"
Green MSPs have secured a 75-minute parliamentary debate on cycling, to be led by Alison Johnstone.
If you read this in time, and you would like points raised in the debate, email your MSPs [ http://www.writetothem.com ] – ask them to let you know if they will attend the debate, and tell them the points you'd like them to raise. For example...
Government funding for cycling. Our winter budget campaign was successful in greatly reducing the planned cuts. However, government cycling investment is still well under 1p in every £1 of transport spending [active travel in total, walking + cycling, gets just under 1p in every £1]. Cycling England research and European experience suggest £10 per head of population per year is needed to achieve significant ongoing increases in cycle use, towards the Scottish government's target of 10% of all trips by bike in 2020. That is £50m a year for cycling – just 2.5% of the £2bn transport budget. The government's own report Low Carbon Scotland [the 'RPP' document] suggests £1.32bn for cycling and walking over 11 years – average £120m per year – to make a sufficient contribution to carbon reduction targets.
Councils need to be urged to contribute too - and Edinburgh has just set a great example [see Mar 3 news item at http://spokes.org.uk; also see Spokes 112]. The government should urge councils to invest in cycling a % of their transport budget at least equal to the percent of work trips already made by bike - as Edinburgh has done. Also, this % should be from their own transport budget, i.e. excluding the ring-fenced government funding they get such as CWSS and Sustrans money.
And your own thoughts and priorities for more and safer cycle use in town and country.
"
http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/spwkr12.03.252.pdf
posts
