EXHIBITIONS/VOTING/PRIZEGIVING
Our competition to celebrate the opening of the National Cycle Network is now closed. Entries exhibition as follows...
May 16-23 Musselburgh - Brunton Theatre
May 25-June 2 Livingston - St John's hospital canteen
June 4-18 Edinburgh - Commonwealth Pool
Prizewinners will be chosen by a democratic method instead of a judges panel. Anyone visiting the exhibition will be able to complete a voting form to select the best entry in each category. To reduce the risk of cheating voters must include their name and address. There is also a prize draw of everyone who votes, with prizes drawn for each of the 3 venues. Voting ends on the evening of Monday 12 June.
The prizegiving ceremony
will be 1030-1100am Sat 17 June in the Commonwealth Pool, General Purpose
Room, with prizes presented by Edinburgh-based arts promoter Richard
Demarco. Coffee is likely to be available. Please come along to support
the competition and its participants. We hope Sustrans National Network
info will also be available, with Sustrans organisers to answer any questions
you may have.
See diary page for more events.
May 24 Edinburgh Railways, Past & Future at St Mark's Church, Portobello High St (opposite top of Bellfield Street), 7.30pm. Slides & talk. Refreshments after.
May 25 Edinburgh Buses, Past & Future at Friends Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, 7.30. Neil Renilson, Chief Executive, Lothian Buses. FOE meeting 447.8162.
May 25-26 public exhibition of A1 dualling changed plans - (relevant to Biel Road closure - see overleaf). East Linton School on 25 May, 12-8pm, and 26 May, 10-8pm
June 5 Urban Clear Zones in Scotland Free day seminar. Limited places. Must register in advance, preferably by 30 May. rebeccarichardson@ttr.globalnet.co.uk 0117 907 6520.
Sep 10 Borders
Reiver Challenge Ride sponsored for Action Research Scotland [Medical
Research]. choice of minor-road rides, distance from 12 to 100miles. 0131.446.9212.
[Internet & paper publications! See Spokes 76 for more]
As always, please remember that Spokes relies on you, our members and readers, to take action yourself to help promote sustainable transport in general and cycling in particular. You may achieve something Spokes has not thought of, or not had time to do. Yours may be the final letter which just tips the balance in favour of a certain decision. And councillors and MPs often tell us that one of the main reasons why Spokes is taken seriously is because they also receive letters from the public - i.e. from you! - on the same or similar issues.
There are lots of important matters to write about in Spokes 76. Here are a some others that have come up since Spokes went to press.
The section St Mark's Park to Junction Street is to be closed temporarily, probably July-Oct 2000, for laying a major new sewer under the path. Spokes and Sustrans are being consulted on alternative routes, temporary signing, and other details.
We hope to take the opportunity to get money spent on improving an alternative route - perhaps dealing with the flooding under Craighall Road bridge.
If you have thoughts on potential improvements - e.g. to the existing path when it is re-instated (eg new accesses as a quid pro quo for the temporary inconvenience??), or to alternatives during the disruption, contact Spokes pathways coordinator Tim Smith 554.726 - if at all possible before the end of May.
There is rumour that Edinburgh Council is not going to participate after all [Spokes 76, page 2, Sept 22]. Whilst the UK government has left it up to councils, we had hoped that as a leader in sustainable transport policies, Edinburgh would do.
If you feel the Council should participate, write to: Cllr Mark Lazarowicz, Transport Convener, City Chambers, High Street, explaining your views. If possible also suggest a few simple things they could quickly and easily do on that day. In particular, the Council could do something to tie in with the SAMH 'change travel week' project which will be running in Edinburgh that week [Spokes 76, p2, Sep 18-22].
