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MCC News, Issue 45, April-May 2007

Wimbledon Greenways get MCC's green light

MCC has voiced its support for a new network of 'green' walkways & cycle routes linking Wimbledon's All-England Club to the rest of London, in readiness for the 2012 Olympics.

The Wimbledon Greenways project is lead-managed by Sustrans, sponsors of the National Cycle Network, as part of the wider 'Greenways for the Olympics & London (GOAL 2012)' initiative.

Responding formally to Sustrans' outlines, MCC endorses the benefits that the Wimbledon Greenways will bring, both for the Games & as a legacy beyond 2012.

Concerns we want addressed in the implementation of Greenways include:

• MCC supports 20mph speed limits on residential roads & in HomeZones shared with the Greenways. This reflects MCC's long campaign for a Merton-wide 20mph cap, and echoes LondonCC's call for this standard across the capital.

• Wimbledon to Raynes Park link Supporting MCC's policy, the Greenways plan will upgrade this railway-side path to full shared use.

• We seek enough cycle parking to cater for 10% of the AELTC venue's 45,000 spectators. Supposed "security concerns" across London concerning cycle parking have been exaggerated. Reduced price admission should be offered to Olympic spectators arriving by bike, we argue.

• Wimbledon Station should be a hub for Olympics-related cycle hire. (MCC is currently negotiating a sizeable staffed cycle park at the station).

• Tramlink to carry bikes We applaud a Greenways proposal of more bike space on local trains.  Tramlink, a glaring anomaly which currently bans cycles, should be brought into line. Transport for London regulates Tramlink. As main funder of the Greenways project, TfL should take the opportunity to reverse Tramlink's nonsensical ban.

For a copy of the proposed Greenways routes, contact a MCC committee member.

See the full MCC response here

Response to the declining of car indicator

My observations \ perceptions in response to your recent piece, “A Signal Failure: the declining art of the Car Indicator” in the MCC Newsletter, issue 44, as follows:

For information, I commute from Wimbledon to Hammersmith on an almost daily basis, typically choosing a route across the Common, down Putney Park Lane and along the Thames tow path to avoid traffic as much as possible.

• I would agree that the use of indicators has declined over the years but must admit that I seem to notice it more as a driver than as a cyclist when I find that it aggravates even more, in particular when traffic is turning left from a main to a minor road.

• I wonder whether this decline is in fact a reflection of some subtle change in the way that driving is taught as opposed to a reflection of wider societal ills - I can remember getting the sequence of mirror \ indicator \ movement drilled into me to such a degree that it became Pavlovian, but am not sure whether this remains the case for today's learner drivers.

• I find the worst offenders in terms of their lack of awareness of cyclists are post office van drivers, particularly in the evening rush hour when they are doing their final collections and need to get back to the sorting office.

• I think drivers have generally become more aware of cyclists in recent years, probably because of the fact that there has been such a huge rise in the number of cyclists on the roads. I have even had "nice white van man mornings" when more than one such driver has been courteous and let me through or waved me ahead of them! Of course, it always helps to give them a thank you nod of the head or thumbs up in response.

• I am annoyed by the number of drivers who stop in the middle of the cyclists' "green box" at traffic lights - I suspect that this is due to ignorance of the intentions of the box more than anything else - and must admit to making my point by more often than not stopping at the rear end of the box (i.e. at the line furthest from the traffic lights), in the middle of the lane.

As for the "evils" of fellow cyclists:

• The lack of a bell when cycling along the tow path means that they cannot warn other pedestrian users of their approach and is dangerous to all

• The lack of lights at night is just silly and dangerous

•Cycling on the pavement cannot be avoided at times, but you have to remember to give priority to pedestrians

•Cycling through red lights is also silly and dangerous, both to yourself and other road users

Best regards

David James, Wimbledon

Wimbledon town centre bike shop re-opens

MCC was recently pleased to discover that, after a few months without any bike shop in Wimbledon town centre, Action Bikes have opened a new store on the Broadway (at the Montague Road junction, about a 10 minute walk from the station). Action Bikes’ previous shop, a little further up the Broadway, closed down in August at unexpectedly short notice (with servicing and staff relocated in the interim).

Action Bikes provide a fairly wide range of bikes including the usual recreational machines (mountain bikes and ‘hybrids’), a few more practical, user-friendly options for local trips, as well as specialist makes such as the ingenious (and increasingly popular) British-built, Brompton folding bikes. They also sell a wide range of accessories.

A healthy cycle-retail sector is essential to any town that wishes to support high levels of cycling and it is, therefore, good news that Wimbledon residents have had their town centre bike shop re-opened.

Other Wimbledon bike shops include the wonderful AW Cycles on Merton High Street, a proper ‘old school’ bike shop who specialise in quality repair work (often with a same-day turnaround), and Smith Brothers in Church Road (Wimbledon Village), who stock a good range of user-friendly bikes as well as a large choice of second-hand bikes.

If you have any experiences of Merton bike shops you’d like to share with other local cyclists, please write in to MCC News.

Neil Guthrie

MCC Annual General Meeting 2007

MCC's 2007 Annual General Meeting will take place at 8pm on Wednesday 16 May at the All Saints Centre, All Saints Road, SW19 1BX off Haydons Road. Please note: This is a new venue for the AGM. It is very close to our previous AGM venue. But the All Saints Centre is not the same place!

Deadline for AGM motions: Any member wanting to stand for election to the MCC's management committee or to put a motion, must do so by 2nd May latest. For full details see MCC's constitution

The AGM is very quick then about 9pm we go to the Sultan pub in Norman Road, so if members would rather just come to the pub we will be happy to meet them there!

Open Mind or Open Brain? You decide

Two adult cyclists are riding confidently and sensibly in complete control of their bikes. They each had both hands on the flat bars and both legs on both pedals. The inner urban road had speed humps but was mostly free of traffic at the time. The first rider, who was less than a metre ahead of the second rider, manoeuvres over the speed hump with no difficulty what so ever. The second rider tackles the start of the speed hump, but for an unknown reason, went head over heels with the bike somersaulting after her in perfect harmony, just like two synchronised swimmers. The second rider instinctively puts her hands out to protect herself but as her arms hit the ground, they give in at her elbows and her forehead hits the ground hard, very hard indeed, because her legs were still quite high up in the air. This was filmed by the town’s security cameras and was shown to me as part of my road safety work and not as some cycle helmet wearing campaign. I am not implying that speed humps are dangerous and I cannot be certain of the cause of the incident, although I suspect that she may have inadvertently applied the front brake when she hit the speed hump. Unfortunately and not surprisingly, the rider suffered serious injuries and I am simply unable to understand the resistance by some to the wearing of cycle helmets.

I fully appreciate that this is not MCC policy and that people are entitled to their views. I respect this just as I acknowledged the concerns of some, although I did not share them, on the compulsory wearing of seat belts and motorcycle helmets. However, to me an open mind is invariably always better than an open brain and so I cannot help but encourage everyone to wear a helmet when cycling – unless of course they are in the gym at the time!

Godwin Calafato