the crunch, making the changes necessary to make cycling attractive for 8-80 year olds as has been achieved in the Netherlands. Never mind the main roads and junctions, what about the little niggles even?

In this pro-cycling borough,  the absurdity was clearly understood of not permitting residents in one part of Lambeth to cycle to another part of Lambeth across a short section of unmaintained paths on Wandsworth-managed Tooting Common.

Look at the width of the path under the railway

And then the short length of two muddy beyond walkable paths to the nearby Lambeth road.

 Anyone can see it's ludicrous that people have to trudgie their bike along one of two muddy-beyond-pleasant paths and then continue to walk the bike on the path under the bridge to the Lambeth road. The alternative is to cycle on a rat-run up a hill and then use a horrible  one-way major road by Streatham Hill station.

I'm certain that this kind of problem will be resolved, given the enthusiastic presence at the conference of the Leader of the Council, Cllr. Lib Peck; the Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, Cllr. Imogen Walker; the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration (including Strategic Transport), Cllr. Pete Robbins and urban realm improver and cycling champion Cllr. Nigel Haselden.

(Clearly Lambeth will have to talk with Wandsworth to get them to sort out that bit of the Common but I've no doubt the Mayor of London will do some straight talking if needed on something as straightforward as this). I'm also of course confident that Streatham High Road and the one-way road above will be made really cycle friendly.

Organised at fairly short notice and clearly intended to be the first of a number of events, the conference was attended by some 30-40 people, including several of Lambeth's staff and a representative from Transport for London,  plus Lambeth Cyclists' members and many others.

Sadly, it turned out that no-one was present representing the police, health service, education establishments or town centre managements. Given the major role that all of these sectors must play in making Lambeth an inclusive place for cycling, we need to ensure they participate in future. I think I'm correct in saying that there were no Liberal Democrat or Conservative Councillors present and hope they will contribute positively to future events.

After the conference we had a ride with Cllrs. Haselden and Robbins taking notes of issues, such as the Clapham street above, which is by a primary school and closed to motor traffic, where there's no provision for cycling and even a sign warning against it! I'm optimistic that problems such as this, and the poorly positioned , inadequate cycle parking at the nearby Clapham Leisure Centre, will be tackled quickly. We also many of the good things that Lambeth has done, such as Van Gogh Walk below, and is doing (such as two way cycling on Clapham Common North Side) which is one of the reasons that Lambeth has a higher amount of cycling than most London boroughs.

A summary of the conference points will be published shortly by Lambeth along with details of the next steps towards making Lambeth super cycle friendly.

It's clear to me that the politicians genuinely want to up the game on cycling in Lambeth, bringing it to Dutch standards of ease and enjoyment. It's also clear that, despite the benefits in health, equality, mobility, pollution and CO2 reduction from cycling, there are forces opposed to the necessary changes and those of us who want to see children and pensioners happily riding to the shops, libraries, leisure centres and from one bit of Lambeth to another will have to give Lambeth all the support we can.

Waterloo Station through the ages

While I was researching the ride I led for Lambeth Cyclists last week, "Tick Tock, Ding Dong, Keep Calm and Carillon", I found a great blog post showing paintings from one spot over the years - see it for the interesting full details but I've 'borrowed' the photos of the paintings to show here, because 15 cyclists met me under the clock on a chilly February Saturday for the 6 1/2 hour ride and I thought I'd take a snapshot from a vaguely similar perspective to keep the sequence up to date.From the most recent to the oldest:

Waterloo Station 2013

Waterloo Station (Terence Cuneo 1967)

Waterloo Station Peace (Helen McKie 1948)

Waterloo Station - War (Helen McKie 1948)

The ride itself went like clockwork (almost). On the downside we didn't hear 'Oranges and Lemons say the Bells at St Clement's' because the bell-ringers were having a full peal rehearsal. On the upside we heard the Atkinson Carillon (below), the only Carillon in London that a musician can play, which I wasn't expecting as it isn't normally played until after Easter.

