http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Tag: Cassandra - Recent Posts en Tue, 19 May 2026 17:08:44 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379987 Fri, 13 Jun 2025 14:35:33 +0000 Morningsider 379987@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It is inaction posing as action. Months (years) will now be spent checking that the legislative regime for road user charging is spick and span. If new guidance is really needed then that will be months or years more for drafting, consultation and adoption.</p> <p>After that, it is up to local authorities whether they take any charging scheme forward. None have committed to this - with Edinburgh and Glasgow making noises about investigating the possibility of doing so. Anyone imagine that progressing from investigation to implementation in the current political climate? With an Edinburgh Council administration dominated by the Lib Dems and Tories? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379983 Fri, 13 Jun 2025 13:44:25 +0000 bakky 379983@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>This is <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/scottish-councils-including-edinburgh-and-glasgow-to-be-given-full-powers-to-introduce-road-charging-5174633 ">being reported</a> as road user charging on the way... is this steam being mistaken for smoke, or could it actually be movement on the clarifications LAs seemed to be wanting from ScotGov? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379978 Fri, 13 Jun 2025 12:50:26 +0000 neddie 379978@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Oh Morningsider! You had my hopes up for a nanosecond there </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379968 Thu, 12 Jun 2025 22:07:00 +0000 Morningsider 379968@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yay! Transport Scotland has just published <a href="https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/tyob205z/achieving-car-use-reduction-in-scotland-a-renewed-policy-statement.pdf">Achieving Car Use<br /> Reduction in Scotland: A Renewed Policy Statement</a>.</p> <p>Let's see what it says...oh, nothing. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379459 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:15:36 +0000 neddie 379459@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>New link to Transform Scotland briefing:</p> <p><a href="https://transform.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/War-on-the-motorist-debate-Transform-Scotland-briefing-paper-2025-04-30-1.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://transform.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/War-on-the-motorist-debate-Transform-Scotland-briefing-paper-2025-04-30-1.pdf</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379441 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:11:52 +0000 bakky 379441@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Transform Scotland have written a briefing regarding the debate:</p> <p><a href="https://transform.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/War-on-the-motorist-debate-Transform-Scotland-briefing-paper-2025-04-30.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://transform.scot/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/War-on-the-motorist-debate-Transform-Scotland-briefing-paper-2025-04-30.pdf</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379435 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 18:54:44 +0000 Morningsider 379435@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Odd that the motion fails to mention the <a href="https://findingspress.org/article/123382-did-the-implementation-of-low-emission-zone-in-glasgow-change-the-traffic-flow-and-air-quality">academic research</a> that found the LEZ had lowered air pollution in central Glasgow. Too soon to assess the impact of the others - Glasgow started enforcement first.</p> <p>I have no idea if the bus gates in Aberdeen "hindered motorists". However, they have reduced some bus journey times by up to 25% and been so successful that they have funded <a href="https://www.route-one.net/news/free-aberdeen-weekend-bus-travel-funded-by-bus-gate-savings/">free weekend bus travel in Aberdeen during January 2023</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgl7y62q1mo">free weekend festive night buses in 2024-25</a>.</p> <p>As for the proposed reduction of the speed limit on single carriageway interurban roads from 60mph to 50mph, there is no<a href="https://www.transport.gov.scot/consultation/national-speed-management-review-consultation/impact-assessment/"> mention of the estimate</a> that "...over the 60-year assessment period there could be a reduction of at least 170 fatal, 720 serious and 378 slight injury collisions." </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379433 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 17:36:27 +0000 bakky 379433@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Better to hear it from the man himself. Video below starts at the question which prompted it at 17m 32s in, about how to cool down culture wars. SJW not mentioned.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPgi8_rHD9E&amp;t=17m32s" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPgi8_rHD9E&amp;t=17m32s</a></p> <p>(The Youtube link I've used links directly to the timestamp, but the forum embed seems to discard that parameter):</p> <p><code>youtube.com/watch?v=MPgi8_rHD9E&amp;t=17m32s</code> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379432 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 17:05:15 +0000 acsimpson 379432@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Storytelling about how Webber and her accessories are directly responsible for hundred of deaths a year? