Agenda item

The Committee considered a presentation which provided an update on Walking and Cycling Action Plan (WCAP). The presentation was introduced by Bryce Tudball, Interim Head of Planning Policy, Transport & Infrastructure and Maurice Richards, Transport Planning Team Manager as set out in the agenda pack at pages 31 to 42 of the agenda pack. Mike Hakata, the Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment, and Transport and Deputy Leader of the Council was also present for this item. The following arose during the discussion of this item:

a.    The Committee noted its support for cycle hire schemes and sought clarification over the Council’s recent announcement on Twitter that these were to be suspended in Haringey. In response, officers advised that the Council was committed to supporting a borough wide E-bike scheme but that at present there were a number of issue with bikes being left on the pavement and causing a nuisance. As a result, officers were engaging with providers to establish a Memorandum of Understanding to operate in the borough and it was hoped that a properly regulated scheme would be back and running in due course.

b.    The Committee sought clarification about bike hangers and what was meant by prioritising the rollout of bike hangers. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that provision of secure bike storage was key part of efforts to increase cycling in the borough, particularly as people who lived on estates or in flats may not have anywhere secure to store bicycles. Prior to last year, the Council was dependent upon TfL funding for installing bike hangers, however the Council had brought in a dedicated £200k a year budget for provision of these. The Cabinet Member advised that the administration was looking at how to increase the funding further.

c.    In relation to a follow-up question, the Cabinet Member advised that £200k roughly equated to 38 bike hangers, each of which was large enough for six bikes.

d.    The Chair sought clarification about the funding window for the £5.1m capital funding identified in the report for WCAP, officers advised that this covered three years from 2021-22, 2022-23 & 2023-24.

e.    In response to a question, officers advised that the final funding settlement from TfL would help determine the WCAP delivery plan and the timescales for this.

f.     The Committee sought assurances about what criteria was used to determine the location of bike hangers and when locations that had not received hangers might expect to do so. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that there were a number of metrics used to determine allocation but that it was essentially demand led and also took into account how long residents in a certain area had been waiting for storage facilities. The Cabinet Member acknowdged that there was a lot of demand and that they were looking at ways to increase provision. 

g.    The Committee sought assurances about what equalities monitoring had been done and what support would be in place to support those on low incomes to access cycling. In response, the Cabinet Member acknowdged that exclusion was a key consideration and that the administration was actively looking at how to improve cycling rates for particular groups and those that currently felt excluded from cycling. The administration was looking to make cycling safer and in doing so increase participation, particularly from minority groups and those that were disproportionately impacted by health inequalities. As part of this the Council would be looking at how to make bikes more accessible for those that may not be able to afford them.

h.    The Committee raised concerns about pedestrian safety from cyclists when sharing pavements. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that there were a number of dedicated shared cycling and pedestrian lanes in the borough but acknowdged that separate lanes were usually preferable, location permitting.  

i.      In relation to a question about school streets and what could be done to overcome reluctance from some head teachers, the Committee was advised that the Active Travel team worked with closely with schools. It was suggested that perhaps teachers didn’t think there was much support for school streets and the answer might be to encourage parents to voice their support to head teachers.

j.      In relation to encouraging walking, the Cabinet Member acknowdged that this was a fundamental element of the WCAP and that this entailed improving the street scene, planting more trees and encouraging people to get out and walk.

k.    In response to a question about improving pavements, officers advised that works were prioritised according to their condition, number of complaints and also councillor requests for intervention. The Committee was advised that the Highways and Street Lighting plan that was agreed by Cabinet in March set out in detail which pavements had been identified for improvement. Officers advised that additional funding had been set aside for pavements over the next three years in recognition that 56% of the boroughs footways needed improvements.

RESOLVED

That the update in relation to the Walking and Cycling Action Plan be noted.