Other highlights for me, neither of which I'd popped into prior to the ride, were the Clockmaker's  Museum in the City of London and the clock rooms in the British Museum. Amazingly brilliant work in both of them and I'll be back for a longer look..

Tick-Tock, Ding-Dong, Keep Calm and Carillon

You're invited to meet me under the clock in Waterloo Station this coming Saturday 2nd March. I'll be there from 11.15, but at 11.30 on the dot we'll be away on the first of Lambeth Cyclists' monthly Architecture Rides in 2013 in search of bells and clocks.

This isn't a long distance ride, and it certainly isn't a fast paced one, but it should be a well-timed ride, aiming to arrive by bells just before the hour. The ride will end at precisely 6.02 pm.

Hopefully it will have warmed up a bit, but we won't be outside all the time, so don't forget your locks. We'll stop for a quick pint of lunch somewhere, and for a cup of tea somewhere else

.

We'll certainly drop into a museum, and maybe a church or two. We'll be looking at and, hopefully, listening to some very old things....and seeing one very new bell that we're hoping won't be rung

Although we'll be cycling through some of the most expensive real estate in the world, the ride and museum entry is free.

Please email Lambeth re Clapham Old Town

This may be a little off the patch for many of my Kennington readers, but it's still important for you to comment. Schemes which work inspire others to emulate them (would London have Barclays Bikes if Paris  hadn't?). So, if you want Kennington to be cycle friendly you need to try and get other Lambeth initiatives to really boost cycling - and the proposed Clapham Old Town schemes just aren't good enough to do that.

Lambeth Council are consulting on very expensive plans for improving Clapham Old Town  (at the top end of the Common) yet, unacceptably, neither of the options currently on the table resolve some major barriers to cycling here.

If either of the plans proposed by the Council are approved as they stand, those wishing to cycle in a direct line from the Clapham Park Road area, through Clapham Old Town, towards Chelsea Bridge will still have to make a circuitous detour (see the map), away from the Old Town, on very fast and busy main roads, if they dare. Many adults don’t dare and even those who do are hardly likely to allow their children to cycle on these roads.

Everyone (and local residents in particular) who would like to see Clapham Old Town become a great place to cycle through and around needs to send a quick email to the Council NOW (or certainly before 21^st July) – claphamoldtown@lambeth.gov.uk - saying that you can’t accept either proposal as they stand and that you want to see the scheme reworked to make the area much more cycling friendly. Please also give your address. Ideally you’ll copy in your local Councillor as well if you live in the vicinity.

After all, It's not as though there's not enough road width for The Pavement to become two way for cyclists

Put simply, the plans on the table at the moment don’t meet Lambeth Council’s own, Mayor of London approved, Transport Plan.

Lambeth’s Transport Plan puts pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the hierarchy of road users, because these are the ONLY travel choices that totally meet Lambeth’s five key transport objectives:

1. Promote sustainable, healthy transport behaviour
2. Improves the quality, reliability and efficiency of the road network
3. Improves air quality
4. Reduces the perceived and actual danger of Lambeth’s road
5. Reduces CO2 emissions.

Instead both draft schemes focus on maintaining the motoring status quo while preventing cyclists from having calm, family friendly routes that permit them to frequent the useful shops and cafes in the Old Town.

This is all the more extraordinary given the project brief include the following statements

"Prioritise the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and bus users and make walking, cycling and bus use more attractive and accessible to encourage more journeys by these modes."

and 

"The Cycle Route Implementation and Stakeholder Plan (CRISP) identified that there are currently significant barriers to providing attractive conditions for cyclists. These include conflict between cyclists & pedestrians/motor vehicles, lack of priority at some junctions, and the large Clapham Old Town one-way system resulting in cyclists taking different routes in each direction. London Cycle Network (LCN) route no 3 passes through the area. There are several points and sections along the proposed route which are likely to cause problems to cyclists."

