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CYCLETALK
The Newsletter of CTC ScotlandNumber 20 : April/May 2002 Editor of this issue:
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INDEX |
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| Getting involved in planning | Scottish Cycling Strategy - and a threat |
| Right to Ride training day | Pencaitland Path flooded |
| Summer events - rides, rallies, festivals - book now, offer to help now | |
While the planning Green Paper is getting wide coverage in England, our own system is under scrutiny in the above document. Several elements of the planning process are under consideration. Though the review is not as far reaching as the English Green paper, there are many proposals that should be welcomed:
CTC Right to Ride Reps engage in the planning process to ensure that proposed developments are accessible by means other than the private car, and that provision for cyclists is adequate. Currently it is difficult to access plans as they are generally on view only in Council Offices and during office hours. Public Inquiries take place during the day. When a Local Plan is being drawn up, if objections remain at the end of what is often a long drawn out consultation process, the Plan is examined at a Public Inquiry. However the Local Authority chooses the reporter (the presiding officer who makes the final recommendation to the Scottish Ministers), and then is not bound by the decision reached. For people with other things to do, these are obstacles to full participation, and often the opportunity to be heard is lost.
It is important that the system be more user friendly and more accessible, and that Local Authorities are more accountable. I hope that the current review will result in a fairer system
The above consultation document can be viewed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/planning. I will be submitting a response on behalf of CTC(Scotland) and would be pleased to receive any comments.
Diane@maths.dundee.ac.uk; 01382 884 540
CTC (at national level) organised a training day for Right-to-Ride campaigners in Stirling on 23 Feb. The day was arranged as a series of talks and workshops.
Most interesting was the 'engineering' workshop on on-road facilities, led by Edinburgh's Cycling Officer Matthew Simpson. He gave us plans of junctions, and we had to work out how best to fit the cyclists in, given the constraints imposed by the needs of other traffic. Putting in an Advanced Stop Line (ASL) and a lane leading to it is easy - but what if there has to be a left-turning lane for buses as well? And can ASL's work even without a lane to lead to them? (Experience shows they can).
Another problem, as emerged from our discussions, is that there's more than one type of cyclist. Facilities have to be built to cater for the unconfident cyclist, but experienced cyclists (especially in towns) usually want to get from A to B as fast as possible and don't want to be held up by the safety-conscious facility - so they don't use it.
We came away understanding that the Cycling Officer's lot is not always a happy one!
Kate Smithson from Stirling Council (which hosted the day) gave a very useful talk on the workings of Local Authorities, and showed how cycling has to fit into a very complex picture.
CTC organises these training days up and down the country, and did well to find personnel to give 'our' day a suitably Scottish flavour.
You may have wondered what has happened to this in Scotland. The Scottish Executive, through the Scottish Cycling Forum, is currently working on a Scottish Policy. Instead of the rather diffuse statements of the original, they are focussing on 7 major points. Below is a draft of the main points (which are being refined and further expounded). This should give a firm basis for progress.
Cycling, walking, and safer streets(CWSS) seem about to be downgraded in a reshuffle of staff at the Scottish Executive. It is not clear if this is fully appreciated and intended by Ministers or is purely an internal reordering of priorities by officials, possibly before new transport Ministers Wendy Alexander and Lewis Macdonald have got fully to grips with the departmental setup. In either case, it casts a cloud over government promises, initiatives and targets on cycling (and on CWSS in general).
The Scottish Executive has 4 transport Divisions, each with various branches. Division 3 has always had responsibility for CWSS, within one of its branches. However, last year an entirely new branch [branch 4] of Division 3, dealing solely with CWSS (including Home Zones), was created under Sally Thomas. The Minutes of the Scottish Executive Cycle Forum [9.3.2001] make it quite clear that the aim was to give higher priority to CWSS...
"Mr Rennie explained that a new branch would be set up with resources dedicated to walking, cycling and safer streets policy ... This was an indication of the importance the Executive attached to developing opportunities for more sustainable travel choices".
But in the reshuffle Sally Thomas will move out of transport and not be replaced. Branch 4 of Division 3 will merge with branch 2 (under Alan Brown), whose main responsibility is road safety. As far as we understand the new setup, it means that...
With the long-standing government commitment to quadrupling cycle use by 2012, these moves are very troubling. Although most cycling work is done by local councils, our annual survey of council expenditure shows very clearly the importance of the Scottish Executive encouraging and incentivising councils. It is largely thanks to the government's Public Transport Fund, with its emphasis on cycling and walking, that increasing numbers of Councils are at last taking these issues more seriously. Under previous transport Minister Sarah Boyack, councils were constantly urged and incentivised, through means such as the PTF, to take cycling seriously, and she created the new Branch to develop these policies and work them out in practise with councils.
Please write to your MSP urgently about these decisions. Ask your MSP to take the matter up with transport Ministers Wendy Alexander and Lewis MacDonald, and the Scottish Parliament Transport Committee. Find the name of your MSP by phoning 0845.278.1999, and write to them at The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP.
The public rides held so far from Dundee have been very successful.
