See also diary page. Dates below are additional or amendments to those.
Mar 6 Green City / Sustainable City Lecture at Art College, Lauriston Place. 6pm, free. Details of this and other lectures in the weekly series, from the Danish Cultural Institute dci.dancult@dancult.demon.co.uk
Mar 19 Spokes Midlothian Members' Meeting with Council cycle staff. Roslin Pavilion, 7.30. [Postponed from 15 February]. Gerry Lawson 440.4412, gerrylawson@supanet.com
Mar 20 Morningside Area Cycle Group 7.30, Open Door, Morningside Road. Details: sasnick@netcomuk.co.uk
Mar 20 Sustainability in Housing Developments 4-6.30pm technical workshop by Construction Industry Environmental Forum. Includes session on Gorgie Canmore car-free housing development. Fee £76.38!! Details: 020.7222.8891 or enquiries@ciria.org.uk
Mar 29 Spokes Planning Group 8pm at Peter Hawkins, 10 Woodhall Terrace. Details: Sandy Scotland 551.2663.
Mar 31- Apr 6 Road Safety Week National Event - unknown if any local activities. 01484.559909 or www.brake.org.uk Sponsored by many motoring etc organisations, but also supported by the excellent Slower Speeds Initiative and Road Danger Reduction Forum. [See also Road Safety Facts below].
Apr 21 A Decent Place to Live? FOE Scotland conference for environmental justice. Dundee. Fee £5 or £45. Includes speaker Rosie Kane of JAM74 (campaign against M74) and workshop on Roads/transport. 554.9977 or nmacleod@foe-scotland.org.uk
May 16 Rail Passenger Committee for Scotland Public meeting at North Berwick. Time/place from RPCS 0141.221.7760. An excellent opportunity to raise bike/rail issues - especially if you are concerned about the forthcoming new North Berwick rolling stock with its lowered bike capacity.
June 19 Spokes Bike Breakfast For details, or to help, contact Jackie 664.0526. Now includes send-off for riders on North Sea Route opening ride. Also a Gyle Bike Breakfast on the same day. Details: Mark.Symonds@telesenskscl.com
Aug 15 Rail Passenger
Committee for Scotland Public meeting at Dunblane. Time/place from
RPCS 0141.221.7760.
THE FACTS...
WHAT YOU CAN DO...
The Home Office, Department of Environment Transport and the Regions, and the Lord Chancellor's Department have produced a consultation paper ROAD TRAFFIC PENALTIES asking for the publics' view on enforcement, possible new penalties, revaluation of the points system, retraining of drivers, disqualifications, forfeiture of vehicles, repeat drink-drive offending etc. We have already mentioned this [Spokesworker 03.02.01], but we have more space this time, and the above facts from a Brake leaflet also highlight its importance.
The paper has been drafted with its primary frame of reference being the legislative position in England and Wales. However, it is envisaged that its proposals will also be applied to Scotland.
There is great public dissatisfaction with the level of penalties for causing death and injury on the road. It is not so much punishment that concerns us as the need to deter future dangerous driving, and so make the roads safer for all. Higher penalties - in particular lengthy disqualification followed by compulsory re-testing - are essential to instill in drivers a full awareness that they are using a potentially lethal weapon.
One suggestion in the consultation paper is that a fatality should mean automatic life disqualification and/or automatic minimum penalty of one year imprisonment.
We strongly urge members to send in comments. Replies must be in by 9th March 2001, so if time is too short to get the consultation paper, write anyway with your opinions - even if you just send a brief comment on the need for much longer periods of disqualification - or whatever other suggestion you have.
Unfortunately some of the ideas, such as more use of disqualification, and more driver re-testing after conviction, are being attacked as 'anti-car' by parts of the media and some politicians. The consultation is likely to get many submissions on those lines - so it is vital for those concerned about road danger to make the opposite case.
The paper is free from Jisha Salim, Sentencing & Offences, Home Office, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SWIH 9AT. e-mail jisha.salim@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk Fax: 020 7273 4345
If you have time, you can get useful comments on the proposals from the following...