Having shown the existing plans’ weaknesses, it is only fair to point out that there are some significant improvements for pedestrians and some for cyclists too, particularly a plan that allows cycling in a southbound direction along Northside

Finally, unless you have a firm view about the bus locations, I recommend you don't complete the poorly designed on-line survey, as it doesn't have have a button for 'Devise a better option'.

An Alphabetical Adventure in North Lambeth - Free led ride

The Jubilee has passed, the Olympics are a little way off, and in the meantime we have Bike Week from Saturday 16th to Sunday 24th June. Lambeth Cyclists are organising and supporting a number of free events (detailed below) that all are invited to join. I'm leading this ride:

An Alphabetical Adventure in North Lambeth

Wednesday 20th June, meet at 6.45pm for a 7pm departure to end around 9.30pm
RIDE REPEATED Wed 4th July - same time and place, as part of the London Festival of Architecture.

Playfully riding from A through to Z, this ride introduces you to 26 (and a few more) curious places, famous people and odd facts from the Mesolithic era to the present day between Vauxhall and Waterloo. Discoveries along the way will include circus and music-hall, pleasure gardens and drugs, gin and the underground, the true centre of London and, if fortune smiles upon us, the fastest creature in the world.

We'll gently twist and turn our way to cover a dozen flat miles, taking two to three hours, to work up a thirst for a lager at the end of the ride.

Meeting point: outside Lassco, Brunswick House, 30 Wandsworth Road, SW8 2LG (on Vauxhall Gyratory by the start of Nine Elms Lane - don't worry we're not cycling on the road there). Free, just turn up.

Other Lambeth Cyclists events that week are:

19 June Bike Breakfast: Croissants, coffee and Dr Bike 7:30-9:30am

We will be handing out leaflets, offering coffee and other refreshments and the services of Dr Bike to passing cyclists on the forecourt of the Lambeth Accord Building on Brixton Road – come along and find out more. Volunteers are also wanted for the stall – contact Chris James if you would like to volunteer.

Call in 7:30-9:30am Lambeth Accord Building 336 Brixton Road, SW9

Tuesday 19 June Lambeth Cyclists meeting 7:30pm Our regular meeting followed by drinks (8:30ish onwards) downstairs in the bar – call in for the meeting or just come to social bit!

Priory Arms, Lansdowne Way, Stockwell

Thursday 21 June Barbecue in Ruskin Park, SE5

Join other cyclists from across Lambeth and Southwark to celebrate bike week with a barbecue in Ruskin Park, SE5. The barbecue will run 6-8pm
Come along to the park or we will be running a feeder ride: meet outside the National Theatre, Southbank SE1 at 6pm for leisurely ride to Ruskin Park.

Sunday 24 June Bike and Hike the Borough
We are working with Lambeth on this now annual event. Find out more about your local area: cycle and walk around a route covering the length of the borough – pick up a passport in Archbishop's Park, Clapham Common, Streatham Common or Brockwell Park.

Cycle as much of the 18.5 mile dedicated route as you like collecting stamps at each of the hubs. Free Dr Bike available at the hubs. A great event for all the family.

Further information at www.biketheborough.co.uk. 

Book now for Lambeth Cyclists Maintenance Course

Last few places available on the Lambeth Cyclists maintenance classes starting on 26 June

Sign up now for the Lambeth Cyclists cycle maintenance classes - last few places available 


Prepare your bike for summer cycling by learning how to do the basic maintenance to keep your bike on the road. Save money, develop your skills!

Lambeth Cyclists are organising more cycle maintenance classes: the next set of five classes will start on 26 June 2012.

Feedback from earlier classes shows they have been very well received. As one participant put it:

"Simon is a fantastic, patient teacher who makes sure everyone "gets it". I found the course to be great value, having paid for itself several times over in savings on shop servicing. Couldn't recommend it enough."




The Classes
The classes will run for five consecutive Tuesdays:

26 June 2012
3 July 2012
10 July 2012
17 July 2012
24 July 2012

Each class will start at 18.30 and last for 2 hours. The trainer, Simon Bendel, works at Brixton Cycles

The classes cover

1st week: general introduction
2nd week: brakes
3rd week: gears
4th week: wheels/ tyres
5th week: fix any particular problems you have, follow up from previous weeks.

