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.
sticky“
Labour went into this election offering voters something different by ruling out coalitions and pledging to work with other parties based on what was best for communities – not on party political divides and deals. I am delighted to deliver on that pledge.
We said there would be no coalitions with the SNP and the Tories and this is the case. This is a Labour minority council, with the Tories and the SNP in opposition.
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@Stckman post
All true
When LHinds first came in she was keen to concentrate on pedestrians.
Not sure how much she managed to do about that within CEC…
She did change the name of the Cycle Forum, which some people weren’t happy about, but was a smart move.
THEN she bought a bike to take part in PoP!
LMacinnes didn’t start as transport convenor determined ‘to improve cycle provision’.
She was of the familiar view that ‘you have to balance the needs of all road users’.
Fortunately she was willing to listen, learn and act.
That process came with a lot of public opposition (sometimes very unpleasant).
I assume she wishes she was still in the Administration, but there’s perhaps a degree of relief…
So now it’s SArthur, probably best known to the world via Twitter.
To date there is a certain amount of scepticism about the extent to which he expects things to be ‘subject to consultation’.
Things have improved for cycling in Edinburgh over the past 10 years or so - not enough, not fast enough and perhaps not enough to compensate for the increase in number and size of cars!
‘We’ have to remember ‘it’s not just about cycling’.
BUT making things better/easier for cycling IS better for everyone - even the extreme whingers who only seem to care about driving, parking and not having CYCLISTS in front of THEM.
Missed all the drama until now.
What a dismal prospect for the city.
“What a dismal prospect for the city.“
WELL
DEPENDS
Certainly, potentially, a rollercoaster.
BUT
CEC doesn’t run everything in the city - FAR from it.
6 months of Dr. Scott won’t live up to his expectations.
Whatever the political manoeuvring and sharp learning curves for a lot of new councillors, the thing to remember is that most of the same officials will continue to do mostly do what they did before the election - good and bad.
‘We’ mostly want more of the same only faster and better.
Does anyone have a clear idea of the S4P measures?
What shouldn’t have been removed?
What - if anything - could be removed?
What needs improving ASAP?
The Forrest Road lane was removed (apparently) so that it didn’t complicate/slow the Meadows - George Street scheme.
According to John McLellan the SNP sounded out the Tories for a coalition deal:-
https://twitter.com/murdo_fraser/status/1529947818152149003/photo/1
@Rosie key bit surely "without actually offering anything"
And @chdot surely the officials are a malleable bunch with a changeable culture. A culture that evidently takes a long time to change, so damage will continue on for years.
https://twitter.com/edinreporter/status/1530603054944354306
Not the most enthusiastic or committed comments from our new Transport Convenor.
So
He went on CM and found it didn’t conform to his preconceptions.
Double good.
Wants to accelerate the SR2S programme.
Good ish - though I suspect that whatever is still undone needs updated and seriously re-importancing.
The rest?
Missing inaction…
Edinburgh’s SNP councillors are to try to implement a Workplace Parking Levy in the Capital despite being in opposition.They will put forward a proposal at next week’s full council meeting, calling for the authority to move forward with existing plans for a levy which would see big businesses charged for each parking space they provide for staff.The SNP says the measure could raise around £10 million a year which it would ring-fence to fund improvements in public transport and active travel.
Former transport convener Lesley Macinnes, who will propose the motion at Thursday’s meeting, said: “After 12 years of Tory austerity, public sector budgets in Scotland are under huge pressure. A WPL would enable the council to boost its income substantially and deliver the transformative active and public transport improvements that Edinburgh’s residents clearly want.
Nottingham City Council, run by Labour since its establishment, has had a highly successful WPL for a decade now. Labour in Edinburgh supported this policy until just before the election. It’s been so disappointing to see Labour in Scotland turn against this common-sense proposal, which can deliver so much positive change.“
Good stuff, but based on The Prof's rhetoric so far you can already see that it's just going to devolve into a slanging match over whether the budget cuts are the fault of the Tories or the SNP/Greens. Even if some of the Labour group were minded to support the idea, they'll be told in no uncertain terms not to because the optics would be terrible - it'd make it seem the SNP were governing in practice while Labour are in name only. I don't see many LDs going for it, and the Tories certainly won't.
Still, it's better to get this stuff on the floor and force the rest of them to vote it down - doesn't do us much good for now but it'll hopefully at least demonstrate to the voters who wants to get stuff done and who wants to carp from the sidelines and blame everyone else for the lack of action.
Papers for next week's Full Council meeting are out
https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=150&MId=6416
Needless to say there is a free for all on motions and questions, with many questions directed at the Transport Convenor.
Have a stiff drink before you read them and get ready for the Professor unambiguous responses...
“Have a stiff drink before you read them and get ready for the Professor unambiguous responses...”
A whole bottle??
A skim through the questions and the new Tory councillor for Morningside is setting her stall out early.
