Forum Topic

Cycling Ealing.

Does anyone know what happened to Ealing's mini holland scheme, there was due to be segregated cycle lanes along the broadway and to Ealing broadway station which I thought would be fantastic. The council have this document on their website:  https://www.ealing.gov.uk/downloads/201176/cyclingIt seems to be completed: https://www.ealing.gov.uk/news/article/1554/ealing_town_centre_on_the_road_to_improvementHowever, all the major segregated cycle lanes mention that would go through the broadway haven't been completed! and that would have been the best bit.

Andrew Boynton ● 2320d18 Comments

The consultation is an Ealing one.  I understand there will be another presentation at the Walpole Ward forum on 7 October - see Arthur Breen's post.  Everybody needs to think about their routes and how they can be improved.  Change doesn't have to be a bad thing - get involved!

Philippa Bond ● 2315d

what council is this?

Andrew Boynton ● 2315d

Fully agree Tricia, some schools with which I have been associated in Ealing, have very few staff who actually live in the borough. Many do commute by public transport but one school I know well has staff who commute for an hour by car in order that they can live somewhere affordable.

N V Brooks ● 2315d

That is not the end of it though - you should still make your views known to the Council and to Allies and Morrison who are making the bid and still collecting ideas and information.

Philippa Bond ● 2315d

'There is no reason why some streets around schools shouldn't be closed to motor traffic just before school starts and ends'Yes there is. Some parents and teachers have no alternative other than to drive to school.

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 2315d

"soon to be made step-free Ealing Broadway Station".But still inaccessible to disabled or mobility-impaired users as the sole drop-off point is a 'route-march' from the station as opposed to the cycle park which is directly opposite.

N V Brooks ● 2315d

Many feel that it is too dangerous to cycle without segregated cycle lanes. There is no reason why some streets around schools shouldn't be closed to motor traffic just before school starts and ends to make it safer to cycle to and from school.  We need to know the routes being taken.  More attention definitely also needs to be taken to access to the soon to be made step-free Ealing Broadway Station.  We should then be able to take trains out tog London without having to go into Central London first which might encourage more drivers to stop driving.

Philippa Bond ● 2315d

Well here is another chance for you to actually do something - try and be positive in your suggestions rather than just negative!The 'consultation' has now closed.

N V Brooks ● 2315d

The withdrawal of the Mobike scheme from the Ealing area seems to suggest that potential demand for cycling is less than it is elsewhere in the borough. This move was both disappointing and hard to explain. It could be argued that with busy and narrow main thoroughfares and hilly areas the scheme wasn't suited to Ealing but the same could be said for Acton where it has been maintained. There isn't really much point in spending money on cycling infrastructure if it isn't going to be used.

Gordon Southwell ● 2316d

Well here is another chance for you to actually do something - try and be positive in your suggestions rather than just negative!www.ealing.gov.uk/info/201042/current(underscore) consultations/2589/ealing(underscore)liveable(underscore)neighbourhood(underscore)bid/1We need better walking as well as cycling so commenting on the areas which are difficult to negotiate whilst avoiding hazards and doing a bit of radical thinking are all in order.  If they miss something you know about and you didn't tell them then you'll be forever kickingyourself.  Use your chance!

Philippa Bond ● 2317d

Indeed. The idea of a 'mini Holland' is a political conceit. The roadway is not wide enough to accommodate separate paths for pedestrians, clyclists and motorists without someone losing out. This is why Ken Livingstone's crazy idea of a tram on the Uxbridge Rd was never going to work. More pollution from cars squeezed into a narrower space and crawling along at 5mph anyone?

Vlod Barchuk ● 2318d

"And the rarely used cycle lanes Boston Manor way".I didn't mention that particular white elephant as it is wholly in Hounslow.

N V Brooks ● 2318d

Re. Greenford/Perivale and Boston Manor Road.The term 'cycle lane' is merely a thinly disguised euphemism for 'squeeze motorists off the roads'.  It's also a 'jobs for the boys' convenience.

Tony Heath ● 2318d

And the rarely used cycle lanes Boston Manor way

Emma Renton ● 2318d

Apart from the stretch from Greenford Broadway to Perivale Lane you mean; built at significant cost and barely used.

N V Brooks ● 2318d

I just find it really dissapointing that something that would really encourage people to cycle more is lost for another few years, there just don't seem to be any segregated cycle lanes in ealing.

Andrew Boynton ● 2318d

Seems to be a recurring theme that cycle lanes are introduced on sections of highway where it is easier and cheaper to do so and not where most needed by the cyclist.  So we get dedicated cycle lanes where the roads were already reasonably wide enough for safe passage but not on narrow sections where more dangers lie.

Philip Coe ● 2319d

They didn't win the funding from Tfl which went to Enfield, Kingston and Waltham Forest.

N V Brooks ● 2320d