Highway Code- debate in Parliament?

J. Chisholm said:

An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been submitted by Ming Cambell (LibDem
Leader) and 8 other MPs. This occurred yesterday (Wednesday)
see:http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33216&SESSION=885

This states:
"That the alterations in the provisions of the Highway Code proposed to
be made by the Secretary of State for Transport, dated 28th March 2007,
a copy of which was laid before this House on 28th March, be not made."

IF sufficient MPs sign this motion it should get debating time in
Parliament.

*** YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MUST DO *** GET YOUR PM TO SIGN ***

This motion is, in part, due to Lobbying by members of Cambridge Cycling
Campaign, of the Cambridge MP, David Howarth. Volunteer Officers of the
Campaign met with the MP a week or so ago.

Jim Chisholm

Email sent to my MP to follow up an email and letter posted yesterday.

...d

In article <[email hidden]>,
"J. Chisholm" <[email hidden]> writes:
|> An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been submitted by Ming Cambell (LibDem
|> Leader) and 8 other MPs. This occurred yesterday (Wednesday) ....
|>
|> This motion is, in part, due to Lobbying by members of Cambridge Cycling
|> Campaign, of the Cambridge MP, David Howarth. Volunteer Officers of the
|> Campaign met with the MP a week or so ago.

Assuming that was a an action by the organisation rather than individuals,
let it be said that I publicly welcome that as a positive, appropriate
action by the Cambridge Cycling Campaign. I do give credit where credit
is due!

Well done. I will prod Lansley but, as Sydney Smith said, with no very
great hope of success.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote on 10/05/2007 09:56 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Well done. I will prod Lansley but, as Sydney Smith said, with no very
great hope of success.

Prod away. I've already prodded him and the more prods he gets the more
likely he is to notice the prods. I plan to e-mail him today
encouraging him to sign the EDM. He lives in and does cycle in our village.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

On Thu, 10 May 2007 09:20:06 +0100 someone who may be "J. Chisholm"
<[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been submitted by Ming Cambell (LibDem
Leader) and 8 other MPs. This occurred yesterday (Wednesday)
see:

Thanks for alerting me to this. My MP has been incredibly
unresponsive on this issue recently year, though he was good on it
last year. Given that this EDM is in the name of his boss, who also
happens to be a fellow Fife Liberal Democrat MP, I have taken the
opportunity to fire off another letter in the hope of jerking him
into action.

In his defence he is perhaps recovering from the election, along
with his staff. I think it highly significant that the Department
for Motorists are trying to sneak this through in the middle of an
election.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

On May 10, 1:22 pm, David Hansen <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I think it highly significant that the Department
for Motorists are trying to sneak this through in the middle of an
election.

Slightly paranoid. I do not think they are trying to "sneak" anything
through. They *believe* they are making things safer for cyclists;
sadly, they are very misinformed.

Quoted message said:

On May 10, 1:22 pm, David Hansen <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I think it highly significant that the Department
for Motorists are trying to sneak this through in the middle of an
election.

Slightly paranoid. I do not think they are trying to "sneak" anything
through. They *believe* they are making things safer for cyclists;
sadly, they are very misinformed.

It's hard to imagine how this new wording "wherever possible" could
ever have been thought to make it clear to motorists that cyclists
have a right to use the road and only use facilities when they want
to.

At least with the tactile paving "tramlines" the "it was felt" could
be put down to incompetence and ignorance. But unless the person
drafting this HC change was not a native speaker of English it's hard
to conceive how this new wording could possibly have been thought to
imply what it's supposed to imply.

61. Take care when using cycling facilities. Despite appearances, they
can often make your journey more dangerous.

Tim.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] writes:
|> On May 10, 1:22 pm, David Hansen <[email hidden]>
|> wrote:
|> > I think it highly significant that the Department
|> > for Motorists are trying to sneak this through in the middle of an
|> > election.
|>
|> Slightly paranoid. I do not think they are trying to "sneak" anything
|> through. They *believe* they are making things safer for cyclists;
|> sadly, they are very misinformed.

Do you have any evidence for that assertion?

While I agree that you should assume incompetence over malice, there
comes a point beyond which that view ceases to be compatible with the
facts. And that point was passed a long time ago in the case of that
department.

It is not that they are trying to endanger cyclists; it is that they
believe that cycling is not an important form of transport, and should
be removed from the roads to make way for more important traffic.

And, given that the original timetable for this proposed revision
allowed for another 6 months or so, there is something VERY suspicious
about the way it has been brought forward.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

J. Chisholm said:

IF sufficient MPs sign this motion it should get debating time in
Parliament.

*** YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MUST DO *** GET YOUR PM TO SIGN ***

Mine already has: Vince Cable.

--
Dave...

Quoted message said:

Slightly paranoid. I do not think they are trying to "sneak" anything
through. They *believe* they are making things safer for cyclists;

Sadly I see no evidence for that. It's much more likely they want to
pedestrianise us to get us out of their way when they're driving their
cars.

--
Dave...

Tony Raven said:

Nick Maclaren wrote on 10/05/2007 09:56 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Well done. I will prod Lansley but, as Sydney Smith said, with no very
great hope of success.

