West Ham Labour Party calls for cyclists to be made to use cycle lanes
Members of the Labour Party in an east London constituency are calling on the government to make it compulsory for cyclists to have to use cycle lanes.
The motion was passed at a meeting this week of the general council of the West Ham Constituency Labour Party.
It read:
Where cycle highways/Lanes exist primary legislation should be put in place so that, providing it is safe to do so, all cyclists should mandatorily use all available cycle lanes. Where ever they exist, these should be used for the safety of themselves and all other road users.
We call upon West Ham CLP to lobby parliament to this end to have it enshrined in law.
A post on the local party’s website added: “After lots of debate about whether this could be mandatory and noting the many inadequate cycle lanes and courtesy between all road users, GC passed this motion (although with quite a few abstentions).”
Under the Highway Code, there is no obligation for people on bikes to use cycle lanes, whether or not they are physically separated from motor traffic, as some of London’s Cycle Superhighways.
The two most common types of cycle lane on the carriageway are delineated by either a broken or a solid white line.
The latter are officially termed ‘mandatory’ – although that refers to the requirement for motorists to keep out of them, rather than being compulsory for cyclists to ride in them.
Indeed, with cycle lanes often in poorly maintained, littered with debris, containing hazards such as drain covers and in some locations encouraging drivers to pass riders too closely, many cyclists, especially faster, more confident ones, find it safer and easier to ride in primary position in the main traffic flow.
West Ham is one of the most solidly Labour constituencies in the UK, with member of parliament Lyn Brown enjoying a majority of almost 28,0000.
It lies within the Labour-controlled London Borough of Newham, which hosted most of the events at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but just two years later was named the local authority in England with the least active residents.
> How active are people where you live? Report ranks local authorities by residents’ activity levels
39 thoughts on “West Ham Labour Party calls for cyclists to be made to use cycle lanes”
Clearly trying to fend off a
Clearly trying to fend off a challenge from UKIP.
Duncann wrote:
Duncan … not quite sure why you think UKIP are going to mount a challenge in a district where the White British population is lower than 10% … the Muslim population is one of the highest in the country … and the local Labour MP enjoys a majority of some 28,000 people.
Oh – your post was a joke, I get it.
So we can assume that, to
So we can assume that, to make this work, all cycle lanes will therefore be overhauled to meet the mandatory 1.5m width requirements and be kept in perfect condition. Alongside this there will be increased enforcement stopping drivers from parking in them and motorcyclist from riding in them. Oh, and not to mention the re-routing of those that are badly planned or shoot you out into traffic or make you ride in the door zone etc. etc.
Great – in that case I will have no problem using them. It’s almost like we don’t use (many of) them now because they are so woefully sub standard.
Perhaps Labour MP’s should stick to fighting important issues such as inequality or declining public services, not trying to win votes from the lazy, petrol centric part of the population.
West Ham is an utter shithole
West Ham is an utter shithole of an area, good job they’ve got their priorities straight.
We should also force
We should also force motorists to use motorways. We would have the A roads that run alonside them.
As someone that rides on CS3
As someone that rides on CS3 on a regular basis, maybe if London Borough of Newham kept the cycle lane in a better condition it would be used more than it already is. One day last week at least 5 people came off because of the condition of the lane, at least one now has his arm in plaster.
In the sections aintained by Newham we have to deal weeds at the side so overgrown that 1 direction is inaccessible and you have to ride on the wrong side, when they are eventually cut the rubbish is left all over the path making it impossible to see what hazards lie beneath, at least 3 burnt out cars, the melted plastic from one is still all over the cycle path, sections dug up multiple times with the lane out of commission and gravel all over making it a slip hazard because it is never cleaned.
They should be careful what they wish for, one of the poorest boroughs in the country insisting cyclists use the cycle path will mean they will need to step up and maintain them better to avoid a lawsuit from an injured cyclist.
I can live live with this
I can live live with this provided the comments by jasecd on repairs etc. are complied with AND cars stick to roads & designated parking spaces so no pavement parking etc.
The fact that these muppets
The fact that these muppets spent a lot of time debating this is criminal. The place is an absolute toilet, they should have far more important things to do with their time.
I don’t have a problem with
I don’t have a problem with it, except that it is a waste of time. If you read the wording:
“Where cycle highways/Lanes exist primary legislation should be put in place so that, providing it is safe to do so, all cyclists should mandatorily use all available cycle lanes. Where ever they exist, these should be used for the safety of themselves and all other road users.”
Surely the only reason we do not use the cycle lanes when there is one is because it is not safe to do so. It is not any different from the definition in the highway code really.
ClubSmed wrote:
I would say that I don’t use a lot of cycle lanes because they are not convenient and would make my journey a lot longer (crossing roads to get to them, giving way at junctions with side streets etc.).
