“Edinburgh’s Future Streets policy, and the place of cycling”
Speakers
Cllr Scott ArthurEdinburgh City Transport Convener – the Council’s ‘Future Streets’ plans, the place of cycling and when/how will the policies lead to action
Laura Laker Cycling, transport and environment journalist – to critique the proposals. Laura researches and writes on cycling issues extensively, including in national/international media such as The Guardian and Bloomberg; and in specifically cycling publications such as Cycling Industry News and Road.CC
… followed by our one-hour panel QA, chaired by Ewen Maclean, organiser of Blackford Safe Routes – your chance to interrogate and challenge the speakers.
Time Starts 7.30, Ends 9.30. Doors open 6.45 for coffee, stalls and chat
Queries & Questions Queries, or questions for the speakers, can be emailed to spokes@spokes.org.uk, up to a day in advance. However, questions in person from audience members are likely to have greatest priority on the night
Online We hope to live broadcast on our youtube channel – details nearer the time on Spokes website. We also intend to make the recording available later.
Cllr Scott Arthur, Edinburgh City Transport Convener – the Council’s plans
Phil Noble, Strategy Manager for Active Travel and Streetspace – more detail on the policy delivery documents, including ATA, the Active Travel Action Plan
… followed by our one-hour panel QA, chaired by Dr Caroline Brown, Spokes member, Transform Scotland policy adviser, transport academic – your chance to interrogate and challenge the speakers
Time Starts 7.30, Ends 9.30. Doors open 6.45 for coffee, stalls and chat
Queries & Questions Queries, or questions for the speakers, can be emailed to spokes@spokes.org.uk. However, questions in person from audience members are likely to have greatest priority on the night
Online We hope to live broadcast on our youtube channel – details nearer the time on Spokes website. We also intend to make the recording available a few days later.
Background
Edinburgh City Council is consulting on a new Active Travel Action Plan (ATAP) and a series of other Mobility Plan ‘delivery documents’ all aimed to support Edinburgh NetZero 2030, and a 30% reduction in car-km by 2030.
Our public meeting will hear from the Council, followed by an expert critique, and then there’s a full hour panel discussion – your opportunity to challenge the speakers.
Do the delivery plans live up to the Council’s ambition to cut car-km 30% by 2030, alongside greatly increased travel by foot, bike and public transport? Will they enable more people to live car-free? Will they lead to speedy implementation? Our meeting is your opportunity to find out!
The ambition “to create a city where you don’t need to own a car to get around,” mentioned in several of the documents (e.g. Parking Action Plan, p8) is very welcome, for reasons of climate, public health, congestion and equalities. Such an ambition is also essential if the Council is to achieve its ultra-tough target to reduce car-km 30% by 2030.
A top cycling takeaway from the draft ATAP is the new focus on main road segregated routes. It says [chap 5],
“The (off road) traffic-free routes will continue to play a vital role, and we will seek to improve their comfort,safety and security. However, we now plan to develop a joined-up network of routes that feel safe to everyone at all times of day. This network will need to use segregated cycle tracks on main roads, as well as unsegregated on-street routes that have low volumes of motor traffic.”
The three highlighted phrases above [our emphases] neatly summarise important major developments, which we strongly welcome, in the Council’s approach to cycling policy, and we urge determined implementation.–
MARTIN McDONNELL [meeting organiser] Phone: 07884 265071 Email: mcdbristol116@0130318582789
Following the May Council elections, councillors unexpectedly voted in a minority Labour administration, replacing the previous SNP/Labour coalition, and the Labour group then chose Cllr Scott Arthur as new Transport Convener.
We’ve asked Cllr Arthur to speak to our public meeting about the transport policies of the new administration, with particular reference to cycling and active travel.
At the first full-council meeting Cllr Arthur stated that the objective of the administration is to implement the manifesto on which Labour was elected, whilst recognising that working with other parties is essential.
At the first Transport Committee, Cllr Arthur said that his top personal motivations as Convener are:
Our meeting gives you the opportunity to question Cllr Arthur on administration policies and his intentions as convener – and how realistic they are, given that the administration is a minority one. This is discussed further in our website article.
After Cllr Arthur’s presentation, there will be a full opportunity for questions and discussion, hosted by Kirsty Lewin of Spokes Porty. —
Spokes Council Election Hustings, Mon 28 March, 7.30-9.30
Transport Policies, with particular reference to Cycling
Local Council elections take place on 5th May. The Spokes hustings on March 28 will challenge representatives of the main parties represented on Edinburgh City Council to explain and defend their transport and cycling policies for the next 5 years. All speakers are candidates in the election.
Each speaker will have 5 minutes to outline their transport and cycling policies for the next 5 years, after which there will be a one-hour QA during which speakers will face searching questions from the online audience.
Registration : Register in advance – the link is in the above website article and tweet
PANDEMIC ERA SEES HUGE RISE IN CYCLING
Campaigners have highlighted new Government figures which show that people will cycle if it feels safe, and if car traffic is low. The new stats also reveal the huge public handouts to the bus industry through the pandemic.
The data was published today in Scottish Transport Statistics, and covers 2020/2021 when there was a huge drop in traffic due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The figures show a 63.5% increase in cycling in 2020-2021, while all other forms of transport showed marked reductions due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Figures show that the bus industry in Scotland received £340m in funding from local or central government in 2020-21. Passenger revenue for the same period was £131m. Effectively, the taxpayer subsidised 72% of the industry.
Meanwhile, bus fares in Scotland have increased by 6% (adjusting for inflation) over the past five years, while the increase for Great Britain as a whole was 3%.
