New 'Burntisland cyclists' FB group « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

New 'Burntisland cyclists' FB group

(19 posts)

Started 10 years ago by Baldcyclist
Latest reply from SRD

No tags yet.

Baldcyclist
Member

<shameless plug>

I know some of you are from around the Burntisland area. I've been having what seems like some useful discussions on Facebook with people involved in the Burntisland Community Council, and some local residents about doing something to try and improve the visibility of cycling in the local area.

As a result it does seem as if there is some appetite for cycling in the local area so I have set up an open facebook group called (imaginatively) 'Burntisland Cyclists'.

The group is essentially somewhere to post 'stuff' about cycling whether it be organising a local group ride, or having a discussion about a local cycling issue.

If you want to join the group, either do a search for 'Burntisland Cyclists' in FB, or the linkie below should take you straight there....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/667383106633605/

Cheers,
Mark

</ shameless plug>

Posted 10 years ago #
Baldcyclist
Member

Now with super duper fancy link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Burntisland.Cyclists/

Posted 10 years ago #
Baldcyclist
Member

Pretty pleased with this so far, 4 days in and the group has over 30 members already (remember it is a small town), and folk are now beginning to post stuff and chat without 'prompting'.

Importantly there is visibility of the group from some key members of the local community, including members of the local community council, 2 of the 3 local councillors, CTC, and a couple of local bike repair companies. I also asked Sustrans, but they didn't reply.

I think 'phase 1' of what I wanted to achieve has been, and that was to get all of the key players in the local community in the same place.

Phase 2 is to get more people involved in the group, and hopefully get some local events organised, get a few more people cycling to the shops etc. I'm also keen to start conversations about minor changes to infrastructure, getting whats already there brought up to a better standard, signage, lighting, resurfacing, that sort of stuff. Things that don't cost a lot, would make a difference, and would be financially bearable locally.

Phase 3, well lets see how we get on first, it may yet fail ;)

I did get 'huckled' on the train this morning, "are you the facebook guy?", "Guilty as charged". Turned into an interesting conversation about the direction the group should go in. This person didn't think it should be used as a tool for lobbying, and was of the opinion there's no money, it will put people off, your wasting your time, let people who do it as a job lobby.

Interestingly she also commented positively on some of the stuff that had been posted about local events, school routes, and the Haddington school story amongst others. In my view that *is* 'light' lobbying, even if it costs nothing it perhaps changes views, and raises awareness within the community. I think she was also a little put out that this new guy was doing something different. I tried to point out that I'm just a facilitator in a sense, and that actually all of the important people are the people that are starting to engage within the group. I won't effect the change, they will.

Posted 10 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"I tried to point out that I'm just a facilitator"

That's my position on CCE. No idea what was going to happen when it started.

All a bit random(...)

Mix of info, ultrarandomness, fun and (also) 'campaigning'.

"so far, 4 days in and the group has over 30 members already (remember it is a small town)"

I think that's remarkable - well done!

There will always be one person who thinks they should have done it.

Posted 10 years ago #
Min
Member

That's a brilliant idea and really cool that it has taken off already. Best of luck with it!

Posted 10 years ago #
Kim
Member

@Baldcyclist ask your fellow passenger if they know how the Dutch got their cycle paths? It was achieved through grass root campaigning and not be simple accepting any old rubbish people on the gravy train say they should take.

Posted 10 years ago #
Kirst77
Member

"I think she was also a little put out that this new guy was doing something different. I tried to point out that I'm just a facilitator in a sense, and that actually all of the important people are the people that are starting to engage within the group. I won't effect the change, they will."

Can assure that I am not put out in the slightest! I have seen what works in terms of cycling promotion in the community. I was merely stating that in terms of a small group and your energy levels that doing things that keep your own energy and enthusiasm up are the way to go and to be aware of the many people who do this for a living and support their efforts. Work with the tide rather than against it.

Posted 10 years ago #
Baldcyclist
Member

"
Can assure that I am not put out in the slightest! I have seen what works in terms of cycling promotion in the community
"

Hi Kirst77, it was nice to have met you on the train. Sometimes it's a little difficult to paraphrase a conversation in a paragraph.

I don't discount 'mainstream' promotion as one of the tools that is available, it's an important tool and should be worked with. However, when you look at cycling over the last 10 years modal share has barely moved at all, it hovers between 1 and 2%. That tells me that we're missing something, we have to be.

The only real increase in cycling is in 'sport' cycling, yes that is booming, but that has hasn't transferred into any meaningful increase in cycling rates (there's another discussion on here about 2011 census data which seems to support that notion).