You will get a handout at the end of each week.

Each class will consist of 8 participants, working in pairs on their own bikes. Tools and workstands will be provided. Some spares can be bought at the classes.

The classes will be held at

Lambeth Accord Building
336 Brixton Rd
London SW9 7AA

Preference will be given to London Cycling Campaign members who live or work in Lambeth. Join LCC now

The cost is £55 per person. Concessions are available for those on income related benefits - email us for details.

If you are interested:
Please send an email  to lambeth_cyclists@hotmail.com with your address details and LCC membership number (if applicable) to sign up. We will then confirm your place and give payment details. If there are no places left we will put you on a waiting list for the next set of classes - we run them several times a year.

Lambeth Cyclists' fantastic cycle maintenance classes

Lambeth Cyclists have for a long time now run a course in cycle maintenance over five Tuesday evenings. It's affordable and led by Simon Bendel from Brixton Cycles who knows his stuff and is a friendly and experienced tutor. The next course starts on April 10th and I strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to undertake basic maintenance on their bike. Details are on Lambeth Cyclists website.

See and hear Big Ben up close - Lambeth Cyclists December ride

Lambeth Cyclists’Architecture Ride

Friday 9 December 2011

Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860) &Augustus Pugin (1812-1852)

Lambeth Cyclists offer monthly Architecture Rides (there's one this Sunday) which have an excellent reputation.

I'm leading one in December which offers an exceptional opportunity to join the very few who have climbed the 334 stone spiral steps in the Houses of Parliament clock tower to see and hear Big Ben strike the hour right up close! (I did this for Pedal Power Kennington last year, see the photo above, and the teenagers loved it, but the adult ride leaders loved it more).

Sir Charles Barry was chosen as the architect to design the new Houses of Parliament after the fire of 1834, and he selected Augustus Pugin as his assistant.

Starting at Clapham Common Bandstand, we’ll ride to Portcullis House for the Clock tower tour, then ride to look at other works by Barry and Pugin, and have lunch, before returning for a tour of the rest of the Palace of Westminster.

10am meet Clapham Common Bandstand
10.50 Arrive Portcullis House
11.15 Clock tower Tour starts
12.30 Clock tower Tour ends
12.30 - 3 Ride to view other Pugin/Barry buildings and lunch
3.10 Arrive PofW Visitors' Entrance
3.45 Palace of Westminster tour
5.00 Tour and Ride ends

Booking no later than Sunday 20 November is essential for security clearance.
Please only ask for a space if you are CERTAIN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND ON THAT DATE. There are only 16 places on the tour so book early! You MUST return the security clearance info below on requesting your place, and we will contact you to confirm your place.

For security reasons, it is the House of Commons' policy to obtain security information on all visitors wishing to tour the Clock Tower. All visitors must have a full UK address at which they permanently reside. Children under the age of 11 are not permitted to participate in the tour. The booking information will be passed to the Police for vetting. Tours of the Clock Tower cannot be provided to overseas visitors.

Each visitor (aged 18 or over) should bring two forms of identification, one with their home address, the other with photographic ID. Passport, driving licence, utility bill or official letter. Owing to the nature of the tour, it is not suitable for all visitors and requires a certain degree of good health and fitness as you will be required to climb 334 stone spiral steps.If you are in any doubt about your ability to participate in the tour you should consult your doctor. Sensible shoes must be worn.

Please email the following information to charlie@palaceofvariety.co.uk no later than Sunday 20th November to book your place (1st come, 1st served).

TITLE, FULL FIRST NAMES, SURNAME
ADDRESS, BOROUGH, CITY, POSTCODE
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH (TOWN , COUNTY COUNTRY_
MOBILE PHONE NUMBER (for me, not the security services!)

