This is a circular to all emailable Spokes members...  [Note that if you have recently sent us a change of email address, your change may not yet be in our database, so this message may go to both your old and new addresses]

This message is to notify you about the 20.4.10 issue of Spokesworker.  You can find this and previous Spokesworkers at...

http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/spokesworker/

We don't usually notify everyone about new issues of Spokesworker, but there are a few urgent and/or important items in this issue.


1. OPEN SPACES STRATEGY [OSS] CONSULTATION 

A series of consultation workshops for each area of the city is just beginning, including THIS WEEK ...

Weds 21 - city centre
Thurs 22 - leith

For details of the workshops and our ideas, see the new Spokesworker and also the previous issue, Spokesworker 21.3.10.  If you wish to go direct to the council website, click here...

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Environment/Planning_buildings_i_i_/Planning_hidden/Planning_policies/Supplementary_planning_guidance/CEC_edinburgh_open_space_audit__consultation_draft

There are some really good things in the proposals, especially the concept of developing 'green corridors' for walking and cycling.  However it is important that the Strategy and its accompanying Area Action Plans include as many specific green corridors as possible - once the final Strategy is approved by the council it will be much more difficult to get new ones added.  Although Spokes has put forward several ideas, it is YOU who knows YOUR area, so please make sure the council hasn't omitted anything important in your area.   You can comment online and/or by going to any of the area workshops that concern you.

Some of the specifics that are particularly important...

Weds 28 workshop - South West - to support the Strategy's proposal for a link from North Edinburgh network to the canal and so to south Edinburgh.

May 4 workshop - Western and
May 5 workshop - Almond
- please insist the strategy and action plan includes a full green corridor connection under the A8 from Gyle to the planned new rail/tram interchange, and beyond that to the huge planned International Business Gateway.  At present the government-funded Transport Scotland organisation (along with Network Rail) is demanding a get-off-and-push underpass, and one which will only provide station access - not part of a continuing green network.  At present the OSS Almond Action Plan merely says this is a route with 'access potential' - it needs instead to be a formal proposal.
- please insist the strategy and action plan includes a high quality green corridor connection back from the A90 from Edinburgh to the Forth Bridge, for tourists, leisure and commuters.  The present A90 path is a disgrace.  A rebuild was planned 3-4 years ago by Sestran (the Regional Transport Partnership) but all their capital funding was removed under the new Scottish Government after the last Holyrood elections.  New council/government negotiations are underway, but this needs to be fully backed in the OSS.


2. LOTS MORE ONSTREET PEAK-PERIOD CAR PARKING

See the article in Spokesworker.  If this concerns you, please ask your councillors to raise your concerns when this comes to the Transport Committee, which may be in early May, and to the full council.  Note that the proposals also have other implications for cyclists - explained in the article.


3. BIKE SPACES ON NORTH BERWICK TRAINS [not in Spokesworker]

ScotRail is planning new rolling stock next year, which has very different bike-carriage capability to the existing excellent provision.  Whilst the new trains will normally allow as many bikes, most of these will be in the vestibules rather than in a proper bike space, and obviously you won't be allowed on with a bike when the vestibules are full of standing people.  We will be contacting East Lothian members about this later, but if any other members use this service and are concerned please let us know so that we can include you in any circulars about this.


Finally, if you'd like an email notification of every new issue of Spokesworker, and are not already on that list, please email spokes@spokes.org.uk and ask to be put on it.

Dave du Feu
for Spokes