The AGM will be a hybrid meeting – online via Zoom and in-person at the STUC Glasgow office, 8 Landressy Street Glasgow G40 1BP.

The AGM will be a great opportunity for members and others to hear what GoBike has been up to since our last AGM in March 2025 and to contribute to what GoBike should be focusing on over the next few years. We have also invited SPT (Strathclyde Partnership for Transport) and Voi to make short presentations as well. 

You can book to attend the AGM here

The AGM papers will be sent to people once they have booked, along with a Zoom link if people have booked to attend online. All current members have already been sent the AGM invite and a link to the papers.

Agenda

• 1830 – Arrival inc buffet and refreshments
• 1910 – Annual General Meeting
• Welcome and apologies
• Approve minutes of 2023 AGM
• Convenor’s report
• Treasurer’s report, approval of accounts and member fees
• Election of committee
• Close AGM
• 1945 – Break
• 2000 – Presentations and discussion
• 2040 – Closing words
• 2045 – Close

Our AGM will take place from 10:30am on Saturday 22 March 2025  at the Pearce Institute in Govan. You can book to attend via EventBrite.

Agenda

• 1015 – Arrival
• 1030 – Annual General Meeting
• Welcome and apologies
• Approve minutes of 2022 AGM
• Constitution amendments
• Treasurer’s report, approve accounts and member fees
• Convenors report
• Election of committee
• Close AGM
• 1100 – Break
• 1115 – Member’s Session
• 1215 – lunch
• 1300 – close

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The date for our re-scheduled AGM will be

10:30am on Saturday 22 March 2025 

at the Pearce Institute, 840-860 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 3UU 

Please save the date for our forthcoming AGM. It will be a great opportunity for members and others to hear what GoBike has been up to over the past couple of years and importantly have your input into what GoBike should be focusing on moving forward.

Agenda

• 1015 – Arrival
• 1030 – Annual General Meeting
• Welcome and apologies
• Approve minutes of 2022 AGM
• Constitution amendments
• Treasurer’s report, approval accounts and member fees
• Convenors report
• Election of committee
• Close AGM
• 1100 – Break
• 1120 – Member’s Session
• 1220 – lunch
• 1300 – close

10:30am on Saturday 25 January 2025 

at the Pearce Institute, 840-860 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 3UU 

Agenda

• 1015 – Arrival
• 1030 – Annual General Meeting
• Welcome and apologies
• Approve minutes of 2022 AGM
• Constitution amendments
• Treasurer’s report, approval accounts and member fees
• Convenors report
• Election of committee
• Close AGM
• 1100 – Break
• 1120 – Member’s Session
• 1220 – lunch
• 1300 – close

Booking and attendance

The AGM is free to attend but it would be appreciated if you could book your place via Eventbrite letting us know if you have any dietary and/or accessibility requirements.

If you are unable to attend it would be appreciated if you could send an apologies email to convenor (at) gobike.org

Papers

The papers for the AGM (revised constitution, previous minutes and 2023/24 accounts) will be sent out to people who have booked in advance of the AGM.

Committee members

If you would be interested in putting yourself forward for the committee we would love to have you join us to help plan and make campaign decisions. Please email convenor (at) gobike.org.

Discussion topics

There will be opportunities for round table disucssions about a range of cycling related issues. If there is a particualr topic that you would like to see discussed please email convenor (at) gobike.org.

Membership status

If you are unsure of your membership status then please visit the MemberMojo page and enter your email and you will be sent a log in link. Membership is now free and so if your membership has lapsed it would be great to have you re-join too!

We look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

This years AGM will take place at 10:30am on Saturday 3 June 2023 at the Pearce Institute, 840-860 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 3UU 

We are gathering during Volunteers Week (1 – 7 June) so join us to celebrate all the achievements that GoBike volunteers have made over the past few years!

It is free to attend and it would be great if you could book your place via Eventbrite. And please take a few minutes to have your say on our campaign review too.

If you’d be interested in joining the committee please email convenor (at) gobike.org.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

GoBike Committee

10:30am on Saturday 3 June 2023 

at the Pearce Institute, 840-860 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 3UU 

The AGM which has been slightly delayed since November last year will be a great opportunity for members and others to hear what GoBike has been up to over the past couple of years and importantly have your input into what GoBike should be focusing on over the next few years.