Lambeth Bridge and gutter cycling

 I've finally had occasion to nip over Lambeth Bridge and back. I much prefer the wider cycle lane, shown above, going towards North London over the unbelievably narrow predecessor. It's a shame that TfL couldn't take the opportunity to improve the approach to the cycle lane, though I suspect it'd be a larger project than could be encompassed in a resurface and repaint.

However I think TfL could have done better going towards south London. To achieve a wider northbound cycle lane they've removed the southbound one, which was also stupidly narrow. The Bus Lane going south gives a useful space for cyclists. So far so fair. Lambeth Cyclists saw the draft plans for the layout and made the following comments:


GOING TOWARDS LAMBETH

a) The bus lane to be the correct width to discourage buses from trying to squeeze past cycles.
b) The Bus Lane marking must be amended to Bus and Cycle Lane, and should have cycle logos in the middle of the lane to encourage cyclists to take the lane rather than hug the pavement. The cycle logos are particularly important where the private motorist can enter the nearside lane towards the end of the bridge, reminding drivers that they must not squeeze in on cyclists in their lane.
c) We applaud not having a feed in lane to the ASL.

We look forward to your feedback on the points we have made.


Despite chasing TfL, Lambeth Cyclists didn't receive any feedback or revised drawings before the work was undertaken.
The works are done but there are no cycle logos (on this cycling section of the Jubilee Greenway!) encouraging cyclists to 'take the lane'.

 though riding in the gutter may encourage an unpleasantly close pass by a bus or taxi

 Towards the end of the bridge the bus lane ends and general traffic can enter the lane. Here TfL have painted cycle logos over the red lines encouraging cyclists to approach the roundabout on the far left even if going straight on or right and suggesting they should be out of the way of motorists joining their lane.

Lambeth Cyclists believe the cycle logos should be in the centre of the lane reminding drivers that they are entering a lane where they can expect to find cyclists continuing from the Bus Lane.

Finally, below shows why this is not the place that a cyclist going straight on or right wants to be when the lights change. This van driver is indicating left, but a worrying number of left-turning drivers don't bother.

 

I think these works graphically demonstrate how TfL marginalises cycling when they should be going full-out for modal shift towards it.

For geeks, below is the correspondence history that suggests TfL's original resurfacing plan didn't even include widening the northbound cycle lane.
--------------------------------------------------------

Shortly before Christmas 2010 I heard that Transport for London intended to resurface Lambeth Bridge between Christmas and New Year. I quickly emailed London Streets at TfL saying, "Please can you let me know whether the works will include widening the cycle lane on the northbound carriageway? If not at this time, is there an intention to do in the very new future?"

I received a quick and encouraging reply, albeit one which suggests it wasn't in the original plan, "It now appears the predicted temperatures will be too low for us to carry out the resurfacing works on Lambeth Bridge as planned. We will re-programme this work for when the weather has improved, and we will include the replacement of the failed expansion joints within a re-scoped scheme instruction.

We now have a little time in which an assessment of the possibility of a slight widening of the northbound cycle lane can be carried out. We are not currently able to give a date, but if it proves to be possible, we will adjust the width of the cycle lane as part of the resurfacing works."

At this point I wrote to Lambeth and Westminster Cyclists, and Lambeth Council suggesting they push for improvement to be made, adding, "I favour getting a full width lane northbound by removing the southbound cycle lane and moving the bus lane across. The southbound cycle lane is dangerous in my view because it too is narrow but also it encourages cyclists going straight on or right at the roundabout to approach in the cycle lane where they are at risk of being left-hooked by vehicles turning left to South Lambeth Road.

This bridge forms part of the Jubilee Walking and Cycling Greenway so it is crucial that it is made very cycling friendly."

Lambeth Council's Transport Policy Manager wrote to TfL saying, "Lambeth would very much support the comments he has made" and received a reply in late January saying, "The resurfacing project will include amendments to the road markings over the bridge, to improve the width of the northbound cycle lane. I attach for your information the current proposal, which is currently being safety audited (which again suggests it wasn't in the original plan)."

