Annual Meeting, Tuesday 24th March, online!

Our annual meeting is on Tuesday and will be held online, 8-9:30pm. Please email contact@wfcycling.org.uk if you would like to attend and we will send you an invite.

Agenda

1. Introductions.
2. Review of previous minutes
   • Please read the previous meeting minutes in advance if you want to comment on them.
   • No follow-up items identified.
3. Coordinator’s report
   • Published here
4. Treasurer’s report
   • Published here
   • Budget – May want to reallocate some budget for online promotion this year as we won’t be able to do it in person?
5. Council liaison report
6. Motions
   • None submitted
7. Election of Officers (nominations, candidates have an opportunity to speak, then votes)
   • Coordinator
   • Chair
   • Secretary
   • Treasurer
   • Council Liaison Officer
   • Rides Coordinator
8. Important Business
   • All face to face events cancelled until further notice.
   • Which organisations can help people get a bike?
   • Which organisations can help people repair a bike?
   • Are there any other ways we can help people get or repair bikes?
   • Opportunity to recruit volunteers for web based activities.
9. Any Other Business
   • Success stories

Next monthly meeting: Tuesday 28th of April, online!

Any additional items for the agenda please comment below, or email contact@wfcycling.org.uk

WFCC is part of the London Cycling Campaign, the world’s largest urban cycling organisation. You don’t need to be an LCC member to attend our meetings, but if you like what we do please consider joining LCC to help support our work. Members also receive discounts in many bike shops, insurance and other benefits.

WFCC 2020 Plan

In the past few years conditions for cycling have improved greatly in Waltham Forest. This has been mainly due to the mini-Holland schemes (now coming to a close). The work will continue with Liveable Neighbourhoods and other schemes.

There are a wide range of rides in the borough with WFCC rides (including the Family Bike Club) most weekends. Going forwards, we want to capitalise on the infrastructure improvements by getting more people out on their bikes more often.

Objectives for 2020:

• Outreach – Engage with communities and organisations in Waltham Forest to promote cycling. 
• New and returning cyclists – Help people take up cycling (for the first time, or after a gap) and make more journeys by bike. 
• All Ability Cycling – Enable people of all abilities to have the opportunity to cycle.
• Family Cycling – Help families cycle for fun and for regular journeys.

Ongoing Project and Potential Projects

Rather than follow with a list aspirations, we’ve put together a list of specific achievable projects which follow from the four objectives. These are projects we can present to the community and potential volunteers with encouragement for them to get involved if they want to make it happen. Our volunteer capacity is only enough to do about half of these and the amount of support we receive will decide which projects are taken forward.

• Rides
  • We are always looking for volunteers to help marshal our rides – we provide ‘on the job’ training and support with the potential for ride leader training later in the year.
  • Support the Newcomers Ride and relocating to Leyton Jubilee Park – step free rides, borrowing council bikes and potential to include adapted bikes and cargo bikes.
• Families / Schools
  • Encourage parents to set up ‘Bike Buses’ to enable family groups to cycle to school together.
  • Support seven school streets to be consulted on in early 2020 and get together parents to engage with each school during and after the consultation. 
• Outreach
  • Work with colleges and community groups to encourage cycling – volunteers needed to make contact with local groups.
  • Volunteers for stalls over the summer at community events to promote cycling, including volunteers to help organise events..
  • Organise an interfaith bike ride
  • Promotion and media – getting wider exposure for our activities and reach new people (see items in bold on calendar).
• All Ability Cycling
  • Volunteers need to support all ability sessions in borough and help us develop and and expand the opportunities.
• Other:
  • London Cycling Data Project – help map cycling infrastructure in Waltham Forest and encourage others to get involved. Organise mapping expeditions in the summer with the aim of having the entire borough mapped by the end of the year.

Ongoing work:

• Support volunteers.
• Share opportunities to get involved and enable people to shape how we work and what we do.
• Partner with other organisations to run projects and improve cycling opportunities.
• Identify gaps in available rides and organise additional rides where possible.
• Campaign for cycling schemes and further infrastructure improvements.
• Share knowledge with other cycling groups.

Calendar

Meetings are normally held on the 4th Tuesday of the month and currently we have them every month except August and December. Key events in bold.

• March – Annual Meeting
• April – Meeting: Bike week planning, publicity & logistics
• May – Meeting
• June – Cyclist Tea, Family Cycling Fun Day – Sunday 28th, Meeting
• July – Tour de Waltham Forest might be 5th July TBC, Meeting. Kidical mass or glamour ride?
• August – Ride London, Summer Social
• September – Car Free Day?, Meeting
• October – Meeting
• November – Meeting
• December – Twinkly Sparkly Ride, Winter Social (cafe after ride)

Volunteer with us!

We’re a volunteer led organisation and we need more volunteers to run all the projects we’d like to run.

We try to link new volunteers with activities suited to their interests and skills, and provide support to help them succeed (and hopefully enjoy it too!).

We try to strike the right balance between ambition and our volunteer capacity so we’re able to grow the group, make a difference and not overload people with tasks.

Please get in contact if you would like to help out: fred@wfcycling.org.uk

March Rides & Events in Waltham Forest

Sunday 1 March – 10am, Leytonstone @ McDonald’s
The E11 Ride to Yi-Ban restaurant in the London Regatta Centre, Royal Docks (advanced)
Join us for the (almost) annual trip for a very special treat, the excellent Yi-Ban Restaurant! Meet outside McDonald’s in Leytonstone High Street E11 for 10am departure. If you have questions, call Dwight on 07973 131429.