Here's a few more statistics for the new councillor to consider.
2017 Elections (Morningside ward) - Tory first preference votes 3,010 (22.2%)
2022 Elections (Morningside ward) - Tory first preference votes 2,390 (17.6%).
Tory first preference votes in Morningside ward fell by 21% between 2017 and 2022. It could even be something to do with the fact Morningside has the highest number of cycle commuters in Scotland (2011 Census). I would hazard that almost everyone in Morningside knows at least one person who is a regular cyclist, probably many more. Much harder to "other" cyclists in such a situation.
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Council leader Cammy Day has tabled a motion for next week's full council meeting, recognising there were manifesto commitments at the May elections which the parties had in common and proposing cross-party working groups meeting at least three times during July and August to develop "joint policy and funding strategies".
But it looks as if the SNP and Greens could turn down invitation if the working groups include the Tories.
“
Good for Katrina and Ross.
A good couple of jibes on this at full council today.
One of the suspended councillors commenting when the Lord Provost was struggling identify her (away from the Labour Group), that she was "in the unusual or correct position of being to the left of the Labour Party"
And in the deputation from the Young Communist, who said something lile "getting backing from Labour Party who supports the workers of the city and also from those in the Administration"
Great to see...
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The reply, sent by her private secretary, said: "Unfortunately, due to diary pressures, Ms Forbes will have to respectfully decline your request for a meeting at this moment in time. There will be opportunities in future for discussions with individual councils and Ministers will continue to engage regularly with your national organisation Cosla.”
Cllr Day said he was disappointed at the response since he had held talks with Ms Forbes along with the then council leader Adam McVey when they shared power in the previous SNP-Labour administration and she had indicated a willingness to have a follow-up conversation.
“
From link
“
at the last full council meeting, councillors agreed to invite the Finance Secretary to address a future meeting of the city council and answer their questions on the Scottish Government's real-terms funding cuts to the authority.
“
A LibDem initiative, so any ‘snub’ (a newspaper word…) isn’t just about ‘SNP edged out so we are not talking to Lab’
Summoning (my word) a Gov Minister is so Edinburgh!
That said, I think SNP SG has neglected/dictated to LAs more than is sensible.
One thing it did in the early days of minority rule was to end the practice of “ring fencing” money and telling councils how it had to be spent.
This seemed like a good idea, allowing councils an extra degree of autonomy, but has never let LAs have enough money to run ‘well’.
Yeah the budget thing though is a bit "well, what's the solution then?". The block grant is what it is, so more money for LAs means less money for other stuff, and despite endless complaining I've yet to see Lib/Lab/Con politicos actually commit to what exactly they would cut in the national budget to boost the local budgets - other than their usual facile demands that the government stop spending any money at all on "divisive separatism".
I'm also not seeing any particularly good reason why Forbes would or should agree to this particular demand. There's a fair bit of clear water between having a meeting with the leaders of the local administration, and being summoned to sit before the whole council so your opponents can generate disingenuous soundbites at your expense under the guise of "questioning".
The Finance Secretary is answerable to the Scottish Parliament. If Cllr Day is really concerned with Edinburgh Council's budget then he simply needs to get Daniel Johnson to ask a question (or series of questions) in Parliament. Inviting the Cabinet Secretary to a full session of the Council, in the knowledge that they will never do so, is simply political grandstanding.
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SNP Cllrs today set out an alternative Council plan, with ideas that people across the City voted for to deliver better services, safer communities, tackle poverty & fight climate change
The Lab/Tory/LibDem Administration voted all of it down.
“
https://twitter.com/adamrmcvey/status/1603398413172854785
Illustrated
Stonking LibDem win in the Corstorphine/Murrayfield by-election arising from Frank Ross’ resignation.
Looks like more of the same:
https://twitter.com/edinreporter/status/1633985477417086976
Fiona Bennett the Liberal Democrat candidate has been elected as the third LibDem in the Corstorphine/Murrayfield Ward and the 63rd councillor on @Edinburgh_CC - She says she wants to concentrate on getting the potholes fixed
And: https://twitter.com/spokeslothian/status/1633980193726517252
Odd how the new councillor's solution to cycle lanes that are "a bit unsafe" is to rip them out - further increasing the danger to cyclists, but the solution to the tiny risk from potholes is to make it her key priority and argue for the allocation of millions of pounds to sort it out.
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THE Scottish Liberal Democrats have won a resounding byelection victory in Edinburgh, threatening Labour’s fragile grip on power in the capital.
…
Although the SNP are the biggest group on the authority, with 18 councillors, Labour has run a minority administration since last year’s elections.
Its demotion to third-largest party at the City Chambers puts that in doubt.
“
Jeezo we might actually end up with a LibDem/Tory administration if Day can't swallow his pride/head office demands continued obedience to national SNP Bad policy.
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