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East London residents: Stop the 'Cycling Taliban'

Petition calls on Mayor to reverse Waltham Forest 'mini-Holland' road closures...

Drivers and residents of East London have branded plans to create a mini-Holland the work of a "cycling Taliban”.

Residents of Waltham Forest say the £30 million scheme, which will involve road closures and driving restrictions, is creating pollution and delays as it gets underway.

A petition, signed by more than 3,500 people, calls for the Mayor Sadiq Khan to reopen roads. The petition comes in the same week that the Waltham Forest Mini Holland scheme won an award from the Chartered Institute of Highways & Transportation and was praised by judges for the environmental benefits it had delivered for local residents and businesses. 

Two major London cycling schemes win awards for transportation excellence

The anti Mini Holland petition says:

Since the road closures the traffic congestion and pollution on the roads that haven't been closed has increased massively

Road closures have greatly increased journey times for all of us. People particularly affected include people with disabilities and their carers; emergency vehicles; delivery lorries; refuse collectors; small businesses; women needing to trip-chain; bus users.

Closing roads has absolutely nothing to do with encouraging cycling. Other boroughs have implemented great and welcome improvements for cyclists without closing roads.

Wendy Davis, who helped set up the petition and called the campaigners a 'cycling Taliban', told the Evening Standard: “No one is against cycling. Many of the people signing the petition are cyclists themselves but anyone opposing any aspect of mini-Holland is branded as a wicked environment polluter and much worse.

“No-one can explain why closing roads assists cyclists in any way. Closing roads drives all the traffic onto fewer streets. What about the poor people who live, work, walk, go to school on those streets?”

And fellow protester Christine Grieg said: “I don’t think it’s lessening pollution and any increased quietness in residential streets is more than made up for with increased congestion on main roads.”

But Simon Monk from the Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign said: "These claims that it's caused Armageddon are just not the case. A lot of the claims made on the petition are kind of scaremongering.

"Sadiq Khan has publicly pledges to protect funding for mini-Hollands in London boroughs with certain conditions. We're going to get more of these things, not less, right across London.”

A spokesman for Waltham Forest council said: "We’re improving public spaces, introducing routes to help residents who choose to walk or cycle and in some cases where appropriate, closing roads to vehicles so residents have less traffic, noise and pollution outside their homes.

"Each area is looked at individually and a road will only be closed to vehicles if the residents living there say during the consultation that they want it closed. If the majority want it kept open, it will stay open.

"The bottom line is that local people make the decision, not people living in other areas.”

In February, we reported how the court documents for the failed case to stop Waltham Forest's mini-Holland scheme were published online, with the judge ruling against any possibility of appeal saying: "The ... way in which the application is made shows the unfortunate tendency in this case for the claimant's argument to shift."

The damning court evidence came after last November’s case, where we reported how the group E17 Streets for All had an attempt to have the initiative blocked thrown out of court.

E17 Streets for All claimed that the borough had not followed the consultation process correctly, but was ordered to pay the council costs of £12,000.

Solicitor Sarah Williams, its representative, was given 28 days to pay the costs.

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17 comments

Avatar
niico | 8 years ago
1 like

The kid that Taleb nicked that bike off must be hella pissed...

Avatar
niico | 8 years ago
0 likes

If they are the cycling Taleban - all I can say is Allah hu Akbar! ALLAH HU AKBAR!

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Danger Dicko | 8 years ago
0 likes

As soon as she said Taliban I stopped listening to her.

Crazy woman.

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forcrz6 | 8 years ago
6 likes

I am really confused as if this is an upgrade from Cycling Nazi or just a lateral movement. 

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
5 likes

I don't think this is a laughing matter. Seriously, if you see someone like this riding around the Waltham Forest area, please report it to the Police.

#youaintnocyclistbro!

Avatar
ragtag replied to Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
0 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

I don't think this is a laughing matter. Seriously, if you see someone like this riding around the Waltham Forest area, please report it to the Police.

#youaintnocyclistbro!

I see he isn't taking any risks - not going with disc brakes

Avatar
forcrz6 replied to Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
5 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

I don't think this is a laughing matter. Seriously, if you see someone like this riding around the Waltham Forest area, please report it to the Police.

#youaintnocyclistbro!

OMG That is so unsafe. What is he thinking riding around like that? No Helmet or Hi Vis he is going to get hurt. 

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to forcrz6 | 8 years ago
4 likes
forcrz6 wrote:

Mungecrundle wrote:

I don't think this is a laughing matter. Seriously, if you see someone like this riding around the Waltham Forest area, please report it to the Police.

#youaintnocyclistbro!

OMG That is so unsafe. What is he thinking riding around like that? No Helmet or Hi Vis he is going to get hurt. 

I'd like to see the research carried out; "who gets fewer close passes? Cyclists in hi vis or cyclists with AK47s? "

Avatar
davel replied to forcrz6 | 8 years ago
1 like

forcrz6 wrote:

Mungecrundle wrote:

I don't think this is a laughing matter. Seriously, if you see someone like this riding around the Waltham Forest area, please report it to the Police.

#youaintnocyclistbro!

OMG That is so unsafe. What is he thinking riding around like that? No Helmet or Hi Vis he is going to get hurt. 

 

Plus his seat position - storing up knee problems for later in life, he is.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
2 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

I don't think this is a laughing matter. Seriously, if you see someone like this riding around the Waltham Forest area, please report it to the Police.

#youaintnocyclistbro!

Reminds me of the research I wanted to do when at uni for the first time.  Dress normally, ride bike, keep log of number of transgressions by other road users.  Dress normally, ride bike, have what looks like a shotgun strapped on the rack, keep log of number of transgressions by other road users.

My tutor wouldn't allow me to do it, but perhaps Dr Ian Walker might like to consider it?

Avatar
zanf replied to Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
1 like

Mungecrundle wrote:

I don't think this is a laughing matter. Seriously, if you see someone like this riding around the Waltham Forest area, please report it to the Police.

#youaintnocyclistbro!

We have ways and means of making you cycle!

//i.imgur.com/hjeF03N.jpg)

Avatar
ChrisB200SX | 8 years ago
5 likes

Can the terms Taliban and ISIS be added to Godwin's Law?

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redhanded replied to ChrisB200SX | 8 years ago
0 likes

ChrisB200SX wrote:

Can the terms Taliban and ISIS be added to Godwin's Law?

 

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

Is this Godwin's Law or do we need a whole new Law for Taliban references?

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bikebot | 8 years ago
2 likes

I'm confident the petition will get about 5000 signatures, the same as all the other petitions.

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Housecathst | 8 years ago
7 likes

So is Wendy Davis part of the motoring taliban ? 

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LegalFun | 8 years ago
5 likes

They are probably the same people moaning about rat-runners anyway.

 

Avatar
ragtag | 8 years ago
16 likes

Plenty of people can and have explained why closing roads works and the benefits - they just chose not to listen. Increase in traffic on nearby roads in the short term is and was expected. In time it will change as people realise they can do the same trip, on a bike, quicker. But some people will keep their heads in the sand as long as possible.

The irony of this is looking at photos of a protest they held on a closed street - casually walking around chatting. See, great for social life too! 

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