That proposal was discussed by Lambeth Cyclists who were particularly perturbed that, while wider, the new northbound cycle lane was shown as Advisory (dotted line) where the existing lane (solid lane) was Mandatory. Mandatory, by the way, in this context means motor vehicles are not allowed in it rather than cyclists have to use it.

Lambeth Cyclists wrote to TfLraising the following points:


1. Can we check that these works are relatively small scale remedial and resurfacing works to the bridge and not part of a full redesign of the bridges layout? Our recommendations are made on the basis of a minor rather than major fix on this understanding. We note the significant increase in cycling traffic across all London bridges (http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.com/2011/02/2011-more-bicycles-than-cars-will-cross.html) and the need to nurture modes of transport that are greener and less space consuming per head.than the private car. In the near future it is important that the problems with the roundabouts at each end of the bridge are also resolved.


2. Provided that these are only remedial works and not a redesign that a MANDATORY 1.5m cycle lane is installed on the upstream side of the bridge going towards Westminster, and going towards Lambeth the current cycle lane is removed and the bus lane becomes a 24 hour bus and cycle lane

GOING TOWARDS WESTMINSTER:
a) The cycle lane towards Westminster MUST remain Mandatory rather than be changed to Advisory as shown. It is absolutely unacceptable for this to become Advisory given there is no frontage (shops, houses), no parking requirements, plus adequate general lane width.

. b) Consideration is needed on how to to prevent motorists cutting into cyclists at the entrance to the bridge as they do at the moment. At the start of the1.5m mandatory cycle lane at the Lambeth end of the bridge a tiny bit of segregation is required. The exact length needed can be seen from the length of the current mandatory line that has been worn away by motorists driving over it.This could either be physical segregation or time segregation via the traffic signals having a cycle phase.

c) We would like to see the plans showing where the line between the cycle and general traffic lane ends and how the merger of the two is facilitated. The faciliation is needed to avoid the tendency of cyclists to continue to hug the left towards the roundabout; to facilitate cyclists turning right; and to counter the assumption motorists tend to have here that they have right of way over cyclists wishing to merge here. Is there a policy on 'merge lanes' markings within DfT/TfL?

GOING TOWARDS LAMBETH
a) The bus lane to be the correct width to discourage buses from trying to squeeze past cycles.
b) The Bus Lane marking must be amended to Bus and Cycle Lane, and should have cycle logos in the middle of the lane to encourage cyclists to take the lane rather than hug the pavement. The cycle logos are particularly important where the private motorist can enter the nearside lane towards the end of the bridge, reminding drivers that they must not squeeze in on cyclists in their lane.

c) We applaud not having a feed in lane to the ASL.

We look forward to your feedback on the points we have made.


Despite chasing TfL, Lambeth Cyclists didn't receive any feedback or revised drawings before the work was undertaken.

Bike the Borough last Sunday

It was a gloriously sunny day to cycle through Lambeth enjoying Archbishops Park, Clapham Common, Tooting Common, Brockwell Park, Myatts Field Park, Kennington Park and the South Bank.

While more than the first year, numbers participating in Bike the Borough aren't yet huge - the maximum in our group was about 20 at any time, so I'd reckon maybe two or three hundred people did all or part of the route.

It's a delight to discover parts of Lambeth you've never seen before. I found two blue plaques I hadn't seen before and as I headed for home from Archbishops Park I passed a railway arch lock up  and noticed this submersible used in the filming of BBC's The Deep (2010):

Bike Week 2011 in Lambeth: full programme of events

I have added a link in my cycling blogs list to the shiny new Lambeth Cyclists blog/website - well worth a look, in particular for details of this week's Bike Week events.

Aspects particular to the Kennington area include:

Sunday 18th: Incredible Edible Lambeth ride, starting at 1pm at Myatts Fields Park, will include visits to some great food growing projects in Kennington.

Wednesday 22 :7:30pm South London Bike Film Club film night
Come and watch fascinating cycling related film Beijing Bicycle, about a seventeen year old country boy working in Beijing who gets his bike stolen
7:30pm upstairs in the Ruby Lounge, Vauxhall Griffin pub, 8 Wyvil Road, SW8 please email slbafc@gmail.com to confirm attendance

and, the big event: Sunday 26 June all day Bike the Borough (http://www.biketheborough.co.uk/), which features a load of activity in Archbishop's Park that I'll blog about separately.

