Havering Healthy Weight Strategy 2024 – 2029

This is the response from Havering Cyclists and Better Streets for Havering to the council’s consultation on the Havering Healthy Weight Strategy and which was submitted to the council on 24th February 2024. Introduction We were pleased to see the Needs Assessment recognising that peoples’ environment is one of the influences and that it has

Proposed changes to bus routes 346, 347 and 497

TfL has announced proposals to change bus routes 346, 347 and 397. TfL states; “Following the Mayor’s announcement that the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded London-wide in August, we are undertaking a number of bus consultations across outer London to strengthen alternatives to private cars and maximise the benefits of expanding the

Expanding the ULEZ

One of the three key asks of our campaign is “clean air – air that is clean to breathe to protect the most vulnerable in our communities” and so we are in support of the expansion of the ULEZ to Outer London. Road transport in London is the largest contributor to air pollution [1] and

Bash The Barriers

Better Streets for Havering has been working with Havering Cyclists for some time on a campaign to push Havering Council and other land owners/ controllers to deal with the many barriers to access the have installed over the years. This week (Wednesday), we wrote to the chief executive of Havering Council to highlight the problem,

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are nothing new in Havering

One of our ten asks is that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) are rolled out across the borough to create networks of quieter streets where children can play outside, neighbours can catch up, air pollution is lower and walking and cycling are the natural choice for everyday journeys. They also connect to main roads with cycle

We Need To Talk About Gallows Corner

Gallows Corner is in the news again with the threat that its owner, Transport for London, may have to close it because of a lack of funds due the impacts of Covid-19. Almost predictably, local politicians jump on the “we need to sort Gallows Corner out” bandwagon and all nuance is lost. There are two

Minster Way – Small But Radical

The council currently has an experimental traffic scheme running in Minster Way, Hornchurch, not that you would know as it doesn’t feature on the authority’s consultation hub. We think this is a shame as it is a great of example of something which can be rolled out quickly and tried, rather than spending months or

Healthy Streets Scorecard 2021

In the 2021 Healthy Streets Scorecard, Havering Council did poorly for the third year in a row. In 2019 and 2020, it came last out of the 33 boroughs and the City of London, although this year, it did mange to haul itself into 32nd place. This isn’t a cause for celebration however, because the

When it rains, it pours

Havering was hit by heavy rain and flash flooding in recent days and the news headlines and social media tended to call on the local authority to do more to clear gullies and drains. It’s a pretty standard reaction which is not unique to Havering, but it’s a superficial call and ignores the realities facing