At the Council: November & December 2018

An aide memoire of items I’ve noted from the boroughs where I work, rest and play, in case it is of use to others. Links to this year’s earlier posts:

• September and October 2018
• Q3 July and August 2018
• Q2 April to June 2018
• March 2018
• Q1 January and February 2018

Local Implementation Plan 3 draft submissions

• All London councils are supposed to send draft LIP3 submissions to Transport for London this month.  Each borough’s LIP explain how it seeks to implement the Mayor of London’s transport strategy over the next few years and, in effect, bids for money from TfL to do so.  Here’s a round-up of the ones I’ve found – only Merton’s is missing in south London (given more time by TfL).

December 2018

HMG/ Department for Transport

• Updated website with road traffic statistics with data for lots of minor roads.

Kensington & Chelsea

• Public Realm Ctte, 4 Dec – Communities report mentions a ‘revitalisation’ project for Kensington High Street, Transport report includes note of safety reviews for Portobello and Exhibition Roads – the latter may go to consultation in 2019.
• LIP3 Consultation closes on 6 January.

London Assembly

• Transport Ctte, 5 Dec, has TfL officers and Will Norman to discuss healthy streets.
• GLA Budget Ctte, 11 Dec, has the quarterly finance report from TfL which has lots of operational KPIs alongside the financials. This reports that cycling volumes in the congestion charge zone were up 13% in Q2 April-June’18 over Q2’17, possibly thanks to the good weather.
• LA Plenary on 15 Dec, has lots of papers, including the Mayor’s sport strategy and its implementation plan. The definition of sport is very broad to include physical activity generally, although active travel is covered within the Mayor’s transport strategy.

Mayor of London – questions

Answers coming through to November questions, e.g.:

• “hit-and-runs” by drivers on London’s roads, since Jan’17 – Oct’18 – 33 killed, 35 seriously injured, 12,000 other minor injuries.
• Way forward on cycle route CS9 – TfL “aiming to publish” before end of 2018.
• 100km of quietway routes – list of sections. (Based on this answer, I’ve written a blogpost looking at five sections in SW London which I don’t think are “completed and signposted”).

Questions listed for 20 December’s MQT – most will get written answers in the new year. Lots of follow-up questions from Assembly Members Russell and Pidgeon to previous answers on cycling schemes.

Merton Council

• 5 Dec: The Mitcham Common Conservators discussed Merton Council’s proposed plan for pedestrian crossings in the middle of Mitcham Common at the junction of Croydon Road and Beddington Lane. The council built shared-use pavements on the roads over the last couple of years, but deferred changes to the junction to help people cross safely. The PDF drawing shows staggered pedestrian crossings (ie not parallel ped & cycle crossings).  The notes of the Conservators’ site meeting in November are, as you’d expect of the Conservators, focused on risks and mitigations to common land.  The minutes of the Conservators’ September meeting suggest that Merton Council wants to build the junction this financial year (2018/19).  When Beddington Lane was rebuilt, the council said there was no money from TfL for the junction until at least 2019/20.  (An earlier draft of the plan is in the September agenda).

 

Metropolitan Police – Freedom of Information requests

• 6 Nov – someone’s asking for bicycle accidents, particularly involving delivery/ courier companies. No reply yet – Met Police is working through a lot of FOI requests.

Parliament – Transport Committee

• Active travel inquiry – submission from Transport for London (mix of good evidence, halo polishing and pokes at HMG), and the Daily Mail (!) recommending e-scooters be legalised (!). All the submissions are here.

Transport for London

• Programmes & Investment Board 11 Dec – big 10mb PDF with all the papers
• Finance Ctte meets twice – 3 December with a Crossrail update (PDF), and 13 December (agenda) to review revised TfL business plan (pdf).
• CS4 – 12 December – responses to issues raised, following the consultation in 2017. Various tweaks to the design, plus a lot of “subject to’s” with construction starting on some of the route in 2019. Plus an update on a related extension to Quietway 14 in Tanner St.
• Lambeth Bridge consultation which took place in Summer 2017 – page updated to say that the consultation report which was due in late 2018 will now be sometime in 2019, with construction possibly starting in 2020.