Learn to maintain your bike - 5 session course

A Lambeth Cyclists course, run by a Brixton Cycles mechanic, at Pedal Power Kennington.


Five Wednesdays, starting February 16th, 6.45pm – 8.45pm.
£55 or £5 if on Income Related Benefits (Opportunity for refund if you volunteer at Pedal Power!)

The trainer, Simon Bendel, has had excellent feedback from earlier classes.. As one participant put it:
"Simon is a fantastic, patient teacher who makes sure everyone "gets it". I found the course to be great value, having paid for itself several times over in savings on shop servicing. Couldn't recommend it enough."

The subjects covered will be:
* 1st week: general intro
* 2nd week: brakes
* 3rd week: gears
* 4th week: wheels/tyres
* 5th week: fix any particular problems you have, follow up from previous weeks.
And you will get a handout at the end of each week, as a reminder.
Each class will consist of 8 participants, working in pairs on their own bikes.
Tools and workstands will be provided. Some spares can be bought at the classes.

The course is held at Pedal Power Kennington in the Lilian Baylis Community Hub, Lollard Street, Kennington, SE11 6PY

Preference will be given to London Cycling Campaign (www.lcc.org.uk) members who live or work in Lambeth. People often join the LCC to get a place as the classes are so popular.

To reserve a place please email Chrisj52@hotmail.co.uk who will check there are spaces and ask you to send a Cheque for £55 (or £5 if on Income Related Benefits) payable to Lambeth Cyclists.

Pedal Power Kennington continues to grow

 Pedal Power Kennington had the first 2011 fortnightly Wednesday after school ride on a cold day in January. We went via the Wellington Arch and Hyde Park to the Marble Arch McDonalds!

The new five week courses for 10-16 year olds are working well and there's been a delivery of bikes from the South Bank Employer's Group. Best of all Lambeth Cyclists have given £1200 to help the project continue and we're arranging activities at Charlotte Sharman and, hopefully, Notre Dame schools.

Email now to oppose cycling ban

London Cycling Campaign (LCC) today emailed this video to all its e-list members.

Considerate Cycling rather than No Cycling should be the policy on the South Bank and LCC ask you to email cycling@lambeth.gov.uk objecting to the recent signs that have been erected banning cycling.

Lambeth residents may also wish to email their local Councillors and MP whose contact details are here .

It's worth noting that support for a considerate cycling policy here comes from the local Living Streets (formerly Pedestrian Association) group too.

Lambeth Cyclists' Architecture Ride - Sat 22 Jan

Each month Lambeth Cyclists offer a free ride related to some aspect of architecture, and I'm leading this month's on Saturday 22nd January:

Roll up, roll up and ride on this celebration of two entertainment forms that have their genesis in Lambeth - Circus and Music Hall.

As our travelling show journeys through Lambeth, Hackney and the City of Westminster we'll reflect on the construction intricacies of the ephemeral venue, explore a Victorian dust destructor rejuvenated for circus, and browse the delights of Matchless Matcham's Empires, Hippodromes and Coliseums.

Your Ringmaster and Call Boy for the afternoon is Charlie Holland whose depth of knowledge of circus and music hall is balanced by a depth of ignorance about architecture.

The ride starts at 2pm (meet from 1.45pm) by the cycle parking outside St Thomas' Hospital entrance on Westminster Bridge Road, returning to almost the same spot at 5.30pm. We won't be going at a steaming pace but those planning on riding unicycles should select one with a big diameter wheel.

Lambeth Cyclists Deco Decadence Ride

Dozens turned out in the chill for yesterday's Deco Decadence ride, one of Lambeth Cyclists regular Architecture Rides. From the Embankment, opposite the Moderne former London Fire Brigade HQ in Lambeth, we headed out west taking in the deco wonders of Chiswick Park, the Great West Road and Hanwell. Our two volunteer ride leaders, from English Heritage, knew their stuff and were entertaining. A great day out.

