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.
Well it does seem likely there will be one!
Of course this is just a discussion, so may all be ignored by the PoPpeople!
Already various comments/suggestions on PoP16 thread.
Most people think this year went particular well.
So presumably same format(?) -
12:00
Saturday
Meadows-Royal Mile-Holyrood
Suggestions so far include -
T-shirts available much earlier
More feeder rides
More organised return rides
Fix date ASAP (and get CEC/police agreement ASAP).
Speeches from regular people, contrapuntal to the politician's speeches (but when they're still standing up on the tumps in front of everyone so have to at least appear to be paying attention), perhaps describing the tortuous route taken by the feeder ride they led in order to make it safe-feeling enough for the attendees, or stories from school runs, or tales from converts? On-the-ground observations on a few choice issues to exemplify the prevailing motor-centrism of decision-making?
A couple of thoughts:
Liaising with cycling clubs, triathlon clubs etc, even if it's just an e-mail circular to their mailing lists, to try and stem the flow of cyclist out of the city, just as PoP is feeding into the city. (apologies if this happens already)
Possibly flyering at weekends? (again apologies if this happens already). An hour or two on the towpath/NEPN/Innocent on a weekend afternoon could maybe bring in more family & leisure cyclists who are looking for safe places to ride, but who don't necessarily commute by bike.
@chug -
re: liaising with clubs
we have done this in the past. helps if someone within those orgs does it.
re: flying
I asked several times on here ad elsewhere for help doing this. a few folk did. not many.
Pop doesn't run if people don't help out.
Sorry if this sounds grumpy. It's not really, but the last weeks before POP were worrying because I was unable to do much flying, and no one else seemed able to pick it up. could do without the stress.
ps - really nice to meet you on saturday!
For 2017 we should do more of the things that actually help deliver our manifesto.
Does anyone know what these things are?
Get the ears/attendance of local transport strategists and road designers, law-enforcers, HGV users, policy-makers etc. as well as the politicians?
Do you think CEC could be convinced to trial a Car Free Day to coincide with PoP? It would certainly make it much easier to reach the meadows.
It could also help convince some of those who can't imagine life without a car. The people who are most opposed to reassigning road space.
Could more be done to push the Pedestrian on Parliament element? How can we engage people who don't cycle but would if it were safer/more convenient?
I'd like to see some feeder rides merge into large groups, and use every main route into the city to get to the meadows, not just quiet lanes and off road routes. Milton Road, Leith Walk, Queensferry Road, Corstorphine Road, Gorgie Road, Morningside Road, Newington Road, Dalkeith Road all with huge pelotons would be fantastic.
Why not take the politicos on a prePoP group ride and illustrate good, mediocre and bad infrastructure? Doesn't need to be on PoP day. PoP could do a couple of these in various areas. Planned well in advance, diaries can't suddenly be full...
Find a friendly MSP and encourage them to host an active travel briefing event at Parliament for Members. This could feature a range of organisations, not just PoP.
@ECT A Critical Mass-style feeder? For those of us that ride these routes anyway this would be no more an imposition though it would be sad to split the groups that exist. The Leith Feeder wasn't so big that it would survive that...
HP feeder took over Gilmore place in a most wonderful way. Adding more to it would only make it better.
@SRD - no worries. I was just thinking out loud - I didn't read your reply as grumpy.
Chug: Corstorphine feeder took over Roseburn Street junction and Russell Road in a similar way. We only just missed the back of the HP feeder which would have made the Gilmore Place takeover even more impressive!
Willie Rennie is on a Q&A STV Facebook page at 3pm. Can anyone think of a cycling related question to ask him? https://www.facebook.com/stvnews/posts/10154080858178670
(The pointlessly rude and insulting comments really tick me off. )
As for ideas:- A safe cycle from Bute House to Holyrood for politicos. That's a horrible route.
Why not take the politicos on a prePoP group ride
"Pedalling Parliament" - this is what my kids call PoP.
"HP feeder took over Gilmore place in a most wonderful way. Adding more to it would only make it better."
The number of people reaching The Meadows on a feeder ride was nearly 10% this year (including rides from out of town).
It should be possible to get another 10% joining in on the way - plus potential for encouraging people who are not (currently) willing to cycle to the Meadows. That would need return rides.
In previous years there have been various suggested starting points (I can think of Inch and KB) don't know if any ran or, if so, just for one year?
Perhaps rides could start from Park'n'Rides - eg Newcraighall (up the Innocent) and Ingliston - joining the Corstorphine/Roseburn one.
Wonder if there is any chance of a 'one day only' suspension of the 'two bikes per tram' rule?
This year's rides -
http://pedalonparliament.org/the-route/getting-there/#feeder-rides
Any obvious (geographical) gaps?
