Scenes from the Hierarchy of Provision

As we know York Council is firmly committed to a Hierarchy of Provision which puts pedestrians first, then cyclists, with car drivers way down the list of priorities.

In fact York is so pedestrian-friendly that it even supplies gym equipment on its public footpaths, allowing wheelchair users and people with twin pushchairs to tone up their muscles prior to attempting to get past any unusual obstructions which might block their way.

Location: the public footpath between Keats Close and Milton Carr.

Cyclists enjoy similar design consideration. These cycle lanes can clearly be seen to come in front of places for parking vehicles, so in that sense the cyclist definitely comes first. St Leonard's Place and Bootham.

‘Working with Waltham Forest’

A Kier van, bearing the inspirational message “Working with Waltham Forest”.

And to be fair, when they got the contract,

Councillor Clyde Loakes, cabinet member for the environment at Waltham Forest

said:

we’ll be reducing the number of vehicles on our roads 

It just wasn’t clear at the time that he meant by parking them on pavements.

Photo taken on cycling-friendly Willow Walk, E17.

Cllr Chris Robbins: making life worse for people with disabilities

Waltham Forest council under its leader Councillor Chris Robbins has recently managed to waste an astonishing £21 million on an “Olympic legacy” which is comprehensively car-centric and which can only serve to perpetuate the borough’s catastrophic failure as a cycling borough. More on all that another day (although for an example which glancingly invokes a pretend concern for people with disabilities read this).

For today let me demonstrate how the leader of Waltham Forest council’s pathological obsession with filling up every possible inch of carriageway and footway space with cars impacts on wheelchair users.

I spotted this situation yesterday while cycling along the A112 (the main north-south transport spine in the borough and one deeply hostile to cycling).

Because it is partly placed adjacent to a wall around a tree, this parking bay on Browns Road close to the junction with the A112 allows the footway user less than a metre of clear footway space (in fact just 800mm).

The driver of this 4X4 (below) has done nothing wrong. The vehicle is parked very slightly beyond the side parking bay markings but not far enough to merit a fixed penalty notice. Waltham Forest council has quite deliberately turned this footway into a parking space and it has done so in a way that makes free passage for wheelchair users impossible. Any passing driver can park here and there is no charge.

This by the way is in a 20 mph zone, underlining the point that though they are effective in reducing deaths and injuries from collisions there is in principle nothing intrinsically beneficial about 20 mph zones in terms of civilising streets, making them more attractive for cycling and walking, or in reducing the hegemony of the car.

The Highways Agency regards two metres as the recommended minimum footway width for wheelchair users “under normal circumstances”.

Where there are unavoidable physical constraints 1.5 metres is “the minimum acceptable under most circumstances”.

 “The absolute minimum, where there is an obstacle should be 1000mm clear space.”

See the national guidelines here (page 16, section 3.1.2).

But what are national guidelines on meeting the needs of wheelchair users to someone like Cllr Robbins? The next issue of the council’s massively subsidised propaganda sheet is certain to contain yet another colour photograph of Cllr Robbins beaming complacently as he is shown supporting the Paralympics. As always, no substance, just spin.

At a national level it is worth bearing in mind that as politicians of all parties line up during the Paralympics to posture as friends of those with a physical disability, there is still no statutory protection which would ensure an obstruction-free footway for people with a mobility handicap.

There is still nothing in British law which makes it unlawful for a council to act as Waltham Forest council has done here. There are only “guidelines” which any local authority can flout at will, putting the motorist before the pedestrian with a mobility handicap, as has happened on Browns Road. The guidelines depend on councillors caring about the needs of wheelchair users etc. In the London Borough of Waltham Forest they don’t, and prefer to put the able-bodied motorist first.


Footnote 

These are not the only national Guidelines which Waltham Forest council and Cllr Robbins choose to ignore.

Street furniture news

Coming soon to a footway near you...

A Government Minister has clashed with BT over thousands of 5ft-high metal broadband cabinets cropping up in outlandish positions in the middle of residential streets.

Paul Burstow accused the telecom giant of behaving ‘outrageously’ after an elderly constituent woke to find one of the green broadband boxes blocking the view from her front window.

Which is somewhat hypocritical since it was a Conservative government which allowed the siting of such objects outside the remit of local councils.

