URGENT - If you live in Southside/Newington area, read item C urgently. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. PEDAL ON PARLIAMENT, APRIL 28 - REPORT PoP was truly amazing, with 2500 people (and 2500 bikes!) according to the police, and more according to some other estimates. For a report, links to pictures, and things you could do now as a follow-up, see the April 29 news item on our website... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2012/04/pop-phenomenon If you know any politicians who were there and aren't listed in our report, please get in touch asap so we can get it updated. B. EDINBURGH COUNCIL ELECTION, MAY 3 The politicians who spoke at PoP are all strong personal supporters of more cycling investment, and a more bike-friendly environment. Whilst some parties are much more supportive of cycling investment than others, within each party you will find individual politicians with very different views, and parties have internal battles on such issues. Speakers stressed how it helps them in their internal battles if individual members of the public periodically contact councillors and candidates. Obviously getting get bike-friendly parties and candidates elected also helps massively. So please check out party manifestos and your individual candidates, and VOTE on Thursday 3 May. Voting turnout is expected to be low, so every vote that is used has greater effect. There's lots of election information in the March 30 and April 14 news items at www.spokes.org.uk, including a Spokes comparison of main cycling issues in manifestos, and a list of those candidates who are spokes members. Since our previous circular the April 14 manifestos article has been updated... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2012/04/edinburgh-party-election-manifestos/ In the recent Spokesworker we advised you to use your vote as follows... "Number the candidates in your preferred order, 1,2,3, etc. For your vote to have maximum effect, number every candidate. Enjoy putting your least favourite candidate last as well as your best first." This advice was questioned by one member, but we contacted James Gilmour of the Electoral Reform Society, who fully endorses it. The only point we would add is that this advice does assume you know at least something about all parties/candidates, so that you can put them in order. If you know nothing about some parties/candidates, try to find out. Otherwise perhaps the best tactic is to slot them in after those you'd be content to see elected and before those that you'd hate to be elected. C. LOCAL HUSTINGS - SOUTHSIDE/NEWINGTON, MAY 1ST The local area hustings we advertised in the recent Spokesworker have now all happened, but we have just heard of one for Southside/Newington ward on Tuesday, 1st May, 6-8pm, at Braidburn Inn, 200 Mayfield Road (at the Liberton Brae end). Unfortunately this hustings seems to have been organised very late, so it's not clear how many of the candidates will make it. There is an incentive of sandwiches being provided! This is Edinburgh's "cycling ward," with candidates including Cllr Gordon Mackenzie [the man behind Edinburgh Council's decision to allocate 5% of the transport budget to cycling]; Cllr Steve Burgess [who has done a great deal for cycling as a councillor]; and Cllr Cameron Rose [a long-standing Spokes member and voice for cycling within his party]. More info... http://hustingsmay1.eventbrite.co.uk/ D. CONCERT FOR ANDREW Andrew McNicoll was killed earlier this year whilst cycling to work in Edinburgh. His family has set up a website http://www.andrewcyclist.com/ in his memory, and to campaign for improved cycling conditions in the city. They are working with the council and are in touch with Spokes and other groups. A fund-raising concert in Andrew's memory is being held on May 11 at Polwarth Parish Church, tickets £12/£8. More information ... http://www.andrewcyclist.com/a-concert-for-andrew E. SPOKES SUMMER MAILOUT AND BULLETIN 113 Saturday May 26. Our delivery/stuffing volunteers will be notified as usual nearer the time. If you know any organisations who would like to enclose a relevant flyer in our envelopes to member households (850 copies) please get in touch. We normally charge £50 for this, but we waive the charge in some cases. F. CONFERENCES May 29, Glasgow. The annual Walking/Cycling/Connecting Communities conference http://walkcycleconnect.org/conference/conference-2012 May 30, Dalkeith. Midlothian Physical Activity and Health Alliance consultation/information day. http://www.midspace.co.uk/default.asp?page=8&uid=366 For more information, check the two downloads on the above web page. If anyone would be interested to go to the event and run a Spokes stall at it, please contact us - they have an impressive invite list, so it could be a useful opportunity. The summer Spokes Bulletin will just be out so you would be able to have copies available for all the delegates. Bookings (free) should be made by 9 May if possible. G. RAIL FARES CONSULTATION The UK government is consulting on the future of all aspects of rail fares - the outcome is likely to affect Scotland, as well as rail trips elsewhere in the UK. Ewan Jeffrey, our bike/rail representative, has pointed out that the consultation is very relevant to bike/rail issues, so please make your own response to the consultation if this concerns you. To send in a fairly quick response, the easiest way is to use this site... http://bettertransport.org.uk/fairfares/fares-review If you have time to send in a full and detailed response, use the (very) long list of questions on the official consultation site... http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-09 Ewan suggests you consider making some/all of the following points. Please use your own words - DON'T copy this word for word. 1. Bikes continue to be carried free. 2. Require all train operating companies to permit online booking of bike spaces (where these are required). The consultation states that online ticket selling is more cost effective and should be encouraged compared with expensive to run booking offices, but for cyclists a booking office visit is commonly necessary to buy a ticket where a bike reservation is required. 3. More flexible internal train layouts would boost leisure off-peak travel. Per Para 92 "Despite the busy peaks, once overall usage across the day is considered Britain has the lowest average volume of passengers per train of any major European railway." That's partly because fixed seating is so user unfriendly if you have a shopping trolley, a wheeled walking aid, a buggy or a bike, unlike in other European countries! 4. It is unfair that, when travelling using an "Advance" ticket on the correct booked train, one can't decide to get off at an earlier station or join at a later station en route, without invalidating the ticket and being liable to buy a new full price ticket. Flexibility would be very helpful to touring cyclists. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave du Feu Spokes 29.4.12