Unique Chance to Hear Campaigning Pioneer

Thirty years ago cycle campaigners began getting organised in cities across the UK. In Edinburgh Spokes held its first public meeting in September 1977. On the seventh of the seventh in ‘77, activists in Bristol created Cyclebag which developed into sustainable transport charity Sustrans which will mark the 30th anniversary in July.

The man who ‘invented’ the name Cyclebag, George Platts, is paying a rare visit to Edinburgh in a couple of weeks and has agreed to give a talk on the past thirty years entitled “Two Wheels Two Eyes”. George says “I have a good memory of what was happening that led to Spokes and Cyclebag etc. appearing in 1977 and what made them so successful”. He will talk about politics (environmentalism) and art (street theatre) and also “pressure group energy”.

But it’s not just tales of Edinburgh and Bristol – “I have visited urban cycling groups and ridden and observed inspiring schemes to integrate cyclists safely into the transport infrastucture of cities in the Northern Hemisphere including – Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Montreal, Upsala, and ALL of Amsterdam.”

Additionally, over the years, he has visited India, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan – mostly for conferences (before the ideas of ‘carbon footprints’ and ‘global warming’ were such prominent concerns!) But don’t expect slide shows and holiday snaps. George will rely on his memory, his voice and maybe his hands.

Friday 25th of May at 7.00 in a city centre venue. (There’s a Critical Mass starting at the Foot of the Mound at 6.00, if you want even more entertainment!) Tickets are free, BUT there are only 54 of them.

Please reserve me a ticket