Tuesday 28 June 2011

The M74, TfL and the London Borough of Waltham Forest



































When Mark speaks of Their 1960s-style obsession with accommodating motorised traffic at all costs is to the detriment of all others. he is referring to Transport for London. But the same transport culture rules in Glasgow, where any short term ‘benefits’ supplied by the M74 ‘improvement’ will be cancelled in the future: "In the longer term, Glasgow can expect slower journeys, worsening air quality and more cost to the local economy." Glasgow’s modal share for cycling seems to be one per cent or less – no surprise there. But, hey, there’s a way to turn that around: Let everyone know why cycling is healthier, greener, smarter and fairer. Yes, that’s the UK cycling infrastructure avoidance industry frothing away in its traditional fashion.

Meanwhile in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, the car-mad council is about to re-engineer High Road Leyton and High Road Leytonstone to create more parking bays on the footway and create lots of exciting new bike lanes, every one of which will incorporate a special ‘dooring’ facility. Yes, with a modal share of zero point eight per cent there is still work to be done to discourage cycling – or for that matter walking to school.

(Below) The recent Olympic heritage ‘improvements’ to Cann Hall Road, Leyton, designed to increase vehicle speeds, deter cycling and maximise on-street car parking by seizing footway space for free car parking.