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. 

Bishopsford Road Bridge Consultation - a missed opportunity

On Tuesday 25 February 2020, Merton Council's Cabinet gave the go-ahead to demolish and re-build Bishopsford Bridge, following its partial collapse into the River Wandle after heavy rainfall last June. In May, the Council has been consulting on the design options for the new Bishopsford Bridge. 

MCC are alarmed to see that the proposals are not demonstrating Merton Council's policies for promoting active travel, particularly cycling. The designs show no segregated space for cycling and the Consultation asks only for opinions on the designs of the bridge's handrails and reflect a 'heritage' design ethos. Of the two options offered Option 2 handrail design looks as though it will take up least width. The greater imperative is that the new bridge does not maintain 'heritage' space standards, and we would hope that they do not become a reason for denying a bridge fit for everyone and which meets the future needs of the Borough. The impact of the Merton's declared Climate emergency and also Covid 19 is that active travel is the future for Merton.  

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's Response to the Climate Emergency

The climate emergency requires us to act now, and we welcome Merton Council committing to making Merton carbon neutral by 2050. However, transport emissions have remained stubbornly high and must be reduced to tackle the Climate Crisis. Cycling is fast, cheap and is a near-zero-carbon alternative for many journeys but is unattractive to many potential users due to poor-quality infrastructure. Experience in Continental Europe is that cycling modal share is directly related to quality of cycle infrastructure. 

Whilst public transport and electrical vehicles (EV’s) have a part to play in decarbonization, it is difficult to imagine a credible climate action plan without a prominent role for cycling, as increasing cycling modal share is the quickest and cheapest way to decarbonize.  We have produced A Response to the Climate Emergency and submitted it to Merton Council’s Climate Emergency Working Group with both short and long term measures that we believe any credible response to the Climate Emergency Action Plan should incorporate and cycling is a key element of this. 

Ceri’s RideLondon Team offer - £20 entry fee; raise £400 for a local hospice

MCC activist, former newsletter editor and author Ceridwen Davies, recently died of cancer, aged just 63, at St Raphael’s Hospice in Sutton.  She was one of our longest serving members, a regular attendee at MCC meetings since the early 90’s where her energetic sense of fun infected us all. 

Response to LB Merton’s LIP3 Consultation

Merton Council have been consulting on their Third Local Implementation Plan (LIP3). It is a statutory requirement for all London boroughs to develop a document setting out how it is going to deliver the Mayor's Transport Strategy, its priorities and objectives at a local level.

LIP3 is the Council's main transport strategy and sits alongside the Council's Local Plan and other future strategies. It should set out the borough transport objectives; a short and longer term delivery plan and a series of targets set by Transport for London that we are working towards achieving

In March 2018 the Mayor of London released his vision for the future of transport in the Capital called the Mayor's Transport Strategy. It sets out three priority areas for delivery; these are:-

• Healthy streets and healthy people
• A good public transport experience
• New homes and jobs

It also set an ambitious target for 80% of all trips in London to be made on foot, by cycle or/and using public transport by 2041.

MCC's response to Melrose Ave Consultation

Merton Council consulting on changes to the existing cycle lane layout on Melrose Avenue. We welcome this review of the Melrose Avenue contra-flow and we would welcome improvements to this cycling route, about which we have had concerns since 2004, but the current proposals will make things even worse for cyclists and that is not acceptable.

We believe the current proposals reduce the quality of cycling provision rather than improve it, prioritise car use over safe cycling provision, and do not address the issue of rat-running on the roads. We believe that a high-quality proposal that promotes safe cycling can be brought forward.

You can read our full submission here, or a summary below.

Melrose Avenue - Wimbledon Park Review of existing contra-flow cycle lane

Merton Council are proposing to change the existing cycle lane layout on Melrose Avenue. They are proposing:

• to remove the existing cycle lane except for the section of the cycle lane from Arthur Road for a distance of 27 metres. 
• With the removal of some of the physical features, the residents will be gaining additional parking spaces. It is important to note that although the cycle lane is being removed the actual cycle contra flow will be maintained on Melrose Avenue and the appropriate signage and road markings will be installed to inform motorists. 
• The Council is also proposing to introduce a speed table near its junction with Melrose Avenue/Ryfold Road. This will include a buildout to accommodate a ‘No Entry” sign and a tree. A further buildout is also proposed adjacent to 151/153 Arthur Road although this will have no impact on parking. The introduction of the speed table, the additional parking bays and the changes to the contra-flow cycle lane require a statutory consultation. 

You can read Merton's proposals and view a plan of the changes by reading the newsletter distributed to residents. Or you can review hard copies at the Merton Civic Centre or Wimbledon Library.

The consultation is open until 22nd March 2019, and can be submitted by emailing Traffic.AndHighways@merton.gov.uk quoting reference Melrose Avenue Cycle Lane.

MCC are considering the proposals and will submit a consultation response.

