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] There are a number of important matters going on just now. We hope you'll have the time to read this circular carefully and take action on those points that concern or interest you. If using email addresses shown below, replace AT by @. 1. EDINBURGH COUNCIL DRAFT CYCLE ACTION PLAN The draft plan is now available. See the 27 June news item on our website... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2010/06/edinburgh-council-draft-action-plan/ The council is asking for responses via organisations, to avoid overloading the cycling officer, and to ensure that the plan is ready to go to councillors in September. If you have points you would like taken into account in the Spokes response, or which you feel need particular emphasis, please email RichardATblether.org.uk no later than 11th July. 2. SPOKES TENEMENTS & FLATS BIKE STORAGE PROJECT We have appointed consultants TPi to work with us, and work is already underway. We have already received quite a few enthusiastic enquiries from interested individuals, stairs and community groups who have storage problems and are looking forward to using our materials. Also from others who have already implemented their own solutions. If you have ideas or experience to contribute, now is the time to get in touch. For more info and how to contact us, see our project flyer which is downloadable from this page... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/downloads/technical-and-research/spokes-tenementsflats-bike-storage-project/ 3. TRAIN BIKE SPACE TO NORTH BERWICK Our campaign continues to try and get improved bike storage on the trains due next year, which under current plans will greatly reduce the dedicated bike storage space compared to the present trains. If you use these trains and have not yet written, please do so. For more info see our briefing document, downloadable here... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2010/05/north-berwick-trains-bike-capacity/ There are several suggestions at the end of the document on who to write to - if you don't want to write to them all then probably the most important are your MSPs [you have one constituency MSP and several 'regional list' MSPs]. Ask them to raise your concerns with the Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson MSP. Find your MSPs at www.writetothem.com. 4. REMEMBER!! - SPOKES SUMMER COMPETITION Just because it doesn't close till Septemember doesn't mean forget about it - we're open for entries now, and looking forward to getting yours soon! Our annual competition always produces a whole range of really interesting ideas, which help in our campaigning and promotion of cycling, so we're really keen to get a good lot of entries again this year. http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2010/06/spokes-2010-summer-competition/ "Our big annual competition this year asks you to think up a brilliant idea for an artwork for any of the offroad paths in Edinburgh or the Lothians. There will be the usual great range of prizes, with first prizewinner having first choice, and so on till all 9 excellent prizes are allocated." 5. EDINBURGH COUNCIL BUDGET 2011-12 AND BEYOND In her June 'Leader's Report' Cllr Jenny Dawe asks all concerned citizens to email her 'personally' with their views on what should be in future council budgets. She wants "to hear the views of as many (people) as possible." You can send her your thoughts by emailing leaderATedinburgh.gov.uk. For more info see item 2 of the June 2010 Leader's Report, which is here... http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/council/council_business/CEC_leader_report 6. COLOURED SURFACING Some years ago, Napier University conducted research showing that coloured surfacing has a very significant effect in reducing motorist intrusion into bus and cycle lanes. The research is on our website here... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/downloads/technical-and-research/local-transport-research/ Now Napier is conducting a new project on “Driver compliance with advanced stop lines with and without coloured surfacing in Edinburgh.” One part of the project will be an online survey of opinions about Advanced Stop Lines by each type of road user. Unfortunately the link to the survey is not yet ready, but is expected around 5 July. Once it is available we will include it on the Spokes website under 'Events' [the 'event' being the closing date for the survey]. If you have anything else to contribute to the project, it is being done by Lynn.RussellATedinburgh.gov.uk. 7. CYCLENATION CONFERENCE 7 NOVEMBER - HELP NEEDED Please remember - we are looking for accommodation and/or volunteer help with the UK conference of campaign groups and CTC which we are hosting on 7 November. For more info, and who to contact, see the Cyclenation article on page 2 of Spokesworker 08.6.10. http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/spwkr10.06.08.pdf 8. CAPS - CYCLING ACTION PLAN FOR SCOTLAND - A FEW COMMENTS The government has at long last issued the much-delayed Cycling Action Plan for Scotland. http://www.cyclingactionplanforscotland.org/ Some funding, which appears to be additional to existing funding, has also been allocated. It is unclear whether this is all for 2010-11 or is spread over several years. If it is all new money for 2010-11, as seems most likely, then total cycling investment is likely to rise back up to roughly where it was when the SNP took over from the previous Lab/Lib administration, or perhaps even slightly higher. Whilst that is extremely welcome, it is still far below the consistent annual funding of £10-£20 per head which has proved both necessary and successful in European countries and in the English Cycle Demonstration Towns. As pointed out in our survey in Spokes Bulletin 107 council officers say that a long-term announced programme of funding is essential. So - everything depends on the Scottish Government Spending Review later this year, which sets the framework for all government spending over the next 3 years, as explained in the Bulletin. Section 5.3 of CAPS covers bike integration with public transport. The very welcome increase in bike spaces north of Inverness is mentioned - unfortunately the planned slashing of dedicated bike space on the North Berwick trains ((3) above) is not mentioned!! Section 5.5 refers to 'Strict Liability' and at last appears to take this idea seriously - although action would have been better than yet another review - surely that was the point of CAPS! It appears likely that the paper below by Spokes member Bill Neilson had some influence, particularly in dropping the oft-argued position that this is not in Scotland's powers. http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/downloads/technical-and-research/papers-documents/ Dave du Feu for Spokes