Sutton Cycle Forum March 2022

Held remotely using Google Meet on 2nd March 2022.

The previous meeting notes from 17th November 2021 held on Google Meet.

Scheme updates for March 2022 (PDF) [header correction highlighted] shared 15 minutes before meeting.

Changes from November:

Area wide scheme being re-visited as a result of the experimental road closure being removed. Stage 1 informal consultation concluded on 13th December 2021. Optioneering design to commence in March 2022 with a Stage 2 informal consultation programmed for Summer 2022.

Consultations desciption for both Butter Hill & Worcester Park

Feasibility study & consultation completed for zebra crossing, Road safety audit complete, design changed to a parallel crossing. To be reviewed by road safety auditors. For implementation in 2022/23 subject to TfL funding settlement.

Preliminary Design : North Street Parallel crossing

Agenda from LBS:

1. Car Free Day 2022 – what would SCF like to see happen in September (funding and staffing permitting) and in what ways would SCF want to get involved?
2. from November 2021: Reply from Dimitrios Dikmpasani, Transport Planner / Planning Officer, LBS A) The STS closure report would be published when the draft STS is agreed. It was adopted at the full Council Committee meeting on 22/11/21 and Dimi’s team will update their relevant webpage and write a closing report for the old STS soon
3. Funding opportunities/update from TfL
4. Political will and timelines
5. Barriers
6. Neighbourhood Fund & other Projects
7. Consultations
8. Scheme updates & report function
9. Comms for Cycle Forum

What follows is mostly the notes taken by Helen as Marcus chaired.

Key points:

• Welcome Councillor Barry Lewis as the new representative to this forum as Councillor Abellan has stepped down as a Councillor.
• Apologises from Dimitrios Dikmpasani, Transport Planner / Planning Officer, LBS

• Car free day
  • Feedback: Thanks for adding to the agenda; it is good to see being discussed 6 months in advance this year.Suggestions made (mostly by email prior):
    • use the https://londoncarfreeday.com/ and create Play Streets this year
    • involve partner groups – e.g. Mums for Lungs
    • If aim for one Play Street for every 3,000 children in London – how many children in Sutton? if est. 20k? would this mean 7 Play Streets in Sutton?
    • use LBS Comms to full effect, Tweet and use Sutton Scene Email, with build up over weeks / even months before.
    • events on the day, making the day visible. As part of the Comms promotion are we able to highlight routes to playstreets that are suitable for children to ride – accepting that you can’t actually cycle through a Playstreet.
    • Use to highlight inconsiderate car-parking e..g. On footway/cycle lanes 
    • Extend event beyond the designated day and events at Transport Hubs/Healthcare hubs/petrol stations? (as is being done in RBK).
    • Use it as an opportunity to promote the “Try before you buy/Peddle My Wheels” scheme (especially e-bikes)
    • Play Streets was followed up 1st April 22: Marcus wrote to Helen and Ian Baker “Seeing today’s Sutton Scene email reminded me of the Car Free day item we previously discussed … it would be good to check with those involved in this Platinum Jubilee initiative to help find how best to organising the Play Streets.” the response from the Events team a week later:
      • “Please see my managers response below:
      • I think without Highways identifying a lead this will be a challenge to prepare and promote within 2 months, leaving enough time for organisers to apply and for ourselves to process. It would need to be ready in the next few weeks. What’s the rationale for this needing to take place ahead of the bank holiday? 
      • That would need to include Highways/CFD lead creating a webpage to promote and explain the process and then promotional material to advertise. We’d then, if using the street party form (or the Kingston one?), need to filter Play Street events (hopefully titled as such) to then review. 
      • We do not have the capacity to lead on this and any network management/road closure considerations would need to be considered by Highways.”

• The STS closure report, delayed again, this was supposed to be an annual report tracking progress.
  • SCF disappointed that this has been shelved (as advised by this Dimitrios Dikmpasanis week).
  • Without a closure report there is no record or opportunity to evaluate and consider options in context of the new Local Plan. Cycling share for trips made by Sutton’s residents in the three year period 2017/18 to 2019/20 is very low at just 0.8 per cent.
  • SCF disappointed that LBS focus is now on the Local Plan as it seems counter to the recent creation of Active Travel England to support cycling & walking.
  • Action Ian Baker will investigate possibility of a closure report and keep Cllrs Lewis & Burke informed of the outcome.

• Funding opportunities/update from TfL
  • E cargo bike schemes – included in Sutton’s funding application to TfL.
  • Tasmin Ward/Ian Baker using Grant Finder service to identify funding sources
  • Ian Baker advises no updates from TfL at the moment, we expect to hear in 2 weeks time. If there is no money from this source then we must look elsewhere.
  • Previous advise from Simon Munk, London Cycle Campaign is that TfL will fund LCN 1/20 schemes but boroughs must have consulted beforehand in order to submit a bid.