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379431 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 17:00:05 +0000 bakky 379431@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Arellcat another cracking link - I also saw @Morningsider sharing that on Bluesky, in response to the news.</p> <p>SJW being so far removed from the usual meaning of SJW (initialism) has tickled me.</p> <p>The shame is, the way certain parties tap into a sort of nostalgia and fear of change and 'losing our way of life' means no amount of data proving businesses are probably in fact benefitting from the LEZ would sway policy nor messaging. One of the reasons Chris Boardman had said during a semi-recent Active Travel Café session that we need to be able to do more in the way of persuasive storytelling rather than just wielding stats (I paraphrase, but). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379428 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:26:20 +0000 Arellcat 379428@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I assume SJW has forgotten about this banger of an article from the Scottish Parliament:</p> <p><a href="https://spice-spotlight.scot/2022/08/26/is-there-a-war-on-the-motorist/" rel="nofollow">https://spice-spotlight.scot/2022/08/26/is-there-a-war-on-the-motorist/</a></p> <p><em>calls on the Scottish Ministers to focus on incentives, rather than penalties, to encourage motorists to change their behaviour as part of an affordable transition;</em></p> <p>Ah, 'incentives' for behaviour change. The magical hands-off approach in which people just need to be 'encouraged' and 'asked nicely'. Perhaps SJW would care to read about behavioural change science as regards people's individual, social and material value systems to learn why incentives alone don't work.</p> <p><em>notes that the implementation of low emission zones has hindered businesses and motorists in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee</em></p> <p>I was in Glasgow twice in the last few days. There was an awful lot of shopping going on as far as I could tell. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=4#post-379426 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:24:12 +0000 bakky 379426@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Long-time Active Travel and Climate Action Supporter MSP Sue Webber has tabled this for the Scottish Parliament tomorrow:</p> <p><a href="https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-17362" rel="nofollow">https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-17362</a></p> <p><blockquote><strong>Ending the “War” Against Scotland’s Motorists</strong></p> <p>Submitted by: Sue Webber, Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.<br /> Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025<br /> Motion reference: S6M-17362<br /> Current status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, 30 April 2025</p> <p><em>That the Parliament calls on the Scottish Government to take greater action to support Scotland’s motorists and to cease implementing punitive measures against road users, which have been described as a war on Scotland’s motorists; recognises the importance of motorists to the Scottish economy and connectivity; acknowledges that the Scottish Government has abandoned its plans to reduce car use by 20% by 2030 and welcomes the recent Audit Scotland report that states that the Scottish Ministers had "no costed delivery plan or measurable milestones" to achieve this target; calls on the Scottish Ministers to focus on incentives, rather than penalties, to encourage motorists to change their behaviour as part of an affordable transition; notes that the implementation of low emission zones has hindered businesses and motorists in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, and calls on ministers to review the effectiveness of low emission zones before any new zones are proposed, or the current ones are expanded, and to reconsider the punitive fines; recognises that road users in Aberdeen have been hindered by the introduction of bus gates, and that motorists across Scotland have been restricted by the expansion of parking charges; urges the Scottish Ministers not to introduce 50 mph speed limits on national speed limit single carriageway roads; recognises that resurfacing, rather than refilling, is the best solution to tackle Scotland’s pothole problem; urges ministers to work more effectively with the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, local authority road works coordinators and utility companies to encourage less inactivity on road work sites and to incentivise finishing works ahead of time; calls for greater action to futureproof Scotland’s EV charger network, and further calls on the Scottish Government to recognise the vital role that motorists play in Scotland.