In a civilised society local councils should have been given the power to determine the location of these artefacts. A civilised society would also insist that they be located in the carriageway, on a chicane, to provide additional motor vehicle calming and to provide local residents with some form of compensation for these ugly objects.

The cabinets, appearing across Britain at the rate of 200 to 300 a week, allow a fibre-optic connection to be made between the local telephone exchange and homes and businesses in the area.

Their dimensions vary, but most are 66in high, 47in wide and 17in deep.

BT does not need planning permission, except in conservation areas, to install the boxes.

BT Outreach are also good at obstructing cycling access, like here on Buxton Road, Walthamstow, the other day. Look closely and you’ll see that the van is displaying a blue badge. I think it’s marvellous that people with a severe disability can find employment driving vans, going up ladders and fixing telephone wires, don’t you? Well done BT!

Scenes from a traffic-smoothed London

Three lanes of motor vehicles, with the gutter for cyclists. Bloomsbury Street. Yes, who can doubt that cycling’s time has come?

All these pics from central London were taken today.

(Below) This happens all over central London. Backed-up vehicles and impatient drivers reduce pedestrian crossings to single file. Yet no one ever talks about it. And Transport for London doesn't give a toss about pedestrians, doesn't even acknowledge there's a problem. Because car-centric Transport for London created this uncivilised condition. High Holborn.

(Below) The crossing point for pedestrians is blocked by three lanes of backed-up vehicles. The yellow-hatching stops short of the pedestrian crossing because obviously it's only the free-flow of motor vehicles that matters. Princes Circus.

(Below) This powered two-wheeler 'L' driver has grasped one of the first principles of London's roads. It's okay to jump red lights and go across when it's green for pedestrians. No one will mind, especially not the police. Great Russell Street.

(Below) For pedestrians it's green for go, so cross here. You have two and a half seconds to reach the other side before Boris Johnson switches the light back to red. Tavistock Square.

(Below) This powered two-wheeler remained stationary on the zebra crossing for two minutes. I was interested to see that he had a map on a lectern attached to his handlebars. That means he's a trainee learning 'the knowledge' which will enable him to become a black cab driver, and add one more vehicle to the streets of central London. Byng Place. And if you enlarge the pic above showing the powered two-wheeler jumping the lights on Great Russell Street you'll see he's also learning 'the knowledge' and also has a map attached to his handlebars.

Postcard from Anytown

This is not anti-social behaviour.

This is not theft of the footway for purposes of car parking.

The corrupt car-centric police have no interest at all in dealing with obstruction like this. The sleazy local council won’t lift a finger to deal with the matter. Criminal car drivers enjoy protection at the highest level.

This is a scene from Anytown.

Cyclists and the Costa sustainability

Cycling east along Selborne Road E17 yesterday I encountered an obstruction in the form of YJ58 UOH. As the driver was in his cab I preferred to use one of his 'blind spots' to take a pic from the rear (many lorry drivers are camera shy and some shout very rude words).

The company this driver is working for is passionate about equity, sustainability and the environment (their coffee comes from sustainably grown beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms). Such a shame these values don’t extend to the Costa vehicle fleet. The signing here is clear enough: a double-yellow line ‘no waiting at any time’ parking restriction, apart from it being a bus lane with a continuous white line and the only other permitted users being taxis and cyclists. The driver had parked on the footway (another offence) and was also blocking the dropped kerb which allows cycling access to the Town Square. Clearly a driver in need of serious re-education.

I was inspired by this experience to check out the world of Rainforest advocacy. It led me to this.

Linda has a passionate interest in electric cars and all things environmental... Every time I turn the key in the ignition, I experience the thrill of “riding the rays” while avoiding the corner gas station. One of our recent utility bills indicated that we owed $1.95 for two months of powering our 3,000 square- foot home and sending the electric vehicle down the freeway at ticket-inducing speeds. It really doesn’t get any better than that

Bless.

It’s the cradle of the ‘cleaner streets’ policy!

Eldon Road E17. Yesterday.

Clean, clutter-free streets. That’s what residents say they want. That’s why the council has hit the ground running by responding with an expensive poster campaign saying that’s what counts. That’s what residents want. And what residents want they will be told they want. Just in case they’ve forgotten what it is they want. Because that’s what counts. People. People saying what it is that counts. On posters. Everywhere.

