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CYCLETALK
The Newsletter of CTC ScotlandNumber 23: Nov/Dec 2002 Editor of this issue:
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It was sent from Scotland to the printer in time, but due to a misunderstanding on the part of the firm which manages the mail distribution an instruction was given to the firm which actually does the packaging not to include it as it was not on their list of authorised insertions. What had been forgotten was that we had arranged in January 2001 to have an insertion in every issue of Cycle (or CT&C as some of us still call it!). The firm admitted the error, and therefore bore the cost of a separate packaging and mailing. There was steam coming out of the editor’s ears at the time, but I’m grateful to the company for admitting the mistake and for rectifying the error.
Perhaps one good thing to come out of this is that everyone would see the issue. I often feel that when a magazine has a lot of inserts they can very easily all be just thrown in the bucket together. At the recent CTCS Committee someone said ‘Couldn’t we do it in colour?’ One thing about a monochrome leaflet is that it does stand out as something different amongst all the glossy leaflets for double-glazing, computers and sun awnings. [The actual answer to the question was a ‘No’ from the bean-counters].
CTC Scotland is looking for a new Treasurer to take over at the AGM at the latest, and if possible immediately. The amount of work is minimal, as is our financial turnover. The Committee meets about 3 times a year, and recently the Executive has had occasional interim meetings. Out of the 3500 members in Scotland there must be someone who could help with this. Living in the Central Belt is an advantage, but not necessary. Volunteer please to either Ron Harrow (Chair) or Mike Harrison (Secretary).
They say that our CTC Grampian Rally in the beginning of August was most successful and everybody enjoyed themselves. There were the usual 20-, 40- or 60-mile rides. There were about 60 people attending; forty of those were foreigners, i.e. from South of Stonehaven.
We had the Deputy Minister of Transport, Lewis MacDonald MSP, attending the Dinner and Ceilidh. There were the required speeches, in which Gordon Mackay, the chair of the organising committee, said he liked cycling, and Lewis MacDonald said he too was in favour of it. Only they took about half an hour to say it.
There was an alternative Birthday Cake, which was cut by the indefatigable Pat Harrow, our Scottish Rep on the national CTC. We are now not quite sure why we called it the alternative Birthday Cake, but originally there was a good reason for it.
The Grampian DA might repeat this venture, possibly in 2004. There is an opportunity for the Highland DA for 2003: many of us have never cycled there.
Gerard Vlaar, Grampian DA
In the last issue there was a mention of the Physical Activity Task Force consultation and the Aberdeen equivalent. Since then both Glasgow and Edinburgh have produced their documents. These are all driven by sportscotland’s Sport 21 aim of getting more local strategic action in sport. Although the PATF document has more mention of health and lifestyle than the local documents, they are all strongly biased towards organised competitive sport. Spokes (the Lothian Cycle Campaign) has been very critical of to lack of reference to active travel and active living. Cycling, probably more than any other sport, covers the whole range from the highest level of international competition to the purely utilitarian but still healthy and sustainable mode of travelling to work or school.
Whatever is done as a result of these strategies will still leave a lot of people who have no interest in sports clubs out on a limb, and the money put into it will not reach them. On the other hand, money put into simple facilities for walking and cycling and into changing the mindset of those who automatically reach for the ignition key as they go out of the house (or of those who don’t get any further than the couch) can reach much further.
What can you do? Find out if your local council is working on a Sport and Physical Activity/Recreation Strategy, and what stage it is at. Read it. Comment on it. If is it totally biased towards PE in school or organised competitive sport, make your views known.
| October 20 | Deeside Loop | 125 mile/200k |
| 07:00 start | Forfar Leisure Centre | |
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| October 27 | Glen Isla | 60 mile/100k |
| 09:00 start | Forfar Leisure Centre | |
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| Entry fee £3.50 | ||
| Bookings: Ron Harrow, 21 Glamis Road, Kirriemuir, Angus, DD8 5BN 01575574082; theharrows@lineone.net |
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CTC is coming out of the 19th century, and is gradually collecting members’ phone numbers and including them on the database. As far as I know, these are not sold to telephone sales people, but for internal use only. Certainly as a DA Secretary it is occasionally useful to have phone numbers. CTC Scotland would like to be a step ahead and get directly into the 21st century by gathering email addresses of Scottish members. The purpose of this would be that we could, when necessary, put out notices where urgent action is needed on campaigning matters (e.g. the Physical Activity issues discussed elsewhere in this newsletter) or even put out Cycle Talk itself (as in the case last month when it was not included with the magazine). The pictures we occasionally manage to get into Cycle Talk would look better in colour anyway. We already use a mailing list for discussion of Right to Ride issues. These email addresses would not be released outside the administration of CTC Scotland. Please send an email to the Editor giving your name, membership number and email address.