Architecture Ride: Deco Decadence - Sat 27th Nov

Lambeth Cyclists have a track record of excellent Architecture Rides and their next looks set to be a real hit.

Deco Decadence
or, West London in the Jazz Age

Saturday 27th November 2010
http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=2137

The Art Deco style, which swept through Europe in the '20s and '30s, brought the streamlined glamour of Cadillac cars and Cunard liners to the design of everything from town halls to teapots, forming an elegant bridge between the Classicism of the early 1900s and the Modernism of the mid-century.

In London it is above all the style of the suburbs, whose characteristic building types - cinemas, tube stations, factories and roadhouses - became the classic expressions of the architectural new wave.

On this ride we'll be looking at some of west London's sexiest Deco confections, from the famous to the frankly obscure; prepare for glimpses of jazz-age sophistication where you least expect them...

** Meet outside Tate Britain, Millbank SW1P 4RG, at 10.30am for a 10.45 departure
[web map in link above]
Lunch at the Anglesey Arms, Wingate Road, nr Ravenscourt Park W6 0UR, about 1pm
Finish at Ealing Broadway, about 4.30pm.
No need to register, all welcome. Queries - Philip: 07960 026450 07960 026450

Ride led by David Garrard of English Heritage

A Lambeth Cyclists Architecture Ride

Fietshangars coming to a street near you

Lambeth Council are working on their scheme to provide secure on-street residential cycle parking. A trial installation of a 'Fietshangar' in Bonnington Square, Vauxhall moves steadily nearer, with a planning application to be made within a few weeks.

The Fietshangar will hold 5 bikes, take up half a parking space with the other half being where you stand to put your bike in/take it out.

Last night local residents met the borough's officer to discuss how the fietshangar would be maintained, how much it would cost to hire a space, how applicants for scarce spaces would be selected and more. It's fantastic that the residents and officers are working on getting the detail right.

If it was just a one-off not a pilot, it could prove tempting to make life easy by buying an old Luton van with an MOT and tax, buying a residents' parking permit and using the van to keep bikes in. The Fietshangar is worth the effort though, not least because it looks much better - apparently it'll be deep green!

Lambeth Cyclists workshop

The Lambeth Cyclists maintenance course at Pedal Power Kennington is half way through its run of five Wednesday evenings and the participants seem to be getting a lot out of it. They're learning cycle maintenance from Brixton Cycles' Simon Bendel.

Learn to maintain your bike – 5 session course

A Lambeth Cyclists course run by a Brixton Cycles mechanic.
Five Wednesdays, starting October 13th, 6.45pm – 8.45pm.

£55 or £5 if on Income Related Benefits (Opportunity for refund if you volunteer at Pedal Power!)
The trainer, Simon Bendel, has had excellent feedback from earlier classes.. As one participant put it:

"Simon is a fantastic, patient teacher who makes sure everyone "gets it". I found the course to be great value, having paid for itself several times over in savings on shop servicing. Couldn't recommend it enough."

The subjects covered will be:
* 1st week: general intro
* 2nd week: brakes
* 3rd week: gears
* 4th week: wheels/tyres
* 5th week: fix any particular problems you have, follow up from previous weeks.

And you will get a handout at the end of each week, as a reminder.

Each class will consist of 8 participants, working in pairs on their own bikes.
Tools and workstands will be provided. Some spares can be bought at the classes.

The course is held at Pedal Power Kennington in the Lilian Baylis Community Hub, Lollard Street, Kennington, SE11 6PY
Preference will be given to London Cycling Campaign (www.lcc.org.uk) members who live or work in Lambeth. People often join the LCC to get a place as the classes are so popular.

To reserve a place please email Chrisj52@hotmail.co.uk who will check there are spaces and ask you to send a Cheque for £55 (or £5 if on Income Related Benefits) payable to Lambeth Cyclists.