NEW GOVERNMENT - TRANSPORT OF DELIGHT ???
Following the general election SPOKES seems near the centre of the transport universe! Our member Gavin Strang, Edinburgh East MP, is new UK transport minister. Next door, Leith MP Malcolm Chisolm is Minister in charge of transport at the Scottish Office. He replaces Lord James Douglas-Hamilton who was defeated by SPOKES member Donald Gorrie MP.
Malcolm Chisolm spoke encouragingly at our Victoria Park rally a few years ago, and was a signatory calling for the Traffic Reduction Bill. His first speech on transport will be to the SPOKES/Go-Bike Glasgow conference! - the text of this speech is available online at this web site.
Labour's manifesto emphasises the environment as a responsibility for all departments. For example: pollution should be discouraged through the tax system. The transport section promises an overall strategic review of the roads programme, against the criteria of accessibility, safety, economy and environment, and special priority for walking/cycling safety near schools.
Governments, however, are heavily lobbied from all directions. Quite apart from the British Road Federation, even some Labour politicians (especially in the West) argue fiercely for major new road building. It is vital that members of the public help the new ministers by keeping up pressure for sustainable transport policies.
Please write to your own MP about matters that concern you, and ask them to raise this with the Minister. Try to stick to a couple of points, giving reasons why you are concerned. Here are a few suggestions...
To the amazement of campaigners, the press, and MPs themselves, the Traffic Reduction Act is now law. Although the Conservative government insisted national traffic reduction targets be removed, councils are now required to draw up traffic-level reports and desirable local reduction levels. These reports will be taken into account when the government allocates council funds.
There are now two vital areas where you can help by writing to your MP. First, the campaign continues for national targets, with a proposed private members' bill requiring the government to ensure that mileage in 2005 is under 95% of 1990's; and under 90% by 2010 [Local Transport Today 24.4.97]. Does your MP support this?
Second, councils have been given no help whatsoever to achieve traffic reduction [LTT 27.3.97] - the Act is not a magic wand! - and traffic is growing. Councils need new parking/traffic powers and money for walking, cycling and public transport - e.g. taxes on private non-residential parking and spaces at out-of-town superstores. National policies such as higher petrol tax, and travel-awareness publicity are essential. Ask your MP how the government will ensure traffic reduction is achieved. Scottish Traffic Reduction contact: Kay Allan 0141.571.1215.
Following the general election many old friends have risen to positions of dizzy eminence, whilst so far retaining their environmental credentials! However, once in government there are huge pressures from many directions. Pressure from you will help them considerably. Ask your MP to raise points that concern you with the relevant minister.
New Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Labour MP for Livingston, was a regular speaker at early SPOKES rallies. Mr Cook is a supporter of SERA, the Labour environment campaign, and as Foreign Secretary has promised high priority for environmental issues: "a Labour government will put Britain at the front of a crusade to rescue the global environment". One specific is Labour's commitment to cut CO2 emissions 20% by 2010 instead of 2020.
Donald Gorrie, Liberal MP for Edinburgh West after defeating Scottish Transport Minister Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, has been a SPOKES member for many years. Only his heroic efforts saved our Pilton Path construction project from being crushed by bureaucracy - and once it was underway he lent a hand. Mr Gorrie firmly opposes the so-called Barnton Bypass and a second Forth road bridge.
New UK transport minister Gavin Strang, Labour MP for Edinburgh East, has been a SPOKES member for over 10 years, renewing more consistently than any other MP! Mr Strang attended a demonstration to save the Smeaton Musselburgh-Dalkeith disused railway when it was threatened by Scottish Office road plans.
Behind the scenes SPOKES puts much effort into commenting on government and council consultations.
The Scottish Office Transport Green Paper, whilst talking about sustainable transport, gave no sign of redirecting expenditure - it is still geared to increasing trunk road capacity. Our lengthy response pointed out that present relatively low levels of car ownership in Scotland are a bonus, to be encouraged by government policy rather than seen as a portent of inevitable growth. We said that an objective of transport policy should be to enable useful activities to occur - not to enable mobility for its own sake. We asked for targets such as x% of people to be within y km walking/cycling distance of local shops, schools etc.
Edinburgh Council's transport director George Hazel had similar views, highlighting the contradiction between encouraging long-distance road traffic whilst seeking urban car restraint. The new government should use the responses to draw up a far more environmentally aware policy.
Parliament's Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment SACTRA [0171.271.5004] is looking at the links between transport investment and national and local economic growth - many road schemes are justified on helping the local economy, but with little evidence. SPOKES has asked the committee also to assess the economic effects of removing transport infrastructure - as in Groningen where removal of inner-city motorways hugely boosted the local economy [SPOKES 52].
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency SEPA is preparing a National Waste Strategy [01786.457700, John Ferguson]. Following the many complaints about glass on cycleroutes, we have urged compulsory bottle deposits.
In Edinburgh, SPOKES has been asked to give evidence to the Lord Provost's Commission on Sustainable Development, investigating the future of the city.
It took the Millennium Commission 2 years to make up its mind, but at long last British Waterways' £78m Millennium Link project to reopen the canal and tow-path from Dumbarton to Edinburgh, with Glasgow and Grangemouth connections, has been approved.
We are proud that SPOKES played a valuable role in the campaign, with many campaign postcards, petitions and letters from members to the Commission. We were also an original objector years ago when the City Bypass was to cut the canal. With a huge blockage alreay at Wester Hailes, relatively few canal users, and a gung-ho attitude to car mobility, it was a hard fight - but its success marked the turning point in the canal's destiny.
BWB is now working fast, with planning applications to re-open blockages such as the M8 already submitted, and the whole project to be completed by late 2000. In Lothian, inner Edinburgh starts soon, Wester Hailes work is 1998/2000, and Broxburn-Linlithgow 1997/98. We don't yet know the standard proposed for towpath surfacing, but planning applications suggest an encouraging 2.5m width in rural Union Canal sections.
BWB is keen for cyclists to use the canal - the 25m.diameter wheel lowering boats from the Union canal to the Forth and Clyde at Falkirk will take bikes too!! The towpath provides a second Edinburgh-Glasgow link [also Sustrans via Livingston], an arm of a weekend round-Forth route, and many local links. A bike/walk service-centre, with beds, repairs, unusual bikes, etc, may also be set up near the Wheel to serve the canal and the path we hope to see north to Stirling.
However, there is serious concern about the careless attitude to walkers of a few towpath cyclists - this has caused total bike bans in the past, and could do so again. Already, speed reducers are to be tried in some areas. We urge cyclists to use a bell or friendly voice and always slow right down for walkers. [SPOKES now sells the high-quality friendly ping-type Incredibell, £5 post-free].
Please note that towpath cycling needs a permit - free from British Waterways, 1 Applecross St, Glasgow G4 9SP. You also get an information pack, including how to get past current blockages such as the M8.
To keep in touch with Millennium Link plans and progress send a £4
cheque [payable British Waterways'] to Millennium Link, Freepost GW7974,
PO Box 15067, Glasgow G4 9BR. This gets you 4 issues of their newsletter.
Ask to start with issue 3, which includes a map, work schedule, and picture
of the Millennium Wheel. Use the same address to offer help - anything
from giving talks to scrub clearing. Or phone 0345.95.2000.
Note: When cycling to/through Linlithgow remember your 10% weekend
discount at the Canal Basin tearoom - see our discounts
page.
Publications listed in Leaflet 66
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