CTC is celebrating its 125th next year. The first weekend in May (3rd-5th) has been designated, and all areas are asked to put on something special – with the aim of getting as many members as possible out and visible that weekend. Have you made any plans yet? Please let CTCS as well as Godalming know what you have in mind, as well as what you have actually organised.
CTC Scotland has an ‘Annual General Meeting’ in January. It’s written in quotes, because it’s not like other AGMs. All the members of the Committee are either nominated by the DAs (the number you can nominate depends on the number of members in the DA – basically it is one for each 300 members with a maximum of 3 per DA) or are nominated by affiliated clubs (maximum of 5). If the number nominated by the affiliated clubs is more than 5, then the clubs have to elect 5 from the nominations.
What we do elect are the office-bearers and also co-opt additional members. Reports are presented and general directions and policies for the coming year are set (just like the Queen’s Speech!). This meeting is OPEN to all members, although only the delegates can vote for the office-bearers. It’s held on a Saturday morning, and is followed in the afternoon by the first Committee Meeting of the year. For the last two years, it’s been held in Perth YH (specially taken out of moth-balls for us) and combined with a Right-to-Ride meeting on the Sunday. For 2003 the RtR training will be a separate day.
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The AGM/Committee Meeting will be in the Friend’s Meeting House, Whitehall Crescent, Dundee on Jan 18th 2003 (probably at 11:00) See http://quakerscotland.gn.apc.org/dundee/ for description and map |
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This time the AGM of CTC (UK). Last year they tried combining the AGM with the Annual Dinner, and it seemed to work, so it is planned to repeat this for the next few years. There is also a desire to move the venue around the UK. Your Committee of CTCS is putting in a bid to host this – almost certainly in the Central Belt (sorry Wick Wheelers!) – some time soon after 2003.
“Loved by all!”
“Crowds flock in!”
“Halls run out of seats”
" Every office-bearer and committee member has to fight for their seat
on the committee"
The reality is more likely to be that the janitor has to be made a temporary member to get a quorum. Do you tempt people in with a slide show or with wine and cheese? Some have tried this. Does it work?
Fair enough – we can’t expect the member from Durness to travel to Inverness or the member from Duns to cycle over to Edinburgh for a meeting on a dark miserable November evening, but where there are members in a town it would be good to have some representation. Usually the AGM is the only chance the members get to put their views. Although the actual AGM is a formal meeting and open discussion is not an option, there is usually a slot for discussion provided after the formal meeting.
The dates for the AGMs of the District Associations will be formally published in the October (this) issue of Cycle. Please look up yours and put the date and place in your diary – NOW!
If there is anyone who is interested in setting up a family cycling group in and around Dunbar get in touch My proposal is that Sunday rides once a fortnight or monthly depending on demand. Suitable for children on their own bikes, parents with trailers, children on the back etc. Mileage depending on ability would be very modest and would focus on a destination e.g. a park, a picnic at some nearby woods or the beach. Any members are welcome to drop by Belhaven beside the fabulous beach for baking, to discuss cycle promotion, folding bikes, child trailers, tandems etc. Give us a call 01368 864717 – Mark James
How does your club or group get itself known to outsiders? The Galloway Cycling Group has managed to get a regular column (monthly) in the Galloway News. In the July one there were short articles about a) teaching the young, b) basic bike hints and c) a favourite ride. Do you have a local paper that would be willing to do the same?
Do you get copies of your newsletter into the local libraries? (Does your newsletter contain information that would make people want to join in, or is it just esoteric gossip that only club members would understand?)
All cyclists go into bike shops sooner or later. Do you have them on your side, do they have your leaflets or a permanent poster on their notice-board?
Do you have a simple hand-out that you can use at events like ‘Car-free Day’?
After a long delay the Home Zones Guidance Consultation document has been released. It is intended that it should be used immediately - so if you are about to have a housing scheme built on your doorstep, the developers should follow the principles in it. Make sure you make representations to the Planning Department. It will be revised after 2 years in the light of actual experience. You can find a copy on the web at www.scotland.gov.uk
Michael Addiscott replaces David Marsh in Glasgow and Gary Willis replaces Cathy Scott in Edinburgh from September 2002. Contact them:
Michael: michaeladdiscott@scottishcycling.co.uk;+44 (0)141 287 9374
Gary: garywillis@scottishcycling.co.uk; +44 (0)131 652 0895
© 2002 CTC Scotland, 11 Stead’s Place, EDINBURGH, EH6 5DY
All possible effort is made to ensure that facts in this newsletter are accurate. Please tell the editor of any inaccuracies – it’s too late to correct what’s in print, but most information is repeated on the web and can be corrected there.
Opinions are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the policies of CTC and CTC Scotland.
Copy for next issue to CycleTalk Editor by 1st Nov
CycleTalk 23 compiled and edited by Mike Harrison
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