Darren Johnson AM has urged the Mayor of London through two formal questions to respond to the concerns of local residents and back a scheme for more cycle parking in the vicinity of Abbey Wood station.
At present, there are just ten cycle parking spaces at the temporary Abbey Wood station and demand for the racks is said to regularly outstrip the number of available places. A greater number of spaces will be installed when the new Crossrail station opens but this will not happen until 2017.
Darren has suggested that the urgent need for more cycle parking could be addressed immediately through the £150,000 that the Mayor of London awarded to the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley in March 2015 through his High Street Fund.
Darren will table the following questions at the 15th July session of Mayor’s Question Time and the Mayor should provide a response within a week of the meeting:
Cycle parking facilities at Abbey Wood rail station (1)
Question No: 2015/2066
Darren Johnson
There are currently just ten cycle parking spaces at the temporary Abbey Wood rail station. These were installed in 1987 and given the increase in cycling in London since that time such provision is now wholly inadequate. Can you therefore ensure that there will be adequate new cycle parking facilities when the new Abbey Wood Crossrail station opens here in 2017?
Cycle parking facilities at Abbey Wood rail station (2)
Question No: 2015/2067
Darren Johnson
I am informed by Crossrail, Southeastern and Network Rail that increasing the number of bicycle parking bays available at Abbey Wood temporary rail station is not possible due to concerns around station safety, the station evacuation procedure and future access requirements. Network Rail are, however, currently in discussions with LB Greenwich and LB Bexley around whether bicycle parking spaces can be installed outside of the station footprint in the public realm in the immediate term. In March through your High Street Fund you awarded £150,000 to these boroughs to 'futureproof Wilton Road for the arrival of Crossrail, and support major housing growth planned for the immediate area'. Do you agree that a portion of these funds should be allocated specifically to the provision of more cycle parking spaces so that the demand for bike parking here - which currently hugely outstrips supply - is met? ENDS
Notes to editors
1. Darren is available for further comment
2. Details of the Mayor’s High Street Fund award for Abbey Wood are available here under ‘High Street Fund Projects’: /priorities/regeneration/high-streets/funding-programmes/high-street-fund