Old Oak / Park Royal Development (OPDC) cycling plans (NW10, W10, W3)

Not sure if this is the right place to start discussion on this, but there is a big consultation going on locally about the development of Old Oak station, and surrounds.

One of the priorities mentioned was making the new area more cycle friendly, and I thought this looked like the best place to get suggestions about potential approaches, particularly in areas like the proposed Old Oak High St and the proposed new cycle routes. I want to make sure the cycling voice is heard and taken seriously on these consultations, because I am worried there aren't many other keen cyclists who will speak up in the process. I am also concerned that the result could actually be worse than nothing (like pushing all the cycling options towards towpaths, which to my mind are only good for a quiet Sunday dawdle). I appreciate that "safe cycling routes" are probably not designed primarily for a rider like me who doesn't mind dodging cars, but I would love to be able to participate in making recommendations on this in a way that is helpful for all cyclists.

Any others who live in (or commute through) the area (essentially between Kensal Green, the North Circular and White City), or others who have advised on these sorts of plans in other areas of London, please drop in some thoughts here. I'd live to see this corner of London become a little more cycle-friendly!

Masterplanning is an exceedingly frustrating thing to try and influence. I can give you tips if you want and you can try to find out if the local groups are already on it (Ealing Cycling Campaign, Brent Cyclists, Harrow, etc.). You should probably talk to Peter Mynors of the Ealing group in the first instance. He's very knowledgeable and may be the most sympathetic to land use arguments. You never know, they may already have done a truckload of work on it. It's a huge challenge to develop good public highways when the development site is so large.

My missus works in that zone. I've ridden there a few times and crossing Western Ave and the area around all that industrial shit sucks. I'm not a big fan of underpasses though and the population in that area don't seem to give two shits about people other than themselves. It was in Park Royal I had a guy drive around me to run two reds whilst I was stopped at the first one! Mental. Is 'bomb it and make it a park' an option?

My partner regularly cycles up Old Oak Common road which is a drivers haven. Speeding and harassment are regular occurrences. There are no houses or shops, just railway stuff and light industry so an environment that encourages driver misbehaviour. She wrote to a councillor who forwarded her letter to the highways dept. asking them what they are doing about this problem

I commute between Kensal and Park Royal everyday. The ride home along Victoria Rd up towards Willesden Junction is always a bitch. The bike lane that was once marked has totally disappeared, always get squeezed out by cars coming into the bike lane. Hard to blame them though as it's pretty much impossible to see.

Redevelopment has begun in earnest essentially all to the east of Old Oak Common will be housing and office space, to the west will be industrial. All related to crossrail they have already reclaimed land alongside the canal for redevelopment and house prices in Harlesden have pretty much doubled in the last 18 months.
I work in the area and went to a few meetings last year, where it was being touted as some sort of hybrid of Kings Cross and Canary Wharf.
I suspect that influence on cycleways at this stage will be limited.

https://opdc.commonplace.is/
I've just been sent this link, pretty ambitious looking plans for the area.
Consultation closes at the end of the month.

https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/opdc_draft_local_plan.pdf#page=260
The in depth background info on the cycling proposals...

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/old-oak-common-regeneration-is-branded-a-mess-in-sadiq-khan-review-a3383996.html

It's been quiet about this, but here's a news item about how, ironically, a large car dealership doesn't want to relinquish its land:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/blow-to-old-oak-common-plan-as-6000-homes-have-to-be-cut-a4241071.html

Car gaint may be a successful business but it's not exactly effective use of land in that area.
It could be compressed into 1 multistroy car park.
The owner is an astute business man playing the long game. Bit of cat and mouse going on at the moment.

I couldn't agree more. I mean, it's entirely possible that they genuinely want to carry on running their business there, but past experience suggests that if the price for land is right, it will become available.