Potential for feeder to feeder rides?
In 2015, I attempted a Park 'n' Ride from Sheriffhall, which had been just an idea prior to that.
Some sort of park and ride feeder seems sensible, given the (lack of) train capacity, however there were no takers in 2015, so I didn't try again this year.
It still seems plausible that none but the hardy few will be interested in long feeder rides, so minibus/van/car then feeder should appeal in theory, but it perhaps requires liaising with specific non-local cycling groups to make it work.
Robert
I presume the "manifesto" gets looked at from time to time.
Are these still the main points? In the best order?
"
1) Proper funding for cycling.
2) Design cycling into Scotland’s roads.
3) Safer speeds where people live, work and play
4) Integrate cycling into local transport strategies
5) Sensible road traffic law and enforcement
6) Reduce the risk of HGVs to cyclists and pedestrians
7) A strategic and joined-up programme of road user training
8) Solid research on cycling to support policy-making
"
http://pedalonparliament.org/the-manifesto
In the early days there was talk of adding 'strict liability'. Is the time right for including it?
By contrast there is this -
"
Investment: Provide sustained, long term investment in both cycling and walking, reaching 10% of the transport budget
Infrastructure: Build and maintain dedicated cycling infrastructure, enabling people aged 8-80 to cycle
Safety: Promote and deliver safer roads for both walking and cycling
"
This had to be agreed by a wide group -
Is it too short/bland or a simpler/better approach?
Can we bottle all this enthusiasm and energy and uncork it a little nearer the time?!
On the manifesto side, yes, the WCV three asks probably capture the top priorities - however the wording was a little vague (on road safety, deliberately so as any attempt to expand it into anything more concrete quickly hit road blocks as everyone has their own pet ideas as to what that means in practice). We have revisited the manifesto a couple of times and not seen much reason to change it (apart from adjusting the wording on funding in line with the 10% of funding for active travel that everyone agrees on)
"Can we bottle all this enthusiasm and energy and uncork it a little nearer the time?!"
Strike while the PoPers are hot!
I think things like feeder rides need some thought/planning - which wouldn't conflict with preparing for the 'main event'.
@chdot I looked at the manifesto in the links you posted in answer to my question (how do you find them, fantastic referencing, planet brain, or both?)
I think they're still very relevant and I don't think the order matters, they're all important. I've no problem with review but it was a very robust list.
"Strict liability" is mentioned and "not to be forgotten" under the fuller explanation of 5) Sensible road traffic law and enforcement.
the lauding of Amsterdam as some kind of cycling valhalla
Are we all going there after we're slain in battle on the streets of Odin's burgh?
I was just thinking out loud with the feeder stuff, but in theory, we should be able to encourage little feeders to become big feeders e.g. a Silverknowes, a Trinity, a Granton, and a Leith feeder all meeting at the kirkgate to become a Leith walk feeder.
It doesn't really matter if the little groups use paths or quiet routes to get to Kirkgate as once there, they become a big (30-50, more?) cyclists prepared for the trek up the walk. Thats a group that could easily look as big as a bus or two, and would get noticed.
Again, just flying a kite here, but 4 coordinators (N,S,E,W) could then look at their patch in more detail and we could end up with 4 (or more) really big and impressive arterial feeders to the meadows?
Hi guys, as a feeder organiser for the Corstorburn ride along with Stickman, Biketrain and HankChief, I am still flabbergasted at how many came. We picked up a lot of people on the way, too. I'm not sure what promo the other guys did, but I only popped up some online stuff. If we were to organise in advance next year and spam the west side with posters and flyers I can only imagine how many folk would come...
LOVE the idea of a Critical Mass style family peloton going into town, but not sure if that would work in practice. I would have a cold sweat and end up with an stomach ulcer managing a ride with so many wee ones on the main roads.
I reckon there'd be value in getting some corporates on board. The CyclingWorks campaign for the segregated facilities along the Embankment in London seemed (from the outside looking in at least) to get a big boost from whatever the campaign was that had loads of employers saying they backed the idea.
Most companies of any size are bigging up their responsibility to their employees to keep them fit, up their quality of life, help them do what they want to do, and a lot of graduates see cycling as something they want to do, so there's a benefit for companies to be pro-cycling.
May be a bit localised, but get the likes of Standard Life, the Banks, Scottish Widows etc on board and you get a bit more promotion within some of the bigger workplaces (although I know BUGs and individual employees have been doing this). Plus, corporate backing will embolden the council in pushing forward with segregation. These companies are the sort of entities that the SNP might actually take notice of as well...
Throw in NHS Lothian, CEC, etc and that's a lot of backing.
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