MCC member Mike Cronin will appear at the inquiry into Merton’s draft Unitary Development Plan (UDP) with MCC’s objections to the fact that the UDP contains no undertaking to implement a safe route across the borough.

Together with other MCC members, Mike is preparing his proof of evidence which will be considered by an independent inspector. MCC is arguing that if the borough is to achieve its stated targets to increase cycling, it will need to implement the east-west route from Raynes Park to Wimbledon which runs alongside the railway track. This route, identified over ten years ago by consultants appointed by the council, is on a quiet, safe path which with a small amount of alteration could be shared with pedestrians.

To date the council has always raised objections regarding the implementation of this route. The important thing at this stage is to have the route included in the UDP. Design and engineering details can then be discussed at a later stage.

Supporting the LCC’s own more detailed submission, the MCC highlights the need for reduced traffic levels, and for measures to cut traffic speeds.

The MCC response tells the mayor it was disappointed to see that traffic reduction targets published in the early days of his administration have been dropped in the draft transport strategy. MCC fears the effect of this will be to push traffic into the outlying suburbs. In areas like Merton further growth in car and lorry traffic will be a disincentive to cycling and run counter to the GLA’s stated objective to promote cycling.

In respect of traffic speeds, the MCC’s response urges the mayor to make a commitment in the transport strategy to establish 20mph as the norm in London. This is something the mayor has repeatedly endorsed in the past.

Said Richard Evans "these two policy objectives will support each other, because lower traffic speeds will mean that roads become safer and more attractive for walking and cycling".

Several members attend MCC’s monthly meetings. Sometimes new members come along and often they volunteer to carry out a particular task (although this is by no means obligatory), other times they stop attending. Why is this? In an attempt to find out if the committee is doing a good job, how they could do better, and what else members feel they should be doing, Jenny Roden will conduct a survey at the end of the month.

MCC member Chris Larkman, impressed with the new tram service, wondered why he could not take his bike as well. So he wrote to Tramlink to find out. This is what they said.

They consider that bikes present a danger to other passengers (because of handlebars and pedals which jut out) and could cause injury in case of a sudden need to brake.

Tramlink estimate that passenger numbers will increase, both in peak and off-peak travel hours, and that if cyclists were granted access during off-peak times, they would be reluctant to relinquish that privilege should off-peak passenger numbers on trams increase significantly.

Tramlink say "We have agreed to carry wheelchair users, prams and pushchairs in recognition of the fact that these groups represent a section of public that rely on the freedom that the trams can provide them. In contrast cyclists have significant freedom of movement by their nature."

Chris was still not satisfied by this response and managed to elicit an undertaking from Tramlink that they will keep the situation under review.

The following letter - a comment on the budget and Tony Blair’s environment speech - from MCC’s Richard Evans appeared recently in The Independent:

"So this is joined-up government? On Tuesday the PM makes a big speech about the environment, suddenly all concerned about global warming.

On Wednesday the Chancellor cuts the price of petrol and diesel, encouraging us all to drive more, even though road traffic is the fastest growing source of CO2, the main global warming gas.

And all of this against the backdrop of spending TEN times as much on building new roads as the paltry £100m for solar power announced by Blair. Even the Tories abandoned their roads programme as a folly after the SACTRA report in 1994 which confirmed that new roads generate new traffic.

Prescott said in 97 that he would have "failed in 5 years time if there are not far fewer journeys by car". His own department is now predicting 17% traffic growth by 2010. Clearly he has failed. and clearly this government does not give a stuff about the environment. Blair’s speech was just so much electoral greenwash."

"Do you cycle regularly through Wimbledon and feel angry that the very sensible cycle route next to Safeway has been ‘deleted’?" asks member Chris Larkman. "At present the footpath is dominated by adjacent building works, and you might think that the cycle path will be reinstated once the works are completed." Sadly you would be wrong! The council has decided that cyclists will either have to reroute well away from the centre of Wimbledon, or else brave the one-way system.

"I thought we were into building cycle routes, not ‘deleting’ them" says Chris. "The Safeway cycle route makes loads of sense – there’s space for it, and it allows cyclists to avoid what is a very dangerous and lengthy detour. It must be reinstated as soon as building work is complete."

Cycle racks have also been lost as a result of this building work and racks have also been removed from outside Sainsbury’s store in Worple Road. MCC is also talking to the council regarding the lack of cycle parking facilities around Centre Court in Wimbledon.