** IF YOU CYCLE UP MARKET STREET, FROM WAVERLEY BRIDGE TO THE MOUND, PLEASE READ ITEM [E] IMMEDIATELY, AS URGENT ACTION IS NEEDED --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. SPOKES BIKE BREAKFAST, JUNE 20 Remember our annual bike breakfast at the City Chambers next Wednesday, 8-10am. www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2012/05/spokes-bike-breakfast-june-20 In addition to the information on the above web page, there are some new developments... - Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op will be running a competition to win a bike valued up to £350. Note that the competition may only run from 8-8.50 or so, although it may run the full 8-10 period [will be decided at the time]. - Green MSP and Spokes member Alison Johnstone will speak briefly, in addition to Lesley Hinds, the new Council Transport Convener. The Breakfast Bike Rides from various parts of the city to the breakfast are developing well, and councillors will be joining several of them. Check out the website to see if there is one from your area... http://breakfastbikeride.org.uk Our thanks to Spokes member Mike Smith for thinking up the rides idea and for then implementing it quite independently. For more info or to help organise a ride contact Mike: lionfishy[AT]gmail dot com. 07779527004. Also, remember, after the breakfast, 11am-2pm there will be a cycling event at Festival Square, including a Spokes stall and a heavy goods vehicle you can sit in to see (or not see!) the blind spots experienced by HGV drivers. The council were looking for volunteers to cycle behind the (stationary) HGV for the benefit of the 'drivers' - we're not sure if volunteers are still needed, but feel free to offer your services at the event in case it would help. B. SPOKES BULLETIN 113 All members should now have received their summer mailing, with Spokes Bulletin 113. If by any chance you have not, we may have a mistake in your address, so please get in touch. Spokes 113 is now also online... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2012/05/spokes-summer-mailing/ C. STORYBIKES Our apologies to Andy Hunter of www.storybikes.co.uk, for inADvertently omitting his ad from the summer spokes bulletin. If you're interested in a Hadrian's Wall Guided Tour, July 29 - Aug 4, with some excellent storytelling included, see the advert at... www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Storybikes-12-04-SpokesAd_2.5x1.5inches_April12.pdf D. SPOKESWORKER JUNE 2012 We hope that the next issue of Spokesworker will be on our website sometime this weekend, here... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/spokesworker/ As usual there should be loads of news, events and things you can help us with. It will also cover the interesting feedback and coverage there has been as a result of the article on helmet compulsion in Spokes 113. E. MARKET STREET CYCLE LANE - OR NOT The first Transport Committee of the new Edinburgh Council is this Monday 18 June, at 10am. The agenda and papers have just been released... http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/2718/transport_infrastructure_and_environment_committee The meeting agenda includes a paper on the area around Waverley Station, Market Street and Waverley Bridge... http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/35636/item_517-access_to_waverley_station-response_to_motion_by_councillor_hinds The paper has been prompted by Network Rail proposals to ban cars and taxis from within the station on security grounds, and so the council is reorganising taxis and parking outside the station. There is some further background in a council news item... http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/912/counting_the_cost_of_proposed_waverley_car_ban The paper proposes extensive changes, but MAKES NO MENTION AT ALL OF CYCLING OR CYCLING ASPECTS - except at the very end where it quotes a council policy stressing the importance of good conditions for getting about "on foot, by cycle or on public transport" !!! Despite that policy, it looks very much as if the paper has been drawn up without being discussed at all with the council cycle team, given there is no mention at all of cycling. That, we thought, was a standard practice for all major changes to road and traffic patterns. Given the council's big target for cycling growth by 2020 every opportunity should surely be taken to improve, and certainly not to worsen, cycling conditions. Some aspects of the plans look good, and others less good, but we are extremely disappointed to see that the pavement uphill in Market Street, will be narrowed and 9 parking bays installed. This will rule out the option of an uphill cycle lane in Market Street [as well as providing a narrower pavement]. A few years ago, before the tram works, car parking was allowed uphill in Market Street, and if you were around then you will remember how unpleasant it was cycling up such a steep hill with traffic passing, or held up behind you, and the constant danger of car doors opening. [technical point - The Order that banned parking only lasts until the tram is running, but we were hopeful the ban would be made permanent. The new proposals look as if they would supercede that anyway]. Once car parking was removed, cycling conditions were much better, and the council cycle team then found there was space to improve things further by installing an uphill cycle lane. THE MONEY FOR THE CYCLE LANE IS ALREADY IN THIS YEAR'S CYCLE TEAM BUDGET. However, it appears that the section of the council dealing with the parking proposal has slipped in, with plans that will scupper the cycle lane. The current overall proposals will increase onstreet parking places in the entire area from 81 to 84, of which 9 will be in this new uphill Market Street parking bay. [In order to finally implement this an Order must be passed, which will give one more chance for objection, but we need to try and get the plans scrapped now, and the cycle lane installed, rather than a campaign lasting many months]. This looks like potentially a really bad start for cycling policy in the new council!! It is likely that it has all happened at official level, without the new councillors knowing the cycling aspects background. We were fearful something like this would happen - in fact we listed the Market St cycle lane on page 3 of Spokes 113 as an immediate 'small but symbolic' challenge for the new council! !!! URGENT - WHAT YOU CAN DO !!! If you use Market Street and are concerned about this, it is vital to contact your councillors urgently - the Transport Committee meeting is on Monday morning. Find your councillors at http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/councillors [click on Find Councillors by Postcode] Look up each councillor individually to find their email address [you have either 3 or 4 councillors]. Email your councillors urgently. A brief email is fine, using your own words, but try to cover the following... - Why this is important to you and to the council's cycling policy aims - Ask for the uphill 9 car parking spaces to be dropped and the cycle lane installed - Ask whether the plans for the whole area were discussed with the council Cycle Team - Ask your councillors to raise your points with the Transport Convener before the meeting, or at the Committee itself if they are on it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave du Feu Spokes 13.6.12