I got 3 spare tickets too!!! Come on who's in?

You can grab two GLA assembly members and the TFL head of "Cycling, Walking and Accessibility2 at the Lewisham Cyclists AGM tonight

Hey guys,

This is next Tuesday, I have 3 spare tickets. Anyone want to go with me?

Yes!

what are the questions you'll be fielding ken?

i'd like to know why you can't take a non-folding bike on a bus. an empty bus, i can understand issues to do with cramped commuters, why are foldies special?

well they are smaller.... perhaps the question should be phrased something like:

In many other major cities around the world public buses are equipped to carry bikes. Will this be part of your so-called pro-cycling initiative."

So Mattster, does that mean you're coming?

Alright Buffalo, I got one ticket for you. Wanna ride together? It's in Richmond.

4.In light of the most recent death of a cyclist on public roads who was killed by public transport, what is the Mayor doing to cure the aggression towards cyclists that drivers exhibit, especially those working on the streets daily such as cabbies and bus drivers. And because it is clear that whatever the Mayor is doing isn't solving the issue, what are you going to do to crack down on aggression towards cyclists.
Were you thinking about cyclists when you introduced the 'bus from hell' the bendy bus..?

5. Does anyone with any actual power to initiate positive change in London actually ride a bike as their chief mode of transport, ideally on a daily basis and how far do they have to travel?

1, 3, and 4 are excellent and my fingers are crossed that answers come forth. don't think i'll make it, but if no one steps up i will make the effort.

after all, what's a little TV advert reminding drivers not to kill us, when they've already spent so much on making sure cycles don't go on pavements? (where only 1 ped has been killed and that wasn't even in London)

why should the onus always be on the vulnerable road user?

why are drivers still speeding, jumping lights, driving aggressively and using mobile phones, all very obviously, whilst the police fine cyclists for breaking reds and pavement cycling?

it's the transport equivalent of a 12 year old shoplifter getting the electric chair whilst the murderers and rapists walk free

We have a TfL consultation going on at work; they have a budget for some unspecified enabling projects to get people cycling and on public transport and are surveying staff online and at a couple of 'focus groups' next week to see what to spend it on. I think. Unless they've already decided and need some token participation.

We employ 6000 people across North Central London at various sites (UCLH hopsitals) and I'm getting involved so I'll try and find out if this is just with us or all NHS sites or just with big employers.

My editor won't let me have the time off work... two tickets going if anyone wants them.

I reckon we should get there around 6pm.

adt- that's good to know! Do you have a contact at TfL that's handling the additional projects? whisper if you can.

6. Is it true that you have even considered allowing motorcyclists into bus lanes? An act that, if policed, they could get a fine of £120? This is clearly anti-cycling. Although everyone knows you can get across town faster by bicycle than anything else, in relative mph possible, bicyclists are the slowest thing on the road while Motorcycles whizz through London's streets at top speed. You now are considering putting them side by side. ARE YOU A FUCKING IDIOT?!?!??! [*sorry*]




Who else is coming?!!?

I would rather share a bus lane with a motorcycle than a bus.

If you have a chance, one question I'd like the answer to:
Buses are fitted with cameras for recording other drivers misdemenours. Are the details of drivers of buses who's cameras record them passing through red lights passed on to the Police for prosecution?
I must see 2-3 buses jump red lights every day. I'd like to know how many buses pass signals at red daily (the equivalent of train driver SPAD - signals passed at danger - incidents).

Oooh. Good one.

how about

with the amount of funds spent on encouraging cycling, and the amount spent on police why do police ignore crimes like cycle theft, which are used to fund drug addictions and gangs, in order to crack down on cyclists at red lights?

Seriously now boys and girls!!! Who's gonna come and try to get a question in tomorrow night?

No bitching about policy or where 'they' put the money if you're not willing to try to make changes! Still got tickets!!!

^you have whisper

see above the answers that you will most likely get. Its still worth airing your concerns as they are your democratically elected representatives, but just don;t be surprised if you don;t get the answer you necessarily wanted or the change you demand straight away

Whew, I was worried I'd actually have to attend tomorrow.
Hey Velocity Boy, thanks for getting Red Ken's spokesman to come to us! That's service!!

I'll be heading down from work, not sure what time I'll get there though

do you need a ticket?

no worries Roxy - anytime ;-) they are only guesses at what i reckon would be said, for the record I am a Boris supporter.

I hope you do a report back on the event and I would be really interested to hear how the session goes, how you find the q&a session and what issues were most contentious.

that's exactly the answers you're likely to get.

infuriating, isn't it?

the same type of response I got back to an online petition I signed.

I'd probably try to get something in about the standard of driving in the UK, any road user (you don't even have to use the cyclists angle) can see the appalling driving that goes on in London daily, why do long term residents who hold non EU driver's licenses not have to pass a UK driving test to drive here? if you don't know the laws then how can you obey them? what is being done to help educate drivers who didn't learn to drive in the UK?

