Presentation given to the Kingston upon Thames Society on the need to promote cycling locally and what can be done to achieve this

1. Promoting cycling
in Kingston

2. I want to talk about cycling, not cyclists –
bad behaviour is found in all groups
Pedestrian moans
● Stopping suddenly
● Not looking where
they are going
● Crossing the road
after the lights have
changed
● Walking 2 or more
abreast to fill the
width of the path
● Blocking entrances
and exits to shops
● Using cycle lanes
Car driver moans
● Parking by dropped
kerbs, on double-
yellow lines etc.
● Going through red
lights
● Speeding
● Not stopping to let
pedestrians cross
● Overtaking
dangerously
● Not letting buses
pull out
Commuter moans
● Not letting the
passengers off first
● Standing by the bus
exit
● Not taking care of
shoulder bags on
tubes
● Waiting to get to
barrier to look for
ticket
● Paying bus fare with
cash requiring
change

3. Cyclists are not a significant threat to other
people, they are the ones getting hurt
● Every year around 3,000 cyclist are seriously injured in
road traffic accidents
● In 2012 road deaths were cyclists (118), pedestrians
(420) and car occupants (801)
● One pedestrian was killed and 78 were seriously
injured by cyclists
● Of these only 20 were injured on pavements, most
were injured stepping out in to the road
● In 2011, 6 people were killed by dogs, 9 by other
mammals, 2 by wasps and 8 by suffocation in bed

4. We should encourage cycling in Kingston
because it brings many benefits
● Cycling would reduce the number of journeys made
by car and so improve congestion, pollution and
parking blight
● Cycling would encourage additional journeys where
car driving is inconvenient and so improve commerce
and leisure
● Cycling is a healthy activity
● Cycling is a form of recreation
● Cycling is a sport

5. Pollution is a significant problem,
across London and in Kingston

6. Current provision in Kingston is limited,
disjointed and poorly maintained
● Cycle lanes are few and disjointed, with no routes
through the centre, forcing cycles to battle with either
cars or pedestrians
● A lot of the cycling provision is shared with
pedestrians, e.g. Richmond Park and Canbury
Gardens, who often pay cyclists little heed
● There is a lack of secure parking for cycles at key
locations
● Cycle ways are not always well maintained, bikes need
to avoid the pot holes that cars do not notice

7. Making space for cycles means making
some choices that impact other users
● Pedestrians and cyclists can co-exists, most other
northern European countries prove that, as long as
shared provision is planned properly
● Cycles should also be given more dedicated space
which means we need to either create new capacity or
take existing capacity way from cars or pedestrians

8. The mini-Holland programme has some
clear and sensible objectives
● Reduce transport's contribution to climate change, and
improve resilience to the effects of climate change
● Reduce congestion and traffic levels in Kingston
Borough
● Create safer communities and a safer transport
network
● Improve transport opportunities and enhance the
quality of life for all Kingston residents
● Sustain and share economic growth and prosperity

9. The proposed projects cover a lot of the
Borough but also ignores some others

10. There will be better routes to and through
Kingston town centre

11. These will be part of larger networks

12. There is more that we could do to help
cyclists and pedestrians
● Ban parking anywhere near schools to encourage both
cycling and walking
● Ban cars from Richmond Park on certain days (e.g.
every Sunday) to give the roads to cyclists and the
shared paths to walkers
● Improve the regulations applying to HGVs etc. to give
better protection to cyclists and walkers, e.g. mirrors
and bumpers
● Clarify that some laws designed for cars do not need
to apply to cycles, e.g. some speed limits

13. My key messages
● Cycling is a good idea and we should encourage it
enthusiastically
● Current provision in Kingston is limited, disjointed
and poorly maintained – this needs to be fixed
● Mini-Holland will help but it is not the magic bullet
that will solve all the problems
● We should be pushing for other schemes too,
especially for destinations like schools, shops and
parks, and in overlooked areas like Chessington