Agenda

• 1015 – Arrival
• 1030 – Annual General Meeting
• Welcome and apologies
• Approve minutes of 2021 AGM
• Treasurer’s report, approval accounts and member fees
• Convenors report
• Election of committee
• Close AGM
• 1100 – Campaigning discussion
• Feedback from campaigning review
• Breakout discussion groups
• Feedback from groups
• 1220 – lunch
• 1300 – close

Committee

If you’d be interested in putting yourself forward for the committee we would love to have you join us to help plan and make campaign decisions. Please email convenor (at) gobike.org.

Booking and attendance

The AGM is free to attend but it would be appreciated if you could book your place via Eventbrite letting us know if you have any dietary and/or accessibility requirements.

If you are unable to attend it would be appreciated if you could send an apologies email to convenor (at) gobike.org

Papers

The previous minutes and the accounts will be sent out to people who have booked in advance of the AGM 

Campaigning review

GoBike is undertaking a review of what our campaigns should be focusing on over the next few years. It would be appreciated if you could take a few minutes to tell us your thoughts

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

GoBike Committee

As a group of prior caretakers of the campaign, we hope you don’t mind us contacting you to see whether you might be able to give some time to GoBike.

We have no one actively running GoBike. The volunteers who have helped run this campaign over the last many, many years have gradually stepped back to the point where we now have no caretaker group running the campaign. We are currently in the position where we don’t have anyone to lead / chair, or to keep communications going to and from and within the campaign. Similarly, we don’t have anyone to carry out the treasurer’s role. 

Both of these roles are essential to a campaign with paid membership, and one with a good communications channel with the council and other related organisations. We have a great team keeping our consultations section ticking over, and we still have our monthly rides on the go.  However, we also need help with our social media, with campaign ideas and their organisation, and with other admin tasks.

Do you think you can help?

Up until now GoBike has run with a committee of a number of people spreading the load of the campaign tasks between them. They met around 6 times a year, every two months, and in between kept in touch via a channel on slack. This set up doesn’t have to continue – anyone able to offer their help can meet to decide how they wish to continue the running of the campaign. As past committee members we will support new caretakers in a handover period.

If you do think that you can give some time please get in touch with us by email at this link or via campaigns @ gobike.org

We will gather together any offers of help and then plan to hold an Extra General Meeting towards the end of March (keep your eyes peeled for dates), where we as members will come together to decide the future of the campaign. 

Active travel funding is increasing so campaigns like GoBike are needed more than ever to ensure the money is spent wisely. Over the years we have worked successfully at moving active travel up the agenda in new council projects. We still need to ensure that pressure is there to keep that being the case, and to ensure that the designs of new projects meet current standards and that they ensure the safety of people cycling.

Giving what time you can to GoBike will help to keep people cycling that little bit safer, it might help open up cycling to those who don’t yet dare, you’ll make good like-minded friends and believe it or not, it can even be a lot of fun!

If you do think you would like to get more involved or want to know more about how you might be able to help do drop us an email at this link or via campaigns @ gobike.org

Tonight at our AGM Tricia Fort, who has been instrumental for many many years to the GoBike campaign, stood down from her role on our committee. She has been a key component to GoBike, leading the campaign for many years, as well as fighting hard in keeping up our consultations aspect of the campaign. Tonight, she echoed her calls to other campaigners to step up and get more involved – and what better inspiration for us than Tricia’s footsteps. We will miss her dearly but knowing Tricia, we are sure that she is going to continue to give up her free time for many years to come to make Glasgow and in fact our world a better place.

Messages of thanks to Tricia have flooded in and so we wanted to share some of them here.

Tricia has been unwavering in her commitment to the campaign to make Glasgow a better place to cycle. I have always looked forward to a new edition of the Consultation Digest- though I’ll admit sometimes with a little trepidation! Having that overview of the work underway across the wider region is so useful, and will have informed countless consultation responses. Thank you to Tricia for an enormous contribution on our journey to a more cycle friendly city.

Cllr Anna Richardson

 Well done Tricia for your massive shift working for GoBike. Your rigour and business skills dragged our small group from a low point, to building a campaign and membership that is vital, effective and a widely respected force. As chair and then source of consultation responses and news, you gave GoBike a lead role in bringing cycling to be top of the agenda for a future Glasgow. The high standards you set should also help enable riding a bike to becomes the norm for everyone.

