Thanks to Southwark Today is the deadline for local authorities to put in their bids for Cycle to School f unding. Southwark officers have been working hard to plan visible, segregated space for cycling to make biking and walking even more attractive choices for the school run. We are confident that Southwark can deliver at least one excellent continuous route north-south as well as east-west through Dulwich Village. If Southwark Council is successful in its bid for funding, there will be further local consultation and detailed design work.  This can't come soon enough - more than 10,000 children are already at school in Dulwich, and the numbers are growing: a new primary school  opened in September in Half Moon Lane, and there are plans for significant expansion at  Bessemer Grange  and an extra 'bulge class' at Dulwich Hamlet . But we need visible attractive space for safe cycling in order to make going to school by bike a realistic option for many more chi...

What's been happening? Southwark appointed Aecom to examine our local roads and pavements in the light of our ambitions to encourage more children to cycle to school. Their job is to consider feasibility and make clear recommendations and suggestions to improve conditions for cycling. Informed by what parents have told us, we were particularly keen to stress the importance of segregated cycling solutions for the busiest routes around schools.  The engineer is producing a report for Southwark Council which comments on the existing space for cycling. This includes noting housekeeping issues like poorly surfaced bike lanes, 'shared use paths' which are not signed, or which join the road at awkward places, or which are blocked by street clutter, as well as junctions which do not work well for cyclists or pedestrians. We are also awaiting detailed recommendations for safe space for children cycling through the heart of Dulwich to and from school. We are delighted that T...

We had a positive meeting with the Chief Executive of the Dulwich Estate  this week. Among other things we were trying to identify how and where we might be able to unlock useful new routes for cycling or walking. At the moment the presence of railway lines and playing fields means that we all have to go 'the long way round' for many local journeys. Over time we hope to increase permeability through this area for those on bike and on foot, to make walking and cycling the quickest, safest and easiest choices for local trips to school, the park or to the shops. Although we have the blessing of the Dulwich Estate to move ahead, there is still lots of work to do, both in getting the agreement and support of leaseholders and local residents, and also in designing the detail of any schemes to make sure they are safe and useful all year round. Behind this wooden fence on Burbage Road lies an unused strip of land leading to the Velodrome and on to Dulwich Village. The land is...