----- Original Message -----

From: Alasdair Massie

To: Cycle Hitchin Discussion Group

Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 5:58 PM

Subject: [Cycle_Hitchin] Taking cycling to the North Herts Highway Partnership

Dear all,

Just in case anybody was intending to come and give me moral support on Monday (tomorrow) evening, please note that my presentation on cycling issues has been CANCELLED. Don’t go to the Council Offices unless you have a burning desire to listen to objections to changes in parking arrangements in an obscure street in Letchworth.

It is a long story but due to an administrative mess up in the Council, my request to speak had not made it on to the agenda, and nobody had bothered to tell me. I contacted Simon Young, North Herts District Council’s Transport policy officer, who took the request immediately to the Highway Partnership chairman.

The long and the short of it is that this is way over the heads of the Highway Partnership, they are more used to considering petitions about local changes to parking restrictions. They would have neither the time nor the interest to listen to a 30 minute talk on cycling issues.

It does sort of make me wonder what the Highway Partnership is for. Fortunately there is good news to balance the disappointment. Simon is the officer who commissioned the North Herts Cycle Network Plan, 10 years ago. He is just as frustrated by the lack of progress with it as we are. He has also made very similar comments to those that we have made on the various disastrous highway schemes that have afflicted us recently.

Simon is therefore very interested in the forthcoming study of cycling provision by the scrutiny committee this autumn. His opinion is that the presentation that we have prepared will be perfect for presenting as evidence to the scrutiny committee. So the work isn’t wasted, and I will send members of the Highways Partnership a link to the presentation with a request to look at the most urgent action points.

Regards
 
 
 
Alasdair DV Massie CEng MIStructE

CTC Right to Ride Representative, North Herts

CTC is Britain’s largest cycling organisation with 70,000 members. Formed in 1878 we have actively campaigned for better, safer roads, locally and nationally since our inception.

We have a large and active section for North Herts and Stevenage.

wwww.ctc.org.uk            www.northhertsctc.org.uk

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Dear all,

On Monday evening (29 June 2009) I will be addressing the elected members of the North Herts Highway Partnership, on a variety of issues that are currently afflicting us here in North Herts. Some are general, some are specific (for example the Bedford Rd gyratory in Hitchn).

Anybody who would like to come along to give moral support will be welcome (7.30pm, Committee room 1, Council Offices, Letchworth).

A pdf copy of the presentation can be found here for those who are members of the Cycle Hitchin e-group (join here). For those who aren’t, hopefully Tina will get a copy on the North Herts campaign page fairly shortly.

Regards
 
 
 
Alasdair DV Massie CEng MIStructE

CTC Right to Ride Representative, North Herts

CTC is Britain’s largest cycling organisation with 70,000 members. Formed in 1878 we have actively campaigned for better, safer roads, locally and nationally since our inception.

We have a large and active section for North Herts and Stevenage.

wwww.ctc.org.uk            www.northhertsctc.org.uk

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