See diary page for more events.
May 7-8 Canal Re-opening across W.Lothian including M8 blockage. Includes barges flotilla Linlithgow to Ratho leaving Linlithgow canal basin Sun 7May 2pm. BWB 0141.332.6936.
May 20 SPOKES SUMMER MAILOUT We need lots of help enveloping and (especially) delivering, over the following fortnight. Usual helpers will be notified by post, but anyone else who can help (especially with delivery) please phone Dave 01506.670165. Due to a combination of circumstances we have to hold this meeting on the holiday weekend, so if you're around we especially need your help!
May 22 Destroying Traffic Myths London conference by Road Danger Reduction Forum. The arguments promoting car culture: "roads are getting safer", "reducing roadspace will cause chaos", "roads=jobs". More details: 01423.500600 or email tt31@harrogate.gov.uk.
May 27-29 National Cycle Try-out Show At York, organised by Open Road/Encycleopedia/Bike Culture, where you can try out folders, city bikes, child-carrying attachments, trailers, etc. 01904.654654 or www.bikeculture.com
May 28-June 10 Jubilee 2000 Orkney-Glasgow via Carlisle & Edinburgh ride, publicising campaign to cancel 3rd world debt. Join any part, including June 4 entry to Edinburgh. Also Princes St mass ride - meet Market St 3.30pm. Further info: 0131.225.4321 or email j2000scot@NetworkTeam.net
May 28 /Jun 21 /Jul 9 /Aug 16 /Aug 27/Sep 13/Sep 24/Oct 22 Sustrans rides from Airdrie or Bathgate 0131 623 7600.
May 28 Edinburgh / June 11 Glasgow / June 18 Inverness Bike to the Future annual FOE Scotland sponsored ride. 0131.554.9977 or email events@foe-scotland.org.uk
June 11 Stirling / Aug 6 Aberdeen Wheels for Wildlife WWF sponsored rides 01887.820449
June 17-25 See below: 'National Network Opens'
June 18 Bill Brockie Retiral 'Eucharistic Ceilidh' (service cum party) Bill is Minister at St Martins Church, where Spokes rents office space, and has been a good friend of Spokes for many years He invites everyone who knows him to this event to mark his retirement, at a local Brewery! Note - this invitation is only for people who know Bill. More details from Bill 337.5493.
Sep 3 Barnardo's sponsored ride Blair Atholl, Perthshire. 9 and 24 mile routes. 0131.314.6654 Nicola McRae.
June 19-22 Velo-Mondial 2000 international cycle conference Amsterdam Details: www.velomondial2000.nl
Sep 8-10 Living/working in Edinburgh, world heritage city conference, Edinburgh 225.8818
Sep 18-22 Change Travel Week Replaces June 19-25 previously advertised 'No Car Week'. Organised by Active for SAMH in partnership with Edin Chamber of Commerce. Concentrating on boosting cycle, walk and bus use in Lothian Road to Morningside corridor. SPOKES volunteers requested. For details or to help, contact: Ian Reid 467.7905.
Sep 22 European Car-Free Day 9 European governments have pledged to take part. Britain has refused, but Edinburgh may. In 1999 parts of over 166 towns in Germany, France & Italy were car-free for the day. Details: 020 7613 0743.
2001, May/Jun North Sea Cycle Route- inaugural ride for this 6000-mile route. Join any section. Mark 0131.229.7190
2001, Sep 17-21 Velo-City International cycle conference, Edinburgh/Glasgow. velo_city@meetingmakers.co.uk or 0141.434.1500. A school outreach project is already awheel.
Sustrans Ride the Net:
NATIONAL NETWORK OPEN
Target - 1 million people on their bikes this week! See www.ridethenet.co.uk. The Sustrans Scottish Ride the Net coordinator is Andy Dunn 01505.614302 amdunn@csi.com.
S 17 Spokes Art Competition - Exhibition. Prizes to be presented by Richard Demarco. For time/place phone XXXXXX
W 21 Spokes Bike Breakfast 8-10am, Edinburgh City Chambers, High Street. Free breakfast for you & oil for your bike. Free maps for earliest arrivals. Stalls, politicians, etc! Details: Rosemary 553 5819.
W 21 Midsummer Day - Sustrans Network Longest Ride [Andy 01505.614302] All 10000 miles to be ridden - Includes Edinburgh to Stirling, St.Andrews, Airdrie, Melrose, Leith, all starting after Bike Breakfast.
Sa 24 Edinburgh-St.Andrews LEPRA ride Repair van, luggage van, bookable transport back. 01968.682369.
