This is a circular to all emailable Spokes members. [If you recently sent us a change of email address, your change may not yet be in our database, so this message may go to your old address or possibly to both]. 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 @. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** A. WELCOME TO AN UNCERTAIN 2012 It's a very uncertain year for cycling development in Scotland and in Edinburgh. Let's hope, and do our best to ensure, that the wishes for a Happy New Year come true! We should know in the next 2-3 weeks whether our campaigning has achieved anything concrete over the appalling Scottish budget mismatch between cycling cuts and trunk road expansion. If not, there will be a serious brake on the already slow levels of cycling development right across Scotland. Like all councils, Edinburgh will suffer, with a probable big setback to its Active Travel Action Plan (ATAP). The first Quality Bike Corridor and the Portobello-Leith route are going ahead, largely under this year's budget, but future phases will be badly affected. The second uncertainty is the council elections on May 3. Over the last 2-3 years Edinburgh Council has been particularly pro-active on cycling, drawing up ATAP, putting in staffing and funding, and with the first two major projects (above) about to happen. We have to ensure that whichever parties control Edinburgh after the elections commit themselves to continuing these actions on cycle policy, staffing and funding. If you are involved in a local political party, please try to influence their manifesto - this needs done urgently. Spokes is drawing up an elections statement and will put this on the website in the near future - ATAP, staffing and funding are likely to be top priorities. We also plan a council elections hustings, probably on Thurs 29 March. ** B. SPOKESWORKER An early-January issue will be out on Jan 6th with more info on most of the items in this circular - find it at www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/spokesworker [or click the spokesworker tab at the top of the website]. ** C. !!!!! SCOTTISH BUDGET 2012-13 .... COME TO THE JAN 11 PROTEST !!!!! Several important national organisations have picked up on the crazy treatment of walking and cycling in the draft Scottish budget, and are organising a cyclist lunchtime protest, 1-2pm on Weds 11 January at St Andrews House, Regent Road, the offices of Alex Salmond and of Finance Secretary John Swinney MSP. A letter will be delivered to John Swinney. Supported by Spokes, already over 200 people have promised to attend. PLEASE BE THERE TOO!! More info in the Jan 2 news item at www.spokes.org.uk and at www.stopclimatechaos.org/on-yer-bike. HELP NEEDED - a. This Saturday 7 Jan, Transform Scotland volunteers will be preparing placards for the protest. They need helpers between 2-5pm. If you can help, please phone or email colin 07956 394121, colin.howden@transformscotland.org.uk. b. We will take the Spokes tabards to the protest. If you'd like to wear one, turn up 10-15 minutes early and see Judy Cantley. Please return the tabard to her before you leave. We may also produce a handout which would need distributed to the participants. BACKGROUND - The draft budget is truly disastrous, on our latest calculations meaning a probable 32% cut in walking/cycling investment in 2012/13 - and that following an 18% cut in 2011/12. Thus walk/cycle investment in 2012/13 will be little more than half its level in 2010/11 – and that was miserable enough! From a mere 1.21% of total transport in 2010/11 it falls to 1.03% this year, and is set to plummet to 0.67% in 2012/13 if the draft budget is not changed. Maybe we could understand this if total transport spending was plummeting. But no! – it is shooting up, thanks to a £100m boost to trunk road spending – an increase which is 8 times the total likely investment in walking and cycling in 2012/13. For more info and a link to our budget update calculations see the Jan 2 news item at www.spokes.org.uk. Since our last circular, MSPs on the all party Infrastructure Committee have given strong endorsement to the need for active travel investment, specifically complimenting Spokes on our funding calculations. We don't yet know if SNP Ministers will pay any attention. See our Dec 15 website news item... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2011/12/budget-msps-support-spokes/ - If you have not yet contacted your MSPs, consider doing so now. - If you are unhappy with any replies received, let the MSP know why. - If you live in, or have sympathetic friends in, parts of Scotland outside Edinburgh and the Lothians, make a special effort to get letters to the MSPs for that area. - Find your MSPs at www.writetothem.com [you have one Constituency MSP and 6 or 7 Regional List MSPs] ** D. PRINCES STREET PARADISE For the whole of December, Princes Street was free of traffic and of roadworks. We've got some great photos, giving a tantalising glimpse of how Princes Street could be with bikes and pedestrians. See the Dec 7 news item on the Spokes website... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2011/12/princes-street-paradise There was also encouraging news in the Herald that maybe the council and traders have been impressed, so we might be closer to some positive changes than had seemed likely. If you like the idea, tell your councillors! http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/transport/council-reveals-plans-for-princes-street-makeover.16296981 ** E. EDINBURGH CONSULTATIONS AND ACTIONS NEEDED A great deal is happening. If the areas below affect you, please check out the relevant articles in the above Spokesworker (B above) and submit your comments or write to your councillors (at www.writetothem.com) ... a. South Central Edinburgh - see article called 'Consultations - Southern Arc ADF ' b. Market Street - see article called 'Market Street' c. Anywhere in Edinburgh - see article 'Consultations - Edinburgh Local Development Plan' d. Bikes on trains - see article 'Consultations - ScotRail Franchise' e. Forth Bridge cycleroute - article by local member Bruce Whitehead f. Your own local innovative community bike project - funding sources available for small or large projects, but application deadlines are soon. ** F. IMMINENT DATES Jan 7 Edin Local Developt Plan exhibition: Ocean Terminal [11am-3pm] Jan 10 EGIP* public meeting 7pm, Calton Centre. Meeting may focus on possible Abbeyhill station but other points can be raised. Jan 11 Scottish Budget protest 1-2pm. See C above. Jan 11 EGIP* public meeting 7pm, Queensferry High School. Jan 14 Edin Local Developt Plan exhibition: St James Centre [11am-3pm] Jan 16 Drop-in Q&A re community bike project grants: Jan 16, 12-2pm, at City Chambers, High Street. Jan 18 Edin Local Developt Plan Thomas Morton Hall, 28 Ferry Rd. Exhibition 4.30-5pm. Workshop [mainly re Leith Docks area] 5-7.30 Must book for workshop: 529.3500 or localdevelopmentplan@edinburgh.gov.uk. *EGIP = Edinburgh/Glasgow rail electrification project. For more info about the project see Nov 7 news item at www.spokes.org.uk. It would be very valuable for people to raise bike carriage etc at these meetings – see our EGIP comments in Nov 7 news item. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave du Feu Spokes 05.01.12