Members of Cycling Hillingdon recently met with Bassam Mahfouz, the elected Assembly Member (AM) for Ealing and Hillingdon at the Greater London Authority (GLA) .
Over coffee at the Red Onion Cafe in Ruislip, three of us told Bassam about our experiences as cyclists in Hillingdon trying to advocate for better cycling infrastructure. Bassam, who was an Ealing Councillor and Finance Lead prior to being elected as an AM, was in a unique position to compare the approach to cycling in Ealing and Hillingdon councils.
We learned for example that Ealing councillors routinely cycle to meetings at Ealing Town Hall. Opportunites are sought when road junctions are to be redeveloped to improve access for cyclists and pedestrians as well as for motorists. Speed limits are mostly 20 mph across the borough. Schools are encouraged to sign up to the STARS scheme to promote cycling as a means of getting to school.
Given the current severe financial jeopardy that Hillingdon Council finds itself in, it is crucial that central funding available from TfL is bid for and that the council submits credible long term and joined up plans to win those central funds. As there is no dedicated cycling officer in Hillingdon, and we are not aware of any cyclists on the cabinet, this is unlikely to happen without pressure from local people who actually cycle.
We asked Bassam to let us know of any plans for cycling TfL had in the borough and asked him to introduce us to anyone at TfL that might be able to support us. We also asked for clarification from British Transport Police on reports that they will not pursue stolen bikes that have been left for more than two hours. We will report here on what we learn as soon as we can.