CS9 Kensington to Brentford public consultation closes Oct 31st

Bloke's a fruit-loop, he writes interminably dreary blogs and uses hyphens instead of commas. And this:

So, 241 years ago, we Americans liberated ourselves from a rich,
unaccountable, deluded ruler.

https://outsidertart.com/blog/

is technically treason. Look how he puts sentences together, he uses hyphens like a maniac:

Back home, it’s a huge holiday – just look how far we’ve come since
July 4th 1776!

Why's that hyphen there? He should be shot and arrested.

the font is the real crime

Disappointing to see untrue statements about cyclists "not paying for the roads" etc being repeated by TFL unchallenged. So many of the objections come from ignorance and a lack of forward thinking. And people are deluded if they think the busy polluted Chiswick High Road has a pleasant and civilised cafe culture.

Still, 59% support or strongly support the scheme.

And lo and behold Khan has come out with comments threatening to water it all down. I voted for Khan hoping he'd do something for cyclists, he's stabbed us in the back.

Reference?

Hounslow area forum

https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/mayor-admits-reduced-pavement-space-14374353

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said "it can't be right" that plans for a new cycle superhighway would reduce pavement space in Chiswick High Road.

The acknowledgement will come as a relief to residents, shopkeepers and church-goers who have highlighted their concerns over the lack of footpath in the southern part of the main road in Chiswick.

Damn

LOL, just looking through the latest on the Chiswick W4 newsletter and it talks about the redesigncs9.com website and their "spokesperson" David Lesniak.

Actually David Lesniak is one of the co-owners of Outsider Tart. So it seems that all opposition is basically being whipped up and driven from just Outsider Tart.

They've attempted to get other retailers onboard and put signs up, etc... but have so far only managed to get the electrical and light shop next to Devonshire Road to participate.

Interestingly a search for David Lesniak also turns up:

• A food hygiene rating of 2 for Outside Tart http://www.foodhygienerating.me.uk/council/Hounslow/food-hygiene-ratings/?place=490542-Outsider-Tart-83-Chiswick-High-Road-Chiswick-W4-2EF
  
• A story (and photo of David) on Get West London whereby he has Outsider Tart pay to beautify public flower beds and demands recognition: https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/council-apologise-chiswick-bakery-owner-7228471
  
• The Companies House page showing both are American (coming over here, fucking up our communal spaces, etc) https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10524183/officers
  
• Their awful Twitter account where they actively campaign against CS9 https://twitter.com/redesignCS9
  
  

The only other name that constantly comes up in organising opposition to CS9 is Susann Jerry, but I can trace her back to 2009 as working for Outsider Tart http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=community&link=http://appasp.chiswickw4.com/server/app/forum/ShowMessage.asp?ID=523258 and she was the one who started the Chiswick W4 thread asking people to sign a petition against CS9 when the redesigncs9 website was launched: http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=community&link=http://appasp.chiswickw4.com/server/app/forum/ShowMessage.asp?ID=1236639

Basically... the entire opposition is just Outsider Tart. They are just being extremely active, as if it's the most important thing that they can do... more important than, say, fixing their food hygiene rating by sorting the bad layout of their cafe.

Their activity is getting to the point that I wonder how feasible it is to have a constant vigil outside their premises of cyclists at the weekend, just distributing leaflets with their food hygiene rating on it :)

Do it...

AFAICT, his entire argument against cycle lanes is how it may put at risk single yellow parking at the weekend:

0 in 10 minutes on a rainy Sunday.
Peak time for anyone parking on single yellow lines and bus lanes and patronizing businesses.
Parking that will be removed.
You do the math.

That's from the Chiswick W4 forum again.

What really gets me is how frustrating it is that if he manages to expend enough cash and time to stop CS9 then he wins. But... if he doesn't, then because every area that has gained segregated cycle ways and 20mph limits have seen an increase in footfall and High St spend... he wins anyway. He can be a total arsehole on the negative side, and no matter how this goes he comes out on top.

We only win if we get a safe route West from Hammersmith through to Brentford that doesn't involve following the A4 (because the pollution, broken cycle ways due to side roads and other factors like debris make that route totally unworkable and not viable).

A Food Hygiene Rating of 2 is appaling.

This is based on the structure, as in the food is OK but the layout, presentation, eating area, access, etc... is all bad. Which would be more the architect than the chef I guess. But then... David Lesniak is an architect! His partner is the chef, and the chef AFAICT from the times I've chatted to him is a lovely person. Shame I no longer shop there, not that a few cake fewer is really going to hurt their pocket enough.

