Transport News June 2008
On track for rail link
Here is a first peek at how Shoreditch High Street Overground station might look by 2010.
The state-of-the-art development will be part of the East London Line (ELL) extension project – which will give Hackney a 21st century connection to the Tube network.
The platforms for the two level station will be above ground, with tracks running across the former Bishopsgate Goods Yard site and a recently installed bridge across Shoreditch High Street.
The ELL project will create four new Hackney stations at Dalston Junction, Haggerston, Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street.
Transport for London closed the line in December for major work to extend it north to Dalston Junction, and south to Crystal Palace and West Croydon, as part of the London Overground network.
If everything goes to plan, the extended East London Line will be further extended to Highbury & Islington in time for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The new stations are the culmination of a campaign by Hackney’s Mayor, Jules Pipe, to secure better public transport for the borough.
He said: “Hackney has been held back for too long by being the only inner London borough without a proper Tube link.
“The new stations on the ELL show our campaign to get Hackney fully on every Tube map has been on the right track.”
On diversion
Major roadworks in Dalston are planned by Transport for London this summer to allow the extension of the East London Line to Highbury and Islington.
A section of Dalston Lane, which runs above the new line, is actually a Victorian road bridge and needs to be replaced.
TfL has not confirmed its plans, but it is likely Dalston Lane will close to all westbound traffic (towards Islington).
To keep disruption to a minimum, TfL may keep one eastbound lane open at all times between Kingsland High Street and Beechwood Road.
Westbound traffic would be diverted along Queensbridge Road, then on to Richmond and Kingsland roads. All cyclists travelling west would use the same diversion. Bus numbers 30, 38, 56, 242, 277, and N38 would also be diverted along this route.
Eastbound traffic would travel up Kingsland Road and turn right into Dalston Lane. Dates for the diversion are due to be confirmed in the next week and should be available in the next issue of Hackney Today.
The Council is working with TfL to try to minimise disruption to residents, and is urging TfL to finalise plans and communicate them with residents.
Motorists and bus passengers using this route are advised to allow an extra 20 minutes for their journeys. Avoid using Dalston Lane as a through route, and use the TfL planner to find alternatives.
More information
Journey planner: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/.
For general enquiries, call London Travel Information on: 020 7222 1234. For info about the East London Line, call: 0800 587 2441 or email: [email protected].
Cycling to schools's cool
Pupils can jump up a gear after the expansion of a cycling project to Hackney.
Bike It is a nationwide scheme, managed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans. It supports children who want to cycle to school, highlighting the benefits of riding, organising training, and helping youngsters to plan safe routes to school.
Schools across the country have seen levels of cycling treble within a year. Holly Brunford, a Sustrans biking officer said:
"The response so far has been brilliant. On the first ever Bike To School day at Whitmore Primary, in N1, we got 85 cyclists, which is a tremendous achievement.
“I expect to be working with over 1,000 children across three Hackney schools.”
Extreme flying visitor
One of the UK’s top mountain bikers rolled up at Hackney to teach youngsters about road safety in a fun and exciting way.
Rich Johnson brought his extreme cycle show to borough schools, wowing his young audience with daring stunts.
But the ‘RJ Ride Guide’ tour also features advice on riding safely, using helmets, respecting pedestrians and looking after your bike.
The tour was organised by the Council’s Road Safety Team and reinforces work staff have been doing with youngsters.
Last year the team worked with over 14,000 children, offering road safety advice and information covering a range of issues from pedestrian skills, seat belt use and pre-driver education.
As well as working in schools, the team gets out into the community, giving advice on fitting car child seats, visiting Children’s Centres, fathers’ groups and other organisations.
They are also joining forces with a number of other agencies to organise a pre-driver event called Road Runners in July.
Taking the healthy route
Hundreds of Hackney schoolchildren put their best foot forward for Walk to School Week last month.
Pupils from all over the borough ditched their parents’ cars and instead took the healthy option of walking with family and friends. The theme of this year’s event was sound, and youngsters were encouraged to explore their local environment by listening to all the different sounds, like birdsong, they might miss if they took the car to school.
Children picked up valuable road safety skills while doing their bit to tackle climate change.
Participating schools were entered in a draw to win a visit from the Cyclemagic Roadshow – which is an opportunity for teachers and pupils to try some amazing bikes.
The winning school was De Beauvoir Primary School, so congratulations to them.
The week was part of a UK-wide campaign led by Living Streets to get families to leave their cars at home and walk to school.
Twenty's plenty
Hackney has been praised for leading the way in making London’s streets safer for children, pedestrians and cyclists.
The Council is the only London authority to introduce 20 mile per hour zones over 55 per cent of its streets.
And Hackney recently agreed to extend the scheme further, potentially across the whole borough.
The move was welcomed by road safety campaigners. Amy Aeron-Thomas, Executive Director of RoadPeace, said: “Hackney Council has done its residents proud.
“No other measure could do more to reduce road danger, death and injury, and promote the active travel and planet friendly modes of walking and cycling.
“We hope all councils will follow Hackney’s lead and reduce the speed limit on their roads.”
Priority areas for 20 mph zones include Shoreditch, Dalston, Stoke Newington, Hackney central, Clapton and Homerton.
Mayor Jules Pipe said: “Protecting the safety of children, pedestrians and cyclists is a top priority for the Council.
“Research shows that 20mph zones can reduce child road deaths and serious injuries by up to 67 per cent.
“The Council will work with Transport for London to roll out these schemes across the borough, and we are also looking at the best ways to enforce them.”
Roadpeace, the national charity for road crash victims, carried out research that found children from poorer backgrounds are five times more likely to be killed or injured on the roads than those from better off families.
Mayor Pipe added: “Expanding 20mph zones across Hackney will make the roads safer for all residents, but particularly for more vulnerable people such as children, the elderly and those from more disadvantaged backgrounds who are disproportionately affected.”
Your way or the highway
Residents are being asked for their views on local highways and transport services in a national survey believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.
The feedback from 32 local authority areas will be compared to help spot trends and share best practice so services can be improved for local people.
Hackney is the only London council signed up to the survey, which is the first to ask the public exactly the same questions, wherever they live.
It is being sent to a random sample of 4,500 Hackney residents this month, with results expected to be published in the summer.
Cllr Alan Laing, Hackney’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“This survey will help the Council find out more about our residents’ priorities for highways and transport services, and help us to improve walking, cycling, public transport, and traffic flows in our borough.
“I would urge anyone who receives a survey to complete it and do their bit to help make our neighbourhoods easier to move around.”
The launch of the survey, to be carried out by Ipsos MORI, is the result of months of hard work between the National Highways Benchmarking Club and a regional Highways Service Improvement Group.
The questionnaire is 12 pages long and covers all aspects of local highway and transport services, from the condition of roads to the quality of local bus services. It can be completed in around 20 minutes.
Get on your bike
Hackney businesses are being urged to back Transport for London’s (TfL) Workplace Cycle Challenge.
Cyclists from across the Capital can form teams and compete against other businesses in the challenge in June.
Winners will be invited to a VIP reception during this year’s London Freewheel on 21 September.
Ben Plowden, Director of TfL’s Smarter Travel Unit said:
“Not only will the challenge be a fun and healthy teambuilding experience, but with summer on the way and thousands more cyclists on the Capital’s streets, there has never been a better time to take to two wheels.”
Register at: www.tfl.gov.uk/cyclechallenge.
Page updated: 7 Jul 2008