As for the actual streets…




























(Above) Pedestrian-friendly Willow Walk (such a lovely rural name)

(Below) Welcome to Queens Road station.


























(Below) Spruce Hills Road E17. Not a problem for the able-bodied but if you are in or pushing a wheelchair, using a mobility scooter, or pushing a double-buggy, this represents obstruction of the footway. The roadworks were on the next street, making this sign even more superfluous.




























And don't get me started on those annoyingly obstructive and unsightly advertising panels aimed at distracting passing motorists which the Council agreed to allow to be installed across pavements all over the borough, without the slightest consideration for the convenience of pedestrians. The recession has meant that advertising revenue has plummeted. But not to worry, there's always one source available to balance the books. The Council itself!

Photo credit: George Orwell.

The continuing degradation of the walking and cycling environment in Waltham Forest

(Above) Typical Waltham Forest joke cycle lane

One of the central themes of this blog is that for cycling and walking things are getting worse, not better. Well, they are in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Here are some photographs of two streets where footway parking used to be banned. Now, in the name of ‘regeneration’ and ‘smoother traffic flow’ see the results.

The photo above and the two below show Wood Street, Walthamstow. In the name of ‘regeneration’ the footway has been seized for car parking. Naturally once you allow footway parking, some drivers park in the areas they aren’t supposed to. Instead of re-arranging street space to benefit cyclists and pedestrians, Waltham Forest council is doing exactly the reverse – promoting increased car ownership and use at their expense.


































(Below) Wingfield Road E17. Parking on the footway used to be banned. But as car ownership grew and filled both sides of the street this created problems for larger vehicles. Instead of solving this at the expense of the parked vehicles, the Council decided that pedestrians would have to pay the price. A dashed white lane was painted just beyond the kerb. You can see how well this has worked out.

How Waltham Forest Council and Ascham Homes sponsor footway obstruction by lawless lorry drivers

A recent Housing Needs Survey found that 24.2% of households in the London Borough of Waltham Forest included a member with a disability. Furthermore, 44.1% of these with a disability suffered from mobility difficulties with 6.2% containing a member who is a wheelchair user.

You might think, therefore, that the Council would be keen to ensure that its pavements were kept free of obstruction. Not a bit of it. When I asked how many shopkeepers had been prosecuted in the past year for obstructing the footway with advertising boards, back came the answer: none.

Worse still, Ascham Homes, which is the council’s privatised housing department, contracts work out to scaffolding firms which have no standards at all when it comes to blatant obstruction of the footway and displays of total indifference to pedestrians with a mobility difficulty (which can be anything from being blind, pushing a double buggy, using a wheelchair, or being on crutches).

Today I encountered this Griffin scaffolding lorry (above) parked completely across the pavement on Addison Road by the junction with Beulah Road. Scaffolding is going up on the block of flats here, which I’m pretty sure is local authority housing under the control of Ascham Homes.

This is quite a lethal bend as drivers come round it fast, making the complacent assumption that the unseen road ahead will always be clear. This lorry is also parked right by a nursery, and there are a lot of parents/carers pushing buggies or walking with toddlers.

Griffin claim to be particularly concerned for the safety of pedestrians ‘walking by’ sites where their scaffolding is erected:

it’s an area we take really seriously.

We operate a tight health and safety policy.

The scaffolding industry strikes me as being completely out of control as far as its attitude to health and safety for cyclists and pedestrians is concerned. Indeed, even quite rudimentary matters are neglected. For example, I spotted this Mattison Scaffolding lorry (below) in Walthamstow High Street on Saturday. A green lorry working for an ostensibly ‘Green’ firm (they are still working on their spelling).

This lorry has no rear numberplate. And its load appeared to be unsecured.































A firm which seems to get a lot of business from Waltham Forest Council, via its proxy Ascham Homes, is AJ Scaffolding. This firm boasts that

Due to the importance of Health & Safety all our scaffolding operatives receive ongoing training and have passed their health & safety test. All operatives are trained to current statutory legislation.

