Category: Campaigning

We have received the following invitation from the Leader of Barnet Council – anyone who is interested may attend – see the link within the text below to book a place

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I am writing to invite you to work together with us in making Barnet one of London’s most sustainable boroughs and to become a net zero borough by 2042. We would like to invite you to join us on Wednesday 17th January, 6:30-9pm at Middlesex University, to kick start our new partnership with residents and communities to drive positive action to tackle climate change in Barnet. We very much hope that you, and others from your community or organisation can join us in working together to make Barnet more sustainable.

Register your attendance and find out more via this Eventbrite link.

Barnet is full of creative, passionate people and organisations, who are already doing so much to build a thriving and sustainable future for our borough. We want to work with and learn from you in bringing together residents, communities, and businesses from across Barnet in action teams to ensure that our journey to net zero follows a path set by those that live, work or study in the borough, and not by the Council alone.

The event will include community organising training, networking, and support from Barnet Council, Citizens’ UK and TPXimpact to develop and discuss action in your local area/community that is making change happen. Join us on Wednesday 17th January at 6pm to get involved. 

Tackling the challenge of climate change will be the most important thing our generation does, ensuring that we pass on a liveable planet to our children.

Barnet Council has declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency, setting an ambitious target of making Barnet a net zero borough – putting no more carbon into the atmosphere than we take out – by 2042.

Earlier this year, our Citizens’ and Youth Assemblies on Climate Change and Biodiversity saw 60 residents aged 12-90 years old, come together and identify the key actions we need to take as a borough to make Barnet sustainable.

Barnet Council accepts all these recommendations and has already started work in a number of areas – you can read more about that work here. But the Council cannot tackle climate change alone. It will take all of us, the Council, residents, communities, and businesses bringing our ideas and energy to meet the challenge.

We need your help to ensure that the commitments we have made lead to meaningful action. Join us on Wednesday 17th January 2024 to help shape the future of our borough.

Register and find out more here. 

Please do share to members of your network who would be interested, there is a flyer for the event attached. For any further questions, contact BarNETZero@barnet.gov.uk.

We look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Best wishes,

Cllr Barry Rawlings
Leader of Barnet Council

Those of you who cycle in Herts will be very glad to be able to use the new route alongside the busy A602 near Sacombe on the stretch between Ware and Stevenage. This route, that opened this year, was the result of a long campaign by Adam Edwards (Cycling UK Advocacy Network rep, a Sustrans Ranger and chair of WelHatCycling) and the late Jon Crosby (Cycling UK South Herts and BARNET CYCLISTS). Adam has written an excellent account of what was involved for Cycling UK. See the link below:

https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/local-campaigning-success-new-cycle-path-safer-cycling-hertfordshire?utm_source=cycleclips&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=xmas23&utm_term=blog&utm_content=hertfordshirecyclepath#msdynttrid=s1LslIOXg_t8WnvyO3huiC9o0j8SmLzTw1KY2OrlaTA

The LCC Community Skills Summit is next week Saturday! A day of talks, workshops & networking on Saturday 18 Nov, to help skill up & inspire you to improve your area better for cycling, walking & wheeling. LOCATION: UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON DOCKLANDS. For full details see link below, It’s very exciting that almost a third of the people who have registered are new to campaigning, many not being LCC members, so we’d like to make them feel as welcome as possible. Therefore, we ask that you make an effort to speak to people you don’t know and encourage them (gently) to get more involved in their local LCC group. This is event is open to all – not just LCC members. !Pizza party updateAfter being neck and neck, Islington has nudged Tower Hamlets out of joint first place and are now in the lead with Haringey following closely behind. Snapping at their heels are Waltham Forest, Barnet, Hackney and Wandsworth. There’s still a week to go so if you want free pizzas at your next group meeting, encourage more people to register for the Summit.Registration link:  https://lcc.org.uk/news/lcc-community-skills-summit-2023/

The LCC is again requesting that we report incidences of close calls to police – ‘Met police officers say they want to hear from cycle users about locations where incidents of close passing occur regularly – these could be roads without cycle lanes and those where speeds are higher than average.’

This will enable them to target specific locations and help reduce road danger so please contact them at    RTPC-Cy@met.police.uk Give the exact location and the type of incident encountered.

Please join us on Thursday 7th of September to send a loud, clear message to Transport for London, Kensington & Chelsea and Wandsworth councils – Battersea Bridge must be made safe for cycling now. 

Assemble: 6pm, south side of bridge – In Town Statue, 1 Battersea Bridge, SW11 3TP

Tragically, on 10th August, a 27-year-old woman was killed while cycling across Battersea Bridge. Last year, another woman lost her leg cycling at the north end of the bridge. On average, there’s a serious or fatal collision involving someone cycling on this bridge every year. 

These deaths and serious injuries could have been avoided. Weak schemes have been proposed, but nothing has been delivered, and the bridge remains deadly. Join us on Thursday to demand urgent action from Transport for London, Kensington & Chelsea and Wandsworth councils.

This ride will be short – please turn up on time and wear muted clothing for the ride, homemade placards welcome – our slogans are “Make Battersea Bridge Safe For Cycling” and “Fix Battersea Bridge”.

FOR MORE DETAILS:

https://lcc.org.uk/news/battersea-too-little-too-late-tfl/

New protest laws: For those concerned about the change in protest laws, we have done everything possible to avoid arrests – find out more here.

Encouraging active and safer travel to school

Each school in Barnet has proposals for safer travel to schools. Barnet Council are running a survey on the Engage Barnet website. Details can be found here:

https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/school-streets-engagement

It is easy to take part – you can just look at the schools you have in your neighbourhood – or look at them all.

The closing date is officially today – 21st July – but it will probably remain open over the weekend. There is also an email address if you want to get it touch directly.

Does anyone have a gazebo that could be used for the Barnet Cyclist’s stall at the East Finchley Festival in Cherry Tree Woods? Very useful to fend off sun/rain!

If you can help please contact Paul Shipway at booneysbikes@hotmail.com