Feb 4, Mar 4, Apr 1 Spokes Sunday Ride More info on diary page, or phone Stuart 0131.445.7073.

Mid Jan Midlothian Spokes members meeting Gerry Lawson 0131.440.4412 gerrylawson@supanet.com Topics include: Midlothian Council paths strategy; Council safer on-road cycling plans, Public Transport Fund application 2001 and Sherriffhall Bridge details; Eskbank-Millerhill-Innocent link; New Dalkeith out-of-town schools campus; Ideas for Spokes Midlothian map.

Jan 15 Trams Back on Track TRANSform Scotland conference, Crown Plaza, Edinburgh. £40 (limited places). Speakers include Sarah Boyack MSP, Transport Minister. NB: see also article below.

Jan 16 Morningside Cyclists Group Open Door, 420 Morning-side Rd (7.30pm???). Local cyclists, mainly Spokes members, meet to discuss local issues, with a view to lobbying the council. Note that the name of the group is still to be decided. Contact: Nick Marshall 447.2498 nickmarshall@bigfoot.com

Jan 17 Bikefest 2001 Planning Group 6pm, Sustrans Office, 3 Coates Place. 623.7600 maj@finnsdad.freeserve.co.uk. Get involved in the group planning this year's Meadows Bikefest. For more info on the 2000 event see www.cyclefest.org.uk.

Jan 17 Reducing Reliance on the Private Car Planning Exchange event in Edinburgh 0141.248.8541 [sorry no more info]

Jan 20 Funding SE Scotland Sustainable Transport SERA conference, Dalkeith. Speakers: Transport Minister Sarah Boyack MSP, Edinb. Transport convener Cllr Mark Lazarowicz, David Begg. ~£15. Details: 0131.440.4412 gerrylawson@supanet.com

Jan 31 Transport & Environment academic seminar by Supra. Aim is to look to closer policy integration both within transport and between transport and other policy areas. Crown Plaza hotel, 4-7pm. £15 [voluntary org members]. 650.6397 supra@ed.ac.uk

Feb 5 Moving Scotland Forward Conference. £47. Speakers as for Jan 20 above, plus David Spaven [Transform Scotland] and various experts. Details: Pat Herd 0131.477.8219

Feb 6 St Martins Church Institution of new minister Rev John Conway at St Martins, the church where we rent office space. He replaces Bill Brockie, a longstanding Spokes member and friend.

Feb 10 SPOKES MAILOUT provisional date

Feb 7-11 Outdoors 2001 exhibition at Glasgow SECC. Cycling stand helpers needed - Mike Harrison 0131 554 7773.

Feb 22 Paths, Health and Social Inclusion Day seminar in Alloa(?) by Paths for All. Cost £45?. 01259.218888.

Feb 23 Falco Lecture Prize Closing date to enter competition to present paper at Velo City conference (plus £1200 cash prize). The subject is... "Today's young people lead much less active lives than ever before, so creating a future generation of unhealthy adults. Describe the main themes of a promotional strategy, and how they would help ensure tomorrow's adults use the bicycle as a normal part of an everyday and healthy life." More details: 0208.671.7561 oh@velo-city.org

Early/mid march Spokes Public Meeting - provisional

Mar 13 Edinburgh Waterfront Development Evening public CRAG/SAPT meeting, speaker Alan Couper of the above. Ask him for assurance about nature of cycleroute to city centre if/when trams are introduced [Spokes 76,77]. 7.30, City Chambers, High Street. Juice & biscuits 7.00, pub after!

Apr 14 Edinburgh Local Transport Strategy Cllr Mark Lazarowicz. CRAG/SAPT mtg. Time, place etc as for Mar 13.

Feb 10, Mar 24, Apr 7 Railway Ramblers Walk (not usually cycle) on disused rail lines. Raymond Hutcheson 01324.625816.

There option of trams/light-rail in Edinburgh now looks realistic, as the Transport Act allows road-user charges to raise funds. Generally, Spokes supports trams, but with strong reservations...

• Offroad path networks must stay open to cyclists. This is accepted in the Council's Local Transport Strategy - but cyclists/walkers must be vigilant on detailed plans. There should also be bike paths/lanes beside new routes.
• There must be bike carriage on trams, and secure parking at stops. Karlsruhe [Germany] even has weekend 'bike express' trams to recreational cycling destinations [Platform Nov 2000].
• Detailed design of tramlines must be totally bike-aware, unlike most UK systems. Croydon tramlines injured 16 cyclists in less than a year, Sheffield trams have killed two, and in the old days of trams there were 400-500 reported cyclist injuries each year [CCN News May 2000].

As notified in an earlier Spokesworker, East of Scotland Water has closed sections of Water of Leith path, to install a water main. However, there are complaints about complete closure being unnecessary, the work taking too long, poor signing, etc. The most important single point is that final re-instatement is the same high quality surface as before, like the rest of North Edinburgh Network. There is a Council number for all complaints about the work... 529.4199 Mr Hamilton. Please use it - and at once if you think the path is being re-instated to a substandard condition. If this does not work, let us know. Tim Smith 554.7264.

Plans are well advanced for a bike workshop in central Edinburgh thanks to several Spokes members, though it is not planned as a Spokes workshop. The workshop will be equipped with tools for people to fix their own bikes, and for bike maintenance classes. It will also be a base to continue the work of Lothian Safe Routes in recycling donated bikes for use in schools and by voluntary organisation. [See www.spokes.org.uk/ccbws] CAN YOU HELP???

To fix your bike, or learn how, or fix bikes for re-use by schools, etc contact Chris Hill 229.0072 ch.edinburgh@virgin.net

Edinburgh Council is consulting on City Centre Traffic Plans. Bike facilities include a westbound Princes St cycle lane [cars banned]; the national cycle route along a traffic-reduced George St; and re-opening Shandwick Pl - Queensferry St junction to bikes/buses. See www.edinburgh.gov.uk, or phone Duncan Fraser 469.3515. There is an exhibition at 1 Cockburn St, open 10-4, 7 days a week, in February. Send in your comments by 1.3.01.

NB: Several members are disappointed the plans don't include a wide 'European-style' Princes Street cycle route. The council has had detailed discussion on this with Sustrans and Spokes, where the space constraints have been discussed. The present plans in general terms have been accepted by Spokes Planning Group, though we will doubtless have detailed comments. However, do send in your views - the more cyclist comments the better. We'd also appreciate getting a copy of your letter.

The government is now consulting on the future of Scotland's rail passenger services. This is the first stage to re-letting the franchise which is currently run by ScotRail. All comments must be in by 28.2.2001. There is no need for you to send a long letter if you are short of time - just state the main points that concern you about the future of Scotland's passenger railways.

The consultation document is available free from 0131.244.1422 or paul.smart@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.

The full draft Spokes response is on this website (link). We would welcome any comments on it which should be sent to Dave du Feu, 2 Greenpark Cottages, Edinburgh Road, Linlithgow EH49 6AA.  But please be sure to get in your own comments to the main consultation by the closing date.

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