• Political will & timelines
  • Is Active Travel on political candidates agendas?
  • LCC is campaigning for “Climate Safe Streets” ahead of the May elections & asking for pledges to advise what each Political Party will do to make safe spaces for cycling, cycling hubs etc.
  • When you look at the break down of Planned Highways Maintenance Programmes from E&ST meetings the allocations do not specify anything for cycle infrastructure, e.g. 22/23 Agenda Item 8 only:
    • £X for carriageways
    • £Y for footways
    • £Z for street lighting
  • Response:
    • E&ST meeting – carriageway & footways budget items are for resurfacing, & street lighting. SCF ask whether funding be assigned to maintaining cycle infrastructure e.g. Ewell Road Cycle track needs maintaining & is in need of repair from Cheam Village to Nonsuch Park gates (borough boundary). Is this TLRN or borough responsibility ?
    • Actions In first instance, SCF to report this via the LBS “self-service” tool
    • HM has asked Sue Marwood whether the “self-service” tool can include a category for cycle tracks (done 3/3/22). (Cllr Burke advises “self-service” upgraded & improved recently).
      • see Report an issue with a cyclepath or request a new cyclepath in Sutton
      • linked at bottom of page: LBS > https://www.sutton.gov.uk/travel-and-transport > https://www.sutton.gov.uk/-/sustainable-travel > https://www.sutton.gov.uk/-/sustainable-travel-cycling-in-sutton
    • Of note: route signage / wayfinding comes out of the Street Lighting budget as attached to lampposts.

• Barriers
  • Sustran & SCF working on a toolkit to help remove barriers on Cycle paths
  • Neighbourhood fund being used to install barriers at Roundshaw – consultation closes 16/3/22!!
  • Watercress Park barriers – discussions are ongoing
  • Use of signage as a way to tackle moped crime as per previously circulated document (nothing noted, no progress)
• Neighbourhood Fund & other Projects
  • Butterhill Air Quality monitoring – of interest, in addition to the placemeking consulations / monitoring
  • Rose Hill pump track – great win for Rose Hill West Park and aligns with British Cycling Places to Ride scheme
  • The Rose Hill East cycle track needs resurfacing & the edging should be a step-down kerb to differentiate between cycling & walking spaces. However, resurfacing this facility should not to be a replacement for the Quietway Morden-Sutton route.

• Consultations
  • Forresters Drive consultation – Kevin offered to update – what can we share about this scheme? Need update from KW (Action: Hitesh will ask KW).
  • B&Q site – should be car-free given PTAL – can this be a destination/cycle hub candidate?
  • Worcester Park & Butter Hill Placemaking – to be presented at E&ST committee meeting in July 2022 (Paul G will raise with Danny Liu).
  • School Streets
    • Advanced warning signs & wraps on school streets – Paul G is to see whether more AWS with Danny Lui
    • What can we do to increase walking/scooting. – as spring starts, more celebrations of School Streets but not been able to reward children for cycling & scooting.What are we doing to promote with families to find routes for travelling to school?
    • Ian B suggests an audit of signage around school streets – wayfinding project?
      • Can this be included as a task within the school travel planning ? Or can the ST team resource it? Use School Catchment maps that Phil Crockford produced?
  • Priority routes
    • Can we cycle to these & look at where the quick wins are? Something to look into once we have a clearer idea on TfL funding and on the current organisational changes within LBS Highways (should know both of these in the next couple of weeks).

• Scheme updates & report function
  • Scheme updates for March 2022 (PDF) [header correction highlighted] shared 15 minutes before meeting. Not discussed.
• Comms for Cycle Forum
  • How much can be made public from these meetings – can he have a steer on this? Should Cycle Forum be listed by LBS as a stakeholder?
  • Cllr Burke – SCF can say they are unhappy with the Council approach to cycling at Committee – this would be good to raise at Committee as a counter to complaints about car parking etc.

• New Items
  • Shirley raised re. Cycle parking:
    • recent installations are more remote and in greater quantity
    • fewer stands in more frequent positions closer to POI should be considered for safety/security
  • Can the route on East side A 217 cycle route from Cheam <> Belmont be considered/prioritised – see previous cycle analysis
  • A232 between cyle path Cheam and Nonsuch, requires resurfacing and better signage/wayfinding, do these need resubmitting?
  • Upcoming local/national cycle events, please contact Shirley with plenty notice for Dr Bikes and advertise through LBS Comms
    • Cloverleaf Ride, in May 2022 
    • Bike week Monday, June 6-12th, 2022
    • Carshalton Festival, June 5-12th, 2022
    • Environmental fair in Sept 2022

Next meeting 14th June 2022 10-11.30 am