The Lothian Cycle Campaign

     •car-free day events throughout Britain: www.itwmc.gov.uk
     •events worldwide Sept 13-27: www.carbusters.org/carfreeday

Readers of the Sunday Herald with a careful eye for detail may have noticed several hints of possible good news on sustainable transport. Jack McConnell, the Scotland First Minister, had already made "the most significant environment speech from a Scottish Minister for the last decade" [Spokes 82], according to FOE Director Kevin Dunion. He is also a long-standing member of SERA, the Labour Environment Group,
and of FOE. But there was still much scepticism as to what if anything would happen in practice, especially in the politically difficult area of transport.

However, there have now been several hints [Sunday Herald 25.8.02, Herald 28.8.02] that the Scottish 3-year Spending Review to be revealed in September [probably Sept 12] will include...

• increased spending on rail, bus, cycling, walking [though cuts in the huge planned expenditure on trunk roads seem unlikely]
• A senior government figure in charge of a public health plan for Scotland, with new funding, and bringing together initiatives such as the Physical Activity Task Force [see Consultations below], healthy schools initiatives, and the Food Czar.
• other environmental initiatives such as a huge boost to recycling [which could bring cyclist puncture-relief if it kept glass off roads and paths, as in countries with bottle-recycling deposits!]

• Campaigning against Midlothian's A701 dual-carriageway proposal has taken a new turn with setting up of protest camp in Bilston Woods, an SSSI on the road's route. Meanwhile the existing NAAG group continues its monthly protest walks first Sunday each month - Joan Higginson 01968.675109.
• TransForm has persuaded Audit Scotland to investigate the 3-towns A78 bypass plan, claiming it would be a misuse of public money. www.transformscotland.org.uk/info/publications.html.
• Transport 2000 and the Slower Speeds Initiative, supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers, plan legal action over the UK government capitulation to motoring organisations and the press on speed cameras, which must now be highly visible and in restricted locations. The Commons Transport Select Cttee says "There was no scientific research to support the decision. People will die as a result." You are asked to lobby your MP (not MSP) on this issue. See www.slower-speeds.org.uk.

Sep 7 'Doors Open' cultural cycle ride - Midlothian See 29 Sept for contact, meeting point, and general info.

Sep 9-15 Edinburgh Lightbulb Amnesty OK, it's not transport, but take up to 4 fused traditional lightbulbs to Ross Band Stand in Princes St Gardens and they will be swapped for up to 4 new low-energy bulbs. The originals will be used for a huge sculpture during Energy Efficiency Week in October. www.LEEP.org.uk

Sep 15 Pedal for Scotland annual Glasgow-Edinburgh sponsored ride www.pedalforscotland.org 0131.657.4393. There is also expected to be a Spokes stall at the end of the ride, at Meadowbank. If you can help at our stall: contact Hayley 229.9835.

Sep 19-20 Transport & Devolution conference, Glasgow, with Transport Ministers from Scotland (Iain Gray MSP), Wales, N.I. Details: capitalconferences@talk21.com 0790.973.5224. Spokes will qualify for reduced rates for one or possibly more delegates.

Sep 19 Integrating Cycling with Public Transport conference, Nottingham University - particularly relevant with current planning for trams in Edinburgh. [A research project on all aspects of bikes and trams is underway by conference organiser Hugh McClintock]. Cost £25 for members of voluntary groups such as Spokes. We might also be able to help with transport fare if an active Spokes member is interested in attending and perhaps getting involved in lobbying locally. For all conference details, booking, etc: Hugh.McClintock@nottingham.ac.uk 0115.851.4875. [If interested in representing Spokes as above, also contact Dave 01506.670165].

Sep 22 Car-Free Day [In Town Without My Car] - see main article

Sep 24 JAM74 meeting Campaign against the £250 M74 Glasgow northern extension. Details: campaigns@transformscotland.org.uk 0131 467 7714. Note: TransForm points out that a recent report for the Scottish Executive by consultants MVA implies that the road will generate 20% more traffic, increase climate change emissions by 20%, and worsen congestion in Glasgow.

