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.
It's the Spokes autumn count that morning...
A triathlon clubmate of mine remarked that "there was someone counting bicycles on Lothian Road this morning", I think as an example of the "Bradley Wiggins effect" and the general increase in number of people cycling...
Thanks chdot, this one spoke volumes!
"Cycling? Nowt to do wi' me!"
He is not the first Transport Minister to appear at a CS conference pre-recorded.
Ministers are busy and can't be in two places at once.
The fact that he preferred to be at a conference talking about 'proper' transport is understandable. The fact that this would involve spending fantastical sums of money is of course the political norm.
The High Speed Rail Please Let It Come North Of Manchester Conference was of course prefaced on Monday by 'plans' to spend money that doesn't exist on a project that really is of questionable value.
Perhaps one of the CS conference speakers can speak to one of his close colleagues about the economic, social and health benefits of investing in cycle infrastructure.
Conference biog -
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Jim Eadie has been the MSP for Edinburgh Southern since May 2011. He is a former member of the Health and Sport Committee; a member of the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee and a member of the Subordinate Legislation Committee. He is the Political Liaison Officer to The Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, Nicola Sturgeon MSP. In addition he is, the Co-convenor of the Cross Party Group (CPG) on Cycling and Co-convenor on the CPG on Health Inequalities and Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Life Sciences.
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Life's all about choices.
Scot Gov shows 'leadership' on HS2 by organising a summit in Glasgow. Much posturing, lofty ideals, talk of economic benefit and la-la land budgets.
Meanwhile, dragging feet on active travel and dumping responsibility on local government.
No reason why Minister Brown could not have split his time and spent half a day at both the Glasgow summit and the Edinburgh conference. Less than an hour by train between the two. He chose to be in Glasgow, which is effectively a snub to cycling and active travel.
Not surprising, but one more disappointment. Political signals are very discouraging for investment in active travel.
Events I feel will overtake the lack of leadership being shown by the politicians both local and national.
• Many streets will fail the air quality tests coming up so closures and re-routing of traffic away to edge of town is likely. Of course this in many instances will just displace pollution - bit like electric cars and trucks (remember them?)
• Younger generation are more likely to pavement cycle so 'desire lines' may well be legitimised - nice and cheap fudge that will take heat off real infrastructure. I'd like to say that bike training means more kids on the roads 'safe and solo ' but it also means more on pavements.
• HS2 is another chess piece being used in the pre-2014 run up. Q. Why can't we have incremental improvements on what we have? A. Pie in the sky is cheaper / better PR. This forum has already provided many 'shovel-ready' suggestions. Edinburgh certainly isn't unused to turning the city upside down for events and big projects.
• Health... odd that this comes up and as Jim Lauder said on RS this morning the cost savings of getting people active outweigh all other costs. 0.85% of transport budget should be increased massively and combined with a health part at least equal to (say) Methadone supplies or car parking round health centres (lot of tar there for going nowhere).
STOP PRESS
• Cities should be treated like a large home zone so activity is safe in the centre in my view. 20 mph limit is key. That way we'll get fewer people racing between red lights at above 30mph.
BUT...
John Beattie on RS lunchtime news just suggested that cheap car parking is a good way to get shops through another festive retail downturn. (assume he is talking from personal experience). We really are living in the 1950s
Depressing when presenters voice 'helpful' suggestions as if they are 'the norm'.
From my experience of conferences, Ministers' attendance tends to be restricted to: turn up 5 minutes before they are due to make their speech, make the speech, apologise at the end for not being able to stay any longer to partake in informal discussions, then get the hell out of there tout suite...
"Edinburgh certainly isn't unused to turning the city upside down for events and big projects"
Can't say I've noticed...
Whatever you think of 'the trams', CEC has completely failed to take advantage of the shambletunity to promote walking and cycling.
Of course that would mean adding some encouraging infrastructure (especially proper temporary signed routes).
It's cheaper just to put signs saying 'city centre isn't really shut - we know its a complete shambles but it'll be fine again one day for all you hard pressed motorists, so please don't bother trying to cycle in case you like it and demand better infrastructure'.
Yes that really is tram legacy.
"apologise at the end for not being able to stay any longer"
True.
Wonder how long KB stayed at HS Conf.
From my experience of conferences, Ministers' attendance tends to be restricted to: turn up 5 minutes before they are due to make their speech, make the speech, apologise at the end for not being able to stay any longer to partake in informal discussions, then get the hell out of there tout suite...
Yes but KB wasn't even doing the speeches in Glasgow, it was his boss, Nicola Sturgeon. According to reports KB was busy glad-handing various regional politicians and lobbyists from England. All the better to stick a 'V' up to the Westminster coalition, no doubt.
Posturing and being seen to 'take a lead' on something which will (probably) never happen so much more enjoyable than actually having to deal with real issues and take decisions in the here and now. Eh, Keith?
And today -
Brown and Hinds at the airport to see the tram stop.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-trams-project-making-good-1435561
That's proper transport.
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Alison Johnstone (@AlisonJohnstone)
14/11/2012 16:08
My thoughts on yesterday's @CyclingScotland conference:
http://www.alisonjohnstonemsp.com/?p=169 @POPScotland @SpokesLothian @CyclingEdin
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Lesley Hinds says it's part of a new integrated system... Keith Brown's party was dead against once.
Is integrated reference the Scottish Oyster card idea?
I think the integrated ticketing idea is the long term goal (still 5 or 6 years off at least, I'd guess).
Presumably she's referring to the fact that tram connects the airport to the train network (in a fixed track on the ground way, as opposed to the rubber wheeled omnibus-manner).
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