Camden Cycling Campaign: Highlights 1994 - 2003

• Jan 1994: Paul Gasson takes over as coordinator from James Brander who had served in that role for eight years.
• Mar 1994: CCC relaunched with the aim of increasing membership from 300, and improving cycle facilities on Camden’s proposed Red Routes.
• Mar 1995: Our lobbying on the poor state of Camden's roads helped deliver a £1,000,000 budget increase for highways maintenance... the first rise in a decade. CCC involved in the start of Camdenes' cycle trianing programme for children.
• Sep 1995: CCC campaigns for a high quality cycle route to avoid the planned Channel Tunnel Rail Link gyratory around St Pancras & Kings Cross.
• Jan 1996: CCC releases Policy vs practice report complaining that despite pro-cycle policy the council was doing absolutely nothing on the ground to improve conditions for cyclists.
• Apr 1996: Camden Local transport day supported by CCC and a number of other transport & environmental campaigns attracts 150; in consequence Camden Transport Forum is formed which successfully pressures Camden into adopting a car free housing policy.
• June 1996: we ran the first cyclists breakfast; and organised a 40 strong direct action event to highlight the borough's transport crisis which brought all 3 lanes of the Finchley Road to a standstill.
• Jun 1997: Local press letter writing campaign, complaining that the council had done nothing for cyclists for a decade, leads to involvement of Cllr Gerry Harrison & Cllr John Dickie for partnership working with CCC.
• Oct 1997: CCC launches 3 year strategy ‘ Bike 2001’, which formed the basis for the council's Cycle Plan published 4 years later. One of the early results was the council installing 11 sets of advance stop lines in just 5 months.
• Feb 1998: Paul Gannon lead CCC's proposal of the Seven Stations Link (SSL), a high quality segregated cycle route between Paddington & Liverpool St. CCC also started to develop formal policies on subjects such as one way streets and formally present them to the council for debate.
• Jun 1998: Camden Council agrees to a SSL feasibility study, and CCC proposes extending the 40 metre cycle track in Royal College Street to 500 metres.
• Jul 1998: CCC’s web site goes live: http://www.greengas.u-net.com/
• Sep1999: Work starts on the segregated cycle track in Royal College Street.
• Mar 2000: CCC's GLA hustings was the first time candidates for the 4 main parties had all met. Brian Coleman (con) gave us our first hint of the potential trouble in store when he unashamedly opposed a London-wide 20mph speed limit and admitted to his love of the motor car.
• Apr 2000: Jon Snow opened the Royal College St cycle track.
• July 2000: the Seven Stations link won in principle Council approval.
• Oct 2000: CCC launches a Cycle Mentoring scheme to support novice cyclists, membership is now 640.
• Nov 2000: Construction starts on the Seven Stations link.
• Apr 2001: Camden Council launched its Cycle Plan with 48 challenging targets; it represented the leading edge in terms of strategic planning and practical measures to encourage more cycling, and was copied by councils around the UK.
• Jun 2001: David Arditti ran CCC's first Bikefest in Brunswick Square.
• Sep 2001: Camden Council takes over running the capital’s London Cycle Network (LCN) programme.
• Nov 2001: Transport for London proposes a zero LCN budget for 2002 and Brian Coleman demonstrates his support with On the day I lobby Ken over cycle lanes, Satan will be skating to work.
• Mar 2002: CCC and Camden Council jointly organise a conference proposed by Paul Gannon on ‘Raising the standards of cycling’ which attracts 80 attendees from across London and vigorous debate.
• Nov 2002: After a massive campaign from the Heath & Hampstead society late in 2002, we lost the 3 year battle for minor improvements to Hampstead Heath's cycle routes. This was despite a heath consultation showing 2/3 in favour of the routes. This was arguably CCC's biggest set back for 5 years.
• Sep 2002: Camden Council closes off a large number of streets in Bloomsbury to create the largest Car Free Day event ever seen in Britian. Thanks to Stefano Casalotti's skilled lobbying & hard work from the council,the atmosphere in the UKs largest ever CFD event was indescribably uplifting.
• Jan 2003: An inch of snow leads to motorist gridlock on many Camden's roads, but most cyclists who stuck to their steeds reported only small journey time increases.
• Jun 2003: Bike Week featured a record 10 events organised by CCC and the council; highlights included the 3rd Bikefest and the 8th annual Cyclist’s Breakfast.
• Oct 2003: Women's Design Service launches a Cycling for Women project to enable more women to cycle and inform policy-makers on how to make cycling an easier choice.
• Nov 2003: CCC launches the results of a feasibility study for the proposed Camley St/Agar Grove cycle link.
• Dec 2003: English Regions Cycling Development Team reported on Camden’s progress on cycling - its verdict was the council is streets ahead of most other London local authorities.