</em></blockquote> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379407 Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:12:01 +0000 chdot 379407@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Only tiny area of course, but even so -</p> <p>“</p> <p>Cycling in City of London rises by more than 50%</p> <p>“</p> <p> <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgxek18z5eo.amp" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgxek18z5eo.amp</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379404 Mon, 28 Apr 2025 08:47:58 +0000 chdot 379404@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>It’s clear to edi.bike and other commentators that the issue here is not a lack of priority in the matter - be it from other countries, or other cities on a localised level - but the <strong>lack of </strong><strong>political backbone</strong> to deliver not only incentives to reduce vehicular traffic, but disincentives also - regardless of popularity. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://buttondown.com/edi.bike/archive/edibike-issue-90-28th-apr-25/" rel="nofollow">https://buttondown.com/edi.bike/archive/edibike-issue-90-28th-apr-25/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379395 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 01:34:14 +0000 mcairney 379395@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>As someone who is a bit of a car geek dare I say that cars are the modern equivalent of brown shoes?</p> <p>I generally avoid driving into town, the stress isn't worth it, if you were to get parked your parking costs would quickly outweigh the cost of taking a bus/train/tram and it's no faster as you're essentially making the same journey along the same road!</p> <p>In saying that my mum hasn't been well recently and I'm starting to regret choosing a car that does 30mpg on a good day... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379392 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 20:43:12 +0000 gembo 379392@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>2neddie you are being kind there. I would say sacked. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379385 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 16:43:51 +0000 neddie 379385@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Any councillor that tries to stop the council from implementing its own policies more than 3 times, without offering any viable<br /> alternative, should be booted off the committee. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379384 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:56:04 +0000 bakky 379384@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I would love to see how Iain Whyte proposes to tackle congestion in the city otherwise. These folk are all pearl-clutch and no answers. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379383 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:20:37 +0000 Arellcat 379383@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>CEC, as a public body, is entirely within its rights to set its own targets for reducing distances people travel using cars. It's entirely within its rights to adopt a 20%, 30%, 40% or even 100% target, should it wish. It's also entirely within its rights to acknowledge that 'driving' (heh) down car use in cities is different from attempting the same in rural areas with poor public transport. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379382 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:16:59 +0000 chdot 379382@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Here we go again -</p> <p>“</p> <p>When will Edinburgh Council’s anti-car eco zealots wake up and smell the coffee? This week the SNP Scottish Government has finally admitted its goal to cut car use by 20 per cent by 2030 will have to be dropped as it is completely unrealistic. Yet Edinburgh Council’s approach remains an even more unrealistic 30 per cent cut. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/city-councils-anti-car-policy-needs-a-radical-rethink-iain-whyte-5097449?" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/city-councils-anti-car-policy-needs-a-radical-rethink-iain-whyte-5097449?</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379358 Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:51:16 +0000 neddie 379358@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“Holyrood” article also discusses:</p> <p><a href="https://www.holyrood.com/inside-politics/view,switching-lanes-scotlands-plan-to-make-transport-more-sustainable" rel="nofollow">https://www.holyrood.com/inside-politics/view,switching-lanes-scotlands-plan-to-make-transport-more-sustainable</a></p> <p><blockquote>The big headline is if you don’t restrict car usage how we see it today, you can improve all the alternatives as much as you like, but if we don’t deal with the problem, we will just be left with more of everything. That’s what has happened in the Netherlands and Germany, they’ve got some amazing examples of public transport and active travel, but they still have very high car usage and ownership</blockquote> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379355 Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:32:34 +0000 chdot 379355@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@M</p> <p>Would be good to get your analysis!</p> <p>There’s an annex here (which may or may not be useful!)</p> <p><a href="https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/a-route-map-to-achieve-a-20-per-cent-reduction-in-car-kilometres-by-2030/" rel="nofollow">https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/a-route-map-to-achieve-a-20-per-cent-reduction-in-car-kilometres-by-2030/</a></p> <p>Also (apparently) the original plan was that a final route map would be published taking into account this additional research -</p> <p><a href="https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/travel-demand-management-options-study/" rel="nofollow">https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/travel-demand-management-options-study/</a></p> <p>From above</p> <p>“</p> <p>The Scottish Government has been clear that reaching our target of a 20% reduction in car use by 2030 will require a broad combination of interventions, including infrastructure, incentives and disincentives. This Transport Demand Management research was commissioned by Transport Scotland in June 2022 to explore fair and progressive options to reduce unnecessary car use.