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Following pressure from The Slower Speeds Initiative, one of its main aims has been achieved with the Government's launch of the national speed policy review in October 1998. The year-long review will consider the contribution of reduced speeds to social and environmental objectives as well as to road safety.

Sustained public pressure is needed during this review. If you can, a letter to John Prescott MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, expressing your support for generally lower and better enforced speeds would be helpful. The address to write to is:-
Eland House,
Bressenden Place,
London
SW1E 5DU

Sustrans is organising what will be one of the most spectacular of the Millennium events with a week long celebration of cycling and walking held right across the nation on the National Cycle Network (NCN). This will be held in midsummer's week (19 - 25 June) in the year 2000. The NCN then will be 3,000 miles long. In Scotland this means;-  

• Aberdeen to Inverness via Elgin and Banff, 
• Inverness to Glasgow via Aviemore,Pitlochry, Callender, and Dumbarton, 
• Glasgow to Gretna via Paisley, Ayr and Dumfries, 
• Gourock to Leith via Paisley, Glasgow, Airdrie, Bathgate and Edinburgh, 
• Edinburgh to Dundee via Dunfermline and St Andrews.

There will be different themes throughout the week. One of these is Ride for Health where Sustrans will be working with its partners in the medical profession including local Health Boards. Midsummer's day itself will contain the Longest Ride when it is planned that all 3,000 miles of the NCN will be ridden in segments of 30 to 50 miles by teams. On Saturday and Sunday (the 6th and 7th days) there will be the Tour de Fun, a gala finale to the Ride the Net campaign when the aim will be to motivate 50,000 people in Scotland alone to get out on their bikes and explore their local section of the network.  
 
While some of the events will be stage managed, there will be enormous scope for people and organisations right across the country to become involved. For example, this could be a sponsored ride or walk (the NCN is for walkers and wheel chairs too)in aid of a charity. Or how about creating a local record of the largest number of cyclists, or the greatest number of miles covered, a fancy dress event on cycles, a tree planting effort and so on. There is no limit to the number of ideas for an event.  

Sustrans has appointed Andy Dunn as the Event Manager for Scotland. Andy is looking for ideas and for volunteers to assist in the organisation and can be contacted on 01505-614302 (phone, fax and answering machine), by e-mail on amdunn@compuserve.com and by post at 
 
3 Ranfurly Road, 
Bridge of Weir, 
Renfrewshire 
PA11 3ES.  

There is also a Ride the Net website at http://www.ridethenet.co.uk/

Great media coverage is planned and the whole event should give an enormous shot in the arm for the whole cycle movement. Start thinking and planning now!  

Community groups, charities, schools etc can apply for financial support of £5,000 or less for innovative, exciting and memorable celebrations, activities and events to mark the Millennium. Phone 0870 600 2000 for details or the Millenium Experience web site at http://www.experience2000.co.uk
 

Last summer members of SPOKES, Lothian Safe Routes and Paths for All met Edinburgh Transportation Committee's Convener, Cllr. David Begg, and senior council officials. A wide range of ideas was discussed to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists in the City. The Council agreed to name officers responsible for walking and cycling in the four local areas and also set up a committee to be chaired by, long-time SPOKES member, Cllr. Sheila Gilmore where these officers and representatives from cycling organisations would meet - probably four times a year. The first meeting is expected to be in February.  

Another proposal that the Council agreed to investigate was how to find money to match that on offer from Scottish Natural Heritage for an 'Access Officer'. A report to the January 11th meeting of the Transportation Committee stated that many new links have been constructed and existing paths improved over the last five years. "There is now, however, a need to develop a Strategy for access to open spaces, woodlands and the countryside within the city and to prepare proposals for similar path networks in neighbouring authorities."  

The committee agreed that the new post would be funded "subject to funding being available in 1999-2000 Revenue Budgets". As the Council's share is to be split between Recreation and City Development Departments it seems likely that someone WILL be appointed to do this important job in the coming financial year (from April). SPOKES and Lothian Safe Routes are writing to David Begg asking him to make sure that this exciting development is allowed to progress.  

As the committee report says "The Access Strategy will be an important element in the Moving Forward Strategy and will contribute to and seek to encourage sustainable and rewarding lifestyles. The implementation of the Strategy will give added value to the quality of life within the city."  

Due to more trains being fitted with cycle accommodation (photos) ScotRail has lifted the ban on bikes from the four trains affected. Booking is still required on the Aberdeen trains. Text of ScotRail leaflet

07.05 Edinburgh - Aberdeen  
08.10 Edinburgh - Aberdeen  
08.40 Edinburgh - Dundee (local)  
17.15 Aberdeen - Edinburgh

The programme of modifying trains is being carried out with help from the Scottish Office Cycle Challenge and is due to be completed in March. ScotRail might even mark the end of the project with some special offers for cyclists.  

Following a successful preliminary meeting before Christmas involving parents and teachers (including the Head Mrs. Susan Laidlaw), Liberton Primary School is set to launch its Safe Routes Group on Tuesday (17th, 7.00 at the school) Details Kirsty Noble 664 1344.  

Issues facing the group include the fact that the school is just off the busy Gilmerton Road which is currently excluded from Council plans for 20mph zones in a large area of south Edinburgh and also from the scheme to produce 20mph zones outside 'all' primary schools. Other issues familiar to many schools are parents parking on zig-zag lines near the school and also the inability of the Council to recruit a replacement crossing patrol (lollipop) person for Gilmerton Road. Parents have recently carried out a survey of the numbers walking to school and which entrances they use and also the number of parents parking inconsiderately.  

Fed up with litter on or near your favourite cycle path? Edinburgh City Councillor, Ian Perry, Environmental Services Committee Convener, recently defended the Council's Rapid Response Litter Unit after a letter in the Evening News complained that the service was not being run on a city wide basis, Cllr Perry stated that the Rapid Response Unit did serve the whole City and that the Unit endeavours to respond to calls within a 3 hour period. Cllr Perry also took the opportunity to criticise members of the public for dropping litter & dumping rubbish, urging us all to 'adopt an attitude of civic pride & responsibility' to keeping the City clean.  

Also - don't forget that complaints about potholes, lighting and other problems on roads, pavements or cycle paths can be reported free to Clarence on 0800 232323   

At a public meeting called to discuss a possible road closure of Sciennes Road local residents told council officials that they were broadly in favour of such an idea as long as other residential roads were taken into account and measures were taken to eliminate "intrusive traffic" in the neighbourhood. The road closure had originally been proposed by children of Sciennes Primary School working on a Safe Routes to School project in order to make the area safer for cyclists and pedestrians. At the meeting concern was also expressed for other traffic hotspots in the area, in particular Melville Terrace, which is a well-known rat-run. Now a resident of Hatton Place has devised a plan that could traffic calm the entire neighbourhood and eliminate rat-running. It involves 5 road closures and could be implemented at reasonably low cost. The plan is now on this website.   

Please e-mail us with your comments and suggestions.

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