Prod away. I've already prodded him and the more prods he gets the more
likely he is to notice the prods. I plan to e-mail him today
encouraging him to sign the EDM. He lives in and does cycle in our village.

Email?

Bang on his bloddy door.

Bring yer mates.

Quoting dkahn400 <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

J. Chisholm said:

IF sufficient MPs sign this motion it should get debating time in
Parliament.
*** YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MUST DO *** GET YOUR PM TO SIGN ***

Mine already has: Vince Cable.

He's mine too. I sent him a very short thankyou.
--
OPTIONS=name:Kirsty,menustyle:C,female,lit_corridor,standout,time,showexp,hilit
e_pet,catname:Akane,dogname:Ryoga,fruit:okonomiyaki,pickup_types:"!$?=/,scores:
5 top/2 around,color,boulder:0,autoquiver,autodig,disclose:yiyayvygyc,pickup_bu
rden:burdened,!cmdassist,msg_window:reversed,!sparkle,horsename:Rumiko,showrace

Nick Maclaren said:

While I agree that you should assume incompetence over malice, there
comes a point beyond which that view ceases to be compatible with the
facts. And that point was passed a long time ago in the case of that
department.

Though of course inability to grasp facts or their implications
could be down to incompetence. This /is/ a government department
backed up by elected officials ;-/

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>,
Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> writes:
|>
|> > While I agree that you should assume incompetence over malice, there
|> > comes a point beyond which that view ceases to be compatible with the
|> > facts. And that point was passed a long time ago in the case of that
|> > department.
|>
|> Though of course inability to grasp facts or their implications
|> could be down to incompetence. This /is/ a government department
|> backed up by elected officials ;-/

Oh, yes, as you know, estimating probabilities based on measurements
that may or may not be independent is beyond many even quite good
statisticians. One misapprehension can cause an arbitrary amount
of chaos.

But it is the systematic way that they have been attempting to move
cyclists off the road, and into the gutter where that isn't possible,
that I regard as evidence.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

David Hansen said:

[...] Given that this EDM is in the name of his boss, who also
happens to be a fellow Fife Liberal Democrat MP, I have taken the
opportunity to fire off another letter in the hope of jerking him
into action.

I read that too fast and got 'fire off' and 'in the hope of jerking
him' into a bit of an unpleasant muddle in my mind. Anyway, I'll
write to the MP and post this elsewhere.
--
MJ Ray - see/vidu http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html
Experienced webmaster-developers for hire http://www.ttllp.co.uk/
Also: statistician, sysadmin, online shop builder, workers co-op.
Writing on koha, debian, sat TV, Kewstoke http://mjr.towers.org.uk/

J. Chisholm said:

An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been submitted by Ming Cambell (LibDem
Leader) and 8 other MPs. This occurred yesterday (Wednesday)
see:
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33216&SESSION=885

This states:
"That the alterations in the provisions of the Highway Code proposed to
be made by the Secretary of State for Transport, dated 28th March 2007,
a copy of which was laid before this House on 28th March, be not made."

IF sufficient MPs sign this motion it should get debating time in
Parliament.

*** YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MUST DO *** GET YOUR PM TO SIGN ***

Well, I've asked Mark Hendrick MP to sign but I'm still waiting for a
reply to my communications of 21st April.

Cheers,
Luke

--
Lincoln City 0-2 Southend United (AET)
Swansea City 2-2 Southend United
We went up twice with Tilly and Brush

I've just received a letter from my MP - Colin Breed (Libdem) - thanking me
for my recent email regarding the EDM, and confirming that he's signed it.
Since he hadn't signed at the time I sent my message I guess that's a
result.

--
Geoff

Geoff Lane said:

I've just received a letter from my MP - Colin Breed (Libdem) - thanking me
for my recent email regarding the EDM, and confirming that he's signed it.
Since he hadn't signed at the time I sent my message I guess that's a
result.

--
Geoff

My MP, Harry Cohen, has just told me he will raise this with the
minister.

I think that makes around 15 MPs now...

On 15 May 2007 00:42:54 -0700 someone who may be spindrift
<[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

My MP, Harry Cohen, has just told me he will raise this with the
minister.

I think that makes around 15 MPs now...

The office of my MP assures me that he has signed the appropriate
piece of paper for this EDM. However, it appears that this piece of
paper needs to be taken from one office to another office in London
before his name will be added to the list [1], so there might be
more than the 15 currently listed on the web site. Still worthwhile
encouraging them until their name appears on
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33216&SESSION=885
though.

Good to see Gorgeous George has signed it, he is supposedly more
interested in having a boxing match with one of his fellow Talksport
radio presenters at the moment
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/pandora/article2542390.ece

[1] So much for all the claptrap we have heard from party
politicians about modernising New Britain and bringing it into at
least the 20th century if not the 21st.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

David Hansen said:

Good to see Gorgeous George has signed it

Yes, that made me rather happy to see. First time I've written to an MP
that they've subsequently done anything I wanted them to.

(I don't claim any causal ralationship, but it's nice anyway)

-dan