Transport for London – Freedom of Information Requests

• 12 Dec – Dan Howard of the anti-CS11 campaign has asked how much money TfL has given to the London Cycling Campaign and Sustrans. Answer due in mid-January.
• 11 Dec – reply to Roger Stocker with LIP outputs for 2017/18.
• 11 Dec – refuses answer due to £450 budget relating to safety audits and correspondence about the Quietway 4 Magdalen Road scheme. Follow-up clarification/re-request by David Knight.
• 6 Dec – the cycle superhighway counters (presumably the CS3 and CS6 counters) cost £50,000 to design, build and install. The counters currently do not work.
• 4 Dec – numbers of pedestrians injured by red-light jumpers, injured on pavements, with PDF table.
• 4 Dec – traffic modelling relating to CS9 and the Hammersmith Gyratory.
• 28 Nov – reply to Mark Treasure with details of who met TfL from the Unblock-the-Embankment campaign.
• 26 Nov – numbers of accidents involving Santander hire bikes since 2010. Just under 400 accidents out of 67 million hires, 2010-2017.
• 22 Nov – request for GIS data for CSHs, quietways etc. Answer due by Christmas.

Wandsworth Council

• Planning ctte on 13 Dec, has an application from Finton House School on Trinity Road (planning app link). Finton is an independent (fee paying) primary school, located on a major TfL TLRN A-road from Tooting to the Thames.  According to transport assessment, most kids live within 2 miles, of whom 20-33% are driven to school depending on the weather.  Over 2 miles, 83% get driven.  There’s some limp improvements proposed in the application’s travel plan.  Building roofs over the cycle and well-used scooter parking would be a good start.

 

November 2018

City of London

• Consultation on the draft transport strategy opens 12 November and runs to mid-January’19.
• Police Ctte on 1 Nov: paper proposing to extend powers of civilian enforcement officers to support police in traffic duties, including issuing fines to cyclists cycling on pavements or through red lights.
• Projects Sub-Ctte on 7 Nov: early papers (item 8) on repainting and repairing Blackfriars Bridge (which carries cycle route CS6). The Aecom report is interesting (4mb pdf) as it assesses the state of the bridge, and proposes a high level storage yard for materials built above the cycle lane.
• Policy & Resouces Ctte 14 Nov: has a bullet-point LIP submission for 2019/20, rather than a full LIP3 proposal. Discusses a liveable neighbourhoods bid, running through to 2022.
• (Main) Planning & Transport Ctte 20 Nov:
  • Road danger reduction plan 2018-2023 – ctte paper, main 9mb doc, results of the summer 2018 consultation, and 2018-2017 injury stats. Strong support and actions to achieve ‘vision zero’ objectives.
  • LIP3 draft and ctte paper;
  • Liveable neighbourhood bid.

 

Croydon

• Consultation on ideas for a liveable neighbourhood bid for the area between Wandle Park and Reeves Corner closes on 16 November. The 1960s ring road is a big barrier, which this bid aims to break down.
• Cabinet on 15 October had a bumper pack of LIP3 related papers.
• Traffic notice from back in August – plan to widen the (usually rubbish filled) one-way seg’d cycle track near IKEA on Ampere Way into a two-way track, linking the Ampere and Therapia tram stops, plus related bits of shared-use pavement outside the stops.
• Streets Scrutiny Ctte 6 November: has cabinet member reports (item 5) confirming that Croydon Council is redirecting £5m from its growth fund to provide the cycle lanes in TfL’s revised design for the Fiveways junction. Also confirms LIP3 will support the Mayor (of London’s) Transport Strategy (MTS).
• Cycle forum 27 Nov.
• Full council 3 Dec – transport report states that the school streets pilot is proving successful, with car journeys to school down 28% and active travel journeys up 35%.

HMG/ Department for Transport

• 22 Nov, Public Health England report – cycling and walking health benefits collating evidence for health professionals, as part of PHE’s CWIS-related studies.
• 22 Nov, government response to the CWIS safety consultation. (PDF). States objective to make roads safe for a 12 year old to walk and cycle. A summary of the public’s consultation responses was published in October.
• 8 Nov, road casualty statistics for year ending June 2018.
• 29 Oct, report with results and response to the Feb’18 consultation on the 2020-25 strategic road network investment (pdf report).  Safety and the needs of non-motorised road users got a lot of feedback, and the report suggests it will get higher focus from government agencies including Highways England.
• 18 Oct, issued a policy paper on Inclusive Transport Strategy: achieving equal access for disabled people. This includes a commitment to update the LTN2/08 design guidance on cycling infrastructure, plus a promise to review the legislation about mobility aids to see how bicycles can be recognised and included.
• 30 Aug, walking & cycling stats for England 2017
• 26 July, national travel survey for 2017 with stats on travel modes.

 

Hammersmith & Fulham

• Cabinet on 5 November, has draft LIP3 to go to local consultation later this autumn (ctte paper, main 5mb pdf LIP document). Repeats the statement from September’s draft about cycle superhighways not being for fast commuters, then asks TfL to consider re-routing CS9 via the A4, which only benefit fast commuters.  This draft also includes a new CSH – numbered CS23 – to link Willesden, Shepherd’s Bush, Hammersmith & Fulham.  First reference I’ve seen to CS23, and it doesn’t seem to be a confusion with a quietway scheme.