PaulBox wrote:
To you those are merely inconveniences, to me they are reasons why they are not safe and therefore I’m entuitled under this proposed legislation to ignore them and use the road.
PaulBox wrote:
I would say that “crossing roads to get to them, giving way at junctions with side streets etc.” is covered by the “not safe to do so” 😉
ClubSmed wrote:
Exactly what I thought as I read it – that caveat is so open to personal opinion and interpretation that it effectively renders the rest of it invalid.
As an ex member of Labour I
As an ex member of Labour I can tell you exactly what happened here
– one idiot with a greivance gets this to be debated
– other people sit there like nodding dogs not to upset said idiot
-no one puts the other side
-motion put through as totally meaningless
-meanwhile MP probably not there but lets say Lyn Brown’s rep is not exactly of one who has the intelligence to work this out.
Quote:
I’m pretty sure that whether a cyclist uses a cycle lane or not, has no effect whatsoever on the safety of other road users…
The stupid thing is that a
The stupid thing is that a lot of motorists already think it’s mandatory for cycists to use a cycle path if one is anywhere nearby.
I hope this motion is thrown out and given a bit of publicity so maybe these fools will be informed about the law and the reasons why cyclist don’t always use the cycle lanes.
Most of the cycle lanes in my area seem to have been built to tick a box and cater for people taking a gentle leisure ride rather than for people actually wanting to get anywhere, so they are highly convoluted routers that don’t go anywhere useful.
Where cycle highways/Lanes
Where cycle highways/Lanes exist primary legislation should be put in place so that all cyclists should retain their historic and legal right to use the highway. Drivers of motor vehicles licensed to share the highway with those that have a historic and legal right should be required to comply entirely with all laws appertaining to that use; these laws should be enforced rigidly for the safety of themselves and all other road users.
We call upon West Ham CLP to lobby parliament to this end to have these existing rights confirmed as being enshrined in law.
I reckon that reads better!
“providing it is safe to do
“providing it is safe to do so”
Oooops, that is none of them then!
It’s unenforceable. And there
It’s unenforceable. And there are already laws/rules covering the use of cycling infrastructure (and it’s not dog walkers, taxis or delivery vans).
So, apart from making the local Labour party look like a bunch of complete fuckwits, what does this achieve? And people wonder why party membership is declining…
@ianrobo – it’s clear that you’ve seen this all before.
Does this mean I can spray
Does this mean I can spray paint a bike on the back window of every car parked in the bike lane and ride trails style over the top of them?
Leviathan wrote:
Far more effective to spray paint the word ‘Cockwombles’ across the members of the West Ham Labour Party and then ride over them trail bike style.
I like this as well: all
I like this as well: all cyclists should mandatorily use all available cycle lanes
All cyclists – worldwide, or just within the UK?
All available cycle lanes – All of them? At the same time? Do we have to set up a rota? What if one of us is ill and can’t cover their shift? What’s the minimum cyclist per length of cycle lane ratio for us to be able to comply?
And is mandatorily even a word?
I love this site, this is
I love this site, this is almost as good as the Haiku afternoon. Ohh that we could combine the two, could we, please?
Ahh but I have stuff that I need to do.
I too wish I had the skills, and tyres of Danny.
Oh, and just to be clear – a
Oh, and just to be clear – a “Shared use path” is NOT a cycle lane.
Councillors tinker
Councillors tinker
Enforce shit infrastructure
Yeah… good luck with that
I’m so glad glad I quit the
I’m so glad glad I quit the Labour Party last week. Sad what it has become and it’s lack of principles and leadership.
Labour deserve to be
Labour deserve to be annhilated in the next election. This is pathetic.
Just how out of touch do you
Just how out of touch do you have to be to become a member of West Ham Labour party? Is it only open to drivers of 4x4s? Do you have to be completely wedded to your car?
I’m sure Jeremy Corby will be having a quiet word about concentrating on those little things like, poverty, housing, pollution etc. Obviously West Ham doesn’t suffer any of those problems if they have time to propose and pass something as utterly idiotic as this.
Newham is a one party state
Newham is a one party state with Labours own Kim il Jung figure of a an elected mayor. Suspect the local constituency party aren’t allowed to play with the political equivalent of sharp objects, but someone thought it would be safe enough to let them talk about bikes.
To answer burtthebikes question, I don’t think any of the Newham crowd will own 4×4 s but that would represent an accurate count of the average IQ of those allowed out of the house to go to a party meeting.
And yes, the local cycling infrastructure is crap, apart from the velodrome, but obviously that’s not the council’s responsibility. Yet.
“Enshrined in Law” a
“Enshrined in Law” a beautiful phrase, not much used after 1890.
