CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

CEC happy cycling and walking campaign

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  1. gembo
    Member

    Should know the name but the posters are on cuboid paper frames that go round lamp posts and depict happy smiling people out for a walk or on the next side of the paper, out for a cycle, all smiles.

    I was pulled up at work by mild mannered early years manager complaining that none of the cyclists had helmets on and this was setting a bad example. I said are they not all on off road paths (NEPN and. Canal towpath). This was denied but I was able confirm it as correct. Still apparently sets a bad example to the youth. This made me laugh and was accepted as daft - the youth won't do what they are told. They are more likely to wear helmets if we show posters of people not wearing helmets. This was agreed. So not sure what the campaign design people think but I will ask. I somewhat blotted my copybook by asking them to use the million pounds for going into workplaces to discuss how to take up commuting on building more infrastructure like the hanging gardens of sauchiebank. Different budgets but one works and the other doesn't. Chap was quoting some professor who says the build it and they will come approach doesn't work. Really? I would say that is the only thing to get non- cyclists cycling - making it safe to get about on a bike, no need for a helmet etc like in the happy campaign mentioned above.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "one works and the other doesn't"

    Not strictly true, but the bits that Govs/councils are willing to throw money at are not generally cost effective.

    There's even a report about it -

    "

    Cycling mode share increased in five out of the seven pilot areas. The increase in Dumfries was statistically significant but only in Dumfries and Dundee was the increase greater than that recorded in similar areas of Scotland.

    "

    http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/system/files/documents/tsc-basic-pages/SCSP_-_Goingsmarter_-_Final_version_-_Do_not_edit.pdf

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. crowriver
    Member

    Aye those boards have been wrapped around lamp posts on Porty Prom (bus garage end) for a while. Somewhat preaching to the converted there, n'est ce pas?

    Seem to have been put up at the same time as the similar ones for School Streets. Same team/budget?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. sallyhinch
    Member

    The 'cycling professor' might have been Marco te Brömmelstroet who gave a good 'mythbusting' presentation at the Cycling Scotland conference. 'Build it and they will come' was one of his myths - unfortunately it appears that half the room took away the message 'don't bother building it then', rather than 'you have to build it AND you have to do all the other things. His point was that places like Rotterdam have about half the cycling of places like Amsterdam, despite having technically better infrastructure - because Rotterdam's land use reinforces driving, with large supermarkets in out of town locations rather than lots of small supermarkets dotted around as in Amsterdam (bearing in mind that 'low cycling levels' in the Netherlands are still unimaginably high compared with anywhere here). So as well as good cycle tracks you need to have land use policies that encourage short journeys, and you need to start thinking of bike+public transport for the longer trips. Funnily enough, he didn't mention putting up posters of smiling people ... changing our land use policies will if anything be harder than putting in a dense cycle network, you can see why people clutch at straws and hope that a few exhortations to cycle might work instead...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. sallyhinch
    Member

    PS just seen the post about Dumfries - I think that they concentrated on 1:1 behaviour change, i.e. route planning with individuals, rather than posters and general 'yay bikes' type of encouragement. Dumfries actually has a couple of really good (but poorly signposted) off-road paths and some shared use pavements and with a bit of ingenuity you can construct a route from most places to most places without having to tangle with the really scary traffic (as long as you don't want to go to Lockerbie or Collin or a few black spots within the town). So personalised travel plans would work pretty well in the short term especially as it was combined with rising fuel prices at the time. Unfortunately it's completely unsustainable because you have to keep doing it, whereas once you've created a network and properly signposted it, then it effectively sells itself.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. gembo
    Member

    My point is that doing the other things won't work if you do not build infrastructure first. I seriously do not need a professor to tell me that. We already have good infrastructure in Edinburgh despite some moaning but you have to be confident on the road or lucky in your route. We already have the other stuff, maps, people helping you to start cycling. The council need to spend on things like the hanging gardens of sauchiebank. They might as well ban all cars from city centre now as there will be big changes at next election.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. crowriver
    Member

    Living Streets Scot
    ‏@LStreetsScot
    Year one report shows @Edinburgh_CC school streets pilot is helping kids walk to school

    https://t.co/S95VPiog1T

    From the report (link to download PDF above), my emphasis:

    3.1 Issues and suggestions were also provided through initial engagement exercises, and follow-on statutory consultation exercises, as well as via service requests and correspondence received from residents and the school community. The main themes to emerge through stakeholder feedback were (in priority order):

    - road restrictions will not be/are not obeyed unless the police are present: 223;
    - the problem will move/has moved elsewhere: 142;
    - School Streets perceived as beneficial: 129;
    - School Streets perceived as an inconvenience: 65;
    - the signage is not clear: 48;
    - School Streets has made no difference: 35;
    - School Streets has helped local residents park more easily: 15; and
    - School Streets is causing conflict between parents: 6.

    Posted 8 years ago #

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