 

Kensington & Chelsea

• Leadership team 13 Nov – has the LIP3 draft – ctte paper and draft document. Consultation from mid-November to mid-Dec. Admits there is no east-west cycle route (“roads are congested” …!). Council will look at TfL’s CS10 cycle route alignment via Holland Park, and focus seems to be on more, but unspecified, quietway routes.

 

Kingston

• Strategic Planning Ctte on 8 November, has lots of big PDFs with the planning policies for the Tolworth area for approval. A big objective is better links across the A3 which acts as a barrier in lots of senses.
• Enviro & Transport Ctte 27 Nov:
  • GoCycle mini-holland update with plans for Ewell Road linking Surbiton and Tolworth. To my eye, several bits of shared-use pavement have crept into the design. (ctte paper, Nov’16 consultation proposal, current plan)
  • Healthy Streets scorecard – ctte paper and pdf report – with progress against mainly the GoCycle min-holland objectives.

 

Lambeth

• Cabinet on 15 October had papers on its transport strategy (ctte paper, strategy) and draft LIP. Richly evidenced and lots of proposals.  (I know there’s scepticism about council’s ability/willingness to deliver, based on previous form).
• Released a big bundle of consultation reports and decision papers relating to Quietway 5 across Clapham Common, and onwards along Cavendish Road towards Streatham. Looks like a 3m wide shared-use path across the common, with Windmill Drive being denied to through motorised traffic.  The consultation and analysis were in 2017, so everyone’s puzzled why Lambeth Council has taken a year to release them …

 

London Assembly

• Transport Ctte on 13 November, has second discussion with reps from taxi industry, plus the London Travelwatch business plan and budget for 2019/20.
• Mayor’s question time 22 November has a list of oral and written questions. Carolines Pidgeon and Russell are taking a forensic approach to the Mayor’s statements and promises about delivery of cycling infrastructure.

 

Merton

• Merton appears to be taking a very opaque approach to developing a LIP3 submission. Paper to July’s cabinet (pdf detail) suggested it would be drafted by officers and approved with delegated authority from cabinet member(s).  Not clear what level of public consultation there will be, although statutory consultees will be engaged.
• Cabinet on 12 November – has a paper on air quality (and parking space charges) which claims LIP3 is “in process of being consulted on” … which must be in secret. Nothing about LIP3 was presented to the Sustainable Communities Ctte on 1 November, and the ctte’s work programme has nothing about it in the forward meetings.

 

Richmond

• Cabinet on 15 November, has the draft LIP3 submission with ctte paper, draft LIP document and appendix with proposed projects. The style (and a lot of content) are very similar to Wandsworth’s which, given the joint team of officers, is unsurprising.

 

Sutton

• Consultation re proposed changes to Central Road in Worcester Park, closes 30 Nov. Seems aimed at improving traffic flow, directing drivers to adjacent car parks.  Nothing here for active travel (so, normal for Sutton).
• Enviro Ctte 29 Nov: has a proposal for a quietway route (QCWP) from Worcester Park to Sutton (ctte paper, pdf route). Recycles the old LCN75 route. Possible delivery in 2021/22.  Runs parallel to Central Road, subject of the separate consultation above.  Agenda also has papers on air quality.

 

Transport for London – board meetings

• Main board on 21 November, with a 22mb 300 page PDF file with the papers. Includes an overview of the forthcoming Travel in London 11 report (due end Nov/start Dec).  Commissioner’s report repeats the claim that 140km of *new* cycling infrastructure has been delivered since 2016.

Transport for London – consultations

• Tooting town centre consultation closes 10 December.
• Sutton Tram (or trolleybus thingy) consultation closes 6 January.
• Tooley Street (London Bridge) consultation closes 8 January.

