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Sums up the Council's attitude to cycling

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blackpuddinonnabike:
At one of the Council's offices in Edinburgh there are 33 bike parking spaces. 12 of these have been temporarily removed for a poster for an exhibition taking place at those offices. Generally, it appears, all 33 spaces are taken up each day, and there is precious little bike parking anywhere else near.

The head of the council has come out and said that this is only temporary (4 weeks) and that the Council is dedicated to promoting cycling and has recently installed more than 100 new bike parking spaces around the city. Only one of which statements actually addresses the matter at issue, and even then is a bit of a brush off ('surely cyclists can do without these for four weeks').

I'm going to email Phil Wheeler from home tonight in a cc capacity and ask if they would consider taking up even one car parking space (so inconveniencing one person rather than 12), and explain that it was only for 4 weeks and that the Council has increased the amount of car parking in other places around the city.

Oh, and these bike parking spaces are in a quadrangle which, for the umpteenth year in a row, held a Bike for Breakfast event last year encouraging people to cycle.

Pete:
Reminds me of the time I went storming into our Town Council offices, fuming, at the removal of every single Sheffield stand in the shopping precinct.  Not only that, but workmen were busy laying fresh paving slabs to cover the holes left by the uprooted sheffields.  Reason?  The Queen (yes: that queen, all EIIR of her) was scheduled to do walkabout through the town, and it was feared the sheffields might get in the way of and endanger her maj. and retinue.  The stands were reinstated a few weeks later.

In fact, not the first time my 'convenience' has come head-to-head with her maj.'s.  Literally!  Years earlier, she was due to visit the university where I was a student.  The 'gents' on the ground floor magically transmogrified into a 'ladies' for the occasion (they boarded up the urinals).  I wasn't there for the visit, but I sincerely hope her maj., whilst walking past, excused herself and popped in for a royal 'wee'.  To make it all worthwhile!

Malandro:
It's a pity Edinburgh Council never consulted their staff because they have lots of (unused) secure cycle space under their new shiny HQ building around 10 minutes walk away which I bet Phil Wheeler doesn't even know about. 

Eccentrica Gallumbits:
I've just emailed him from my home account.


--- Quote ---Dear Mr Wheeler



I have seen today's Evening News story about the temporary removal of one third of the bike parking at the City Chambers and I am disappointed that the council has chosen to take this action, especially when it is committed to promoting cycling to citizens and its staff. Instead of removing twelve bike spaces, would you consider removing one car space? That would only inconvenience one person rather than twelve, and after all, it's only for four weeks and you have improved car parking elsewhere in the city.



--- End quote ---

blackpuddinonnabike:
My letter ended up in the Evening News today.

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