Su 25 Sustrans/Spokes Meadows Bikefest, 12-5. Live music: Wheely Good Bike Carnival Band [renewable energy pa], Bloco Vomit and Thunderdogs Ceilidh Band. Best dressed bike competition; bike doctor; cycle skills challenge. Rides to cyclefest along NCN routes, then bike Princes Street carnival procession.
More info: Sustrans 623 7600 or Mark 334.2653.
24/25 Ride for Health British Medical Assn & Sustrans, to highlight cycling & health. 020 7383 6872. Free Ride for Health pack advising on events you can organise.
The closing date for our competition to celebrate the opening of the Sustrans national Network has been slightly extended. Post your entry first class by Monday 8 May, to: stART the Net competition, PO Box 23296 Edinburgh EH6 8WL. We are a bit short of entries in the age groups up to 7 and 13-16, but entries from adult and 8-12 categories will also be greatly welcomed. Remember there's a NEW BIKE prize in each of the 4 age categories!! Your entry must be on A4, but can be a photo, literature, poem, mathematics, drawing, map, ..
Spokes has recently held two very successful sessions on North Edinburgh paths, the first even prompting thank-you letters from members of the public!! We will be featuring the importance of proper maintenance in the summer spokes leaflet. To help in future events, contact Tim 554.7264.
[Note: we are happy to
include relevant members's letters in Spokesworker, space permitting].
Manuel Stables, Linlithgow Bridge EH49 6JF
Feb. 18th 2000
Dear Editor,
Most readers will know of the current scheme to reopen the Union and Forth and Clyde canals, connecting both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the eastern and western seaways. Part of this scheme is to improve the towpath for walkers and cyclists.
The Forth and Clyde canal towpath has been maintained in good order for cycling and walking. Conditions on the Union canal used to be more robust! Although passable to bikes, the path was narrow and overhung with flesh shredding vegetation. That is all changing. When the present work is completed, at the end of the year, the Union canal towpath will be a straightforward ride - and work is proceeding rapidly. Why not cycle out and see it!
If you find that canal cycle rides are too far there is very easy rail acces.s. Ride out and train back, or take a train to a distant point and cycle out and back to it. Stations convenient for the Union canal are Kingsknowe, Linlithgow, Polmont and Falkirk High. Stations convenient for the Forth and Clyde canal are Falkirk Grahamstown, Camelon, Croy, Lenzie and those in the Strathclyde Network at Maryhill, Westerton, Drurnchapel, Singer, Dalmuir, Clydebank, Kilpatrick and fowling. There is also a 5,40 "(50 Roundabout Glasgow" day ticket. This will allow you to bike and train extensively in the Strathclyde part of the Forth and Clyde canal.
Go on! be adventurous! Make a bike and train day of it this Spring somewhere on the canal!
Richard Toleman
Note: Richard, who
is also a Sustrans volunteer ranger, is building up a photographic record
of the canal project, and is interested in giving slide-talks at a later
date. 01506 845575
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The Scottish government is consulting on its expenditure plans for the future. The consultation document, called Investing in You, is available on the Scottish Executive web site www.scotland.gov.uk [then recent publications], and also we think (free??) from the government bookshop in Lothian Road.
Unfortunately we have not yet looked at it - but we urge you to take this opportunity to send in your views on how transport funding should be used. Even if you don't have time to look at the document, or if not all its figures are clear, please write in.
Here are some very important points to make...
The government's excuse is that public transport, cycling, and local roads are the responsibility of councils, whereas the government is directly responsible for trunk roads. This is true, but very misleading. The government can and should ensure that much more significant sums are spent at local level on sustainable transport. For example, the Public Transport Fund, which gives extra to councils for these purposes could be drastically increased (as well as being revamped to give higher priority to walking and cycling, and renamed the Sustainable Transport fund). If the government was serious about its manifesto promises, it could find other ways also.
We urge you to write in and make these points very forcibly. Explain that the money to fund your suggestions could be found by allocating smaller increases to the trunk roads budget.
Send your comments by 19 June to: Finance Coordination, Area 3-B, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Say these are your comments for the Investing in You consultation.
Despite the evidence that an individual who has a crash can sometimes be helped by wearing a helmet, there remains no convincing evidence that general increases in helmet-wearing bring beneficial results. Theories abound about helmets - that some cyclists change their route or marginally change their manner of cycling if more confident through using a helmet; or that helmet discomfort can cause a lapse of concentration; or that potential cyclists are put off because helmet-promotion makes cycling seem too dangerous; and so on.
Now John Franklin, chair of UK Cycle Campaign Network, has created a web site summarising much of the existing research. He has found no detectable overall reduction in casualties in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and London despite significant increases in helmet-wearing in these areas. In contrast, of course, there have been significant safety improvements in several European countries where helmet-wearing is uncommon.
John Franklin's research summary may be found on the Internet at ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/quinze/digest
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