Sunday 1 March – 11am, The Mill, Coppermill Lane, E17
The Sunday Cycle (intermediate)
This is Katja’s goodbye, so come and say hello! The ride will continue, but most likely with Nic permanently at the helm. Massive thanks to Katja for years for excellent rides.
Meet outside The Mill in Coppermill Lane at 11am for a gentle ride of c. 20km / 13 miles. Return c. 4pm. If you have questions, contact Katja at katjarosenberg@hotmail.com or 07799 411 587.

Sunday 8 March – 1pm, Orford Rd / Church Lane by the Ancient House E17
Walthamstow Family Bike Club’s Open Spaces Ride (intermediate)
A relaxed and enjoyable afternoon travelling by bicycle and exploring the nooks and crannies in and around our borough. Frisbees sometimes materialise when we hit a suitable open space.
We aim to stop off at a café at about half-time, but we recommend you bring a snack and some water.

Sunday 15 March – 10:30am, Walthamstow Town Square
Take the Peaceful Route with Nic (advanced)
Meet from about 10:30 for an 11 o’clock start outside Walthamstow Library / Farmers’ Market.
Join Nic for the peaceful ride over mixed surfaces (be ready for a bit of mud!). The destination and direction of the ride will be discussed at the start and will account for wind speed and direction and may be train-assisted – so take your Oyster or contactless debit card with you.

Sunday 15 March – 1:15–3:30pm, Leyton Jubilee Park, Seymour Rd E10 7LX
WFBC’s & JoyRiders’ Newcomers Ride (beginners)
Please note the new time and location of this popular ride, now co-hosted by JoyRiders!
The perfect ride for those new to cycling, including families with young children, and will especially appeal to those who don’t have the stamina or confidence for our longer ‘Open Spaces’ excursions on the 2nd Sunday each month.
No bike? No problem! Book a bike here!

Due to the virus all LCC group rides are cancelled until further notice.

Meeting: Tuesday 25th February

Our monthly meeting is on Tuesday and all cyclists are welcome – 8pm to 9:30pm in the Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street, E17 9AH

The major topics for this month are:

1. Climate Campaign briefing
2. Planning events for the summer
3. Space for Cycling in Waltham Forest
4. Finishing on time – I’ve added timings!

Agenda

8:05 – Introductions

• Appointment of minute taker – Caroline has volunteered. Apologies: Paul, Dan, Sarah.
• Successes and Achievements – Share your news!
• Any comments on the previous meeting minutes?

8:10 – Campaigning, Outreach and LCC

• LCC’s climate campaign for the 2020 mayoral election
  • Campaign briefing event 25th March – any volunteers?
• Safeguarding reminder
• Treasurer role – is anyone interested?

8:30 – Working Groups

• Motherload update: Sarah/Caroline
• Any other updates from working groups?

8:40 – Events

• ? June ?, Cyclist Tea – David – Stall, Dr. Bike?
• Saturday, 6th June – Motherload – Sarah and Caroline – Stall?
• Sunday, 28th June – Family Cycling Fun Day – Sarah – Stall
• Sunday, early July – Tour de Waltham Forest – WF (need to contact) – Stall
• Late August (when?) – Summer Social in Leyton? – Fred – Stall? Dr. Bike?
• Sunday Late September – Car Free Day – WF/Mayor – Stall? Ride?

8:55 – Rides

• Emergency/contact cards are here!
• Ride leader report back
• Ride leader training feedback and next steps: Caroline

9:10 – Council Liaison

This is where we talk about Space for Cycling and high quality safe infrastructure suitable for all abilities. Briefing to include:

• WFCC was not kept in the loop over the Grove Green Road two way track running from Cathall Rd to Lanthorne Rd which has been consulted on via traffic order and is about to be constructed. 2.5m wide, no car parking buffer zone. Carriageway width brought down to absolute minimum so it doesn’t seem there is anything further that can be done to improve the design until one side of car parking removed.
• Markhouse series 4 filters and place-making going ahead, thanks to the smart campaign headed up by Gen of door knocking yielding comfortable majorities in favour of the scheme for every road.
• Henry Maynard school street to go live in 23 Mar. 4 other school streets being developed.
• Q2 signage removal, and replacement with Cycleway27 signage & routing via Black Path once this section complete – WFCC have formally agreed to this, and proposed routing via Markhouse Avenue (once South Grove tracks & roundabout zebras complete & bus gate and associated Coppermill LN works are complete). Only other issues to be tackled would be the narrow blind bend section under the rail bridge (South Grove/Selborne Road) and the right turn from Markhouse Road into Markhouse Avenue.
• Lea Bridge Road:
  • Mark Bland (Waltham Forest Highways Officer) is chasing developers over Essex Wharf wall louvres to improve side road sight-lines for eastbound cycles (just after they pass over canal bridge).
  • East-bound at Argall Way development. S106 planning gain – track alongside bus stop will not be widened as per advice WFCC received 3-4 years ago.
  • Poplars Road junction design (to stop footway parking) is complete (and will be sent to Paul).
  • Footway from Hospital Rd to Whipps X interchange will be returned to shared use (after PG provided evidence it used to be before works started). Current zebras at junction will be signalised shortly. 

Feedback & any other Waltham Forest issues?

9:20 – Any other business?

9:25 – Summary of action points by minute taker

9:30 – Annual meeting – 24th March, please bring your membership card if you have one!

Any additional items for the agenda please comment below, or email contact@wfcycling.org.uk

WFCC is part of the London Cycling Campaign, the world’s largest urban cycling organisation. You don’t need to be an LCC member to attend our meetings, but if you like what we do please consider joining LCC to help support our work. Members also receive discounts in many bike shops, insurance and other benefits.