Spokes

Bike sheds breakthrough?

Nov 1 update: Finalised Spokes submission here

After nearly a decade of lobbying, the Scottish Government at last appears to be seriously considering allowing families to install a modest front garden bike storage shed without the hassle, uncertainty and £200+ cost of seeking planning permission. However, their proposals need tweaking or we will get a substandard solution which leaves many householders choosing between an inadequate facility or going back to the uncertainties and costs of planning permission.

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CCWEL – first (wee) section to open

We expect the first section of the Council’s flagship city centre west-east route to open shortly, along with an initial cycleroute through the Picardy Place island.

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Midlothian Mapped

The 5th edition of our highly praised Midlothian Cycle Map is out!! The entire county was surveyed by local Spokes volunteers, together with Edinburgh OpenStreetMap group, and the map was then completely revised and updated by a skilled volunteer Spokes member cartographer.

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Spaces for People: ‘try then modify’

Sept 2020 update – A revised and expanded version of this article is being presented at the Cycling and Society Annual Symposium, Sept 10-11, 2020.

In Scotland, the UK, and indeed around the world, measures to boost cycling and walking, and to restrict or tame motor traffic, are appearing in days or weeks on a ‘try then modify’ basis – rather than the years-long consultations to which councils and the public have become conditioned.

Many of them are very popular, with demands for more and sooner. And it’s not due to any radical new political or technical thinking – it’s all because of a virus!

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Emergency CovidStreets cash, Scotland v England

Stop Press 26 May: Scot Gov trebles the £10m ‘covidstreets’ fund to £30m – as we predicted below (end of The Cash para) – and for the reasons we gave!

Both governments have allocated cash for councils to install pop-up low-cost measures – cycle lanes, road closures, wider footways etc. The aims are to help people spatially distance – and to maintain healthy streets with car use and pollution well below the previous levels, which cost 20,000 UK premature deaths in NO2 pollution alone.

Scotland has allocated just £10m and England a comparatively whopping £250m – but this ‘headline’ disparity masks the true picture, which if anything puts Scotland ahead.

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Covid-19 Bike Support for Key Workers

Bike organisations across Edinburgh and the Lothians, including Spokes, are stepping up to help NHS and other key workers get to work by bike – the offers and support that we know of are listed in this article.

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Covid-19 cycling advice & info

We hope you are keeping well – and following government instructions. This posting includes reliable sources of information and advice for people who get about by bike, as well as links to articles on relevant policy issues including speed limits, pollution and how government should treat cycling during the pandemic.

Latest: There is growing pressure for temporary bike lanes and wider footways to encourage walking, cycling and distancing during the pandemic – as is happening in many cities around the world. There are excellent articles on this from PoP and SPICe linked below under ‘Cycling Policy Issues Raised by the Pandemic.’ Please support rapid action in Scotland by contacting your MSPs and councillors urgently.

Continue reading Covid-19 cycling advice & info

Continue reading Spokes Bulletin 136 – year 2020 and beyond

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Bike sheds breakthrough?

CCWEL – first (wee) section to open

Midlothian Mapped

Spaces for People: ‘try then modify’

Emergency CovidStreets cash, Scotland v England

Covid-19 Bike Support for Key Workers

Covid-19 cycling advice & info

#SpokesMtg cancelled due to #Covid-19

Scottish Budget 20/21

Spokes Bulletin 136 – year 2020 and beyond

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