Funding, Bike Hangers & 20-Minute Cities

We're sharing details of recent funding success, how to access cycle storage, and links to a recent webinar on 20-minute cities featuring a contribution from DeptfordFolk chair and Mayor of London Green Space commissioner, Trina Lynskey.

We are pleased to let you know that the Deptford Challenge Trust have awarded us a £4,000 grant to continue our very popular Second Sunday Cycle Workshops

We run the workshops every second Sunday of the month from Ron Hoskins Scout Hall on Childers Street. Over the last 6-months we have largely kept the workshops running safely and securely with social distancing measures in place.

As a result of the upsurge in residents taking up cycling as a primary mode of travel we have seen long queues. This grant will help the huge diversity of people that come to the sessions keep their bikes on the road, to stay fit, healthy and safe during these unprecedented times.

We'd like to thank our volunteers and those from Lewisham Cyclists for keeping the workshops running these last few months.

Please nominate the Second Sunday workshops for a Lewisham Mayor's Volunteer Award HERE which this year looks to recognise organisations that have supported residents through the COVID pandemic.

The DPLN project has seen the installation of cycle storage hangers across the area. The units are built by CycleHoop who have a workshop in Sydenham, Lewisham. They provide accessible, safe and secure storage for up to 6 bikes with an allowance for two per household.

If you want a cycle hanger on your street or on your estate you can request one from Lewisham Council.

1. Check if there is a vacancy in a hanger nearby HERE
2. Request one on your street or estate by filling in a form HERE

Lewisham Council (LBL) state that all installations are dependent on funding. This means they are not able to install bike hangars at every location requested. Installation is also dependent on:

1. the number of requests for a bike hangar in a specific location
2. support from your ward councillors
3. whether or not the surrounding properties can house bikes
4. existing bike hangars with vacancies nearby.

Although most of the hangers in place now have been funded by the DPLN project, there is a great deal of S106/CIL cash that could go towards funding cycle hangers for residents. We suggest you get 6 or more neighbours to COMPLETE THIS TEMPLATE FORM and email a scan or photo of the form to our local councillors to request one for you.

We have written an email template for you HERE to add your form to and send on to our councillors. Be sure to follow up for a response.

According to LBL Each bike hangar space costs £60 a year to rent including VAT (equal to £5 a month), plus a £25 returnable key deposit. It is however entirely FREE to park your car on the streets of Evelyn.

There is an equalities issue here and one that is at odds with the council's own policy to encourage active travel. Cycle hangers should be provided free of charge for residents just as it is free for residents to park cars on the streets.

In neighbouring Greenwich they ask for a refundable deposit for the key. It's that simple. Evelyn has the lowest car ownership in Lewisham and we believe the council should support residents to take-up active travel by providing secure storage.

We ask is for cycle storage to be equitable. Make it fair.

Having safe and secure storage for bikes make sustainable travel possible for many. Environmentally friendly transport and accessible streets can reduce pollution, improve air quality and help us all stay fit and healthy.

As the COVID pandemic continues it is vital that Lewisham Council invest in green and open spaces, safe and accessible routes to them and, look at improving local neighbourhood infrastructure which include parks, playgrounds, routes to schools and amenities. Everything anyone needs should be easily accessible within 20-minutes of your front door.

Our chair, Trina Lynskey, was recently invited to speak at a webinar on Twenty Minute Cities by Sustrans - the walking & cycling charity. The webinar was part of an ongoing series of talks and events called Street Talks.

You can watch our 15-minutes presentation by following the link below.

The park cafe in Folkestone Gardens remains open for takeaway service. Please support local businesses in the area. Martin and the team at Honle have had a huge positive impact of Folkestone Gardens since it opened in 2016. Please respect the COVID rules in place and wear a mask.

We recently celebrated John Evelyn's 400th Birthday. If you want to know more about Evelyn and his legacy we recommend you read Gabriel Hemery's blog on the 17th century environmentalist. Hemery was one of our guest speakers for our Evelyn200 project and is author of The New Sylva - a updating of Evelyn's own book of trees.

Go for a a walk. Take a stroll and follow and audio trail. If you want to know more about the area, the Evelyn ward, its stories and people DOWNLOAD Evelyn's Roots - an audio promenade through Deptford from TeatroVivo written by local residents Bernadette Russell and Gareth Brierley.