Coming to the eastern side of Barnet: Crossrail 2

Transport for London has just announced
new public consultation over Crossrail 2.

This is the Euston-St Pancras station, with two entrances:

Railway Gazette: "Thameslink Class 700 testing to begin soon [to Cricklewood, corrupt Brent Cross, Hendon and Mill Hill Broadway]"

Link to web site

"Siemens has now produced more than 380 of the 1 140 bodyshells for the Thameslink Class 700 Desiro City electric multiple-unit fleet at its Krefeld plant in Germany, with two eight-car Class 700/0 and 10 12-car Class 700/1 EMUs now completed.

"Two 12-car units have been delivered to the UK and are undergoing testing at the new depot in Three Bridges, which was officially opened on October 15.

"Siemens engineers are hoping to be able to undertake the first mainline test runs by the end of October, although the delivery programme does not actually require this until Christmas."

BRENT CROSS: Astonishing Pro-Cycling Turnabout by LB of Barnet and the Cuddly, Misunderstood People at Hammerson

"Here we present our final - and most informative - Streetfilm from Amsterdam. It provides a nice cross-section of commentary on life in the City of Bikes. If you'd like to skip directly to a certain section, use this table of contents:

0:17: Rejecting the Automobile
2:15: A bike system that works for everyone
4:05: There's a science to what looks like 'bicycle chaos'
5:55: Coming to The Netherlands from the United States
7:33: Dutch Bicycle Culture.

"Make sure you check out our other Streetfilms from Amsterdam: No Amsterdam is Not 'Swamped' By Bikes, Amsterdam Draws Bike Boxes to Organize Bike Parking, and Some Things You Might See While In Amsterdam.

"I still find it amazing that a five-year-old in Amsterdam can ride straighter and with more confidence than the average American adult!"

The Guardian: "Bike lane blues in Enfield: why don’t businesses want a £30m cycle-friendly upgrade?"

"A London borough plans to turn four traffic-filled roads into Dutch-style streets which are safer for bikes and pedestrians. Many shops and residents are up in arms, despite growing evidence the project will benefit the local economy. Why?"

Link to web site

"As cars stream past on both sides, a pedestrian perches on a tiny traffic island waiting for an opportunity to cross. A cyclist dodges round a 10-tonne lorry, held up by a driver trying to reverse into a tight parking space outside a high-street shop. Angry horns blare.

"It's intimidating to be on foot or a bike in a space dominated by motor vehicles. In that sense, this suburban street in north London is like many of the radial roads that flow in and out of cities the world over – not a particularly pleasant place to be.

"This road, though, has been given an opportunity to change. Transport for London has awarded the local authority, Enfield, £30 million from its 'Mini Holland' budget to transform four busy streets into routes with Dutch-inspired segregated bike lanes, where people feel safe to cycle and want to spend more time. Under the plans, Green Lanes is to get lightly segregated bike lanes running along both sides of the road; there will be six more zebra crossings for pedestrians; a bleak under-used public space will be remodelled with community involvement; pavements will be resurfaced; there will be more trees, more planters … Local residents and high street businesses must be thrilled?"

Independent Transport Commission: "On the Move: Exploring attitudes to road and rail travel in Britain"

"... On the issue of modal choice, the findings are striking in demonstrating that economic factors still remain a strong determinant of travel choice, with younger people especially concerned about the high cost of using a car relative to their income, including issues such as insurance, parking and learning to drive. The impact of concessionary and advance fares on public transport use is also an important driver, especially for younger people and pensioners. At the same time, location appears to be a key determinant for modal choice, due to the poor provision of public transport in rural areas. This is particularly the case with older people in rural areas who feel that they need to retain a car in order to preserve their independence.

"Modal choice also varies significantly across the different groups. The research demonstrates that young people are ‘falling out of love’ with the car, and place greater weight on alternative consumer products, while older people see the car as an important part of their lifestyle. At the same time, improvements in the accessibility of the public transport system are encouraging car owners to make more varied modal choices.

"... At the core of this research has been the desire to understand whether these attitudes are temporary or permanent features affecting travel behaviour. By comparing different age groups, it has been possible to see that there remain ‘tipping points’ in peoples’ lives at which point modal choice shifts. Such tipping points include starting a family, now more common in one’s 30s, at which point car ownership becomes more desirable; and also retirement, which often results in downsizing from a two to one car household.

"In spite of these factors, it is evident that across all groups we are seeing a rise in utilitarian attitudes towards car travel, which indicates that car ownership is likely to increasingly shift towards new forms of car access, such as car hire and car clubs. An equally significant factor pointing towards more permanent changes in attitudes is the way in which use of public transport modes when young increases the likelihood of continuing to use these later in life."

ITC ORR Road Rail Attitudinal Report Final[1]

Cricklewood Green Space: Barnet wasn't going to concrete it over, it was just the start of a debate. Apparently.

Link to Barnet Times

"This is [Hammerson's] Brent Cross" (sneer, sneer)

Sat 3 Oct: The Clitterhouse Farm Project: FILMS AT THE FARM

Link to web site

"THE CLITTERHOUSE FARM PROJECT are holding our second night of FREE cinema outside the front of Clitterhouse Farm in Clitterhouse Playing Fields, Cricklewood, NW2 on the 3rd October 2015.

"Many thanks to everyone who came to our first night on the 26th September for the screening of the Blues Brothers. It was a wonderful event and we hope you all enjoyed it."

COMING UP...

Saturday 3rd October - 7pm

Grow Your Own (2007)

Navin Shah AM: "Outer London: Understanding ‘The Doughnut’"

"Boris Johnson's refusal to face up to the housing crisis has allowed it to spill into the outer boroughs"

Link to web site

"It is now received wisdom that Outer London won Boris Johnson the mayoralty in 2008, and also comfortably delivered his second term.

"As a result, the issues facing Outer London are on the agenda in a way they were not previously with policies to win over the Outer London 'doughnut' sure to form a growing battleground.

"Yet despite his pledge to be a mayor for all zones, many of the changes promised to Outer London remain undelivered. There is no doubt that Outer London has been let down by Boris Johnson, who quickly fell into a 'central London first' focus.

"... The proposed Opportunity and Intensification Areas designed in Outer London to accommodate future economic growth are also doomed to fail if there is no strategic plan. The next mayor will need to have vision and focus to make regeneration projects like Brent Cross and Old Oak Common successful and relevant to Outer London Boroughs."