Sunday 10 August 2014

Follow-up email to Andrew Gilligan

We asked Andrew Gilligan for an update on the petition demands & to comment on recent developments but unfortunately he didn't reply. The email we sent him is below:

Dear Andrew,

Save our Cyclists Petition - Update

Last winter 36'000 people signed the 'Save our cyclists' petition, and it was handed to you on the 10th of December. On the 12th of February Rhiannon shared your response with the signatories. This email is to give you an update on the petition and our next steps. We are planning to email our supporters about progress in late August and would like to give you the opportunity to comment before we send it.

We believe there is a lot more we can achieve with the petition to improve cycling in London.
  • In March we ran a poll which found over half of the respondents wanted us to focus on segregated lanes. In second approximately a fifth prioritised action on HGVs. 
  • In both your response to us and in your speech at the Big Ride you highlighted the need for support to win the debates on a borough level. 
We will be pressing for delivery of segregated & high quality lanes across London, identifying those boroughs which appear to be obstructing cycling infrastructure & the schemes which fall short of the standard identified in the Vision for Cycling.

Below this email I've identified the main developments since February to share with the petition. If you have anything to add or respond to please could you send that to me by Monday 25th August.

Kind regards,


Fred Smith


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Petition progress since February

I have worked through the demands (bold italics) and identified progress since your email to Rhiannon. We've referred to your speech at the LCC Big Ride [1] and consultations which have been published by TfL.

We would appreciate any comments or updates you can give us. If you prefer to submit a formal response, we will send that to our supporters. We will need to receive any response by the 25th of August to include it in the email.

We call on Boris Johnson and Andrew Gilligan to vastly accelerate their plan for expenditure of the £913 million cycling fund, by releasing an accurate, costed and time-bound plan for how the fund will address cycle safety over the next 12 months, from the end of December 2013.

Your speech to the Big Ride [1] included announcements on:
  • Central London Cycling grid & quietway pilots [2] 
  • Mini-Hollands 
  • Junction improvements [3] 
  • Segregated cycle routes through the centre, proposals to come September & October.
  • There have also been TfL consultations on Vauxhall, CS5, Oval, Kings Cross and the Elephant & Castle northern roundabout.
We would be interested to hear the latest progress. Has there been any progress agreeing suitable routes for the 'Bike Grid' with the boroughs since the online map was published, or is this still ongoing?

- Cycle Superhighway 2
In your response to Rhiannon you said that you would "publish detailed designs in June and begin work in the second half of this year". At the Big Ride you said the consultation would start in September. Are you still targeting a start in 2014?

- Heavy Goods Vehicles
We welcome the Safer Lorries proposal which is currently being consulted upon [4] and you hope to implement early next year.

Are there any updates on banning HGVs during peak times or the ongoing enforcement against HGVs you also mentioned?

- Training for motorists, including TFL staff
No further announcements.

- Training for cyclists No further announcements.

- Further investment in the cycling fund
No further announcements.

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Link to the petition: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-cyclists

References:
[1] http://hfcyclists.org.uk/andrew-gilligan-speech-space-cycling-big-ride-saturday-17th-may-2014/
[2] https://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/planning-for-the-future/vision-for-cycling/central-london-cycling-grid
[3] http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/290m-plan-to-make-london-roundabouts-safer-and-less-threatening-to-cyclists-9154064.html
[4] https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/safer-lorries

Note: I have edited out the part where I introduce & tell him a little about myself.

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