As a follow up to the meeting with Cllrs McAveety and Watson yesterday in Glasgow I sent the following e-mail to them both today.
Whilst I am very grateful that we had a chance to meet yesterday and to
discuss our issues, I was disappointed with the overall outcome of the
meeting. I know you will go away and investigate policy, talk to others
etc, but the flat refusal to even consider future budgets for active
travel (or to indicate who within the council had the power or influence
to drive such changes forward) was really quite depressing. I also find
it hard to imagine how the planning process can be improved with the
short time scales that that council officers have to deliver the
projects, given the piecemeal approach to funding (almost exclusively
from external sources).
The lack of targets for cycling participation and any detailed plan to
reach those targets is also of great concern.
This comes at a time when Edinburgh is reporting back on its spending on
active travel for 2013-14 which was at 6% of its transport budget over
the last year
(http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/44283/item_71_-_6_budget_commitment_to_cycling_%E2%80%93_summary_of_expenditure)
rising to 7% in the next financial year. Edinburgh also has targets set
for participation in cycling (10% of all trips by 2020).
Edinburgh also has a clear plan and is following it up with reviews of
progress. (http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/activetravel).
I am certainly not suggesting that everything in the Edinburgh plan is
perfect (dual networks is not a good way forward), however they are
making progress and widening gulf between the two cities. Edinburgh
demonstrates that setting targets (including spending targets),
providing detailed planning, and allowing for proper public consultation
are actually possible despite what we heard at the meeting yesterday.
Yes, progress is hard, and convincing politicians within the council
that this is the way to go will be difficult, but not doing so will be
harder. Not harder on you, the politicians, but harder on the people of
Glasgow who have to continue to face the consequences of pollution,
congestion, poor health and transport deprivation.
Whilst I live just outside the boundaries of the City of Glasgow itself,
having been born there, having lived there and as I currently work
there, I feel proud to call myself a Glaswegian. Yet, I am increasingly
finding myself feeling envious of our friends in Edinburgh and in the
many, many cities worldwide who are also rediscovering the many benefits
of active travel for the improvement of their cities. My pride is tinged
with a touch of embarrassment at how poorly the city treats anyone who
isn't travelling on our roads by car.
As the current Glasgow slogan suggests: People Make Glasgow. Perhaps its
time we start to make Glasgow for the people and not just for people
with a car.
Dave
Well written. As a Edinburgh resident who works and stays in Glasgow quite often I can feel your pain here. Hope things are changing, it is a shame for a city thats sells itself with its great sports infrastructure to not even provide and consider the basics of active travel.
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