Report on the #SustFest19 meeting on Healthy Streets is now available. It was a great evening, Caroline Russell is an inspiring speaker and we are fizzing with ideas to make our streets better for people. Do get involved!
Your help with campaigning work needed! The campaign field we would most like to develop is commenting at an early stage on planning applications, with regards to provision of cycle routes and storage for cycles on the premises. We need members to help with this!
HCC Local Transport Plan, LTP4 includes pretty well everything we as a cycle campaign would like to see happen - reduced car dependency, more active travel, more public transport. A key feature is the need for County and District / Borough Councils to work together to co-ordinate inter-acting strategies. We are working with other cycling groups in the county on this and other issues, under the CycleHerts banner.
Here are the 'tube maps' - proper name Cycling Network Quality Maps. They are diagrammatic picture of conditions for cycling, not a route-finding map. They are a work in progress, both in terms of assessing the network and - we hope and campaign for - needing to be updated as conditions are improved. They are based on the CycleBath format, and the idea is to 'turn the map blue'. Or green if looking at the St Albans city map. Three different map-makers, so three different styles. Feedback and comments very welcome.
This version extends further to include local villages:
Still relevant to ongoing campaigning - report on our Public Rights of Way meeting:
E-mail sent by Rona Wightman, Friday, 26th July 2019 @ 8:46am
STACC AGM - date and speaker now confirmed!
We are delighted that Brian Deegan will be our guest speaker. Brian is an internationally renowned expert on street design and helped to develop the Healthy Streets Checker when he worked for TfL - we heard about Healthy Streets from Caroline Russell during SustFest19. Brian is currently the Cycle Infrastructure Lead for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, where he is supporting Comissioner Chris Boardman and Mayor Andy Burnham to develop and create the Beelines, a network for cycling and walking.
Date is evening of Monday 30th September. Venue and precise timing to be finalised.
This email is being compiled during a heatwave, so our Punch cartoon is slightly out sync, before breakfast is currently the only comfortable hour for cycling. Having said that, cycling is the coolest option for getting about in hot weather with that self-generated wafting breeze. Sensible tips from us:
- Drink little and often
- Suncream
- Pick the shadiest possible route
The new edition of the St Albans District Cycle Map has just been published, council press release here.
At time of writing the council website has yet to be updated, but paper copies are known to be available at the Old Town Hall.
At the Council meeting on 10 July, there was unanimous vote to approve a proposal that the Council recognises that there is a Climate Emergency. Minutes are on the Council website.
This is one of the items in the proposal: - how the Council's emerging Local Plan can be used to deliver net zero carbon outcomes, for example with Passivhaus homes, zero carbon homes, requirements for new homes to have electric car charging points and tree canopy targets;
Sadly, nothing about new homes to have cycle and pram spaces. STACC has submitted some proposals for active travel measures to Cllr Chris White - Environment Portfolio Holder and Cllr Simon Grover, chair of Environment Action Group.
Whilst electric cars are an improvement on diesel in terms of emissions, they are not a top priority. Enabling and encouraging active travel ie walking, cycling and public transport is a top priority for reducing pollution. STACC suggestions include 20mph, build-outs and other treatments to make it easier for people to cross the road; modal filters ie allow people walking and cycling to get through but stop rat-running by motor vehicles; 'school streets' ie temporary road closures around schools at start and end of school day; requiring new homes ot have secure cycle spaces and provision of on-street secure cycle parking for residents in the existing housing stock. All these measures are 'healthy streets' measures, as we heard from Caroline Russell at our spring meeting - report on our website. At our AGM we will hear from Brian Deegan about creating networks for cycling and walking.
MEMBER ACTION: do let your district and county councillors know that you support active travel and ask for walking and cycling to be prioritised, both in the budget and on the ground.
E-mail sent by stephen Brazier, Monday, 24th June 2019 @ 8:17pm
Wow! Caroline Russell delivered a superb talk on Healthy Streets on 29th May, and the report of the excellent #SustFest19 meeting is attached.
Report on STACC meeting - Healthy street for healthy communities 29-5-19.pdf
478.19Kb ViewDownload
Thanks to John, Graham, Steve, Peter and Nick for staffing the STACC Bike Week market stall on Saturday 8th June. We had a good position near Waddington Road and plenty of old spanners to ballast our maps in the gusty breeze.
E-mail sent by Rona Wightman, Tuesday, 28th May 2019 @ 9:44am
SustFest continues, and (in our view!) the highlight of week three is on Wednesday 29th May - the STACC Healthy Streets meeting, with Caroline Russell. The venue is Marlborough Road Methodist Church St Albans AL1 3XG. Doors open 7.30pm, talk starts 8.00pm. You can hear STACC's Nick Clarke being interviewed about Healthy Streets on Radio Verulam's Environment Matters show via the podcast. Flier is attached.
We had a great day out at the Market Takeover, got lots of feedback and handed out so many maps we had to go and get some more. STACC's Rona Wightman was one of a number of people at the event who was interviewed by UK Health Radio's Mike Dilke, available to listen to from Tuesday.
Who needs a map if you have a long dress and nerve though - see Mr Punch cartoon attached!
