'Apple Day' at the Vestry House Museum a couple of Saturdays ago was a great success. And lots of people cycled there. Too bad the Museum, which is run by the London Borough of Waltham Forest, doesn't have even one cycle stand. I counted a grand total of 14 bikes locked to railings, either on the other side of the road (above) or inside the museum grounds (below). But then the museum is in Walthamstow village, and this area doesn't have any cycle stands either. Pubs, restaurants, shops - and not one cycle stand. But lots of parking bays. Car parking is a top priority for the council. This council is perfectly prepared to make cycling more dangerous in order to accommodate lazy car drivers.
As I've pointed out before, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a place where cycle stands vanish. Here, outside Bhs in the Town Square (below), there used to be five stands. Four came loose, because the contractors did not put them in firm foundations (their mortar mix was too dry and the concrete crumbled). Now only one stand is left, which cyclists compete to use. In this case, three bikes.