Sep 29 'Doors Open' cultural cycle ride - East Lothian Easy distance (not more than 40 miles), easy pace, visiting historic buildings; led by Peter Hawkins. Many venues provide tea & coffee. Sustainable tourism at its best! Meeting place: Commonwealth Pool, 9.30am. Bring sandwiches. If you are coming please let Peter know - tel. 443 6712, e-mail peterhawk@care4free.net We visit:
Prestongrange Church - first post-reformation church in SE Scotland; 17thC bible, and silver. Prestonpans Tour, run by the Heritage Association to see historic village of Preston, chance to view masterpieces of vernacular building, inside and out.
Chalmers Memorial Church, Port Seton - elegant spire and bell tower, unique stencilled interior, fine stained glass. Pinkie House. Originally an 'ecclesiastical' hunting lodge, then a home for the Seton family, some fine plaster ceilings, and an amazing painted gallery. See also the unusual arrangement of chimneys from the gardens. Time permitting, visit Fa'side Castle. For more info, see www.doorsopendays.org.uk

Oct 6/Nov3 Spokes Sunday Ride - see Spokes 82 or Stuart 445.7073

• For sale: Hobbs of Barbican 22.5" lightweight db cycle £60ono. Also Karrimor panniers used once £60. Mr Alexander 669.2427.
• Found: A rather nice animal watch, found early this year on Haymarket-Granton railway path. If it's yours and you can describe it, contact sprice@hw.ac.uk or 07968.069328. 

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  SE CYCLE PROGRESS REPORT

For full details see Spokesworker 26.06.02 or the draft Spokes submission on our web site (click recent additions). Send in your comments by 13 September. This is a very important consultation, particularly as the government has promised funding for the physical activity strategy. Important: Even if you don't have time to read the consultation paper, send in a short letter or email with your ideas on a physical activity strategy for Scotland. Some of Spokes's main comments on the draft strategy are...

• More emphasis needed on active travel (walking/cycling)
• Emphasis needed on adults as much as on children
• As regards children, some of the extra resources proposed for PE should instead go to cycle/walk promotion and training
• National and local arrangements needed for easily-available cycle training for adults, children, schools, etc - as for swimming
• Council physical activity strategies should be developed jointly and equally by all relevant departments, including transport and education, not just recreation/sport as often now happens.

This draft 'sport and physical activity' strategy is extremely disappointing, especially given the fairly positive Scottish document (above). The main stated aim of the Edinburgh document is to make Edinburgh the most physically active city in Europe - but in fact it is a strategy for sport and physical recreation - there is virtually nothing on everyday physical activity such as walking or cycling to work, shops, school, etc. The document has been produced not by Edinburgh Council as a whole, but by the Leisure Department. Our solution: it should be renamed the 'Sport and Physical Recreation Strategy', and the Council should also prepare a genuine Physical Activity Strategy, involving all departments, of which this would be a part. Also, the existing document should be amended to include more on recreational cycling. It is available from herbert.coutts@edinburgh.gov.uk or 529.7990 David Wardrop. Comments to Herbert Coutts, Director of Culture & Leisure, 23 Waterloo Place, EH1 3BH (email above).

Unlike Edinburgh this is a genuine physical activity strategy, not just sport. However, it needs considerable beefing up in terms of active travel and everyday physical activity. Most of the coverage of walking/cycling is under the 'Parks & Countryside' subgroup! There should be far more on safe conditions for walking/cycling to work, shops, schools, friends, etc; cycle training; Planning policies to ensure that homes, shops, schools and other facilities are in easy walking/cycling distance; and education/publicity to change the common perception that physical activity is not a part of everyday life but something you do at an activity centre!

The consultation document is available from, and comments should be sent to: flora.jackson@westlothian.gov.uk 01506.419666x5012. Closing date 27 September. She also had details of new grants for organisations with ideas to boost physical activity in W.Lothian.