And this, below, was the scene on Westbury Road E17 on the afternoon of February 21st. Scaffolding was dumped across the footway, and a lorry was parked across the footway all afternoon, forcing pedestrians out into the middle of the road. These scaffolders were working on Hatherley House, which is very definitely under the care of Ascham Homes.



























I emailed Ascham Homes that very afternoon with a copy to Chris Robbins, Leader of Waltham Forest council. I complained about the situation on Westbury Road and asked

Perhaps you could enlighten me as to what standards Ascham Homes requires of contractors who work for it, and if they cover such matters as respecting the rights and safety of pedestrians and obeying traffic laws designed to protect them.

Neither Ascham Homes nor Cllr Robbins have since troubled to reply, but then I note that even a member of the Ascham Homes board grumbles that Currently there is a lot of indifference to residents’ views and complaints.

No surprise, then, that nothing has changed. Here they are again today – AJ Scaffolding, working for Ascham Homes, with a lorry parked quite unnecessarily across the footway on St Stephens Close E17. This footway provides a useful short cut for pedestrians through to Grove Road.


























(Below) Parked both across the cycle lane and on the footway on a double yellow line ‘no waiting at any time’ restriction. Today. POSH Scaffolding, who seem to be based in Essex. Ah, well, an Essex driver – that would explain it.



























And look what's the other side of the road! Walthamstow Police Station. But as we know, anti-social behaviour and lawlessness involving a driver isn't really of any interest to London's finest.




























Lastly (below), here’s J&A Scaffolding in action on a property off Pretoria Avenue.

A large proportion of our current work is for local Councils and our reputation has been built on trust and reliability. We take Health and Safety as a priority. Yeah, right…

Bringing diversity to footway obstruction

Visit The London Borough of Waltham Forest to encounter illegal obstruction of the footway in all community languages. (High Road Leytonstone)

The number of shopkeepers prosecuted by this crap council for illegal obstruction of the footway by ‘A’ boards in the past year: nil.

Waltham Forest Council only enforces with extreme reluctance laws to protect pedestrians, and then only minimally. It turns a blind eye to footway obstruction on a spectacular scale. It’s a car-sick council run by grey fleet officers who cycle nowhere and who can just about manage to waddle from their reserved parking bays to their offices. Bah!

Waltham Forest: gateway to the Olympics

‘It’s happening here!’

And if you plan on coming to the Olympics via regenerated Waltham Forest, just remember to bring a good pair of boots. (Hawthorne Road E17)

‘Jesus, I trust in you’

Jesus, I trust in you is the message in the back window of this parked car in Walthamstow.

I have forwarded this pic to the council’s parking section with the appropriate details and I am praying that the attendants give this person of faith a fixed penalty notice.

An Apology

Here on Wood Street E17 the council’s enlightened policy of gradually converting cycle lanes and pavements into parking bays has resulted in some unsightly plastic fencing in the roadway which is forcing some drivers to slow down to as little as 30 mph.

This inconvenience has quite naturally required the contractors to put up a sign apologising to motorists, which I must say I think is beautifully angled.

Visually impaired people tell me that when it comes to objects placed obstructively in the footway black and grey are their favourite colours!

why driving instructors 2nd2none should relocate to Waltham Forest

Bristol driving school 2nd2none has 11 Driving Instructors offering driving lessons in the Bristol and Bath areas all of which are highly trained professionals.

All of whom, surely.

The driving skills of these highly trained professionals have been celebrated (with bonus comments by the owner) here and here.

The 2nd2none spokesperson rightly makes the point that modern streets are not designed for mass car ownership, leaving drivers with little choice but to park on pavements. If they didn’t do that they would be forced to park much further away from their homes or worse, have to manage without a car altogether and instead walk or cycle, both of which can be exhausting, especially if you are obese.

Sadly, Bristol council is an administration which deals with this matter by ignoring it altogether. This is why any business which wants to park on the pavement legally and not be pestered by bloggers should relocate to the London Borough of Waltham Forest, where a progressive administration manages to achieve the difficult balance between aspiring to be the Greenest council in the whole of London while converting pavements and cycle lanes into much-needed free parking bays.

