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. 

MCC responds to Merton Council's Covid-19 Transport Plan June 2020

We welcome Merton’s updated Covid-19 Transport Plan which has been submitted to Cabinet and takes on board many of MCC's previous comments, but we still have concerns that the reality of delivery won't match the ambition. You can read the Council's updated plan here. https://democracy.merton.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=146&MId=3689&Ver=4 

In proposing rapidly implementing 7 key cycling routes, 10 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20 school streets, Merton Council is displaying a level of ambition in relation to walking and cycling that we have never seen before, but there are still serious concerns. As ever the devil is in the detail and we have concerns in relation to timing, funding,  the proposals to support pupils safely walking and cycling to school, and an under-estimation of the scale of change that is needed in relation to cycle routes and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. The existing cycling facilities in Merton have been so woefully under-invested in over the years that we are concerned it will take all that is proposed and more to meet the demand for walking and cycling that we expect to see in the coming months. 

Covid 19 and Cycling - How you can help

There's no doubt we live in unprecedented times. We face a huge challenge to change the way we travel to school, work and the shops in order to keep ourselves and those we love save. This means huge and rapid changes to our roads to create safe space for cycling and walking so that people can get where they need to safely and confidently. People of all ages are returning to cycling or taking it up for the first time.

Everyone is facing at least one challenge of some sort at the moment (we're no different) and we're really heartened by how many people are getting in touch to offer to help make sure that people can safely walk and cycle and enjoy the benefits of improved air quality, better health and economic benefits for local shops and businesses that comes with that. So we've put together a list of ways that you can help. 

Response to “Merton’s Active & Healthy Travel Response to Covid-19” Plan

On 2nd May Merton Council published their Strategy to implement measures to repurpose roadspace to facilitate walking and cycling to accommodate the tenfold increase in cycling that is expected as a result of the travel challenges presented by Covid-19. We’re pleased Merton Council has recognized the consequences of worsening air quality, road danger and congestion that will be caused by increased motor if they fail to act swiftly at this time. However, their proposals need to go further, faster if we are to meet the challenges we face. We have submitted a response to Future Merton, and this is set out below. You can read Merton's proposals and suggest a location where the Council could take action, by emailing future.merton@merton.gov.uk.

We note and support Merton’s acknowledgement that these changes are necessary not only to meet the immediate Covid-19 imperatives, but also to meet longer-term goals on air quality, climate action and public health. We fully back Merton's stated intention to make permanent improvements to cycling infrastructure to support the required modal shift to active travel.

But we have a number of concerns with the Council's proposals, which don't go far enough, fast enough. 

MCC meetings during Corona Virus

During the Corona Virus Pandemic we're continuing to meet virtually on the first Thursday of the month at 8pm. We're hosting our meetings via Zoom, and you would be very welcome to join us, even if you haven't previously made it along to a meeting.