Forum Topic

Dukes Meadows Sunday Food Market

The food market could really do with some secure cycle parking. At the moment there's nowhere I've found which is safer than a chainlink fence to which a bike can be locked (i.e not very secure at all). I get the impression that more and more shoppers are arriving by bike, judging by the increasing difficulty of finding a bit of fence to lock to. And bikes locked to the fence are not exactly pedestrian friendly for every one else.I appreciate that as a charity the DM Trust has little or no funds available, so I'm wondering if some sponsorship or grants could be found?

Ken Munn ● 2052d10 Comments

  You have two options ken  Carry a metal ladder on your shoulder for your own bit of secure   locking  Walk  😃

Julian Pavey ● 2052d

Do they work with sponsors?  Can't see anything on their website.

Ed Saper ● 2052d

No the Market was set up in 2001 as one of the Dukes Meadows Trust social enterprises, so its run entirely by them.The money raised goes back into the park projects.

Bernard Allen ● 2052d

Julian, I expected better from you.

Ken Munn ● 2052d

We're developing a volunteering and local outreach program - there's metal workers on Cunnington Road and the South Acton estate, maybe some local artists could design them - so sponsoring the market and getting local businesses involved in fabricating some bike stands is feasible.Whitman's are pretty active in this area - they sponsor the rugby club on Duke's Meadows.However, it does take organising and quite possibly DMT are so busy running the thing, they don't have capacity to look into it.We used to offer to sponsor the Camellia Festival every year - but it was really hard to get hold of the right people at the right time - often they don't work full time or the full year.A lot of the time sponsorship money goes to the organisations that ask for it rather than those who need it.

Ed Saper ● 2052d

Thanks everyone for raising this. The whole of the public area of the park needs bike racks. The only ones are those installed by the Trust beside the play area, when it built that.The Trust has funds, as when it was set up 20 years ago, by the community, it had a dual strategy of raising capital grants to regenerate the public facilities, but also to establish social enterprises; the market and artists studios, to provide revenue for ongoing maintenance. The Trust leases and pays for all maintenance and repair of the paddling pool and shares maintenance and repair of the play area with the council. For just over a year now, the Trust has paid for half a day’s gardening a week in the play area to improve the quality of the planting. Last year it achieved a London in Bloom Award. The Trust currently has a healthy level of reserves but is about to commit a chunk to a project to restore the Promenade Gates. It has also raised grants for this from; Heritage of London, The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers and Housnlow Council. The Trust is also planning to develop more studios this year to increase its revenue stream.The Trust could pay for some bike racks, but apart from areas it leases; the Pavilion, Bowls Green and paddling pool, the park belongs to the council and as encouraging cycling and making provision for it is a big council and TFL aim, we asked the council some time ago if it would fund some bike racks. We are still waiting.Dukes Meadows seems to have been missed out of the whole sustainable travel push. The park is used as free parking by; lorries, coaches dropping people off elsewhere in London and commuters. The riverside Promenade, which should be a lovely quiet space is instead a coach, lorry and car park. We hope that before lockdown ends some regulation is introduced and enforced to stop it being used as a commercial parking and laying up spot and as overspill parking for events. On some Sundays, pre lockdown it was very badly congested and unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. The restoration of the Promenade Gates is part of a wider plan to regenerate Promenade Approach and the area around the Pump House. The aim is to create a safe and pleasant pedestrian and cycle route including a good number of bike racks, so it is an arrival point for the park and market. Funds are needed to complete that and an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund and a GLA pot were, unfortunately, unsuccessful. MACE was offering pro bono work prior to COVID, for which the Trust applied and there was interest, but the scheme was put on hold due to COVID.The Trust welcomes sponsorship and has had support from a number of companies in the past; Kraft funded the orchard., Barrett Homes donated and provided equipment to move the gravel that was used to fill the old pools. If anyone would like to sponsor some bike racks, please do get in touch. We would also welcome support to make the whole park a safer and more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists by stopping it being used as free commercial parking and as overspill for commercial events in nearby venues.

Kathleen Healy ● 2051d

You could use the bike racks at New Chiswick Pool and walk from there. Kathleen  I cycle round Dukes Meadows at various times every day and while lots of cars park along the Promenade, I’ve never seen any coaches parked there. Mostly they park in the bit of Staveley Road near Chiswick School.

Susan Jennifer Thackray ● 2051d

Hi Susan, I don't know how to post photos on the forum, but I have loads. Less since COVID as places are closed, but once things re open, it will be bad again.I was there one day with someone from Hounslow's Transport team. There were three coaches in the bays behind the band stand. Two had no driver with them, they must have been stretching their legs. We spoke to the driver of the third, who told us he had dropped passengers at the Science Museum and was waiting to go back to pick them up. The area is well known as unregulated and coach, lorry and van drivers need places to stop. The also use the road into Staveley Gardens and Staveley Road. Neither of these seem like good places to have coaches parking up, but this corner of Chiswick seems to be a bit neglected and open to abuse. It shouldn't be.

Kathleen Healy ● 2051d

The coach park cannot operate in Staveley Road as it is a school street.The afternoon time period would mean the coaches would have to move as they are waiting to go back into London to pick up the people they dropped off.It’s been quiet during 2020, but once the tourists industry picks up during the later part of 2021 the coaches will have to find else where to park.Hence the local authority providing turning and parking facilities for them in Dukes Meadows.It won’t be vey safe to walk and cycle along the Promenade if the proposed project goes ahead.

Bernard Allen ● 2051d

As ever Katheleen's extensive knowledge and experience with this area is remarkable.Sounds to me like she may have omitted this bit:Over to you, Ken. Time to put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise quit  your moaning as there are bigger fish to fry.Or, as someone else pointed out, walk.Then again he has raised an interesting point about lack of vehicular infrastructure as it pertains to facilitating trade. And how it pertains to convenience. Particularly for him.

David Lesniak ● 2051d