I think this is a longer conversation which needs to be had over coffee as a group. I liked Dave's idea of creating a 'cycling action plan' for Burntisland, we should all get together and have a chat about that. :)

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

This is perhaps a bigger debate then - and one we have had before, where i have argued (invoking Michels, Gramsci and other theorists), by definition 'professional' activists will have different priorities to 'volunteer' activists. This is not specific to cycling, but has more to do with the logics of organization, funding etc.

Doesn't mean either side is right or wrong, just that there are different issues about representation, priorities and working style.

Posted 10 years ago #
Kirst77
Member

A plan is a very good place to start. There's a MASSIVE amount going on in Fife. I would disagree than 'sport' is seeing the only increase but that's not important to this discussion.

Posted 10 years ago #
crowriver
Member

The only real increase in cycling is in 'sport' cycling, yes that is booming, but that has hasn't transferred into any meaningful increase in cycling rates

Rather cyclical too. There was a (mainly sport/leisure) cycling 'boom' in the late 1970s/early 1980s; then the mountain bike 'boom' in the 1990s/early 2000s and now the sportive/road bike 'boom' for the 2010s.

The first of these arguably had a minor temporary effect in reversing cycling's collapsing modal share as transport. The latter two 'booms' quite often involve(d) driving somewhere nice with your bike, doing your ride, then driving home. Except in certain UK cities where cycle commuting is slowly rising (eg. London, Bristol, Edinburgh; Cambridge/Hull etc. don't count as they already had relatively high modal share for historical/topographical reasons).

Posted 10 years ago #
Kirst77
Member

In addition - just so I am getting a clear idea of your focus/direction;

"when you look at cycling over the last 10 years modal share has barely moved at all, it hovers between 1 and 2%"

Is this the main focus/motivation for the group?

Posted 10 years ago #
Baldcyclist
Member

"
Is this the main focus/motivation for the group?
"

I want to see more people cycling to the shops, or cycling to school. I wan't to investigate what we can do as a community to enable that. We currently have a cycle track which goes to Aberdour, and one cycle path which doesn't go anywhere (correct me if there's other infra I don't know about).

Can we get some improvements to the cycle track (I call it that deliberately) so that anything other than a mountain bike can use it? - improbable, but we must be able to do something to make it less of a mud bash / obstacle course.

The one proper cycle path that we do have, can we lobby the council to install some signage? - This is surely achievable cheaply.

Can we extend that one cycle path so that it forms a safe cycling route to the new school (as I posted)? - I think that is achievable, and would connect 2 estates to the new school.

Can we get some cycle lanes on the road to Kinghorn, or even better take some road space away to create a decent shared use path? The road is certainly wide enough to accomodate that.

Ok, some less likely stuff...

Can we get the High St pedestrianised? - Not cycle specific but that would be wonderful for the community.

Once we have the extended cycle path (I'm making assumptions) and it's visibly being used, can we create some cycle friendly streets? Maybe create some dead ends so that streets are only being used by residents and not as rat runs. - cheap measures, but high impact.

Even less likely...

Once the High St is pedestrianised, can we make it more difficult to get to it by car (so long as there is disabled parking available). Make cycling easier.

Can we get a proper cycle path to Kirkcaldy?

We should do some events too, fun things which will have a short term impact, and be fun. - We (royal we, mainly Gary et al) already do that, but the effect is limited. Doesn't really matter though so longas the kids have a good time.

These things will take years/decades to achieve I know, but hey, I 've made Burntisland my home, I like it there and I would like to try and add something to the community if I can, I've got the decades (hopefully ;) ). If we do 'stuff' like that, then people WILL cycle.

Again though, as I stated earlier I only see myself as a facilitator for the group. I have no real authority over where it will go. I just hope that people do find it useful, and do use it, even if it doesn't achieve any of the things I've stated above.

I'd like to give it a crack though.....

Posted 10 years ago #
Kirst77
Member

ok. Good to know.

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

I don't see why there needs to be any problem with a local group which might mobilize ideas and bring people together - as baldcyclist describes, which could feed into 'professional' work. Surely that's how it works everywhere else? Many cities in Scotland have cycle campaigns of one sort or another. They fulfil a different role to the professional, national groups. That's got to be a good thing. Sometimes there are conflicts, but in many cases they provide a justification for the things that professional groups want to do.

Posted 10 years ago #
chdot
Admin

Posted 10 years ago #
Baldcyclist
Member

Hmm, that looks like it could be at the train station, but I confess to have never seem them before?

Posted 10 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"could be at the train station"

No, but -

Station over the wall, lockers may be there (South Hill Street) because of the station - though clearly not well used...

Posted 10 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

Lockers At Edinburgh bus station (elder st) looked nearly as abandoned last few times I went past - piled up with rubbish. Lots of 'no parking' signs on railings around them.

Posted 10 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.

// CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

About This Forum

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

New 'Burntisland cyclists' FB group

Reply

RSS Feeds

Links