It's all very well saying they'll fine people using mobile phones £60, but it might as well be £6000 seeing as it's rarely enforced.

how is all the legislation, and the planned legislation going to have any effect if the structure to educate and enforce it is non-existant?

damn them, people are getting basically murdered on these roads.

Ok, well even though we've got some terrific brains on the case here, I will still be going tonight, and I find it depressing that I still have a ticket available.
I'm off to town now so call me if you want to be pro active with me.

If you don't want to ask a question I am more than happy to have you come along just for moral support and if you get picked I'll ask the question for you!

hey roxy,

i missed this thread. i did not know this was happening.

how did it go ?

So I can honestly say that this was a highly enjoyable night, that the Mayor was incredibly candid and unrehearsed, that while political it was not politicized and that the members of assembly that appeared for questions as well were very helpful.

I dragged Tramps along for moral support and honestly to not be bored to tears but even he enjoyed himself (I was pretty sure he'd plug in his ipod when the talking started).

I didn't get to ask my bike questions as the way the night was set up they gave 20 minutes to each topic (crime, transport, olympics, etc). However I filled out both Tramps and my questionaires and they have promised answers to all of them within six weeks so I will post the answers when I receive them.

I would highly recommend going to one of these nights. It was entertaining and truly informative.

Ken was very candid about what parts of London ways he finds crap and what he's really fighting for. He took a lot of heat and treated the questions with respect. Honestly giving lots of answers that I would find most politicians to be scared of.

He will sue all the way through the UK and EU courts before ever seeing another runway built in Heathrow.
He insulted the Evening Standard (they sent a journalist to question him! wankers!)
He insulted the BNP rep who showed up.
He thinks chewing gum companies should have to pay for street cleaning.
He took a lot of heat over free newspapers but only has control over Metro existing.
He handled the proper crazies that showed up with respect (including the blind guy that could blatantly see!)
Has very mixed feeling about the Oxford Street tram as he agrees Oxford St is embarrassing and basically a bus garage but that it would put lots of pressure on Wigmore Street, etc...
One amazing big Jamaican lady asked if bus drivers were trained properly (all the stopping and starting and braking and honking) it was hilarious! Ken said that they employ mystery passengers to ride the buses and report on the drivers. He honestly hooked this lady up with who hanldes that and asked her to apply. I think we should all do that!

In regards to the Olympics I did get a chance to ask a question. I said that I used to cycle in Lea Valley and that it was a beautiful blank green space full of wildlife and that building on that goes against his claims about protecting the environment. His answer didn't please me but he said that, while it may have been pretty it was some of the most polluted land in Britain and that the Olympics is cleaning all the Mercury etc out of the land. Had I had a rebuttal I probably would of said that turning it into allotments, etc would have allowed for that as well.


As for cycling,
I still don't know if he has a clue. However there were so many cyclists there! He's very sure of the whole rent-a-bike plan. His goal is 10% of trips in London to be by bike and thinks it's possible. No other cyclists asked questions regarding HGV's, media attitude, etc...
However one mother who brought her teenage son there was terrific. Said she always cycled with him when he was little and kept him on the pavement (and still would, f*ck the fines), She said that if he wants to compare London to other European cities (which he had done when talking about percentage of trips) he should stop prosecuting RL Jumping and allow bikes to turn left on red like the other major cities he mentioned do. She pointed out an intersection [Tramps can you remember which one?] and he took addresses and said he'd look into it.

I am disappointed I didn't get to ask my bike questions but I was satisfied by the night. AND if I was allowed to vote in this country (where I've paid taxes for 6 years goddammit!!!) I would vote to keep Ken as London's mayor in a second.

The most interesting things he said overall for me was his introduction. He explained that whoever the next Mayor is will have more control, rights, and access to budget than ever before as government will be handing lots of power to the Mayor. That the next mayor will have an extremely important role, perhaps more important than any other time in regards to everything from building new homes to the environment to the olympics, etc.. His plans for this seemed to be based in a true knowledge of what London needs and what the actual Londoners want.

The host asked the assembly if their was one change that should be made in how the Mayor works with the assembly what would it be.
Answer: The Mayor only needs 9 out of 25 votes to pass his budget. Because of this he is able to 'bribe' people like the Greens for votes by offering them more power somewhere else. the assembly guy Peter Hulme [one london] said a simple majority is better.

My personal opinion was that since it's easier to 'bribe' the smaller independent parties than the big ones perhaps this is actually good becasue it gives the smaller parties a bit more power. But Hulme is from One London, a small party so maybe not...

He said that had the Mayor have to answer more to the government/assembly he never could have introduced the c charge, etc...



I'll keep posting other topics as I think of them. I know it was going to be broadcasted on TV and Radio so you could check it out. It was fun and informative to go.

nice one roxy, really wanted to go but im still waiting on the HO.