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"Edinburgh transport leader urges government to think again on cycle spend"
(7 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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I particularly like this quote from SNP MSP Marco Biagi:-
"Scotland’s local authorities are currently responsible for local roads, pavements and cyclepaths.
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"They are already expected to meet ambitious national expectations using this funding in schooling, child protection, homelessness, waste management and a whole range of critical areas.
Nasty cyclists wanting to take money from the poor little children!
How much is spent on motorists?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Biagi's position could be characterised as "It wisnae ma fault. A big boy dunnit an' run awa'. Anyhoo ra cooncil's tae blame fer a'thin'!"
Posted 13 years ago # -
I tried writing to Marco Biagi on the issue of active travel and the Scottish budget, this was his reply...
Posted 13 years ago # -
It's actually quite a good reply - in that he has genuinely looked at the issue.
I think the SNP Gov is slightly in denial about how much LAs can do with money available. Council Tax freezes may be electorally popular, but don't help.
The fact that CEC is run by a coalition that includes members of the same party as that in charge at Holyrood ought to help, but...
Even if you accept the arguments about the new Forth Bridge being a one-off and that local cycle infrastructure is entirely the responsibility of LAs, it doesn't explain the way it seems to want to treat Sustrans.
The National Cycle Network is not just about the LA it happens to be running through. It's not just about 'action travel' in places it can be about 'sustainable' economic development, tourism etc.
In some LA areas there would be even less provision for people who want to ride bikes (or walk) without Sustrans involvement - over many years.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Path expected to add value (not just in financial terms ) -
"
When the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, welcomed the Morgana Run Trail more than five years ago, there were high hopes for how it would help transform the area. And in the ensuing years the trail proved the catalyst for many wonderful amenities, from public art installations to the construction of a new school."
Posted 13 years ago # -
I think I've mentioned this report before, but it seems appropriate to do so here -
"
Executive summary
It is widely recognized that there is a need to increase levels of active and sustainable travel in British urban areas. The Understanding Walking and Cycling (UWAC) project, funded by the EPSRC, has examined the factors influencing everyday travel decisions and proposes a series of policy measures to increase levels of walking and cycling for short trips in urban areas. A wide range of both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in four English towns (Leeds, Leicester, Worcester, Lancaster), including a questionnaire survey, analysis of the built environment, interviews and ethnographies. Key findings of the research are that whilst attitudes to walking and cycling are mostly positive or neu- tral, many people who would like to engage in more active travel fail to do so due to a combination of factors. These can be summarised as:
Concerns about the physical environment, especially with regard to safety when walking or cycling;
The difficulty of fitting walking and cycling into complex household routines (especially with young children);
The perception that walking and cycling are in some ways abnormal things to do so.
It is suggested that policies to increase levels of walking and cycling should focus not only on improving infrastructure (for instance through fully segregated cycle routes), but also must tackle broader social, economic, cultural and legal factors that currently inhibit walking and cycling. Together, such changes can create an environment in which driving for short trips in urban areas is seen as abnormal and walking or cycling seem the obvious choices.
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Posted 13 years ago #
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