Campaign information from Greater Nottinghamshire Transport Partnership

I have copied below the campaign material from the Think! Cycling Campaign. Further information can be found at http://think.direct.gov.uk/cycling.html

Jaki Lowe
East Midlands Regional Councillor
@lowe1_jaki
07873335516

THINK! cycling campaign: Autumn 2013
Introduction
The THINK! campaign is due to launch it’s first paid‐for media campaign targeting drivers and cyclist with cycle safety messages.
Working in partnership with Transport for London (TFL), THINK! are using TFL’s successful ‘tips’ campaign and extending it to run in five cities across England where cyclist KSIs are highest (outside of London):
 Leeds
 Manchester  Birmingham  Bristol
 Cambridge
TFL is currently running the campaign in London until the end of October. Part of their messaging will focus around HGVs as a high proportion of cyclist deaths in London are caused by collisions with goods vehicles. More information can be found on the TFL website.
Campaign activity
The campaign will consist of “outdoor” advertising running in roadside locations. Outdoor media has been chosen as it enables us to reach and remind drivers and cyclists at the point of action and when behaviour is more likely to be positively influenced (i.e. when they are driving or cycling).
In addition to the advertising, the DfT press office will be working to launch the campaign with the media to generate some associated press coverage that will communicate key campaign messages.
Timing
The campaign will launch on the 21st October and will run for 4 weeks; coinciding with the end of British summertime and the clocks going back.
Key messages
The campaign consists of a series of tips, developed to be even‐handed and balanced in their approach and to educate both drivers and cyclists about the correct way to drive and ride, and reduce the number of collisions on the road.
We are using the following tips for this campaign:

•   Drivers, look out (for cyclists) when getting out
  
•   Cyclists, ride a door’s width from parked cars
  
•   Drivers, look out for cyclists at junctions
  
•   Cyclists, ride central on narrow roads
  

Campaign creative
Support
Please support the campaign in any way you can; we will be tweeting about our activity @thinkgovuk and would be grateful for any re‐tweets.
For more information, visit the THINK! website http://think.direct.gov.uk/cycling.html

Contacts
If you would like any more information about the campaign, please email the THINK! team. 

October Update From East Midlands Regional Councillor

October 2013


Dear CTC Member,

As the East Midlands representatives on CTC Council, I try to provide a regular ‘Councillor’s Update’ to keep in touch with all CTC members and volunteers in the region. The CTC has a broad membership base and I appreciate your views and feedback as this helps shape how the CTC develops.

I sent our last Update in May. 2013 has been very busy on the cycling front, I have been getting to grips with my role as councilor at a time when the profile of cycling has exploded but also at a challenging time for the CTC. I have also been trying to be more consistent with my riding as well! I have been increasing the length of my regular rides and have completed the Coast and Castles Challenge and I also did The Way of the Roses with friends. Both superb and come highly recommended. Next year I am signed up for the Deloitte Ride Across Britain so you see I have some training to do! I also led a ride from Southwell in the summer, it was the first I have led and I had a good number join me. It was a very hot day so we were very ready for our refreshments at Hockerton Dairy.

Below is a summary of the various activities I have been involved in.

CTC Council

Council has met four times in 2013, the January meeting was at Excel in London and enabled us to spend a couple of hours at the Bike Show afterwards. The business was mainly procedural, setting up the key committees for the coming year, introducing new Councillors etc. Highlight was the launch of Team CTC our new Women’s Racing Team who are now raising the profile of women’s cycling. For more information on Team CTC, please see www.ctc.org.uk/team-ctc

Our April Council received a visit from Bernhard Ensink CEO of the European Cycling Federation and we discussed how we can make the most of our links to this key supra-national body. There is potential to influence EU policy on cycling, vehicle specifications etc as well as setting up joint projects (like the current one on cycle logistics), learning from how other EU countries get people cycling and also using ECF’s understanding of cycle touring and international cycle routes.

We set in motion sub-groups concerned with increasing membership, advancing our diversity and equal opportunity commitments and improving CTC’s image and popularity.

The July meeting focused on preparing for the Brand refresh and hopefully you all got involved in having your say on the questionnaire. We also reviewed the progression of Dalby Forest, some of you may know that CTC has a national
 off-road centre of excellence in Dalby Forest, near
 Pickering in North Yorkshire. In partnership with
Pace, we offer mountain bike skills development
 courses and led rides, along with the traditional
 range of education courses and qualifications, a 
store, bike rental and bike servicing. Dalby is a 
stunning location For more information on CTC courses and the Dalby Bike Barn, please see http://www.dalbybikebarn.co.uk/

Last weekend was the October Council. It was a challenging meeting as we were required to agree the budget which is challenging in the context of changed funding arrangements and the need to grow the membership.  We had an excellent presentation from the new membership manager Matt Malinder and David Dowling. They have some really great ideas about what we should be doing to raise the profile of the CTC and also to attract and retain our membership. Team CTC have had a great season and we have really seen the girls raise the profile of CTC nationally and in areas we are not traditionally well known in. So we have agreed to continue to support the team subject to our co-sponsors remaining committed. You can see the list of events on the CTC websites.

