Bikes Count

A recent ce.info story highlighted the difficulty of relying on statistics to judge increases in bike use.

So it’s good to see that surveys are being conducted to find out what would make people cycle more – and what is putting them off. Interviews were recently carried out on The Innocent at Duddingston Road West, in The Meadows and part of the North Edinburgh Path Network.

Unfortunately The Council’s automatic counters are less useful. There are only nine for the whole of Edinburgh. At present only four are working. Of these one has “possible errors”, another has “probable errors”…….

.citycycling issue 15

Latest issue now online.

Includes generously complimentary review of this site!

Back issues always available.

Matthew Moves

Anyone who has had dealings with City of Edinburgh Council to do with cycling is likely to have come across Matthew Simpson.

After sixteen years in the Cycle Team (starting with Lothian Regional Council) Matthew is moving to another part of the Council. But it won’t be a ‘loss to cycling’. In his new job, in the Development Control section of Transport, he will be able to bring his valuable experience to important parts of the Planning process.

At times Matthew has been almost the only council official whose job has been to consider the needs of cyclists. Increasingly the Council has been adopting policies that make cycling (and walking) more important. Officials like Matthew are responsible for implementing them.

There will be an advert for a new Cycling Officer in the press soon, with the expectation that a new person will be in post in October.

UPDATE April 2007. There is still nobody ‘in post’. Hard to find a replacement, not least because this important job is not particularly senior or well paid.

Venchie Project Success

At the end of last year TryCycling in Edinburgh helped the Venchie childrens’ project in Craigmillar to get money from the Council’s East Local Development Committee.

A group of children signed up for a bike scheme that gave them training in safe cycling and bicycle maintenance. At the end they also got a bike to keep! This was supplied by The Bike Station.

The photo shows one of the bikes that is taking its new owner to her new secondary school, Castlebrae.

Can Cyclists Read?

Seems so. The railings around Charlotte Square Gardens get covered in bikes at BookFest time.

Behind the railings is set of (well used) bike racks. Maybe next year more of Edinburgh’s Festivals’ venues will have racks?

Today is the last day of BookFest

Photo of the Day

Falkirk Tunnel (2)

Photo by photopath.

Falkirk Tunnel on the Union Canal near Polmont.

Bike Station on the Move

The Bike Station was expected to move at the beginning of the month. It finally got the keys to its new palace yesterday.

Already there has been one bike donated at the new premises. (Not this one – that belongs to new Volunteers Manager Alison McCauley.)

The complete move will take a couple of weeks. So far only the office has moved! Today is the last Saturday Bike Sale at Waverley.

Three Bike Thieves Arrested

Police have arrested three teenagers said to be responsible for 106 bikes stolen in Edinburgh in the past 3 years.

Evening News story

New SpokesWorker

Long established Lothian Cycle Campaign, Spokes, has just published its latest newsletter. ” Roughly-monthly” Spokesworkers should not to be confused with the Spokes Bulletin that has been appearing every four months for almost thirty years.

SpokesWorkers are packed with the latest news and information for Spokes’ more activist members. Sample from the latest –

”
COLOURED SURFACING

In Spokesworker 30.5.06 we reported the Planning Committee decision to retain coloured surfaces on main traffic routes, even in central areas. It is vital to get this decision implemented soon – the colour badly needs renewed/installed.

Please write to or email your councillor.
“

New Leader for Edinburgh

Tonight City of Edinburgh Council‘s Labour Group elected Councillor Rev. Ewan Aitken as its new Leader. On Thursday at the Full Council Meeting he will become The Leader of the Council – the political ‘boss’ in the City.

Cllr. Aitken has been Executive Member for Education in recent years. He is particularly interested in young people and social justice. He has been an enthusiastic support of plans (still at an embryonic stage) for cycle projects in the east of Edinburgh suggested by TryCycling in Edinburgh. Some information at CraigmillarCycles.info

On Newsnight Scotland he said he intends to be ‘out and about’ asking people want they want for the “best small city on the planet”. Interviewer Gordon Brewer pointed out that some recent policies, for instance the proposals for Congestion Charging, had been less than successful. Councillor Aitken said that when he talked to people about congestion they agreed it was a problem. He said that one of the issues was that people had been presented with “management speak” solutions and that they had not been involved in the process early enough .

He will hold the post until the election next May when it is almost certain that Labour will lose overall control in Edinburgh. Votes will be cast under the proportional representation system for the first time for local authority elections in Scotland.

Councillor Aitken now has his own blog.