CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.

Direction Of Travel – Rethinking Transport (Summerhall, Wed 26th, 7PM)

(12 posts)

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  1. kaputnik
    Moderator

    http://www.edinburghgreens.org.uk/site/events/direction-of-travel-rethinking-transport-policy/

    On Wednesday 26th June we will be hosting the first in a series of GreenLight events, with invited guests discussing the big issues of the day.

    The first event will be about transport, hosted by Scottish Greens MSP Alison Johnstone with transport commentator Christian Wolmar and consultant David Spaven.

    Christian Wolmar is an award winning writer and broadcaster specialising in transport and is the author of a series of books on railway history. In the autumn of 2012, he announced he is seeking the Labour candidacy for the 2016 London mayoral election. Christian is acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading commentators on transport matters. He broadcasts frequently on radio and TV and is a regular pundit on the national news bulletins of terrestrial channels and Sky.

    David Spaven was a Scottish Green Party Speaker before the separation of the English/Welsh and Scottish parties in 1991. He worked as a British Rail manager for 18 years until 1995. While in Glasgow, he campaigned against the M74 Northern Extension. He was the first Chair of TRANSform Scotland from 1997 to 2006 and was involved with Get Edinburgh Moving. He is no longer active in electoral politics but is a campaigner as well as a transport consultant used by Scottish and UK transport agencies.

    The event will be taking place in Summerhall’s Dissecting Room, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL (at the east end of The Meadows) on Wednesday 26th June. Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start, and there is a bar and free snacks available in an adjoining room. The event will be free, but we would appreciate a small donation on the night to cover costs. There’s no need to book, just turn up!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    Tomorrow

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. crowriver
    Member

    Capital 'should model transport on Copenhagen' - Christian Wolmar in the Herald

    http://goo.gl/sWQbC

    Sorry, my mistake!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. SRD
    Moderator

    This is the link to the herald article: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/transport/capital-should-model-transport-on-copenhagen.21429733

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. PS
    Member

    How was it? Owt of interest?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    I'm glad I went.

    Both speakers were interesting. I have followed Christian Wolmar's writings and media appearances for years and would probably agree with most things he says. I don't think he'd make a good Mayor of London (he's hoping to get the Labour ticket).

    Similarly I have read and heard David Spaven quite often.

    I knew that Christian Wolmar liked cycling around London a lot, but I didn't know that David Spaven gave up cycling about 10 years ago because of a knee problem. Though as someone said to me, perhaps cycling would be good for it.

    The audience was greenish and/or transport obsessed. It would be hard to assess how much the subject matter was new to many of the audience.

    Issues of walking were mentioned by speakers and quite extensively discussed afterwards on the Q&A session.

    David Spaven called it "urban walking" which is presumably what pedestrians do as opposed to walking which is largely seen as a leisure activity.

    There was general agreement that this basic mode of transport was largely ignored by planners and indeed the general public - who probably do it quite often.

    Someone in the audience said that they were disappointed that the support poles for the tram wires were being placed on the pavement reducing the width further.

    David Spaven recalled his long battle to remove bins from around Haymarket Station. He went on to complain that in all the considerations for the remodelling of the station, those responsible were very pleased about the transport interchange outside the station but had failed to recognise that about 70% of people leaving Haymarket got to their destinations on foot.

    In other news - the Summerhall Pale Ale is very nice (though not cheap).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. SRD
    Moderator

    Interesting. I enjoyed. Great venue. nice food + free beer (very decent porter). What not to like? Had a glorious ride home around after 11 all the way across South Meadow Walk and onto Leamington Walk. dark enough for lights, but the sky was still blue.

    Speakers were more mixed. I have to say i was really disappointed by Christian Wolmar. he talked too much about London, and while this could have been done in an instructive way -- highlighting key issues comparatively -- he didn't know enough about Edinburgh for it to work. He also pronounces it like my mother-in-law 'edinborrow' :(

    To be even more critical, I think it might have worked even if he didn't know the Edinburgh case, but it would have needed to be more analytical and insightful, but it was quite vague and general.

    David Spaven was far more interesting, although he spoke more about trains and pedestrians (weirdly claimed he gave up cycling 10 years ago because of a knee injury).

    He proposed three things which he would like to see:

    * Rule 170 campaign (pedestrian priority on road crossings)
    * Sticky not sweet corners - ie not making corners wide and 'easy' to turn for motor vehicles
    * Pavement continuing not roads

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    * Yes
    * Double Yes
    * Triple Yes

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Knee injuries can be odd things - I don't suppose he hurt his knee one day and just thought 'ah well, I'll give up cycling', but rather hurt his knee, then found it was aggravated by cycling?

    Anyway, sounds interesting, and yes, as kaputnik says, to the three things Mr Spaven would like to see!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. wingpig
    Member

    "Sticky not sweet corners - ie not making corners wide and 'easy' to turn for motor vehicles"

    The ideal accompaniament to this would be the prohibition of long and unwieldy giant vehicles from roads too narrow or twisty or delicate to support them, to prevent the long vehicles having to block traffic in both directions to escape from side streets out of which they are unable to comfortably turn.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. PS
    Member

    Pavements continuing not roads is exactly what should be happening in the city centre. Seen a number of examples of this in Europe in the past few years and it works. As does naked streets. Edinburgh may be doing the latter by stealth, judging by a few suburbs I've driven through where the road markings have long since been worn away... ;)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. SRD
    Moderator

    Delighted to report that David Spaven is new convenor of Living Streets Edinburgh group.

    Hope some of you lot will get involved.

    (K'nik you might also be interested in his forthcoming Railway Atlas of Scotland?)

    Posted 10 years ago #

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