SPOKES PUBLIC MEETING
SUBJECT – LOCAL CAMPAIGNING GROUPS
Wednesday 22 September 7:30PM
http://www.spokes.org.uk/2021/09/local-bike-campaigning/
There’s a flourishing of locally-based campaigns for cycling infrastructure and for wider car-reduced living, supporting walking, wheeling, local public transport and places no longer dominated by the demands of the car.
Our meeting, at 7.30pm on Wednesday 22 September, hears from a range of local campaigns, together with city-wide groups BEST and Spokes, and is followed by our usual fullsome QA. We’ll hear how and why groups started, the challenges, the successes and what comes next. We hope it will give you some ideas too!
Register here (free):- https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/9071043914524425487
Our meeting is part of Climate Fringe Week.
The new campaigns have a range of local and wider motivations, but all largely fall under the general theme of developing places and ways of getting around that are less car-dominated, safer, healthier, more climate-friendly. For example, ranging from fighting for a specific cycleroute through to lobbying for a wide low-traffic neighbourhood, bike buses for safer school travel, or banning motor traffic from inappropriate locations such as Holyrood Park.
Some groups are formed initially to support a welcome, or oppose an unwelcome, traffic proposal. Some because one or two local individuals feel passionately that their area needs to counter the insidious growth in the number, size and dominance of motor traffic on their local streets. There is also the unfairness that government allows this to happen to public space with zero public consultation, whereas measures to restrain the car do (rightly) have to be consulted on.
A range of groups will speak for 5 mins each on how and why they started, the challenges, successes and what they have learned.
Sarah Gowanlock: Better Edinburgh for Sustainable Transport. Whilst Spokes is very supportive of all active travel and public transport, our primary work is on cycling, whereas BEST has a wider ‘safer streets’ remit from the outset. We are good friends! Spokes is also Lothians-wide, whereas the BEST remit is Edinburgh only.
Sarah Gowanlock: Car-Free Holyrood Park
Kirsty Lewin: Spokes Portobello
Jenni McGrouther: Sciennes Primary Bike Bus
Iain Monk: Drem/Gullane Path Campaign
TBA – SW20 (South West Edinburgh 20-minute Neighbourhoods)
David French: Spokes Planning Group
Our 45-minute QA session will then be chaired by Alix Davies. Alix is Programme Manager for Edinburgh City’s Carbon Neutral programme, a member of Edinburgh Climate Commission and experienced in organisational change
The meeting is expected to end no later than 9.30pm.
We are using GoWebinar software (kindly supplied and operated by Cycling UK Scotland). Your own microphone and video are automatically muted, and there is no chat function.
Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing spokes@spokes.org.uk with subject line Spokes meeting question. You can also submit questions during the meeting, using the questions box in the webinar’s Control Panel.
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