Merton needs Climate Safe Streets

We’re calling on the next leader of the council to make an urgent commitment to deliver #ClimateSafeStreets. Please email the candidates for leader today and urge them to play their part in tackling the climate crisis.

2022’s council elections are a vital point in London’s zero-carbon journey. Motor vehicles are the largest and most stubborn source of London’s emissions, and borough councils control 95% of the city’s roads. We need all our councils to act in the next four years and be bold – or it’ll be too late to get to zero carbon roads by 2030. That’s what’s needed for London and Merton to do their bit. That’s why we’re calling on the council’s next leader to commit to cutting road transport emissions fast and enabling lots more walking, cycling and wheeling.

We're asking candidates from the main parties to commit to five things over the course of their term:  

1. Develop an Active Travel Network and Delivery Plan for the Borough in the first 12 months and implement the top five highest priority interventions to the highest standards before 2027.
2. Make 75% of suitable residential areas in the borough safer and more appealing for walking and cycling. 
3. Improve at least 5 of the most dangerous junctions in the borough to high standards, provide pedestrian signals at all signalised junctions and improve facilities for pedestrians to cross the road where there are strong desire lines or existing safety risks.
4. Tackle high levels of congestion and HGV movements in the Borough by  cutting freight motor vehicle movements by at least 10% and Rapidly rolling out shared mobility points.  
5. Make it easier and cheaper to park a cycle than it is to park a car everywhere in the borough.   

Email the candidates  or click to read more about the asks. 

GLA Elections - Candidate Conversation and Virtual Cycle Ride with Louise Calland, Conservative Party

 As part of the #ClimateSafeStreets campaign on 28 April we met with Conservative candidate for Merton and Wandsworth to discuss walking and cycling and share a brief virtual cycle ride along CS7 from Balham to Colliers Wood to show her how safe, protected cycle lanes make both walking and cycling safer and more appealing. 

Afterwards we asked her views on massively extending the cycling network to a high standard, the role of CS7 as protected and dedicated in this network, giving every Londoner access to dockless e-bikes and electric car clubs and creating a fairer, simpler “smart road user charging” system. Watch the video to see what she had to say. 

GLA Elections - Candidate Cycle Ride with Pippa Maslin, Green Party

As part of the #ClimateSafeStreets campaign we took Green Party Candidate Pippa Maslin on a brief cycle ride along CS7 from Balham to Colliers Wood to show her how safe, protected cycle lanes make both walking and cycling safer and more appealing. 

Afterwards we asked if she would support massively extending the cycling network to a high standard, giving every Londoner access to dockless e-bikes and electric car clubs, creating a fairer, simpler “smart road user charging” system and help to protect CS7 through Wandsworth and Merton as a protected and dedicated cycling route. 

Along with measures that improve air quality and encourage this will create a London that will help protect the planet and millions of its inhabitants and create a better city for everyone.  

Email the mayoral candidates to ask them to pledge support for Climate Safe Streets at https://www.lcc.org.uk/campaigns/email-the-candidates/ 

GLA Elections - Candidate Walk with Sue Wixley, Liberal Democrat

As part of the #ClimateSafeStreets campaign we took Liberal Democrat Candidate for the London Assembly Sue Wixley on a brief walk along the A24 between Morden tram stop and Merton Town hall on Saturday 24th, to show her some of the challenges that pedestrians and cyclists face getting around Merton and Wandsworth. 

Afterwards we asked if she would support massively extending the cycling network to a high standard, giving every Londoner access to dockless e-bikes and electric car clubs, creating a fairer, simpler “smart road user charging” system and help to protect CS7 through Wandsworth and Merton as a protected and dedicated cycling route. 

Along with measures that improve air quality and encourage this will create a London that will help protect the planet and millions of its inhabitants and create a better city for everyone.  

Email the mayoral candidates to ask them to pledge support for Climate Safe Streets at https://www.lcc.org.uk/campaigns/email-the-candidates/ 

GLA Elections: Safe space for walking and cycling in Merton and Wandsworth

It's just two weeks and four days until London decides who will be the next Mayor. London Cycling Campaign is calling on the next mayor of London, and all London councils, to make London’s roads zero carbon by 2030. You can add your voice here. This will create a London that will help protect the planet and millions of its inhabitants and create a better city for everyone — one with fewer cars, less pollution, greener streets and much, much more high-quality cycling infrastructure.

But to achieve that goal, our local streets will need to be far more inviting for walking and cycling, with rapid expansion of the Strategic Cycling Network, Smart Road User Charging across London, co-ordinated expansion of access to low-carbon shared mobility services and measures such as school streets, safe crossings and light timing that encourages pedestrians and cyclists.

That means action will need to happen across London, not just in the centre. Safe spaces for walking and cycling are needed for people of all ages, speeds and physical abilities across Merton and Wandsworth. Our next local Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth will have to hold the Mayor to account on their commitments and support our Borough Councils to do more with TfL funding.

Along with Wandsworth Cycling Campaign, Merton ResidentsTransport Group, Merton Living Streets and Wandsworth Living Streets, and Tooting Healthy Streets, we’ve written to the candidates of the four main parities to invite them to join us for a walk or cycle to experience active travel routes in Wandsworth and Merton and present their vision and policies.

We’re looking forward to hearing what they have to say, and will keep you posted. 

Pathways in crisis - an appeal for action

In the year of the Covid lockdowns, we’ve seen walkers and cyclists  take to the many motor traffic free paths of Merton in unprecedented numbers in search of fresh air and exercise. But they’ve found their way hampered by overgrown vegetation, poor surfaces and bottle necks.

This issue was highlighted as early as 2012, and went unheeded by the Council, creating a crisis un-der Covid where motor traffic free public pathways offering the promise of physical and mental well-being are made uninviting by lack of maintenance and neglect. 

So that the full potential of existing motor-traffic-free shared-use routes can be fully unlocked and exploited Merton Council must start to prepare pathways for Spring 2021 now. MCC have prepared a report for Merton Council on the current state of some key paths, calling for action to be prioritised to make these pathways accessible to all for the welfare of all under Covid in 2021. The report has not highlighted the effect of obstructed pathways on the mobility impaired and vulnerable and the target must be that all public pathways are accessible to all.

To maximise the use of paths for promoting active lives for as many people as possible requires

• Vegetation cut back 
• Surface maintenance 
• Surface construction 
• Alleviation of bottlenecks 

With good husbandry, and good management from the beginning of 2021, public expectations can be met with attractive, clipped, clear, comfortable, coherent paths which meet the Council’s Policy commitments to Active Travel and promote an active life through cycling and walking.

How you can help 

Submit examples of overgrown vegetation, poor surfaces or bottlenecks to Publicspace [at] merton.gov.uk or for routine operational matters contact the maintenance service provider, idverde:  slwpenquiries [at] idverde.co.uk

Write to your ward Councillor with the same examples asking them to make sure that the Council takes action to ensure that everyone can safely share the space available to cyclists and walkers and make more journeys in these covid-secure ways. You can find your ward Councillor here. 

Cycle Buddies

 Our Cycle Buddies program is now live!