Without Spokes Edinburgh would _ _ _
Fill in the blanks as you choose…
It’s easy to criticise Spokes, I have, not least on some aspects of the way it tries to hold a firm but cautious (my words) line/way of working - mostly as regards dealings with CEC.
THAT is more about my frustrations/impatiences over the same decades that Spokes has operated. It must be worse for those directly involved…
There are various people who have had considerable involvement, not least DdF who has been there since almost the first meeting.
Nearly 50 years of “Bulletins” - sometimes criticised for small print size and looking too much on the bright side…
In the grand scheme of things, minor details compared with the genuine achievements of Spokes.
Several key people post here (it really isn’t a one person organisation). One who never did was (the much missed) Sandy Scotland - too busy poring over planning applications or umpiring cricket matches to bother getting involved with CCE!
CEC is a stranger organisation than Spokes really. It has all the problems (and potential) of any large organisation.
Like all LAs now, it is underfunded and understaffed for the things it’s supposed/expected/legally obligated/wants to do.
Like all LAs, it tries to run (this is simplistic but complicated) with two sets of people - councillors and officials who don’t always seem to have the same agendas (at best, improving Edinburgh). Some seem more interested in opposing other Parties or even colleagues.
Keeping up with all this, and making any sort of progress, is hard for any vol org.
Of course many vol orgs have paid staff. Many have careers which often involve moving elsewhere.
Spokes, unlike say London Cycle Campaign, has never had staff, or wanted to.
(For transparency, I have worked for Spokes on various projects - paid. I also set up the first Spokes web site - unpaid.)
In short it’s a fairly unique organisation that can’t get everything right, but has done more good things than bad!
It (I suspect I’m right in saying) welcomes the variety of other groups campaigning on local (or city wide) cycling/ActiveTravel/etc things.
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