cycling in the enchanted Lea Valley

Here in the magical Lea Valley, on the borders of the London boroughs of Waltham Forest, Hackney and Newham, the CYCLISTS DISMOUNT signs are looking exceptionally lovely at this time of the year.

The cycle path which won the London Cycling Campaign’s coveted “Best new cycling facility” award for 2000 will take you right to the heart of the countryside.

If you pedal to the end of Walthamstow’s historic Black Path you can see one of the local wonders – a sign to Hackney which has been pointing in the wrong direction for over four years!

And while on the Black Path, if you ever need to park your bike in the heart of a desolate industrial estate, there are no less than ten bike stands. No one has ever seen a bike locked up here and there’s a prize of one year’s free subscription to legendary Waltham Forest News if you do!

On the Hackney side of the River Lea you can explore local flora on this magnificent early example of “Going Dutch”, where a pink cycle track runs alongside a footpath. Thank you, cycling-friendly British Waterways!

Marvel as the “Olympic legacy” takes shape by the refurbished Cow Bridge. It has traditionally been banned to motor vehicles but this brand new light-up sign bearing the word FULL suggests that soon a lovely car park will be built on Hackney Marshes, ending years of vicious discrimination against visitors who have previously been forced to walk or cycle to this lovely open space (where quite frankly there is room for thousands of cars).

The Olympic Legacy for cyclists includes this magnificent Greenway, the official route to the Eton Manor Gate entrance to the Olympic Park. The surfacing has been specially adapted for London’s very popular “mountain bikes”.

Marvel at this lighting column by the cycle path under Lea Bridge Road, which has been burning brightly in daylight for five years, while at the same time Waltham Forest Council regularly urges residents to save the planet by conserving electricity!

Why, it’s almost as if no one from the council ever cycles anywhere! 

Signs of indifference

I thought I'd go for a bike ride and explore Tottenham Marshes, where I'd never been before. I was keen to take a look at Sandpiper Bridge, which I read was due to open in March 2008. So, equipped with my Transport for London 'Cycle Guide' map (Area 5), I pedalled along Blackhorse Road E17 in search of the lovely green line ride ('route signed for cyclists'), grid reference Zb 25. If you look at this map you'll see that the route just stops dead. No pathway is marked linking up with Billet Road. I decided that there must be one, so I went exploring. Firstly I went down Lee Close, but this just turned out to be an industrial estate. So I continued along Billet Road. When I reached the bend in the road I realised I must have gone too far, so I went back. And finally I located the cycle path.

The photo above shows the entrance. There's a direction sign but it's completely obscured by vegetation, so it's hardly surprising I missed it. (What looks like a white sign on a pole isn't a direction sign but a commercial notice on the fence.) It is situated at the top of this twirly green post (below). It is not located on the grass verge at the roadside, where passing cyclists would spot it, but well back from the road. Naturally no sign for motorists would ever be located like this or allowed to become totally obscured, but where cyclists are concerned, any crap will do.




















The entrance to the path is to the right of this off-putting gate which bears a sign reading NO UNAUTHORISED PERSONS, next to a cycling logo. Both defaced. Not very welcoming.




















Not that matters are any better at the other end of this section of cycle path. At the Travers Close end (below) there is nothing to indicate that this is a cycling route, or where it goes. It looks like the entrance to allotments.

It’s not clear to me who is responsible for this state of affairs, The crap LVRPA? The British Waterways Board? The Council? Quite possibly a combination of all three.

And the crap signing was just the start of my difficulties. More tomorrow.

The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s inadequate cycle parking provision

The LVRPA is a quango controlled by Tories and run by sleek corporate types, though if you want the official version of its identity you can read it here. A chunk of your council tax goes towards funding its multi-million pound activities. You have a local person representing you on its governing panel (but I bet you didn't know it).

Among the jewels in its crown is The WaterWorks centre in Leyton, which includes sporting facilities, a golf course and a nature reserve. It has been open to the public for five years.

What’s more The WaterWorks is a Quest accredited centre, an award within the Leisure Industry that recognises best practice.

Best practice? Don’t make me laugh. This is a Centre which illegally blocked the public footpath which runs beside it with a padlocked metal fence and which still refuses to sign it. This is a Centre where the public footpath is full of pools of water because of it’s been churned up by LVRPA vehicles, making it inaccessible to people with a mobility handicap. I’m referring to Public Footpath F130.

When the plans for the WaterWorks were first put forward they showed 8 cycle stands. Planning permission was granted. When the building opened it turned out only 5 had been installed. It’s an old trick but it usually works - especially when the planning authority is the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

That’s right. A major leisure centre in the Lea Valley has just five cycle stands. This is grossly inadequate as my photos show.





































(Above) Five cycle stands, with rather more than ten bikes attached to them. (The motor scooter is not using a stand.)

There is, naturally, extensive free car parking. As for cyclists. Because cycle stand provision at this centre is grossly inadequate, once the stands are full other cyclists just have to search for some fencing or a sign, or something suitable. (Below)




















If this situation bothers you, why not select someone from this list and pass on your concerns. Or go direct to the governing board.

The board member representing the London Borough of Waltham Forest is Cllr Bob Sullivan.