Here on Browns Road E17 the council has had to make a difficult choice between the needs of wheelchair users and the needs of Lexus 4X4 drivers. The space between the marked parking bay and the wall by the tree is just 80cm (well below the national recommended minimum width for pedestrians, which is 2 metres) but in an imperfect world it is necessary for everyone to make compromises. And as you can see, even this parking bay is barely adequate for the Lexus driver, who through no fault of his own has been obliged to go beyond the markings in order to park his car where it will not be dented by another motorist.































On Wood Street E17 the council’s Christmas present to local drivers is a soon-to-be-opened massive extension of legal pavement parking on the footways, where the space has in the past been foolishly wasted on pedestrians. Whingers may complain that the space between the shopkeeper’s board and the parked vehicle will be too narrow at just 60 cm, yet this should present no difficulties at all to an able-bodied person on a diet.

Spot the bike advert

A year ago this massively obstructive advertising panel was installed across the pavement in a busy section of High Road Leyton with a high pedestrian flow.

It is currently being used to advertise a BMX bike, which is sold by Tesco, whose superstore in Leytonstone has a huge amount of car parking and just four bike stands, which are cheap, tacky and far too close to each other.

This advert is alongside a cycle lane which is obstructed by legally parked cars.

Life really doesn’t get much more richly textured than this, does it?

The enviro-crime that Waltham Forest council colludes with

Every day, all over the London Borough of Waltham Forest, crimes and anti-social behaviour are very visibly committed, to the complete indifference of the agencies which might put a stop to it. I allude to obstruction of the footway by shopkeepers’ ‘A’ boards (so-called because from the side they look like the letter A). Shopkeepers have no right to obstruct the footway with advertising boards but they do, on a colossal scale. I recently used the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to ask the council:

Could you tell me how many successful prosecutions there were by the council in 2009 (or the most recent 12 months for figures are available) for obstruction of the footway by 'A' boards

Back came the answer:

I can confirm that there have been no prosecutions with regard to ‘A’ Boards

Which explains why the kind of obstruction shown in the last photograph here is still continuing one year later (see below).

So there you have it. Despite its perpetual bluster about waging war on enviro-crime, Waltham Forest council colludes with blatant obstruction of the footway which occurs on a daily basis, to the detriment of blind pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, people pushing pushchairs and prams, and pedestrians in general.

When you look at photographs of streets in Denmark and the Netherlands, the striking thing isn’t just the number of cyclists but also the amazingly uncluttered streets and the pleasant walking environment.

This blog calls on Councillor Clyde Loakes to resign! He is the person most responsible for this scandal, and the hypocrisy of him posing in the Town Square as the valiant defender of a better street environment is beyond belief.



























191 Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 6HE

lawless Broadstock lorry driver obstructs cycle lane

The southbound A112 (Hoe Street, Walthamstow)


Isn’t it touching that this lorry driver’s employer has an Environmental Policy, which promises

to minimise any environmental impact on customers, supply chain partners and neighbours.

It is also the pratice [sic] of the company to ensure that all personnel involved in the company's operations receive and understand the requirements of this policy and have the appropriate training. Additionally it will ensure that each employee understands the environmental aspects and impacts of their job function.

It is the responsibility of all employees to understand those sections of the company Environmental Management System which relate to their activities within the organisation.

For at least one of their lorry drivers and his mate this understanding not only doesn't encompass obeying loading restrictions but also involves a casual attitude to driving unlawfully on the footway (and possibly damaging it – HGVs this size on flagstones tend to shatter them, leaving the council tax payer to foot the bill) and complete indifference to the safety and convenience of cyclists.

The driver ignored the double yellow line No Loading 7 am – 7 pm restriction. He drove across the footway (an offence) and he parked on it. He also created danger for cyclists by obstructing the cycle lane - the bus in the first photograph is heading directly towards any cyclist who might emerge from behind the lorry. Altogether I’d say that adds up to two criminal offences and two parking offences. Yesterday, 11.35 am. Registration number MX07 ETO.

If you look at the pavement at this location you will see that the flagstones are shattered and the council regularly has to repair them. Waltham Forest council tax payers are effectively subsidising firms like Broadstock, whose drivers cause damage then drive off into the sunset. And a lorry driver who parks like this is displaying an attitude which I strongly suspect is expressed in other aspects of his driving.

If you have any comments about Broadstock’s contribution to the environment you can send them to the company at the only email address they provide.

sales@broadstock.co.uk