According to a press release issued by Enfield Council today, a majority of people who responded to the public consultation about the A105 Cycle Enfield proposals indicated that they were in favour of the scheme going ahead.
The press release states that "60 per cent of the 1,646 people consulted said they supported the plans, while just 40 percent were opposed to them". However, the Cycling Weekly website breaks down the in favour submissions into two subcategories: in favour - 51 per cent, and partially in favour - 9 per cent.
The council hope to start work on the Green Lanes scheme in spring next year - though it will first have to be approved by Transport for London (TfL), which is providing the bulk of the money for the scheme. One of TfL's functions is, of course, to manage bus services within Greater London. As yet it is unclear to what extent TfL share the concerns expressed by some residents about the potential impact of the cycle lanes on bus schedules, particularly the proposed removal of some sections of bus lane, eg southbound through Palmers Green and northbound along London Road, Enfield.
The degree of public support for Cycle Enfield has come as a surprise to anti-cycle lanes campaigners, who have made repeated assertions that the vast majority of residents were opposed to the scheme. In an article in today's Evening Standard the Mayor of London's Cycling Commissar, Andrew Gilligan, sets out his explanation for the public's approval of the scheme and predicts that, though "this may sound weird, but even drivers, in the end, will benefit from these schemes".
The positive response to the A105 cycle lanes scheme is good news for residents who have been working with the Council to develop proposals for Quieter Neighbourhoods - smaller schemes designed to make residential side streets quieter and safer. In the case of the Fox Lane and Connaught Gardens Quieter Neighbourhoods, an impressive degree of consensus had emerged about what changes were needed. For instance, a scheme to curb rat running between Hedge Lane and the North Circular - something which is currently causing great nuisance to people living at the eastern end of Hazelwood Lane and particularly to residents of Callard Avenue and Arnold Gardens.
After the very positive work achieved in workshops for the first tranche of Quieter Neighbourhoods, things have gone very quiet. As was revealed on the Palmers Green Community forums last week, this is because the schemes had been quietly put on hold pending progress with Cycle Enfield. Not just so that they can be coordinated with changes to the A105 and other main roads, but also because Quieter Neighbourhoods depend on TfL funding, which will only be available if the main Cycle Enfield proposals go head.
The full text of the press release:
Majority back Cycle Enfield plans
Plans for a pedestrian and cycle-friendly transformation of Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill have received a major boost after they won the backing of local people. The plans for Palmers Green, which are being funded through the Mayor of London’s £30 million Mini Holland fund, will see the town centre improved with wider pavements, more trees, bike lanes, landscaping, and more car parking. There will be extra parking spaces serving the shopping area and there will also be major improvements to the Winchmore Hill area with a safe, separated cycle track running from Palmers Green to Enfield Town allowing people to make local journeys by bike instead of car. Despite campaigners against the plans claiming they were “deeply unpopular” and would benefit only “1 per cent” of the population, the number of people who said they were in favour of Enfield Council’s Cycle Enfield plans outnumbered those opposing them by two to one new research has shown.
In all, 60 per cent of the 1,646 people consulted said they supported the plans, while just 40 percent were opposed to them Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: “The silent majority have spoken – and shown they actually like our plans, despite a vocal campaign which has been spreading disinformation about what the proposals would actually mean for Palmers Green. “The funding we have received from the Mayor of London gives us a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform our town centres, boost business, revolutionise our transport links and transform our borough into one which meets the needs of residents, businesses and people travelling through it. “We’ve always said we’d listen to people who got involved in the consultation and we have, and now residents recognise that this scheme is going to improve their quality of life and bring dramatic improvements to this part of the borough. “Most people recognise that our Cycle Enfield scheme for Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill is good for residents, good for business, good for health and good for the borough and I am delighted that the people who took part in the consultation were so positive about the project.”
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “It is very gratifying that the people of Enfield have spoken to back these plans to benefit the entire town. If this scheme did only benefit cyclists, it would not have been so widely supported. “People in Palmers Green, the vast majority of them non-cyclists, understand that it will transform a traffic-dominated town centre into more attractive place for everyone: a place where people want to be, whether or not they are on a bike.” The Mayor’s cycling commissioner, Andrew Gilligan, said: “This is now the third Mini-Holland scheme, after those in Waltham Forest and Kingston, to be backed by a clear majority of local people in a consultation. These schemes are popular. One of the lessons of this process, I think, is that those who make the most noise aren’t always the most representative.
“We and the council are listening to residents and businesses who have concerns, and we’ve always said we’ll make changes to get the details right. But both we – and our opponents – must also listen to the majority who say these plans are a good thing, and want them to happen.” The Palmers Green proposals will be submitted to Transport for London for approval, and, if obtained, work will start in the Spring of 2016.
