Our friends at Wanstead Village Directory have published an articale about Redbridge Cycling Campaign, focusing on our rides and the benefits of cycling.

You can see the full text here, or look out for the print edition and turn to pages 56 and 57.

This looks like a very good scheme.  We understand from the Council that the path will be a bridleway and so open to pedestrians, cyclists … and horses.  In effect the path will extend the Roding Valley Way southwards to Ilford putting a valuable leisure cycling route within reach of a lot more people.  For those of you not familiar with it, the Roding Valley Way provides a good route from Wanstead Park to Ray Park.  It is suitable for all kinds of bike with the probable exception of Tour de France style racers.

We think the extent to which cyclists will actually take advantage of the path is going to depend on the extent to which the Council can provide a network of segregated, traffic calmed or quiet cycle routes to its start.

We haven’t seen the plans for the cycle route running from Newham into Ilford along the Ilford Western Gyratory so at this point we can’t comment on this part of the scheme.

Update 26.08.2024

Council Officers have told us that Britannia Road will remain two way for cyclists.  This is good news, but as anyone who has ridden the roads in the Oakdale area of South Woodford (see map) knows, one-way streets bring their own problems.  Drivers are tempted to go faster because they know nothing is coming the other way, vehicles try and push past cyclists and drivers seem to have an enhanced sense that the road is theirs – cyclists and pedestrians don’t need one-way streets so if a street is one-wayed it’s for the benefit of drivers.  So as the scheme goes forward, we will be talking to council officers about the best way to implement the proposal to make sure that cyclists will feel safe and confident about cycling along Britannia Road in both directions but especially ‘against’ the motor traffic.  Because if cyclists don’t feel confident, they won’t use the route and a real opportunity to improve things for cyclists in the Ilford area will go begging. 

For as long as I can remember, RCC has been campaigning to improve access to the park through the gates on Roding Lane North and Acle Close.  We now have progress.  The Council has removed the nibs on the barriers to allow a greater range of bicycles to be pushed through.  It’s a welcome improvement but it’s not quite the real deal.

The Department for Transport’s Local Transport Note 1/20 (LTN 1/20) Cycle Infrastructure Design recommends that all cycle infrastructure allow passage of the Cycle Design Vehicle.  What’s this?  Well, it’s easiest to think of it as the smallest box into which all cycles – a tandem, a tricycle, a hand powered bike, a cargo bike – can fit.  If this box can navigate a piece of cycle infrastructure, then the infrastructure passes the LTN 1/20 test.  If it can’t it fails.  The adapted barriers at Claybury Park still fail.  But it’s an improvement.  If everything goes well – the worry always seems to be motorbikes getting into the park – then we can argue that local residents and park users should not fear the Council making the park accessible to the Cycle Design Vehicle – that is to all types of cycles. 

This is good news, especially the part about progressing plans for the cycle route running from Newham into Ilford. Details here.