Transport for London – Freedom of Information requests

• 22 Nov, request for GIS data for existing and planned CSHs and quietways. Answer due by late December, but I’d expect the response to be that TfL have already made open data available so look elsewhere.
• 20 November, answer (or not) regarding post-CS9 journey times, with little info because the project modelling does not include the journeys requested.
• 19 Nov, request by David Knight for the safety reports and other correspondence for the Quietway 4 Magdalen Road Answer due by mid-Dec.
• 12 November, follow-up answer from TfL regarding traffic modelling of a possible pedestrian crossing at junction of Chelsea Bridge Road/ Royal Hospital Road/ Lower Sloane Street (outside the old Chelsea Barracks). In a previous answer, TfL said “no” due to the delay to buses. This answer provides the modelling results, along with a “we’re still looking at it” position.
• 9 November, entries/ exits per tube station per week for 2017 and 2018. I’ve looked at the numbers for the tube station nearest to me and, like a lot of TfL data, there’s a few duff numbers in the data.
• 9 November, the oldest train operator (driver) working for TfL is 67 years old.
• 8 November, in response to Q about cost of the CS3 and CS6 cycle counters, TfL quotes commerciality issues and defers response to mid-December.
• 8 November, request by Mark Treasure for details of meetings with the “Unblock The Embankment” campaign. Answer due by mid-Dec.
• 2 November, responding to question about how many buses exceed 20mph in Southwark’s 20mph zones, TfL declines to answer citing £450 cost.
• 30 October, responding to question about time and cost to get a yellow taxi driving licence, with numbers of trainees per borough/sector.
• 24 October, question by Sean Howes about delays to CS4 and Vauxhall gyratory schemes. Answer due by 21 Nov. Answer provided.
• Old FOI answered 2 Jan’18 with data on Santander Bike usage, and the mix of casual versus regular hires from 2014-17.
• Old FOI answered 5 Jun’17 with Healthy Streets and Cycling Level of Service (CLoS) scores for Westminster Council’s Baker Street scheme.

Wandsworth

• There’s a Nine Elms Community Consultation running until 18 November, asking people who live, work and travel in the area what improvements they would like to see.
• Mayor and TfL answered question from AM Leonie Cooper about when Quietway 4 will be complete. Seems TfL didn’t know that Wandsworth Council dropped zebra crossings in Magdalen Road (and isn’t pleased), and they’re not happy with WBC’s proposed shared-space route across Garratt Lane outside Earlsfield Station – TfL has told WBC to look again at the original proposal via Trewint Street (which WBC dropped because of NIMBY complaints about car parking).
• Transport Ctte on 13 November: has lots of juicy subjects, but reading the papers, it’s clear that there lots of work-in-progress but not much being achieved.
  • Air quality – council has set up an AQ Project Board (no minutes provided), and has red-amber-greened the action plan (but not provided the RAG status).
  • Wandsworth gyratory replacement – TfL has concerns about the compulsory purchase orders needed to tweak the road layouts. Costs of the scheme are rising, started in mid-£50ms, then £69m in 2017, now £80m+.  WBC will provide max. £27m, and expects TfL (itself short of cash) to make up the rest.
  • Cycling strategy update – strategy itself approved in 2016 – lots of work-in-progress but not much being achieved. Appendix has detail against actions e.g. Priory Lane scheme being redesigned following the Jan’18 consultation (so the scheme was caned in the consultation).
  • 12mb of updates on the local planning policies, running to hundreds of dry pages. Active travel gets tick-in-box mentions (“… encouraging …” etc.) but the existing policies have had little effect;
  • Draft Local Implementation Plan LIP3 submission – ctte paper, draft submission and appendix with (not much) detail of proposed schemes. The last is mostly a list of stuff we know about (like the gyratory replacement), and new ideas will be part of a “future programme” with two phases.  Imagination and effort are in short supply.  Will go to public consultation by end-November, and the final version must be with TfL by mid-February.
  • Periodic progress report, which is less bullish about active travel schemes than previous reports (e.g. summer’s claimed quietways were “completed”). Interesting note about Quietway 21, and the bit that was approved by WBC in Roehampton High Street and Danebury Avenue – discussions with TfL continue about funding, which isn’t a good sign.
  • What’s missing are things like decisions on Priory Lane (north-east of Richmond Park’s Roehampton Gate) where the scheme appears to be being redesigned, and the bike-hanger trial. Next meeting is in February ’19.
• Planning Ctte 21 Nov, has an application from Roche School (independent primary off the Wandsworth gyratory) to expand. (Plng ctte report).  School’s applications are interesting, as their travel assessments give an insight into mode share for how kids get to school. As at December 2015, the then 328 pupils mainly got to school by active (51%) or public transport (14%), with the remaining 36% by car.
• Finance Ctte 22 Nov, has a Nine Elms report (and appendix) which notes that the Nine Elms road project is delayed by a year as the eastern section’s design needs to be revised after being slated for poor cycling provision in TfL’s consultation. Separate paper on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments confirms CIL funds will contribute £101k towards the £237,000 total cost of the Trewint/Summerley Street improvements related (in part) to Quietway Q4.

 

Westminster

• LIP3: cabinet member decision 12 October, with cabinet member report, and draft LIP document.
• City Mngt Ctte 21 Nov: cabinet report gives an update on bikehangers (trial successful, 15 more to roll out), CS11 (TfL lost), quietway routes (paint painted), plus air quality actions.

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