Road and public transport proposals - comments by end September. Details: www.csts.co.uk, click on Final Reports. Before writing, please read the view of public transport campaign group Transform Scotland at www.transformscotland.org.uk/info/publications.html

This consultation has been termed by TRANSform Scotland "a mammoth flag-waving exercise for the air transport industry", with an almost complete failure to recognise the environmental problems of largely uncontrolled growth in air travel, or the current subsidy of £7bn a year through tax exemptions on fuel, new aircraft, etc. Consultation ends 30 November. Details: www.airconsult.gov.uk. For an alternative view see: www.airwatch.org.uk.

Consultation document: 020 7944 2046 roadsafety@dft.gsi.gov.uk Website:  www.roads.dft.gov.uk/consult/mobiles/index.htm.One question is why only ban handheld, when the evidence suggests hands-free are also dangerous. Consultation ends 25 November.

This is a government consultation on the area between Gyle and Newbridge - the 'A8 transport corridor' - including a large area of green belt - and 'one of the fastest growing development areas in Scotland' according to the government press release! It includes all the existing transport initiatives, such as tram and airport rail access, with the only new major transport ideas being more airport road accesses. Astonishingly, given government policies and targets, there is not a single word about cycling or walking in the consultation document or the accompanying background papers. Closing date - 15 November. Consultation document at www.scotland.gov.uk/planning or phone 08457.741741. Comments to: westedinburgh@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or David Leven, SEDD, Planning Division, Victoria Quay, EH6 6QQ. We also suggest you write to your MSP asking what confidence we can have in government statements on sustainable transport when this government consultation has not a word on walking and cycling.

The Council has asked for suggested additional bike parking locations anywhere in Glasgow. Send your ideas to andy.preece@virgin.net, who will pass them on to the council.

The Strategic Rail Authority is consulting (till 11 Oct) on rail fares - the SRA has some control over the private rail companies. You might like to comment on free bike carriage especially for local journeys, and other matters that concern you. Consultation details: www.sra.gov.uk. Rail campaign views: www.railwatch.org.uk.

You may have seen press controversy over EU proposals for motorist insurance to cover injury to cyclists with whom they collide. The press hysteria omitted the fact that this would apply equally to pedestrians, and that it has been in force for many years in several EU countries. The relevant European Commission document is at http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/finances/insur/com2002-244/com2002-244_en.pdf.

Following is a letter about the proposal to Nigel Griffiths, MP for Edinburgh South, from a Spokes member, and the reply.
"Insurance for pedestrians & cyclists, EC Proposal 2002/0124

The European Commission has recently proposed that pedestrians and cyclists involved in road accidents with motor vehicles should be covered by the compulsory insurance of the vehicle involved in the accident, without having to prove blame: this is already the case in some member states. The Commission's assessment is that this should not have a significant impact on motor insurance premiums.

I was not surprised that the RAC and some motor insurers have started scare stories about the likely effect of the proposal on insurance premiums, but I was very disappointed to read that the UK Government is also opposing this change.

The proposed change is perfectly reasonable and long overdue. While pedestrians and cyclists cause some accidents, these seldom result in death or serious injury unless a motor vehicle is also involved: this extra risk is a responsibility which motorists should accept as a consequence of their use of public roads. Pedestrians and cyclists also tend to suffer more in accidents with vehicles than the occupants, and are deterred from using our roads as a result.

The Government has committed itself on health, equity and environmental grounds to promoting walking & cycling, and reducing use of motor vehicles. The Commission's proposal is an inexpensive but valuable change in favour of the pedestrian and the cyclist: I hope that you will
support it enthusiastically."

Nigel Griffiths replied...

"Thank you for your letter about insurance cover for pedestrians and cyclists. I agree with your comments and I have taken this opportunity to write to the Secretary of State for Transport so that he is aware of the strength of feeling on this issue."

Please consider writing to your own MP on this matter.