Merton Borough News 1997
Following my appeal on this page a couple of mags ago, a Merton newsletter editor has volunteered himself! If all went to plan, you should have received, with this magazine, the first issue ever of MCC News, or whatever editor John Millard decides it ought to be called. Hope you enjoy it, and get a better idea of what we are doing locally than we can fit into 200 words here.
We have recently learned that virtually all our seven pages of comments on the Local Agenda 21 draft plan - A Vision for a Sustainable Merton - will be incorporated into the final document. Our broad approach was to make sure cycling was mentioned in every chapter, to transform woolly `seek to' phrases into specific targets, and to pepper the whole thing liberally with new targets.
Significant progress was made at a recent council liaison meeting, with amongst other things a commitment from the cycling officer to produce a borough map of cycle routes in spring 1997. We are looking forward to that as we seem to be the only borough in this part of the world without one.
Since my first appeal for assistance in these pages was met so readily, here's another: we want to launch a local cycling and health campaign, but all our active members are up to their eye-balls just now. If you can help, do call!
Lastly, don't forget our Xmas lunch ride. As ever, the ride bit is short and the lunch bit is long. Meet 10.30am, 15 December, Wimbledon Station.
Merton council has just approved a new Safeway at Plough Lane, prompting the question: how many more traffic generating superstores does this borough need? This horrendous planning decision just weeks after the very same council published its Local Agenda 21 plan, containing worthy advice such as: "use local shops, reducing the need to travel, saving time and fuel and benefiting the local economy"... More empty words!
The adverse impacts of this new superstore will be tremendous: thousands of additional cars and heavy delivery lorries on already congested roads; increased pollution in an area where air quality is already often below EU standards; local traders put out of business; possible closure of the Wimbledon town centre Safeway...
This is the superstore that nobody wants - including the council! The general undesirability of out-of-town superstores was agreed by all councillors on the planning applications sub-committee, who then proceeded to vote unanimously in approval of the application. It was quite extraordinary! Apparently they felt their hands were tied by current planning legislation. We have written to our MP, and to Environment Secretary John Gummer, urging him to use his powers to turn down this dreadful scheme.
We are doing a Local Transport Day event in Centre Court Shopping Centre on 1 March, together with other local groups with an interest in sane transport and planning policies. Do visit us!
We have won the first battle on the proposed Safeway-superstore-eyesore-that-nobody-except-Safeway-wants front: Environment Secretary John Gummer, heeding our request, has called a public enquiry. However, it looks as if we may be in for a protracted struggle: indications are that procedures will not begin until well after the general election - and, on planning issues at least, Labour is looking decidedly less green than the Tories: shadow planning minister Keith Vaz is said to be a firm advocate of out-of-town retail developments...
Talking of the election, we may now rest assured in Merton that whoever our two chosen MPs turn out to be, they will be avidly pro-cycling! Thanks are due to our newsletter editor John M and his success in getting a full complement of eight statements on cycling out of the main candidates in the two constituencies - we were especially pleased to learn that seven out of the eight are opposed to the new Safeway (the eighth preferring not to express an opinion).
More electoral matters: Wimbledon Common elections for conservators have taken place. We did all we could to help campaign for a group of five standing on a ticket to increase provision for cyclists on the common. We await results - watch this space!
Finally, welcome to Dave who is running our cycling for health campaign. We are now looking forward to the day when Merton GPs tell all their Wayne and Waynetta fat-slob-type patients to get off the sofa and onto their bikes!
Our full programme of National Bike Week 97 events includes for the first time a Merton Commuter Challenge: cycle commuter pitched against others using bus, train and car, all competing on a typical commuting route within the borough. No prizes for guessing who we confidently expect to win this race on Bike to Work Day (10 June). See NBW leaflet for details of our other events.
We still have quarterly cycle liaison meetings with LBM councillors and officers, though progress on the network is so slow that we often seem to trudge through the same agenda time after time. So we were delighted to hear at our most recent meeting that the anti-cycling barriers have finally been removed from the Westcoombe Avenue route into Kingston - a snag which was first brought up three years ago. The route had since become affectionately known as the `Angle-Grinder Route' reflecting the direct action which some of our more militant members had been advocating... We hope this will be indicative of future progress, and indeed have been told to expect the 97/8 LCN routes to be built by Xmas - I'll believe that when I see it!
Local Transport Day was a great success, mainly because it was in the right place: Centre Court Shopping Centre. Throngs of shoppers surrounded the MCC displays all day long, taking away hundreds of leaflets and magazines as well as our own newsletter. 168 people filled in our local cycling survey and we learned among other things that 37% of respondents think man is more likely to land on Mars before he instals decent cycle parking at Wimbledon Station... Thanks to all that helped make this event such a success, especially Anne Flisher of Centre Court and Nick Greenwood of LB Merton.
Our Bike Week Merton Commuter Challenge was a phenomenal success, proving beyond any shadow of doubt that, wherever you are commuting in gridlocked Merton, you'll arrive faster on a two-wheeled congestion buster!
From the northern, eastern and western borough boundaries, cyclists competed against others using buses, trains and cars over three typical commuting routes, each about three miles. The finish line for all participants was at the Civic Centre, where we were welcomed by our new MP, the Council Leader and other dignitaries.
The three cyclists finished in 12, 12 and 14 minutes; other competitors began trickling in after 20 minutes, the longest taking 47 minutes. The event also served to highlight some of Merton's public transport shortcomings.
The occasion was also used to launch the council's long-awaited map of Merton cycle routes. We're very pleased with it, not least because it includes a good plug and phone numbers for the campaign. We are urging all MCC members to get hold of a copy at their local bike shops, and tell us what you think: this is a first edition, so all comments are welcome - we will pass them on to the council for the next reprint.
We now want to launch a new campaign encouraging local employers to get cycle friendly. LCC has produced some useful materials to guide employers in the right direction, so if you can help us in any way on this, or any other front, do call - we are always hungry for new active members in Merton!
This borough news was a write-up of a recent residents association meeting