Is the intention for the embassy to get involved with actual consultations? Or is that better left to local organisations?
What about things like the current draft LIP for the City of London (and those for the boroughs)? I’m not sure we’re quite ready but the embassy should be feeding back on those with detailed responses full of statistics. Are we ready to do that yet?? I fear not. But the window of opportunity for the LIPs is very narrow!
I have so far responded to LIP consultations for City of London, Westminster, Southwark, Camden, and Tower Hamlets. I haven’t yet seen Islington, Lambeth or Hackney published. That covers all the areas I cycle in
Camden and TH offer a questionnaire, which is slightly leading but in a good way (generally – a few flaws). Camden also offers free-form email response, which is what the others above ask for.
Should we feed back? YES. With lots of charts and statistics and an air of authority? Well, maybe, but what is more important is that the local authority gets a sense of the strength of feeling among its constituents. In the City for example we are aiming for hundreds of responses, generally short and snappy, about what local people actually want. If you can mobilise your friends/neighbours/colleagues to do the same, perhaps with some cues as to what they might want especially for pre-beginner cyclists, that woudl be a good start.
It would be nice to have lots of statistics to hand, but I agree with PaulM – it is more important to raise the authorities’ awareness of the need for more active travel options and infrastructure by encouraging as many individuals as possible to make responses.
In Greater Manchester the LTP3 consultation received nearly 1000 responses, and over 300 off them were due to a campaign by http://www.loveyourbike.org/
Only one of the 10 local authorities has produced a LIP for consultation, and there is an action page available here:
http://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/traffordlip/
It might be worthwhile creating one ‘generic’ response from the Embassy and submitting it to each of the LIPs across the country..
This could include figures and statements that support cycling, promoting active travel as something beneficial to the wider society, not just to current cyclists.
Cheers, Jonathan.