Unfortunately Sadiq khan has bought the whole chiswick al fresco cafe bullshit..
https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/mayor-admits-reduced-pavement-space-14374353.amp&ved=2ahUKEwj-6qrUys_aAhVMLcAKHf2zDe4QFjAAegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw09-Bu6Zh_UYX5KFsikHkmp&ampcf=1
With local council elections coming up the voting from councillors have been suspended and it's being dragged out now sadly. Enough time for it to be watered down perhaps to the point of being pointless.

I was hoping with the axing of the westway cycle path priority would have been given to this and eventually pressure to extend it down high street ken aswell
Sadiq has been a disaster for cycling in London. We were well on the way to a decent cycling city until he hit the brakes.

Has anyone from the cycling community spoken to them?

Anyone here capable of interviewing him and rebuf his all crap on video and put it up somewhere ?

Folks, from someone who lives in the area, a word of caution about Lesniak. The guy is a nasty, nasty, individual with serious anger management issues. I could tell stories but they aren't for a public forum. The anti-CS9 thing now appears to be a personal crusade for him now so he is now funding a website, his PR person and various other activities to attack the scheme.

He appears to be buddies with several local Conservatives who can spot some political opportunism when it presents itself by opposing CS9.

One possible saving grace is the guy is such a dick that I hope he can't gather much of a bigger support base as few people can stand him or recognise that he is toxic.

He has already had a whine about "personal attacks" and written a letter to the mayor, TfL, the Charities Commission, maybe the UN as well complaining about the LCC. He would just love anything that makes him appear as a victim against those evil cyclists. http://redesigncs9.com/hate-crime-verbal-abuse-anti-social-behaviour-trolling-spitting-the-perils-of-opposing-cs9-in-its-current-form/

Generally speaking I think it would be best to ignore him, but one positive thing would be to support a local cafe http://shafran.co.uk @shafrandeli who, surprise, surprise, understands that you can attract customers by being nice, so they are offering 25% off for people coming by bike (plus 0.25p for a reusable cup).

That is why Lesniak is such an idiot. If he was positive towards the scheme and people cycling, he would get much more business. As it is, I know many people who won't darken the door of his place, ever.

I sure trust you at your first comment.

Also, even assuming is a nasty guy and an idiot, he might still be right.

I have heard that he was a frothing wreck at the area forum during the consultation.
He did himself no favours.
Twat

I arranged a mini Kidical mass ride from Brentford to Turnham Green on Sunday for Hounslow Cycle Campaigns Earth Day Picnic. At the event I spoke to every family who had made there way there by bike. There was resounding support for CS9, but a genuine concern that it won't happen, that it will get kicked into the long grass by this very vocal minority.

I'm not sure a vigil outside would be a good idea given this Lesniak's volatile reputation, but maybe a regular mass ride along the route, stopping for a picnic next to his garden plaque ;-).

I also met @shafrandeli - great guy who spent time living in the Netherlands. And who totally gets the economic benefit CS9 can bring to local business. However, he was also worried though about it getting out he is pro CS9, worried about potential fallout, and that it would (at least in the short term), affect custom.

Like old BMP Nick, give him enough rope and hopefully he will hang himself.

Another individual has since used a mock-up of a Mobikes hub outside
their shop to share a video via a different online forum which shows a
missile blowing up the pavement and the business.

That's pretty dishonest.

Some bloke on the Chiswick forum made a silly film of hire bikes being hit by a missile. The hire bike rack is outside Outsidertart. The missile didn't hit the cafe, it was aimed at the bikes, that was the whole point. And this bit:

One pro CS9 supporter who is hiding behind a “parody” account on
Twitter has “joked” that the congregation of Our Lady Grace should “be
gassed” by cab fumes. If the religious building in question had been a
Synagogue, this would have been denounced and classed as a Hate Crime.

Well, yes, if you changed what was said you'd get a different message. Some reaching there.

The person who did the missile video on the Chiswick forum was a regular poster, not a cyclist and not pro- or anti- CS9.

It looks like he was trying to do something funny and a bit of a windup and he apologised for any offence!

Of course Lesniak seized on it as an example of hate crime by cyclists.

Again I hope the reaction of most people on that forum will be WTF? and further undermine him.

You can see the gentleman get a bit shouty here from 1:26:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5229&v=ntvSKb0VrYI