CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Thanks again for the advice. I decided to get a train south from Aviemore. Although having sat on an increasingly hot and crowded train for an hour I then changed and Perth and rode home from Stirling.
If there is any doubt about the general suitability of Sustran's route for cycling this stretch of route 76 near Cowie provides the answer: 
Route 7 Between Aviemore and Boat of Garten is also MTB territory in places.
We have been advised by @BEAR_Scotland that due to essential resurfacing, #NationalCycleNetwork Route 7 from #Dalnaspidal to #Dalwhinnie will be closed for 15 days from 12/08/19. A free shuttle service will operate for route users between 07:00-19:00 daily
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Colin Howden, director of sustainable transport campaigners Transform Scotland, said: “Today’s new statistics come as no surprise - we’re paying the price for a decade where the bulk of new capital spending has gone into new trunk roads rather than investing in local transport such as walking, cycling and buses.
“Despite last week’s welcome announcement of £500m investment in bus services announced as part of the Programme for Government, Scottish ministers’ expenditure plans remain grotesquely skewed towards supporting more car use, with £6bn devoted to just two roads, the A9 and A96 dualling projects.
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"Doubts have been cast over the future of the £6 billion dualling of the A9 and A96 after the Scottish Government's head of roads said today it was "up for debate"."
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Highlands and Islands director Fraser Grieve said: "The A96 upgrade will unblock the communities along this route, open up land for development, improve active travel [walking and cycling], and provide more efficient and reliable journeys.
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Of course...
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Patrick Harvie, the green's co-leader, wrote to Mackay last week and said suggested that free bus travel could be extended to young people, and planned spending on the A9, A96 and the Sheriffhall roundabout could be cancelled or curtailed
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https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18171034.tories-offer-help-pass-snp-budget-call-tax-freeze
What has anyone's age got to do with whether or not we should pay their bus fares?
I have no problem paying for bus fares (through taxation - this happens already and i assume is how Luxembourg, Vienna and Aberdeen managed it). Aberdeen was in early 1970s - free or 2p? Lux is free, Vienna one euro.
So for example - fifers you can pay a congestion charge to drive into edinburgh or Park here at Inverkeithing and take a free bus.
You need the congestion charge to pay for the free bus unless general taxation is increased. Either is fine for me if it is to pay for the free bus.
I have a colleague who stopped taking the train from Linlithgow a year ago. He turned 60 and the bus is free. Longer but has WiFi et cetera.
Aberdeen was in early 1970s - free or 2p?
Really?
“What has anyone's age got to do with whether or not we should pay their bus fares?“
Presumably the over 60s version is because of notions of ‘pensioner poverty’.
In practical terms I think ‘free buses’ should start at 9:30 on the basis (assumption) that most people travelling early are likely to be in paid employment. This would (maybe) reduce overcrowding and (marginally) reduce cost of ‘free’ travel.
As for ‘young people’, don’t know what the Green proposal is - school age?
Is the reason to ‘give’ money to people without much money? Or to encourage a bus habit?
In London under 10s are free on all transport under tfl control. “Children aged 5-10 get free travel on all our transport services with a Zip Oyster photocard.”
Which presumably is a ‘subsidy’ for families.
As gembo says “I have no problem paying for bus fares (through taxation)”
What is ‘free’ (or not) is political - school milk, nurseries, travel (inc rail which some people regard as more a middle class subsidy as - not Edinburgh of course - MC people ‘don’t use buses’). ONE reason for trams was the argument that they might get (some) people out of cars where buses wouldn’t - which, as noted, was/is less of an issue in Edinburgh.
There are subsidies for ‘bike to work’ bicycles and significant ones for roads (and Crossings) which tend to benefit car owners.
What gets subsidised/paid for relates to political prejudices/whims and the activities of better organised (and usually funded) lobbyists.
(This is largely thread drift. BUT, once again, ‘spending on roads’ is mostly taken for granted by politicians and (many) people.)
>What has anyone's age got to do with whether or not we should pay their bus fares?
If it's extending free bus travel to 16-21 year olds (no idea what it is at the moment) then it's presumably a proxy for a group with very low income. Much cheaper and simpler to administer than actual means testing. Potentially much bigger impact than a generalised blanket subsidy.
“Much cheaper and simpler to administer than actual means testing. Potentially much bigger impact than a generalised blanket subsidy.”
Yep
Though there is a good case for further subsidies for public transport generally (for current and potential users).
it's presumably a proxy for a group with very low income
There are people of all ages with very low incomes. Inequality is a gaping wound and I think we're past the point of addressing proxies rather than the actual problem.
Congestion charge to pay for free buses for fifers and maybe everyone? Is way forward? Taking over from my campaign for short cars.
Was overtaken by jolly old mini yesterday on the whang. Black with chrome edges. After a bit it came back so I could see it again. I do like a nice old mini. Well under the 3metres rule and still 4 folk in it with little discomfort.
I was then overtaken by the new model. Still nice but too big.
Huge public transport subsidies that improve the service and make it cheaper would benefit everyone (but especially the people who can't currently afford it). It would be a policy with much bigger impact. It would also cost far far more, so you would expect it to have a bigger impact.
Means testing is really expensive both to the government and to the individual who has to be aware of the policy and then spend time applying for the benefit. Which means lots of people who qualify won't actually be able to use it.
@iwrats, cannot verify on google but fairly certain on trips north in the early 1970s the labour admin went for very low bus fares. Will consult the mother
Why are the Greens finally taking a stance on not supporting the SNP’s road building this year when they have abetted passing multiple past budgets with the self same schemes in? It’s a bit late to pretend they hold inviolable principles.
Can only ask for so much or the SNP would team up with the Tories like they used to do in the old days. Last year they got the workplace parking levy and tourist tax which is pretty good going for six seats. The recent climate emergency rhetoric makes the road cancellation stuff more politically palatable, but I would expect it to be used as an opening position from which a compromise will be reached.
“team up with the Tories like they used to do in the old days”
And again, maybe - http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20039
Early 90's bus fare in Aberdeen was 38p exactly from uni campus to city centre. By a happy coincidence polo mints were 12p.
I am an Aberdonian but never paid for a bus in either the seventies or the nineties.
I think we can all agree that we hate the Greens either for doing too much or too little, yes?
I like the greens. So do you.
If sheriffhall was expanded to include a mile or 2 of segregation in each direction would the greens still call for its cancellation?
@gembo
I do like a great deal about the Scot Greens you are correct. I would join the Wightmanite faction with beer and recreational swearing.
"zero carbon future still needs good roads"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-51174248
You missed two words -
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Minister insists
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As article says -
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Scotland's infrastructure secretary has insisted that upgrading the A9 road is not incompatible with climate targets.
Michael Matheson said the £3bn project was vital to the economies of the areas it serves.
The government has been warned by its advisers that difficult choices will have to be made.
The Infrastructure Commission for Scotland said the government should make big spending decisions based on whether they help reduce emissions.
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Yep “difficult choices”.
‘Good for the planet’ leadership or ‘business as (mostly) usual so as not to frighten the voters’.
Only difficult choices because they didn’t address the issues before.
The optimist says ‘the voters are ahead of the politicians because of Greta and David’.
The realist says ‘voters are more scared of change and want ‘security/certainty’ more than ever’.
The pessimist says ‘it’s all too late, let’s party’.
Spokes view on report -
https://twitter.com/spokeslothian/status/1219212584668291072
Michael Matheson thinks zero carbon economy still needs a dualled A9
He probably just thinks all vehicles will be electric, so, no problem.
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