The family ride in January set of into fairly windy, though thankfully mild, weather with the solo six year old leading the way! Swing park stop at Broughty Ferry Castle gave the kids a chance to play, and the adults their first snack stop. The red flags at Barry Buddon army firing range were down, so off we went along proper roads with NO traffic. Wonderful. The beach was deserted, though very exposed feeling with waves coming right up the sand. Ice cream on the way back (coffee for the more mature members of the party) - and a great feeling because the wind had dropped. 15 folks out in the middle of January - a mixed sociable group of widely varying ages and abilities.
February brought a drizzly start to the day. I was amazed to arrive at Discovery Point to find a fair sized group already amassed. But it proved well - the sun shone for most of the day. Route a bit hilly at first, following the Kingdom Route to Guardbridge, via Balmerino Abbey ruins, for an excellent lunch. Then a well deserved flat run through Tentsmuir Forest back to Dundee.
I would like to thank everyone who has come along on these rides, and to extend an invitation to everyone for the next rides:
Contact: Diane@maths.dundee.ac.uk;
01382 884 540
Details were in the February issue of Cycle Talk. Full details and application forms are here. (don't neglect to click on the 'help' buttons on the booking form to make sure you add it all up correctly!). If you don't have web access, phone or write Peter Hawkins, 118/1 Stenhouse Crescent, EDINBURGH, EH11 3HU; 0131 443 6712; peterhawk@care4free.net
Glasgow events plan to include
All of these need experienced cyclists to assist.
In Edinburgh, several key people who have managed the event recently are not available this year.
This is an appeal to CTC members in Edinburgh and Glasgow to offer to assist at one of these two events. It's our chance to reach out to those who are not committed to clubs, to share our expertise and promote our enjoyment of cycling.
For Edinburgh: Callum Macdonald; 0131 538 0148 or 07968 378 810
callum@bikefest.org.uk
Plans at: www.bikefest.org.uk
For Glasgow: David Marsh; 0141 287-9374; west@scottishcycling.co.uk
Plans at: scottishcycling.co.uk/events/gcf/
In Grampian, the DA will be hosting a 'Grampian Rally at Maryculter arriving on Friday 2nd August and leaving on Tuesday 6th August.
Application forms are available from:- Cindy Blackmore, 57 Leslie Road, Aberdeen, AB24 4HU; 01224 484891; Cindy.blackmore1@btinternet.com or downloadable here.
KM162 (May 3-6 at Drumlanrig Castle, see also above) has been aired in general in CT&C, but let me update you on what differences to expect this year. First, there will be some facility changes which have been forced on us, but which we hope you will find to be some improvement on earlier ones. Meals will be available, without booking, at the Castle cafe which will remain open until 1930 or the last order. There will also be vegetarian and gluten-free options.
We hope to be able to wheel out the KM replica for demo again, since we are getting a pair of new wheels fitted. This time they will be made to high quality, so will stand the test of time better.
Expect a few special rides at KM this year. The section of the National Byway (the 3500 mile cyclists heritage trail) through D&G and S Ayrshire will be in place, so we will do a couple of rides along that. Additionally, I will put on two rides with an off-road content in association with Treefest.
Treefest is a celebration year of trees. It culminates with a festival at Lockerbie in September which will include the world logging championships. Anyone can put on any event with any sort of association with trees; so cycle rides fully qualify. I intend to put on two or three in D&G, getting part of my publicity through the Treefest website - www.treefestscotland2002.org.uk. This is another occasion where we can promote our club.
Lastly, D&G is re-launching (post-FMD) its part of the 'Lochs and Glens' NCR on April 28, 29, 30 with a three day charity ride over the 111 miles, and the opening of the Byway will take place at Drumlanrig on April.
More info from John Taylor, 01556 670395, johnwtaylor@care4free.net
To: Secretary@CTCLothians.org.uk
I am organising the national tandem rally at Burnsoul campsite, 6 miles west of Dumfries from Aug 10-17th. This is the tandem equivalent of the birthday rides and attracts up to 500 people. If any of your members are interested in coming please contact me at NeilandSarahWheadon@btinternet.com
Best Wishes, Neil
The photo shows
the current state of the Pencaitland Path, a well-known (former railway) cycle
route in East Lothian. ‘Ginger’ Gray, who took the pictures, wants
to know why the Council doesn’t advertise it as a boating lake, and set
up a business hiring boats! He landed in it on a day when it was lightly frozen,
went through the ice and spent the rest of the day with wet feet, and now proposes
to sue the Council for the medical treatment he’s needed!
Even worse, the Council have put up a high curving barrier at the entrance,
one which is dangerous because you think you can ride through it (and in ideal
surface conditions you can) but usually end up hitting it. The barrier, as so
often, serves no purpose because motor bikes (if that’s the problem) can
easily avoid it.
So why is the Council spending money on barriers instead of sorting out the surface? It’s as if they’re determined to discourage the public from using what could be a wonderful recreational facility - long distance, easy gradients, off-road, nice countryside.
Copy for next issue to CycleTalk Editor by 1st May
CycleTalk 20 compiled and edited by Mike Harrison
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