Peter Hayman – ex-convenor GoBike (during the lean years)

Thanks Tricia for being the stalwart and no nonsense campaigner who has kept GoBike on track for all the time I have been a member. Also seen out on Saturday/Sunday rides, marches and other GoBike jaunts including Hadrian’s Wall C2C trip. Always ready with advice and support – you will be missed.

Jeremy Stevenson – GoBike Secretary

Tricia has been a real source of inspiration to me and my campaigning – when I took over from her as co-convenor of GoBike I knew I had big shoes to fill and I was quaking in those boots. However, she was a big help and source of encouragement to me when I did, and she has become a firm friend. Tricia’s principles and drive to make the world better for others is incredible and I want to thank her for everything she has done for GoBike throughout the years. I have every faith that she will use her new found time in the positive way she has always given away so freely.

Iona Shepherd – GoBike Campaigns Lead

Tricia’s grammar is impeccable and she has taught my wife all she knows about apostrophe’s. My lifetime goal remains to be allowed to follow Tricia on Strava.

Graeme Cook

I’ve known Tricia a relatively short time, from the beginning I’ve been open-mouthed at her capacity for organisation and keeping a grip on things.  And good old-fashioned hard work and dedication.  The effort she’s put into the Consultations Digest over the years would be incredible if the Digests weren’t there as evidence – and for the first years she was Convenor of GoBike at the same time.  Of course the words in the Digest are only the tip of the iceberg, she would mostly have been out to look at the proposals on the ground, and will have written the GoBike responses as well, while keeping track of the confusion of closing dates.  Now that she’s stepped away from responsibility for Consultations it’s taking more than three people to keep the system running, and I wouldn’t put money on the formulation of responses being anything like as complete.  And her skill at crafting short punchy letters is something to behold…

Brenda Lillicrap

I want to stay in the Glasgow that would exist if GCC had heeded all of Tricias consultation responses, what a great, healthy and sustainable place that would have been to live and love.

Caroline Thompson

I first became acquainted with Tricia in around 2009, when we both retired from paid work. I had been asked to volunteer for Sustrans – which, back then was a fairly small organisation, with a small budget and less than 10 staff to cover Scotland.

At that time, although we had had national routes 7 and 75 in Glasgow, that was about the sum total of cycling infrastructure in Glasgow, apart from some disconnected and very short – some very short! – sections which were characterised by notices stating ‘Cyclists dismount’.

GCC did have a cycling unit (almost all of whom have retired now), which was part of Roads, but was clearly far down the hierarchy when it came to funding and influence. The politics of the Council was very pro-roads and motor vehicles. So, the only way that the cycling unit could get anything for cycling was by squeezing it in at the edges. 

Around that time, there were two projects – “Smarter Places, Smarter Choices” which, for its time, was a pretty radical plan for the Bridgeton area (That’s where the segregated cycle lanes on London Road came from!) and the Millennium Project, which, for Glasgow, was “The Bridge to Nowhere”. Tricia and I were invited on to the steering groups for these and that is when we first became acquainted. 

Here, a Sustrans’ civil engineer argued her case strongly, the Roads officers (all men) behaved patronisingly and despite having agreed to points she made, simply did not implement them. The presence of another woman and, what’s more a woman who is also an engineer, and a woman who was not afraid to bite (figuratively ….. but I would not have pushed her too far!) was a great help. So, slowly – very slowly – progress was made, but the breakthrough came when the heid yins in Roads failed to come up with the cash – as promised – for “The Bridge to Nowhere” – and the project, which had become quite a prestige project, was likely to founder. Fortunately, because a project by Perth council had failed, Sustrans switched the cash to Glasgow and the bridge actually went somewhere.

At the same time, Tricia began pressing for a Glasgow Cycle forum and persuaded Councillor Matt Kerr (Labour) and Councillor Mackay (SNP) to set one up. To be fair to both councillors, they were sincerely committed to cycling, and although the Forum met in the City Chambers it had no formal status. Often, it was just a ‘greetin meetin’ – and there was plenty to greet about! – but it built alliances amongst cycling groups and, gradually, the Councillors were able to get Council Officers and the Police to make reports. I can remember vividly Tricia’s terrier-like savaging of them – she did not miss them and hit the wall! Fortunately, we also had Peter Hayman’s courteous emollience to smooth things over! 