</p> <p>“ </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379354 Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:20:48 +0000 Morningsider 379354@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Technically the route map was only ever a draft. I'm quite happy to run through progress (arf) on the interventions, but it will need to wait until later today or tomorrow as I am busy with other stuff. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379351 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:43:15 +0000 bakky 379351@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Route map a very good find (as someone who will write about this shortly) - thank you for pointing to it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379350 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:13:07 +0000 Arellcat 379350@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>And @scotgov has no delivery plan and is now unlikely to hit its target.</em></p> <p>Three years ago, Transport Scotland published <a href="https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/50872/a-route-map-to-achieve-a-20-per-cent-reduction-in-car-kms-by-2030.pdf">a route map for the target</a>. It would be interesting to know how many of the 19 interventions have not come to fruition sufficiently.</p> <p>I'm not very surprised, though. But given the amount of working from home and hybrid working these days, who is doing all the driving? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379349 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 14:44:25 +0000 Frenchy 379349@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Who could have predicted? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-379348 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 14:32:35 +0000 Morningsider 379348@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Another one bites the dust - the Scottish Government has binned its 20% car travel reduction target:</p> <p><a href="https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/plan-cut-20-car-journeys-35104394" rel="nofollow">https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/plan-cut-20-car-journeys-35104394</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-378508 Sat, 01 Feb 2025 00:15:36 +0000 LaidBack 378508@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Looking at the projected targets of car use worldwide.</p> <p><a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/26237/car-use-by-continent/" rel="nofollow">https://www.statista.com/chart/26237/car-use-by-continent/</a></p> <p>Obviously Europe is top in projected reduction but fighting off rural car dependency in Scotland is hard.<br /> If LB had a car we could drive twice as quickly as public transport options from Highland Perthshire. They are not actually bad but many buses are slow - even express FlixBus took 1 hour 30 mins from Perth to Edinburgh via Broxden.<br /> Most locals use the bus only if their car is broken. The village bus is very reliable but infrequent.<br /> EVs of course are very cheap to run and may actually increase miles driven.<br /> The bold answer is fast electric rail via Perth to Inverness. Will have to be resilient though as our publicly owned railway had loads of faults after Èowyn.</p> <p>Car use between Edinburgh and Glasgow shot up last<br /> weekend as trains were cancelled and buses were full although did their best to cover. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-378505 Fri, 31 Jan 2025 17:44:58 +0000 chdot 378505@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>The Scottish Government aims to reduce car kilometres by 20% by 2030.</p> <p>This is part of its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.</p> <p>But car traffic has increased since 2020.</p> <p>And @scotgov has no delivery plan and is now unlikely to hit its target.</p> <p>More: <a href="http://bit.ly/Sustainable_Transport_in_Scotland" rel="nofollow">http://bit.ly/Sustainable_Transport_in_Scotland</a></p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://x.com/AuditScotland/status/1884886909228347768" rel="nofollow">https://x.com/AuditScotland/status/1884886909228347768</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20822&page=3#post-378156 Thu, 09 Jan 2025 18:45:33 +0000 chdot 378156@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>The need for change</p> <p>Our National Transport Strategy (NTS2) outlines the need to reduce travel by unsustainable modes and sets out the sustainable travel hierarchy, where walking, wheeling and cycling are the preferred modes for shorter journeys. The UKCCC’s latest Sixth Carbon Budget report also acknowledges need for car use reduction, and the important benefits, both for the climate as well as for the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s citizens.</p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/environment/20-reduction-in-car-km-by-2030/" rel="nofollow">https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/environment/20-reduction-in-car-km-by-2030/</a> </p>