GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
What's your tale on the localism agenda. Bane or boon to a marginal group like us? CLC's helping or hindering?
Are you a cycle campaigner/activist outside London?
- Thread starter GrumpyGregry
- Start date
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snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
In answer to the thread title, yes, but you've lost me on localism and CLC, sorry
MrHappyCyclist
Riding the Devil's HIghway
- Location
- Bolton, England
I wouldn't call myself a campaigner/activist, but I do make a nuisance of myself now and then (off the road that is).
I think the biggest issue we have as cyclists on the road is a national culture problem among non-cycling motorists, and I believe the most effective measures in starting to address that would be a change in legislation to presumed liability and an educational campaign aimed at motorists. Localism will allow the DfT to stop saying "we can't be bothered with this" and start saying "it's not our problem anyway", so could be a step backwards in relation to any legislative changes. It would be far less cost-effective to run any kind of educational campaign at a local level. Television would be the best medium for such a thing, but only makes sense at a national level. Having said that, neither of these things looks likely to happen, so perhaps it's irrelevant.
I also find it hard to see what the scope of "local" is. Just in my own typical cycling range, I would have to deal with local authorities in Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan, Salford, Manchester, and Bury. Even within a 3 mile radius of my home, I could identify at least two distinct "communities" based on ethnicity and/or at least tens of communities based around activities such as churches, schools, pubs, places-of-work, you name it, plus the majority who don't really belong to any identifiable community, often because the only time they are not enclosed in their cars within that 3 mile radius is when they are within the boundaries of their homes. So what does it actually mean?
I think the biggest issue we have as cyclists on the road is a national culture problem among non-cycling motorists, and I believe the most effective measures in starting to address that would be a change in legislation to presumed liability and an educational campaign aimed at motorists. Localism will allow the DfT to stop saying "we can't be bothered with this" and start saying "it's not our problem anyway", so could be a step backwards in relation to any legislative changes. It would be far less cost-effective to run any kind of educational campaign at a local level. Television would be the best medium for such a thing, but only makes sense at a national level. Having said that, neither of these things looks likely to happen, so perhaps it's irrelevant.
I also find it hard to see what the scope of "local" is. Just in my own typical cycling range, I would have to deal with local authorities in Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan, Salford, Manchester, and Bury. Even within a 3 mile radius of my home, I could identify at least two distinct "communities" based on ethnicity and/or at least tens of communities based around activities such as churches, schools, pubs, places-of-work, you name it, plus the majority who don't really belong to any identifiable community, often because the only time they are not enclosed in their cars within that 3 mile radius is when they are within the boundaries of their homes. So what does it actually mean?
hopefully the 20mph limits will now roll out everywhere http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk/
mumbo jumbo
Senior Member
- Location
- Birmingham
+1In answer to the thread title, yes, but you've lost me on localism and CLC, sorry
Birmingham was built for cars but I'm no advocate of cycle paths / lanes etc. I'd much rather that every £ spent on that sort of tosh was spent instead on drip feed educational material and the occasional promotional splash. The council have thousands of vehicles. If everyone of them had decals promoting cycling / walking and encouraging tolerant behaviour around cyclists for example, I'd feel much better than if a line of paint appears in precisely the secondary cycling line on one of my routes around town. They say charity begins at home. So does a positive attitude towards cycling / cyclists.
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GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Localism is the current move to devolve responsibility for decisions on 'stuff' down the food chain to community bodies. (But I fear it is a busted flush as the money is still staying further up the food chain - county council turkeys won't vote for Xtmas) In the case of cycling it means we need to influence local bodies to get cycling on the agenda rather than having to influence at County level.In answer to the thread title, yes, but you've lost me on localism and CLC, sorry
CLC = County Local Committee. Here is a link to mine
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GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
and I thought Birmingham was built for canals
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
Thanks for further explanations.
Localism troubles me, I fear the needs of active travellers will receive little consideration as money from central government is not ringfenced. Holyrood will say it's the LAs responsibility and LAs will say they have other priorities.
CLCs..... we don't have them in Scotland.
Localism troubles me, I fear the needs of active travellers will receive little consideration as money from central government is not ringfenced. Holyrood will say it's the LAs responsibility and LAs will say they have other priorities.
CLCs..... we don't have them in Scotland.
I like that - much more snappy than "cyclists and pedestrians" (and I guess can include horseriders too), and has a nice positive ring to it - being active is A Good Thing, after all.