BIKES IN THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT FUND SCHEME
As mentioned briefly in Spokes 78 [see article] Edinburgh Council has been awarded the huge sum of £8.5m from the government Public Transport Fund for 'Quality Bus Corridors' and related schemes, mainly between Leith, the new Little France Infirmary, the bypass, Straiton and Midlothian (and elsewhere). Provision for cyclists is to be integrated into the proposals.
The bid itself was not worked out in complete detail, but now that it has succeeded the Council must do so. Currently they are designing 9 'transport interchanges', at Haymarket, East End, Central Princes St, West End, Drum Brae, Gt Junction Street, Tollcross, Cameron Toll, Elm Row. If you have ideas on any of these, write with your ideas to: Chris Day, City Development, 1 Cockburn Street, EH1 1BL. Copy your letter to Spokes.
You could write just with ideas about one of the locations near you, or with general points about all of them. For example, the need for convenient/relevant cycle lanes, traffic calming, and long- and short-term cycle parking (Sheffield racks and possibly lockers). Incidentally the Council is also keen to hear if you have any good names for the above interchange locations.
CALTON GATE
Spokes was delighted [Spokes 76] when the Council incorporated extensive details on cycling, including a map of proposed cycleroutes, into its Waverley Valley Strategy. This included the proposed 'Parliament Way' cycleroute [Spokes 72] between Waverley and the site of the new Parliament, via New Street bus station site. We were also delighted over rejection of the plans to redevelop New St site as car-based housing and business, including a 760-space car park, and eliminating the route of the proposed Parliament Way.
Instead the area is to become a multi-use pedestrian-friendly area called Calton Gate, incorporating a park, walkways, new housing, and small business. It is meant to be equally bike-friendly, in line with the Council's Waverley Valley Strategy. Unfortunately the developer's latest 6-page glossy [just out] makes not a single mention of cycling, nor does it specifically mention the Parliament Way. It may be that this is merely a slip-up, but given the size of the document and the extensive discussion of pedestrian provision it suggests that cycling is slipping out of the consciousness of the consultants. Nor do the many artists' impressions include a single bike or cycle rack.
If you are interested in this area, please take this up with the developers - and send us any useful replies. Please write in a constructive and disappointed manner, rather than angry! The (free) glossy is called Calton Gate Edinburgh - Update, Issue 2. The address for the glossy and for your comments is: Richard Thain, New Street Partners, Paxhill, Park Lane, Lindfield, West Sussex. teamwork@cuckfieldgroup.com
Please also copy your letter to Spokes; and to The Director of Planning, 1 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BL - asking for an assurance that cycling will be fully catered for, in line with the Waverley Strategy.
WATERFRONT - GRANTON MASTER PLAN
We are also concerned at a new glossy from the developers of the huge Waterfront project at Granton. Despite our many comments and intensive lobbying on this matter [eg Spokes 76], there is little change from the draft document as far as cyclists are concerned. The document again fully emphasises the role of cycling within the development area, in a very positive way. However, there is yet again no mention at all of the cycleroute from Granton to Roseburn. That route is described solely as a public transport strategic link.
This is despite the fact that the Council's Local Transport Strategy has been amended to state "Any new rapid transit line using former rail routes will be parallelled with cycle/pedestrian routes". As with the Waverley Strategy document above, we again have a general strategy document with very positive statements, but then local development plans which do not measure up to them, and the Council seems not to have impressed on the developers that they must incorporate the stated policy in all documents and plans.
The brochure 'Edinburgh's Waterfront - Granton Master Plan' is available free from Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd, Abbey House, 83 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2ER. nina.mcelroy@waterfront-ed.com tel 247.6830. Please send your comments to the same address, and copy to Spokes and the Council's Director of City Development [1 Cockburn Street, EH1 1BL] asking if they are happy with a brochure that does not seem to reflect the Council's Local Transport Strategy
CITY CAR CLUB
We understand the Council is taking seriously the problems of the City Car Club [Spokesworker 03.02.01], and hoping to ensure a way of continuing it. If the issue concerns you and you have not yet written to the Council, please do so urgently, to help keep up their resolve and their action.
CYCLE SCHEMES IMMINENT (???)
The Council financial year ends on 1.4.2001. They are getting close to the deadline for 3 major cycle safety projects which we understood were to be funded in the current financial year...
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