Our March 28 Virtual Hustings was attended by over 70 people, with almost all staying through the whole 2-hour meeting, a testament to the excellent QA in the second half of the meeting.
A full video of the meeting is here, so this article is not a blow-by-blow account of the meeting, but instead picking out some points of interest. Check out the video for the full story!
Perhaps the top conclusion, mentioned frequently throughout the meeting, and by nearly all the speakers in their summing up, was the importance of making cycling conditions safer and more welcoming for the many groups who feel less confident and are currently under-represented. For example: families, women, disabled people, children, the economically disadvantaged … so that the demographics of those who cycle becomes closer to that of the population as a whole.
We had candidates from the 5 main parties on Edinburgh City Council. Whichever ward you live in, you’ll have one or more candidates from each of these parties – and indeed the same is true for East Lothian and West Lothian, though in Midlothian the Lib Dems are only contesting 3 of the 6 wards.
Our party representatives were…
All speakers had significant personal experience of getting around by bike, and were able to relate their experiences to the issues and policies which are important in making Edinburgh a more bike-friendly city. These personal experiences included…
Although there was a lot of agreement between the speakers, the fact that they could relate to personal experience, and to what they had picked up from constituents and friends, meant that their agreement was a stimulating experience, rather than being repetitive.
Each speaker was given 1 minute to sum up their thoughts at the end of the meeting, in reverse surname order. See the video for full & exact wording, but, briefly…
Cameron Rose, Conservative
It is not easy to improve a city, so compromise is vital and we should avoid telling people what to do. The most important thing that can be done for cycling is high quality pothole-free road surfaces.
Claire Miller, Green
It was hopeful to hear the emphasis on demand management in questions, as both carrot and stick are needed. The Council should keep an active travel focus on minority groups, children, disabled people, etc – a city which works for them will work for everyone.
Lesley Macinnes, SNP
We need more of the same, a holistic policy as in the City Mobility Plan. It is important to listen to people, but the Council must push through change, particularly bearing in mind the 45% of the population who don’t have access to a car and who are usually under-represented in consultation responses
Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, LibDem
The perception of risk must be tackled, especially for the less confident groups, to help achieve equality and diversity. Achieving modal shift is vital and must be achieved, for reasons of environment, health and the cost of travel for individuals
Scott Arthur, Labour
By the end of the next Council term, the population who cycles must be a better reflection of the diversity of the population. Secondly the Council must work more effectively with neighbouring Councils, whose actions now are pouring more and more cars into the city.
Ewen Maclean, Chair of the QA
It was great to hear the consensus on catering better for disempowered groups – particularly children, who are our future and whose rights now, under the UN Charter for the Rights of the Child, are enshrined in law. There were many other questions, and time ran out, but several were on the climate crisis, the tackling of which is an absolute necessity … we can and must contribute to this, and achieving the promised 20% (Scotland) and 30% (Edinburgh) reduction in car-km by 2030 is a vital component.
Introducing the reasons for holding the meeting, Dave du Feu of Spokes suggested that your decision how to vote should be based on 3 factors…