We often get complaints about the effect on cyclists of road narrowings, and the problems are well known at national level also. Now the government has commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to investigate this. Send your comments on the general issue, including examples of specific schemes, and especially if you have had a collision or other serious problem as a result. Contact TRL's Neil Guthrie, at 01344.770010 or nguthrie@trl.co.uk
[article by Peter Hawkins, slightly shortened to space available]
The A1 dualling between Haddington and Dunbar, which got the go-ahead in the Government's Roads Review, will cut for ever a vital link in the East Lothian network of cycle routes. Biel Mill road, which crosses the A1 right opposite the A198, about 2 miles east of East Linton, was closed to vehicles years ago but a footbridge over the railway enables cyclists and ramblers to use the route, which is quite popular because the road otherwise has virtually no traffic, and passes through scenic woodland.
The route connects a network of small villages and quiet roads to the south, with Tyninghame, Tantallon Castle, North Berwick and the John Muir Country Park to the north. It is shown on East Lothian's cycling leaflet as a quiet lane, recommended for cycling.
There are no problems crossing the existing A1, but the new road will ban pedestrians and cyclists, and the Scottish Executive don't want to provide a footbridge. At the Public Inquiry into the A1 dualling, CTC and Ramblers Association made a strong case for retaining this link. The survey of use which the Scottish Office carried out only consulted a few local people, and no effort was made to see if the route was used by cyclists or ramblers from further afield. Despite our evidence of frequent use, the Reporter found in favour of the Scottish Office.
That was in 1997. With the moratorium on road building it looked unlikely that this road would ever be built, and our route would be secure. But against the odds the road is to be built. We must protest at the loss of our route, and the time to do it is now.
What you can do :
The government Trunk Roads Cycling Initiative, introduced in 1996 and endorsed by subsequent administrations, says that "in developing the motorway and trunk road network, [we] will give special consideration to cyclists in all new trunk road schemes and within improvements of existing trunk roads...to ensure that the opportunities for cyclists are recognised and exploited [and] to ensure that the opportunities for cyclists on the surrounding networks...are recognised and exploited" (Cycling into the Future, p.15). Far from exploiting new opportunities, in this case we stand to lose a valued part of our existing network !
The present administration's Transport Bill says "The Executive is committed to delivering a sustainable, effective and integrated transport system, one that will address the needs of all in society [including] pedestrians and cyclists" (Summary, p.5).
In advice to Councils, the Executive say:"where a road scheme is appropriate, it should be properly integrated with measures to promote...walking and cycling" (Guidance on Local Transport Strategies, p.41). Why don't they follow their own advice?
At the local level, East Lothian's cycling leaflet actually includes the route as a recommended quiet road.
The new A1 scheme proposes to delete two major junctions (at Monk's Muir and Phantassie) from the earlier scheme, saving around £5 million. The cost of a footbridge (suitable for bikes) would amount to no more than 1% of the total cost of the scheme.
CTC Lothians are writing to the Government and to E Lothian Council officially, but it is vital that MSP's get letters from concerned individual cyclists. Please write to your MSP. Ask them to take up the matter with Sarah Boyack, Minister for Transport and the Environment. Use some or all of the arguments above to press for a footbridge at the Biel Mill Road crossing.
You could also write to local East Lothian MSP John Home Robertson, who has campaigned for the road for years. Point out the loss to cyclists and ramblers of an important route - and ask him to help ensure a foot bridge (suitably designed for bikes).
Finally, a public exhibition of the changes will be mounted in East Linton School on 25 May, 12-8pm, and 26 May, 10-8pm to test local reaction. The junction deletions will mean that E Linton residents will have to use the existing road (which will become the all-purpose road), so they might object. The new Road Orders will be promoted after the exhibition and if there are objections, there may have to be another public inquiry but it will only relate to the proposed changes and we cannot re-open the Biel Mill issue. However, the deletion of the junctions means extra traffic will be brought onto the all-purpose road, which gives us the chance to object, and so delay the road as long as possible.
Also, if you write, please let us know - phone CTC Lothians Rights Officer Peter Hawkins on 453 3366, and/or send him a copy of your letter (10 Woodhall Terrace EH14 5BR). Thanks!
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