Tricia kept notes and did her homework so officers learned they had to deal in realities and start producing results on the ground.

Around 2012, towards the end of the financial year, the Scottish Government had a significant pot of money to distribute, because of various projects which had not spent sums during the year. The money was given to Sustrans to support Councils who had ‘shovel-ready’ projects to provide cycling infrastructure. The City of Glasgow had none! Edinburgh, for example, was able to claim about half the total cash. So, for a second time in two years Glasgow’s Roads Department had failed the citizens significantly.

Sustrans’ Chief Executive in Scotland met Tricia at several national conferences around that time and was very impressed, not just with her determination bur with her vision. Sustrans then funded two embedded officers within Roads. The purpose was to change the culture. This was facilitated by substantial retirals of many long-serving Roads officials. The Cycle Forum became a formal consultative Committee of GCC and it was chaired by the then Leader, Cllr Frank McAveety. It was still often a ‘hostile environment’ and often, things promised did not come to pass. But we had a place!

At around this time, Tricia became Convenor of GoBike and gradually transformed it into the strong campaigning body we now have. Whereas before, despite the outstanding vision of people like Andy Preece, GB was on the outside shouting increasingly frustratedly and angrily because of its seeming impotence, now, we had channels into the Council. Tricia organised hustings at election times and, from the start, SNP, Labour, Greens, Conservatives, LibDems, SSP, all sent representatives to these. Fairly significant figures were invited – and accepted – to address AGMs and to be questioned by members.

And, more, and younger members began joining. They had a range of backgrounds and expertise and so Council proposals could be criticised from a good knowledge base and, more importantly, constructive suggestions are being made.

Undoubtedly, Tricia has mellowed over the years (having a grand-daughter has helped!) and the experience gained in a number of forums enabled her to become more stateswoman-like, but the teeth are still there – and all are her own, still! She exemplifies the adage that you are never too old to learn and  she has the confidence to admit she has learned. 

She has other social interests, to campaign for such as the appalling homelessness and the lack of public toilets. And, she also has a strong intellectual side, with her years-long membership of the Royal Glasgow Philosophical Society, the pointy-heidit forum par excellence of this city, which has been addressed in its time by Nobel Laureates.

Glasgow has a long tradition of strong women like Mary Barbour, women who took on authority from a grass-roots moral stance. I think Tricia is part of that tradition. Grassroots campaigning does work, but it has to be smart and be prepared to engage and make the change. Sometimes, campaigning has to be side-lined for a while (Just a wee while!) to implement changes, even when some changes are not as much as we would like them to be.

I think Tricia is confident in the members of GoBike and knows that they can be constructively engaged in the changes that are in the future. 

If you had asked her 10/12 years ago whether would we have the infrastructure and plans we have now in Glasgow, I am not sure she would have dared to be so optimistic. There are still things to be done, but, never again will the City of Glasgow be in the shameful position of not having plans ready to be implemented and having to turn down funds. It is important to take time and reflect on what we have achieved. Tricia has achieved a lot.
Alasdair Macdonald

Thank you for everything Tricia!

The minutes from last year for AGM approval can be downloaded below:

We have a number of vacancies on the committee and would love to have you join us to help plan and made campaign decisions.  If you’d be interested in putting yourself forward please email convenor (at) gobike.org Please also send any apologies there.

To get the login details to the AGM and public meeting please register via Eventbrite here:

The link to register for the Eventbrite ticket is here

Agenda
Welcome
Apologies
Approval of minutes of 2020 AGM
Treasurer’s report, approval of the accounts and confirm member dues for coming year
Appointment of independent examiner of the accounts
Co-convenor’s review of the year
Campaigns lead – update
Consultations lead – update
Web group – update
Election of committee
Close formal part of AGM
Q&A / general discussion

This meeting will be an online affair to ensure that as many members can join as possible. Once you have registered, a link will be emailed to you with joining instructions.

We have vacancies on the committee and would love to have you join us – if you’d be interested in putting yourself forward please email convenor (at) gobike.org Please also send any apologies there.

We look forward to having you join us.