Councillors in attendance confirmed that they had recorded their pecuniary interests on the Council's register of interests.

The minutes were approved and signed with the following correction:

Item 23/16 was presented by Keith Bill, not Jeff Page. Forum members were advised that TfL consultation on Fiveways had been postponed to January 2017.
 

It was reported that there had been a low response to the invitation issued to Cycle Forum members in the summer and it was suggested that two future dates be put forward for such a ride.

Officers stated that this would change when new Key Performance Indicators are published by TfL. Some targets, such as the number of kilometres of segregated cycle lanes in the borough, will be set through the Local Improvement Plan (LIP). Forum members expressed the hope that targets would be more ambitious in the year to come. It was suggested that these should focus on making the town centre more cycle-friendly. The objective for Cycle Forum members will be to identify areas needing cycle-friendly provision, to include in plans for the town centre.

Forum members were reminded that all Mayoralty candidates were persuaded to subscribe to the following three pledges:
- ending lorry danger
- more safe space for cycling on main roads and at junctions
- a mini-Holland in every borough

Officers stated that an update on the Mayor's plans for a cycle-friendly capital was anticipated ahead of the November meeting. It was noted that the Mayor might be particularly interested in encouraging cycling and walking to improve air quality in the capital.
 

Forum members were informed that the borough now had 70 STARS accredited schools, and that the council, TfL and the Council are funding a Sustrans "Bike-it" officer, who was engaging with ten schools and supporting another twelve.

Forum members sought assurances that new schools coming on stream in the borough would receive the support required to become STARS accredited and thus limit the impact on local traffic as they open their doors.

Officers reported that no coroner's report was available yet on the fatal accident in St James Road.

The site had been visited by the Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, Cllr Stuart King, Cycle Forum members and officers.

It was pointed out that many HGVs used this road. Short-term measures are due to be followed by a range of long-term measures to improve safety in the area.

The fatal accident in Cherry Orchard Road had been caused by a cyclist slipping on tram rails and being hit by a bus. Some new design proposals have been put forward by TfL in this very complex area. The main improvement so far is the cyclists can bypass the traffic signals. However, it was felt that eastbound improvements were still needed and that safety measures should be installed to enable cyclists to turn across tram tracks safely. Officers suggested that a site visit be organized to explore solutions for the issues in this area.

Officers explained that youths on motorbikes had been involved in illegal races in the Imperial Way area. These races could attract hundreds of young people on quadbikes, motorbikes and spectators. This activity had led to a head-on collision between two young people, resulting in a fatality. To prevent such activity and its impact on the environment, physical traffic-calming features will be installed to render racing practically impossible, an advisory cycle route will be highighted and cycle road markings will be refreshed accordingly.

Officers informed Forum members that works in Frith Road and Crown Point were due to start in January 2017; a contraflow is now in place on the northernmost part of Violet Lane, new contraflow in place on Edridge Road and another is due to be introduced in Grange Road, Thornton Heath.

Officers informed Forum members that all resources had been put into establishing quietways through the centre of Croydon. They also stated that a meeting had been held on the day of this Cycle Forum meeting regarding a possible quietway running from Thornton Heath to Sutton via Croydon town centre.

Officers added that they were working on a second quietway to Greenwich and that they were facing two major challenges:
1- designing a route through Bromley with a segregated cycle lane
2- running the quietway through Lower Addiscombe Road in line with London Cycle Design Standards

Officers suggested that a draft route for the above quietway could be circulated to Forum members for comment.

Forum members were informed that there were no plans any more for a quietway through Norbury Avenue. However, officers planned to address the traffic problems in that street using LIP funding, with an emphasis on "liveability" rather than cycle friendliness.

This matter was discussed in the section on St James Road under item 44/16.

See item 44/16 above.

Officers confirmed that consultation was now closed and that nearly 1,000 responses had been received. Over 70% had been in favour of cycling across three parks. However, they stressed that this did not constitute a "vote". Officers added that concerns had been expressed regarding issues such as public safety and cycling on footways.

For Wandle Park, concerns had been expressed regarding going right up to the pavilion.

For Lloyd Park, respondents had voiced concerns about the impact of cycling on public events held there.

Success in introducing cycling in parks was likely to depend on managing the detail of cycling provision, especially in Park Hill.

The choice of appropriate parks had been made on the basis that they needed to be well lit throughout opening hours.
 

Officers undertook to circulate proposed designs for the area, which had already been shared with councilors, and to organize a site visit with Forum members.

Officers informed Forum members that these designs formed part of the Connected Croydon programme and that junction improvements were nearing completion. Forum members asked whether a written submission could be made on the risks to cyclists in the area.

Forum members were given an update on cycle training courses being offered to enable pupils to cycle safely to school.
 

Forum members gave an update on cycle swap shops in the borough, leading to 130 exchanges carried out over six markets.
 

An update was given regarding bikeability activities in Bensham school to show parents the outcome of cycle training for their children. The success of this event has led other schools to request such events to be held for their pupils and their parents.

 
The representative of Wheels for Wellbeing announced that the organization had run a number of popular sessions every week and had taken part in the multi-faith bike ride organized by "faiths Together in Croydon". They were also planning to work with members of "Croydon Vision" who had spoken at the June meeting of the Cycle Forum, to improve the North End environment to make it feel safer for both visually impaired people and cyclists using this thoroughfare. Both organisations were also planning to work together to devise a flyer for cyclists to raise awareness of issues experienced by visually impaired pedestrians in the proximity of fast riding cyclists.
 

Forum members discussed safety issues faced by cyclists riding in Crown Hill and getting caught in tram tracks. It was noted that the London Cycle Design Standards did not mention anything on the risks of cycling over tram tracks, but that a guide had been produced in Nottingham to raise awareness of these risks and how to manage them.