Funny that the Chief Exec of Scottish Cycling seemed to have almost no idea about the Nicewaycode when I wrote to him asking why his organisation was supporting it and only vague recollections of it being mentioned and no idea they were supporting it. Must chase him up as he said he would be finding out more.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
'Mutual respect'/NICEWAYCODE
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Posted 11 years ago #
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By far the loudest noise made by the Government to date has been to launch the Nice Way Code advertising campaign last month with the aim of building "a culture of tolerance and patience between cyclists, motorists, pedestrians and all other road users across Scotland". With messages such as "let's all get along", the campaign borders on the patronising and neatly allows the Government to sidestep some of the more fundamental changes needed to make our roads safer.Instead of colourful slogans, we need a substantive change in the culture on our roads. That is why since April this year, I have led Road Share, a campaign to introduce stricter liability for the protection of cyclists and other vulnerable road-users who are involved in a road traffic collision.
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/comment/columnists/life-cycle.22089885
Posted 11 years ago # -
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THE Scottish Government’s £500,000 Nice Way Code campaign came under attack last month after ads encouraged cyclists to weave into the middle of traffic"
Posted 11 years ago # -
A great piece designed to bait the usual EEN anti-cycling commenters. Did Spokes REALLY say all of that, or have their words been *ahem* 're-interpreted' by the hack to paint cyclists as the root of all evil in the world yet again?
Posted 11 years ago # -
police have moved to dampen fears of a wider heavy-handed crack down on cycling saying officers were merely targeting bicycle riders while passing through the area as part of a city centre blitz on drivers failing to wear their seat-belts
LOL yeah, right...
sod the effort involved in stopping motorists, lets just go for the low hanging fruit...
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't know what was said by Ian. However what often happens on such occasions is that the reporter has a long conversation and then picks out bits to suit their theme. Usually the conversation goes on much too long for everything to be reported anyway. It is not as if one is asked for a formal written statement.
That said, Ian's statements (as reported!) seem pretty reasonable. They could also have pointed out that the council has an ATAP policy to implement a programme of exempting cyclists from "suitable one-way restrictions and road closures." Not sure how that is progressing!
Incidentally - presumably part of the same initiative - spokes also has just had an email from someone who said, "The police were set up on the corner of Canning St and Shandwick Place in the centre of Edinburgh. They were handing out fixed penalty notices to cyclists using this route to cross Shandwick place, for the offence of ignoring a no entry sign. This is despite a sign (admittedly damaged and rotated) excepting cycles (and buses and taxis) from the restriction. ... When I pointed the sign out to the police officer, he agreed that I had committed no offence, and let me on my way (though insisted that I not cycle, insisting that the empty intersection was dangerous). I think your readers may appreciate being made aware of this, so they can challenge any FPNs issued earlier. "
There is a rumour that some local shopkeepers have been putting a lot of pressure on the police and councillors re pavement and other illegal cycling (most of it related to the tramworks), so perhaps this campaign results from the police feeling the need to respond to that.
Posted 11 years ago # -
" so perhaps this campaign results from the police feeling the need to respond to that."
Most likely!
Not forgetting that petition.
Posted 11 years ago # -
There is a rumour that some local shopkeepers have been putting a lot of pressure on the police and councillors re pavement and other illegal cycling (most of it related to the tramworks)
I do believe they gathered a petition to lobby the Council too! That definitely wasn't just a rumour.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Snap!
Posted 11 years ago # -
.. these being the very same "shopkeepers" who litter the thoroughfare with their advertising signs, turning the pavements into a weaving slalom for passers-by.
the hypocrisy of it all is uniquely british.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"To ask the Scottish Government how much the Nice Way Code marketing campaign will cost and what budget this is drawn from.
Mr Keith Brown MSP :
Transport Scotland has provided £424,000 to Cycling Scotland to cover the costs of developing and running the Mutual Respect campaign, which features the “Nice Way Code”. This funding was allocated as follows:
• £260,000 from the Road Safety Framework Budget.
• £164,000 from the Support for Sustainable and Active Travel Budget.To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has that the Nice Way Code campaign will result in behaviour change on Scotland’s roads.
Mr Keith Brown MSP :
The campaign is based on the success of the “Give Me Cycle Space” campaign which has run for the last 3 years and complements continued infrastructure investment of £5.6 million for vulnerable road users through Cycling Walking and Safer Streets funding to local authorities and over £10 million to Sustrans for projects including community links cycle paths. These campaigns are also supported by Police Scotland. It is recognised that such communication campaigns contribute to improved road safety when delivered with infrastructure improvements and enforcement. The ethos of mutual respect amongst road users fits with both the refreshed Cycling Action Plan for Scotland and Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020.To ask the Scottish Government how the impact of the Nice Way Code campaign will be evaluated.