The statistics also show:
• Public transport journeys fell by 70%, with 153m public transport journeys made in 2020-21. For comparison, in 2019-2020, there were 502m public transport journeys recorded.
• 83% of public transport journeys were made by bus, 9% by rail, 5% by air and 3% by ferry.
• The number of bus journeys fell by 65% in 2020-21. While this was the result of the pandemic, it also follows the trend of long term decline in bus passenger numbers. There were 458million bus journeys in 2009-10 but this had fallen to 363 million by 2019-20
Transport is Scotland’s largest source of climate emissions and levels have barely changed since 1990.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Air Pollution Campaigner Gavin Thomson commented: “These statistics confirm the huge increase in cycling we witnessed over the first year of the pandemic.
“People will cycle if they feel safe, whether that means fewer cars on the road or segregated cycle lanes. As we head into the elections, all local council candidates need to recognise there are huge benefits to their area of making it safe and easy to cycle.
“These figures show just how much the public purse is subsidising the bus industry. But politicians have failed to get value for money. Fare rises far above the UK average, constant route cuts, and a complete lack of control or accountability. Councils need to use the new bus powers to take control of our bus network; if we’re paying for it, we should control it.
“This data is a snapshot from the first year we faced huge societal changes due to Covid-19. We still don’t know what the world will look like on the other side of this pandemic, but there are opportunities to deliver on those early promises to build back better and greener. Councils have a range of powers at their disposal to make it safe, easy, and cheap to travel sustainably.”
The Scottish Government has made a remarkable “commitment” to reducing car-kilometres by 20% over the 2019 pre-covid figures, by year 2030 – primarily as a response to the climate crisis, although with many additional side-benefits for public health and community.
Edinburgh City Council has followed this up with a 30% ambition – albeit a “target” rather than a commitment.
Our online public meeting on Monday 21 February brings together Scottish Government Minister Patrick Harvie MSP, responsible for active travel policies and Cllr Lesley Macinnes, the City’s Transport Convener, to explain, debate and be challenged on the route to achieving these very tough ambitions.
Dr Caroline Brown, member of Spokes and of the Transform Scotland policy forum, will critique the government and council approaches; and this will be followed by an hour of debate between the panel members, prompted by your questions.
Spokes’ revised and updated map of Edinburgh showing the best routes for cyclists and walkers published
The new Edinburgh Cycle Map (11th edition), produced by Spokes (the Lothian Cycle Campaign), has just been published. Fully revised and updated, the map shows new cycle infrastructure and other developments across the city.
It is invaluable for cyclists and walkers seeking safe routes to shops, work or school and for planning leisure and running routes. The map is available through bike shops, some bookshops and from Spokes.
The whole city was surveyed by local Spokes volunteers and the mapping revised and updated by a skilled volunteer cartographer. Major updates and improvements to the map include all the new housing developments across Edinburgh and contours and hill-shading so users can see the hill spots at a glance.
In addition, the back of the map now shows the area from South Queensferry to Newbridge, as well as the usual large scale map of the city centre. The maps are printed on tear and water-resistant synthetic paper which is fully recyclable.
Members of Spokes and their children recently travelled to the City Chambers to hand over copies of the new map to Council Leader Adam McVey, Depute Leader Cammy Day and Kristen Layne, Network Development Manager with Sustrans. Alex Fitzhowle, co-founder of Farr Out Deliveries, provided logistical support!
The printing of the map was supported by Sustrans Scotland and Cycling Scotland, with much information provided by City of Edinburgh Council.
A spokesperson for Spokes said: “This has been a great voluntary effort by local Spokes members.
“The new map will help residents and visitors find their way around the city in active and healthy ways, as well as showing new quiet routes and short cuts they didn’t know existed!”
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We’ve got a growing network of safe and protected cycling and walking routes – some of which people might not know about.
“This is a great resource which will benefit so many people to make journeys around the city by bike – thanks to all the volunteers who made it happen.”
Depute Leader Cammy Dayadded: “Cycling is a healthy, environmentally-friendly and cost-effective way to get around the city and we want to support more people to do that.
“This map is a great way to explore safe and direct routes, whatever level of ability they have.”
Kristen Layne, Network Development Manager at Sustrans Scotland, said: “As Scotland faces the climate emergency, we need to work together to make walking, wheeling and cycling the obvious choices for more journeys across the country.
“We’re delighted to support our friends and partners at Spokes in launching the latest update of the much-used Edinburgh Cycle Map, and hope they continue to inspire many more people to make their journeys in a sustainable and active way.”
The new Edinburgh Cycle Map is available from local bike shops for £6.95.
There is also a special introductory offer for orders direct to Spokes on office@spokes.org.uk before the end of December 2021, to buy one map for £6 (postage-free) or £27 for 6 copies.
Spokes has also produced a buff/snood featuring a central section of the new Edinburgh map. This is on sale only from Spokes. Price £7 post-free or just £3 if added to a map order.
More information on all Spokes maps and sales outlets is available at:
Fledgling motorists from across Edinburgh received a hard-hitting introduction to the risks of driving at a popular road safety event this week.
Hundreds of sixth-year pupils once again tested out crash simulators, drunk goggles and even sit behind the wheel of an electric bus as part of the Streets Ahead Edinburgh Young Driver event, which returned to the Corn Exchange for an eighth year, hosted again by Forth 1 DJ Grant Thomson.
“Road safety is absolutely paramount” –Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes
New traffic signals which give cyclists a head-start ahead of other traffic are being proposed under the latest plans for safety improvements along Edinburgh’s tram route. The proposals, which are now out for consultation, follow the death of student Zhi Min Soh in an accident at the West End last May.