CTC AGM

This year’s AGM and Annual Prize Giving Dinner was in Guisborough on the North Yorkshire Moors. After the formal reporting and questions we had resolutions on subs (keeping them the same this year), planning and road maintenance and revisions to the Highway Code. These become policy commitments that CTC Council will be working to. In particular we agreed a motion to encourage highway authorities to use highways maintenance budgets and funding via the planning process to improve facilities for cyclists.

This year’s innovation was a Saturday morning discussion session with local members on topics of interest suggested by the Member Group Steering Group. It worked well and encouraged more members to come along and give their opinion.

We will repeat this next year in Glasgow. On the Sunday, CTC Teeside members led us on a choice of great rides to the coast or up onto the Moors

Cycling Policy

Our Strategy and Policy Committee (one of the two sub-committees which reports to Council) has been investigating how technology can help CTC to extend our influence and get more people cycling. We are considering a number of CTC Smartphone apps, starting with improvements to our pothole and road defect reporting app, Fill That Hole.

We have also had a small working with a small group of Councillors to look at our image and our key messages. Our aim is to build on the excellent work that’s taken place during the past 18 months and increase brand awareness, while using this to extend our reach to other cyclists, increase membership and further extend our influence nationally. On the 6^th November the Councillors will be looking at what this tells us and considering what the next steps will be.

Road Justice

We recently launched our www.roadjustice.org.uk. We saw a very proactive approach with members delivering key messages to police commissioners across the country.

... and finally...

Don’t forget you can join almost 16,000 others and follow all CTC developments immediately as they happen by following our twitter feed @CTC_Cyclists. You can also follow me on @lowe1_jaki to see my views and exploits on cycling but you will also see what I say about my day job in human resources!

Want to ask me anything about CTC, whats in this message or what you would like to see more of - then contact me:

jaki.lowe@ctc.org.uk

@lowe1_jaki

07873335516

Communications from Regional Councillor

Hello all and apologies that it has taken me a little while to get up and running on this blog. I will now get into a routine of providing updates following each Council but also on other matters as they arise.

First to say that like many of you I was very disappointed that it was necessary to cancel the York Cycle Show this year despite the best endeavours of the organising committee. Arthur Spurr has invited me to the extraordinary meeting on the 22nd June which will consider how to move this event forward in future years. If you have any views, suggestions you would like to share with me beforehand or expertise you can lend to the YCS, then please let me know ahead of that date and I will provide an update following the meeting. Jaki.lowe@ctc.org.uk or contact me on my mobile 07873335516

The next matter to update you on is the launch of the Road Justice Campaign which needs your support to make this successful. CTC is launching the Road Justice campaign to make the justice system take bad driving seriously. 

Sarah-Charlotte’s Story

Sarah-Charlotte was hit by a car driver on a roundabout on an afternoon in August 2012.  She suffered serious leg injuries in the crash. Her career plans have been put on hold as a result and she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. She didn’t receive any support from the police and never heard from the officer that attended the crash scene. In court the driver admitted that she had not looked properly before entering the roundabout, yet was only found guilty of careless driving. The driver received a paltry £110 fine and 9 penalty points and was able to drive again the same day.

This is just one of many stories that CTC is hearing about all the time. 

Road Justice

CTC’s Road Justice campaign aims to press the police, the prosecution services and the courts to treat bad driving with the severity it warrants. Starting with the police, let’s demand that they investigate road traffic collisions thoroughly and keep victims properly informed so that other people don’t have to go through the same ordeal as S-C.

We cannot hope to improve the justice system without your support. Visit the Road Justice website to hear other cyclists’ stories and to find out how you can get involved with the campaign. this is the link ti the website: http://www.roadjustice.org.uk

FreeCycle and RideLondon

You may be aware of the CTC involvement in Prudential RideLondon, and in particular the massive

FreeCycle event in central London on August 3^rd.  It’s the biggest ever Olympic legacy event, and should be great fun.  We’re delivering a range of activities and providing volunteer help – we need over 400 volunteers in total, and we’re about a third of the way there.

I’d be grateful if you could really push these volunteering opportunities through your networks and activities.  We need crossing marshals, route safety marshals, flag marshals, bike maintenance mechanics and helpers for the main hubs in London and Surrey, partly for FreeCycle but also for the 100 on the following day.  Transport to volunteer locations will be provided for those who can’t make their own way, and although volunteers will need to bring their own food and drink some costs will be reimbursed.  Minibus hire for whole teams of volunteers will be reimbursed, so we’re hoping for people from all over the country.

CTC will receive a small donation for every volunteer we provide, and each one will receive a uniform, equipment and training + health & safety briefing before the event.

Mark Slater has produced an email that can be distributed to individuals or organisations, and he can also provide you with promotional material and more information.  There’s an online application form. visit the website for more information.

Thats it from me for now - I am reporting in from my holiday in Lanzarote, interesting the contrast between local roads and driver behaviour here and at home. Excellent cycling to be recommended. Perhaps one final note from me - you all appreciated very much the involvement of John Catt as my predecessor in this role and he brought great experience and knowledge to this role. i don't have his experience or local knowledge and relationships with local member groups so if you have any suggestions of what you would like from me as your councillor then please let me know.

Jaki Lowe

CTC East Midlands Regional Councillor

jaki.lowe@ctc.org.uk

07873335516