Durnsford Rail Bridge – railings and close over-taking

Despite all policy advice and MCC’s vocal opposition, a year ago Merton Council installed railings

on the Durnsford Rail Bridge. The reason given has been that pedestrians feel at risk of cyclists mounting the pavement. MCC believe that the only reason a cyclist would have to mount the pavement is to avoid close overtaking and dangerous driving, which is unfortunately all too common on this Bridge.

Merton Council have asked for more evidence of cyclists’ experiences on this bridge, so we need your help! Please email your experiences to hello@mertoncyclingcampaign.org.uk or post them to the LCC Stay Wider of the Rider website, https://staywider.org/#map where they’ll be visible to us, and also form part of the data LCC regularly send to the Metropolitan Police so they can use it to inform their decisions on where to conduct close pass operations. (Your name and personal details will never be shared.)

MCC comments on Transport Chapter of Merton Draft Local Plan

Merton Cycle Campaign (MCC) is the local group of the London Cycle Campaign. MCC promotes cycling and seeks to make Merton’s streets better and more pleasant places, for the benefit of individuals, local communities and the wider environment by raising awareness of cycling issues, campaigning to improve conditions for cycling and providing a range of services for our members.

MCC comments on Draft Merton Local Plan

MCC has submitted our response to Merton's consultation on the Local Plan 2020, closing 6 January 2018. Commenting on the Draft Local Plan in relation to cycling, active transport and healthy streets has been hampered by the fact that the online consultation draft of the Infrastructure Chapter (which was stated as incorporating Transport policies) was not correctly published to the Merton website, a fact that MCC drew to the attention of the Council. You can read our submission here.

Merton Council quickly offered an extension to the deadline, however we are particularly concerned that this crucial chapter has not been available to residents, local groups and businesses to review and comment on for the full consultation period as Strategic Objective 5 of the Plan aims to  ‘make Merton a well-connected and accessible place where walking, cycling and public transport are the modes of choice when planning all journeys” by “creating streets and routes that encourage the use of cycling, walking and other modes of sustainable travel’. 

Join us for our Winter Warmer Ride 6 January 2019

Join us on Sunday 6th January for cycle tour of the borough and a sociable lunch.  We'll be meeting outside The Sultan at 10.30 and sticking as closely as possible to the Borough boundary, taking in West Tooting, Mitcham, the edge of New Malden, The Common*, The Village and The Wandle.

It's 17 miles all the way round, with the pace set to 'leisurely' (if you're a racer, wrap up warm).  We'll finish at The Sultan, where we'll have lunch and a beer.

Meet: 10:30 on 6 January, The Sultan, 78 Norman Rd, London SW19 1BT

Things to bring

• You
• Your bike
• Maintenance kit (including spare inner tube)
• Something to drink
• Something to eat (optional - it's really not that long)
• Warm clothes
• A waterproof

*If you don't like mud, there'll be an on-road detour, rejoining the main ride in The Village.

Have your say on the Merton Local Plan before 6 January 2019

Merton Council are consulting on their new Local Plan 2020, which will be used as the basis for planning decisions in the future. Planning decisions are one of the ways in which cycling policies are put into practice, so it's really important that the Local Plan incorporates strong commitments to cycling and active transport.

MCC will be submitting a response to the Draft Plan, and we would love to hear your views to incorporate into our response. Comment below, or on Cycle Scape or email hello@mertoncyclingcampaign.org.uk 

Find out more at merton.gov.uk/newlocalplan  - the draft Cycling policy is set out in the Infrastructure section, and you can also find out how to submit your individual comments or view hard copies of the documents. (The Plan also covers policy on housing, design, schools, healthcare, streets, travel, utilities, waste, open space, playspace, air quality and the economy, so you may find you have lots of things you want to comment on!)

Copies of the full document are also available to read at the Colliers Wood, Mitcham, Morden, Raynes Park and Wimbledon libraries. 

For more information please email Merton Council at future.merton@merton.gov.uk or phone at 020 8545 3837

TfL Consulting on Sutton Link until 6 January 2018

TfL are consulting on a proposed new transport link between Sutton and Merton called the Sutton Link. They are seeking views on three route options and whether a tram or Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) service would provide the best service.

We broadly welcome improvements to the public transport in Merton and the neighbouring boroughs as it reduces car use and improves air quality. We'll be pushing to ensure that the proposals don't negatively impact on cycle routes, that the proposed stations and stops have good cycling and walking routes to them and that the space for the final scheme comes from private car lanes, not cycling space. If the tram is the eventually chosen then any places where cyclists cross the tracks must be well designed with the latest materials to avoid tramlining incidents.

MCC will be submitting a response to the consultation and would love to hear your views to feed into our response. Let us know what you think by: 

• Going to CycleSpace and comment on the proposals
• Commenting below 
• Emailing hello@mertoncyclingcampaign.org.uk 

Or you can complete TfL's online survey by Sunday 6 January 2019 www.tfl.gov.uk/sutton-link