High Streets for All

I live near off one of the busiest roads A107 (Upper Clapton Road) in Hackney. The pollution levels are very high and there is always a lot of traffic. It’s quite a dangerous area as a cyclist as there are few cycle lanes and several junctions/ roundabouts that are not currently safe on a bike.

I also live in a house share with five other people- who all cycle. Hackney is one of the densely populated boroughs in London meaning there is little room for storing bikes in our homes or parking bikes on our streets. Many people in urban communities across the country also do not have access to bikes. This affects their physical and mental health, as well as the environment and their access to skills and job opportunities. The barriers preventing bike ownership include cost, culture and education.

To help boost cycling and other forms of active travel I would love a community cycling hub in my area: essentially a multi-purpose bike storage facility. The hub would also offer access to bikes, repair services, and training to empower people with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to cycle more to help boost cycling amongst underrepresented groups. It would be a safe place to store bikes, rent bikes and repair bikes. It would be situated near other transport links e.g. the overground or bus stops so that you can park your bike there when travelling to other parts of the city that aren’t accessible by bike.

It could also have an air pollution monitor attached to the building to monitor air quality and have a display to alert passers-by when air pollution levels are high for those with respiratory problems and other advice on how to reduce your exposure to air pollution. To compliment the cycle hub there could also be segregated Dutch style cycle lanes along the A107 similar to the ones that have been cropping up across London over the past year.