Consultation Digest (National) Issue 3, 8 January 2021: Scottish Government sets target to get people out of their cars.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope you all had a relaxing festive period. I’ve been well and truly thrown back into work this week reading and digesting the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan update. It feels like the policy equivalent of Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, there’s not time for a snooze in front of the TV – the Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the transport policy section needs comments by Tuesday 12 January.

Continue reading “Consultation Digest (National) Issue 3, 8 January 2021: Scottish Government sets target to get people out of their cars.”

Consultation Digest (National) Issue 1, 13 November 2020: A few days left to respond to the Infrastructure Investment Plan

Welcome to the first Go Bike National Consultation Digest, written by Jim Densham, a monthly round up of current and forthcoming consultations from Scotland and the UK. Because of Covid there was a big pause in usual government work over the spring and summer, but since September there has been a flurry of consultations. This is likely to continue into the new year as the SNP government tries to get as much work done as possible before parliament is dissolved in late March and campaigning properly kicks off for the Holyrood 2021 elections.

Continue reading “Consultation Digest (National) Issue 1, 13 November 2020: A few days left to respond to the Infrastructure Investment Plan”

20mph – Help us campaign for the new Urban Default Speed Limit Bill

Mark Ruskell launched his Safer Streets Bill in 2017 and it is now making its way through the Scottish Parliament as the Restricted Roads (20mph Limt)(Scotland) Bill. The full details may be seen here.

The Bill has now moved to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee for scrutiny and this committee has launched its own consultation, which closes on 28 January. There is information about the bill and a link to the committee’s survey here.

You can help us support this bill by doing two things – respond to this survey and contact to your MSP. We pulled together some help for you to do those things below. Continue reading “20mph – Help us campaign for the new Urban Default Speed Limit Bill”

Consultation Digest Issue 24, 18 December 2018 – East Dunbartonshire news / the River Clyde / default urban 20mph

 

This fortnight we have two new consultations in from East Dunbartonshire, plus high level previews of two Strategic Development Frameworks (SDFs) for Glasgow (the River Clyde corridor and Govan – Partick), as well as an update on campaigning for a 20mph default speed limit in our towns and cities. Continue reading “Consultation Digest Issue 24, 18 December 2018 – East Dunbartonshire news / the River Clyde / default urban 20mph”

Consultation Digest Issue 23, 04 December 2018, Get your support in for a 20mph default urban speed limit and major changes in Glasgow

Hopefully the Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) Bill, inspired by Mark Ruskell MSP, will bring a 20mph default speed limit to all of our towns and cities. In other news, private cars are to be filtered away from Union Street in Glasgow, a consultation for Toryglen, a consultation for all of East Dunbartonshire and some more …. Continue reading “Consultation Digest Issue 23, 04 December 2018, Get your support in for a 20mph default urban speed limit and major changes in Glasgow”

Consultation Digest Issue 16, 21 August 2018: Activity in Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and the UK

The schools are back, the roads are busy, but unfortunately not many parents and carers cycle with their children to school, so do please respond to the Glasgow North East Travel Routes Consultation that closes tomorrow and the other consultations listed that will make it easier for us all to get around by bike. Continue reading “Consultation Digest Issue 16, 21 August 2018: Activity in Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and the UK”

Better buses in Scotland: call for help from FoE and Get Glasgow Moving

Please help our friends in Friends of the Earth and Get Glasgow Moving to get better bus services in Scotland; a better bus service means fewer people feel they need to get cars, so more room for bikes on the road and less pollution.  PLEASE USE THIS LINK TO ADD YOUR SUPPORT.  It’s quick and easy to do.  The information that follows is from Friends of the Earth:

Scotland’s bus sector is in crisis. 

In the last decade, bus companies have cut routes by a fifth and increased fares by a huge 50%. This dramatic deterioration is preventing people accessing basic services like hospitals and job centres, causing social isolation and inequality. It is also increasing the dominance of cars, exacerbating toxic air pollution and climate emissions.

Apart from Lothian Buses and a few other exceptions, most of Scotland’s buses are privately run, and all too often profit is put before people. Under public ownership and well-designed franchise models, profits from busy bus routes can be reinvested back into expanding the public transport network, improving reliability and reducing fares.

The Government wants your views about whether to shift the balance of power away from private companies and towards public bodies. 

Take your chance to demand Local Transport Authorities are granted the powers necessary to run their own bus companies, or failing this, to operate well regulated franchises.

It’s time for a decent, fully-integrated, accessible and affordable public transport network for everyone in Scotland. Take action today.

This will be a response to the official consultation on improving local bus services and is supported by Friends of the Earth Scotland, Get Glasgow Moving, Unison, and Unite Community. You can read the full consultation document here.

 

 

Contraflow Cycling, and a new Transform20 campaign

GoBike was invited to give a short presentation on a campaigning theme at the Transform Scotland AGM 2017 held in Glasgow City Chambers on 26 October.  We chose the topic of Contraflow Cycling and a summary of our talk is on the Contraflow Cycling campaign page on our website.  Contraflow is essential in our towns and cities to make them permeable for bikes.  One way streets were introduced to “improve” flow for cars, but this, as we know, has had the effect of increased vehicle speeds, increased vehicle use, increased congestion and increased pollution; we want our streets back.

At the AGM Transform Scotland launched their Transform 20 campaign: ‘As part of Transform Scotland’s 20th anniversary year we’ve launched a new campaign called #Transform20. This campaign focuses on offering an easy way for the public to communicate their ideas to transform transport in Scotland to become more eco-friendly, safer and easier to access.

Ideas can be simple and don’t require a detailed explanation. To submit your idea, please go to our website http://transform20.transform.scot, where you can submit a brief description of up to 200 words on how you think Scottish transport can be transformed. Your idea must be accompanied by a title (under 10 words) and there’s an option to upload a high quality picture to support your idea. You can also upload supporting documents or provide a link to further information if you wish.

GoBike has submitted our Contraflow campaign to this page, others have submitted their ideas too.  Why not have a look and submit your bee-in-your-bonnet campaigning idea?

If you like our Contraflow campaign please send in your contraflow picture, telling us where it is, to campaigning@gobike.org and we’ll add it to the web page.