Organising the Bike Breakfast Spokes The Lothian Cycle
Organising the Bike Breakfast Spokes The Lothian Cycle Campaign
Objectives, targets • A public meeting of cyclists with government officials who have influence on cycling • An opportunity for the council to say “thank you” to Spokes for its campaigning work • Cyclists of all types • Councillors, MSPs
• June each year • Turn out rising to about 400
Councillors/MSPs at the Bike Breakfast 2013 Ward 5 – Inverleith Cllr Nigel Bagshaw* Green Ward 9 – Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart Cllr Andrew Burns Lab [Council Leader; and see above] Cllr Gavin Corbett* Green Ward 10 – Meadows/Morningside Cllr Melanie Main* Green Ward 12 – Leith Walk Cllr Maggie Chapman Green Ward 13 – Leith Cllr Chas Booth* Green Cllr Gordon Munro* Lab Ward 15 – Southside/Newington Cllr Steve Burgess Green Cllr Jim Orr* SNP [Transport Vice. Convener: speaker, see below] Ward 16 – Liberton/Gilmerton Cllr Bill Cook Lab Ward 17 – Portobello/Craigmillar Cllr Maureen Child* Lab Scottish Parliament Alison Johnstone MSP* Green [speaker, see below] Sarah Boyack MSP* Lab * = member of Spokes
Activities • • • Free breakfast Speeches Cycling organisations stalls Dr. Bike security etching Competitions
Speeches • For Spokes Dave du Feu thanked the breakfast organisers from Spokes and the Council, the feeder-ride organisers, and the stall holders. • He congratulated the Council on sticking to the budget commitment to allocate 5% of transport spending, rising by 1% a year, 6% in 2013/14, to cycling projects – this is a really big decision, which sets Edinburgh apart from every other Scottish local authority. There are positive results in a wide range of areas, for example… • Scheduled gritting of bike paths in winter [this drew a big clap] • Funding for area teams to respond to comments from local people on minor but locally important cycling issues like dropped kerbs or faded white lines on paths • Funding for big projects like North Meadow Walk or Edinburgh- Forth Bridge : and the council can often double-up its investment by getting match-funding from Sustrans and others………….
…………. . • However 2012/13 had also seen big disappointments… • The original Leith Walk refurbishment proposals seemed a real wasted opportunity – but after very extensive lobbying by Greener Leith, Spokes and others, and with behind-the-scenes pressure from Sustrans [who have match-funding power] the council’s revised proposals were a big improvement and are still being worked on. • Main roads into the city are the source of the most serious crashes involving cyclists, and are frightening to many. The Active Travel Action Plan includes an action to improve their cycle facilities, yet almost nothing has been done. Furthermore, the proposed action is insufficient, as the council should be trialling segregated and/or mandatory facilities on such routes. • Princes Street – we remain astonished that the Council published plans which prohibit cycling on the proposed traffic-free side of Princes Street, the entire area between the shops and the tramlines. The future is still unknown.
• It was vital for all concerned people to lobby their own councillors and ask them to raise cycling and transport issues such as the above. Speak to or email your own councillors, not just those responsible for transport policy.
For the Council Cllr Jim Orr is ‘cycling supremo’ – Deputy Convenor of the Transport Committee and with a special responsibility for cycling. • Cllr Orr began by repeating the importance of the 5%->6%->… budget commitment, emphasising that budget decisions are taken year by year, and the increase would only continue if councillors remained convinced that cycling is a priority. Thus lobbying of councillors by ordinary members of the public on a wide range of cycling issues remains vital. Councillors also need to see that their efforts are appreciated, and it is helpful to praise new achievements as well as to point out what is needed next or what could have been done better.
• From the Scottish Parliament Alison Johnstone MSP spoke of the work of the Cross-Party Cycling Group, of which she is a founder and Co-Convener, along with Jim Eadie MSP. Current issues include arguing for Strict Liability rules [see Bulletin 116, pullout supplement] and the National Planning Framework. • We awaited the ‘refreshed’ version of the Government’s Cycling Action Plan for Scotland, CAPS. Some new initiatives were expected within it, but she feared that it would not include the new step-change in funding which would be essential to meet government cycle-use targets. • Like the other speakers, Alison urged everyone concerned about improving conditions for cycling to keep lobbying their councillors and MSPs – the combined weight of many letters on individual cycling topics makes a big difference to the politicians, and Edinburgh is an example of that.
Considerations • • Timing – annual, mid-June, 7. 30 -9. 30 am A major attraction – free breakfast A range of useful activities Good speakers Stick to time Continuity – 30 years of bike breakfasts! Incentives – Free Spokes map to the first 20 riders – Dr. Bike, Security marking, competitions and prizes
Preparations • Contact the council 6 months ahead • • Contact speakers 6 months ahead • Contact stall holders and others 2 months ahead • Estimate numbers of breakfasts needed! Publicity about 2 months ahead – Posters – Email members – Website – Bulletin
Feeder rides
Has the breakfast been a success? • Steadily increasing numbers of cyclists turn up • We are ordering 350 breakfasts this year!
- Slides: 15