Quote:
Quote:
Where ever they exist, these should be used for the safety of themselves and all other road users.
I’m pretty sure that whether a cyclist uses a cycle lane or not, has no effect whatsoever on the safety of other road users…
when I’m listening to the traffic news I’m always thinking “wow all those cyclists that ‘nearly caused an accident’ have actually caused lots and lots”
As a Newham resident I can
As a Newham resident I can confirm as previous comments suggested that cycle lanes (segregated from traffic or on the road) are often in terrible condition, however the roads are often in no better condition. The bike lanes that are on the pavement are often covered in litter and filled with pedestrians, and as a cyclist who wishes to cycle more than 5m at a speed above 2kmh, the roads are a much better option, despite the drivers being as unaware of cyclists as a pedestrian in a Newham bike lane with a cyclist coming towards them!! To make bike lanes compulsory would mean changing the whole road infrastructure, the way that drivers learn to drive and in general the way that all road users and pedestrians act when putting themselves or other in a position where someone could be at risk of an accident. Too many times in Newham have the bike lanes been filled with potholes, pedestrians, “cyclists” going in the wrong direction, dirt, gravel, puddles, litter, parked cars etc. and to make these dangerous conditions compulsory would be putting in danger the lives of many people, including myself. I have received a lot of abuse from not cycling in bike lanes in the past, however I am/was fully aware that it is not compulsory to cycle in bike lanes, and the fact that drivers (who have supposedly passed both a theory and practical test in which they should study aspects of the highway code) are not aware of that and direct abuse towards someone who stops them from getting to a red light 2 seconds faster is an issue that should be addressed much more than the compulsory use of bike lanes. Rather than having a reform for cyclists who are aware that their lives are much more at risk, there should be reform among those who may endanger the lives of cyclists: pedestrians, drivers and other road users.
MHDennis wrote:
I’m not sure if it is just East London, but pedestrians seem to prefer walking in the marked lanes, often leaving the unmarked bit of pavement completely clear.
The demand to make the bike
The demand to make the bike lanes compulsory derives precisely from the fact that they are inferior: if they were superior, there would be no need to compel their use.
This is as true in West Ham as it is in the Netherlands, where cyclists are often to be found rolling the pavé while the motorist 3m to their left enjoys smooth tarmac (and a direct line at the next junction).
More: http://juliusbeezer.blogspot.fr/search/label/separatist-critique
Oh dear! Yet another reason
Oh dear! Yet another reason to stop voting Labour…
(The others being Jeremy Corbyn, the takeover of the party by the far Left, being such a useless Official Opposition under Corbyn, and their MPs voting for article 50).
“West Ham Labour Party passed
“West Ham Labour Party passed a motion”.
Ooh, Matron. It don’t half pen and ink.
What a bunch of wankers. I
What a bunch of wankers. I resigned from tje Labour Party over Iraq.
Before then I had been very active, ex Secretary of Sale LP, and pushed invironmentally policies through the Party and SERA . I wonder where the Party is going and it is events like this kill any thoughts I have of rejoining. One of Allende’s ministers said that socialism was only possible on a bicycle.
pga wrote:
Yep… Those griping about ‘the far left’ seem oblivious to Labour stopping being Labour under Blair. It’s become the New Tories to such an extent that people like Corbyn and McDonnell are held up as the problem.
It’s two irreconcilable parties, as it is, and the only hope of an opposition at the moment is a progressive alliance.
Couldn’t resist emailing them
Couldn’t resist emailing them : westhamlabour@gmail.com
Your are revealing your collective stupidity.
Cyclists WILL user proper cycle lanes that keep them safe. (Look to Holland etc)
Cyclists will not use the crappy painted routes along the edge of the kerb that pass for cycle lanes.
They are inherently dangerous:
1. They put cyclists in drivers blind spot.
2. The encourage drivers to overtake and turn left (left hook)
3. Many are painted along side parking bays for cars so there is danger of dooring.
4. They give cyclists poor visibility of traffic.
5. They encourage drivers to squeeze through on the right when the road is narrow.
6. They are often too narrow , where the road surface is poorest.
Your entire nonsense was put forward by some cycle hating idiot (no doubt convincing themselves it’s for cyclists good).
For safety,cCyclists learn to move to center on narrow roads and when crossing mouths of junctions. How many cycle lanes have you seen that follow that pattern?
Now imagine how a mandatory law would work, cyclists would now have move out at danger, and move left when clear, this creates unpredictable direction which itself is dangerous.
You guys are just dumb. At least speak to someone that regularly cycles (I mean every day).
Mandatory cycle lanes will work IF you properly invest in proper cycling infrastructure (clue : not paint). I suspect you dont wan’t to do that, you just have a cycle hater with too much gob on in your gang..