Mr Keith Brown MSP :
As part of the funding agreement, an independent research study was commissioned by Cycling Scotland to evaluate the effect the Nice Way Code campaign has had on people’s attitudes to their fellow road users and about key road behaviours. This will commence shortly, after the campaign has run its course."From: "Withdraw The Nice Way Code" by Alison Johnstone MSP
http://alisonjohnstonemsp.com/?p=450Posted 11 years ago # -
The campaign is based on the success of the “Give Me Cycle Space” campaign which has run for the last 3 years... It is recognised that such communication campaigns contribute to improved road safety when delivered with infrastructure improvements and enforcement.
Success? Enforcement? What fantastical world does this happen on? It isn't this one if my 18 miles of errands by bicycle today were any indication.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't often agree with the Green (Red) Party but on this I'm with them 100%, the NWC is patronising, insulting, and rather than breaking down any them and us antagonism between cyclists and drivers has actually made it worse. Another win for the anti-cyclists of the SNP.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@arrellcat, thank you for braving the mad Saturday drivers of Juni Green, Currie and Balerno, will feed back how many locals spotted the bike and trailer outside my house. I can report tht despite my scything of the nettles there was one sting, magically cured by some leaves I said were doaken (dock) but I was lying.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Keith Brown answered, "...an independent research study was commissioned by Cycling Scotland...". As an avid watcher of public procurement of research I'd just like to point out that it wasn't done through any kind of open procurement. Most likely put through the SG's slightly bizarre marketing framework.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I got asked for my views on NWC as part of the post event survey from the Pedal for Scotland Glasgow Family Ride a couple of weeks ago, which I think Cycling Scotland had a hand in.
It felt a bit out of place after asking about the booking process and the availability/choice of catering outlets....
Maybe this is the independent research study.
I took the opportunity to let them know my thoughts. ...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Well spotted Hank.. I've also filled in my NWC feedback now. It's a long survey before you get to the one page about the NWC, so hope others have the patience to see it through to the end too. It will be interesting to see if this is the main route for Cycling Scotland to measure the success of the campaign..
Posted 11 years ago # -
Aye they asked about the NWC telly ads at the end of the online survey for the PfS challenge ride too. It's being run by Progressive market research. I also gave them a piece of my mind regarding the NWC ads!
Posted 11 years ago # -
@shuggiet will only be main route if results positive?
Posted 11 years ago # -
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Our posters are now more or less down. Our last press ad has run. We're happy to report that printed supplies of our Nice Way Code are running low. And the slideshare version made it into slideshare's top presentations in the week of our campaign launch.A big thank you for all of the support we've received from our stakeholders. And a bigger thank you to all of you for your comments, observations and sharing of our messages.
We set out to get people talking about how we can make our roads a safer place for everyone. And we've certainly done that.
"Are people talking about making our roads safer or are they talking about the quality of the campaign. Two very different conversations...
Posted 11 years ago # -
We set out to get people talking about how we can make our roads a safer place for everyone. And we've certainly done that.
Actually I've seen their funding submission and it's not what they "set out to do".
It also angers me that they claim it as a success that they "started a conversation", when it's a conversation that was going on long before they blundered up to the table with nothing constructive to offer. If that's the best they can salvage then it really is an indication of what a massively ineffective waste of close-on half a million pounds this was.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"Job done. Now onto the redundancy packages. Trebles all round!"
Posted 11 years ago # -
Just received this response (as a PDF) from Sarah Boyack, dated 17 Sept.
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Firstly apologies for the delay in replying to your email about the "Nice Way Code" campaign and road safety for cyclists on our roads network. I have long-campaigned for increased resources on sustainable transport issues, particularly cycling and walking. I am aware of the letter that went to the First Minister and I am looking forward to seeign the terms of the official response to the valid points made.In the meantime, I can say that I and my colleagues in Scottish Labour have reservations about the current approach of the Scottish Government, particularly about the campaign's tone and the lengths gone to ie changing the lyrics to the "Wheels on the Bus" song and
gestures in advertisements. The points you make deserve to be addressed by the Scottish Government and I will continue to lobby for renewed focus on spending priorities for our road network within the transport budget.Let me know if there is anything in particular that I can do for you, now or in the future as your Regional MSP in the Scottish Parliament.
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And there's a handwritten note: "I'll be discussing this at the next meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Cycling tomorrow evening".Posted 11 years ago # -
Some "can't see what the problem is" type comments from people who've perhaps not really engaged their critical faculties; but some good rebuttals too.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The most productive thing about the whole sorry affair is that marketing lecturers now have an excellent case study of What Not To Do.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Posted 11 years ago #
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Minister's response to Alison Johnstone http://alisonjohnstonemsp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Response-from-Keith-Brown-Nice-Way-Code.pdf - enjoy!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Responses to Ministers' Questions are rarely answered by the Minister themselves.
Civil Servants would have written the response, and not necessarily high-level ones. Not that this is a bad thing.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Posted 11 years ago #
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