Cycle Kirklees Newsletter 54

In this issue:

  • Cost of Living 
  • Notice of Kirklees Cycling Campaign AGM
  • Response to A629 Wakefield Road Consultations
  • Election Survey

Is Cycling an Answer to the Cost of Living Crisis?

Very few people will have missed the recent rises in energy prices, whether in heating your home, filling your car, or the rising cost of staple foods. Cycling for transport is cheap, resilient to fuel shortages, and offers a solution to mitigate some of the impact of rising energy costs on a personal and societal level.

We are living through a cost of living crisis, in which inflation is set to see most households financially worse off each year as real-term earnings fail to keep pace with the rising cost of goods, household bills and tax rises.

Cycle Kirklees – Kirklees Cycling Campaign AGM on Wednesday, 25th May

Notice of AGM: The AGM of Kirklees Cycling Campaign will be held at 19.00 on 25th May. Members should submit items for the agenda at least 7 days beforehand (i.e. by 18.00 on 18th May) to chair or secretary. The full agenda will be circulated on 19th May and published on the @cycleKirklees web site. 
The Agenda: Minutes, Committee Elections (of chair, secretary, comms officer and treasurer) & Chair’s Report 21/22 
The KCC committee is elected at each AGM and consists of five to ten people. The work of the committee is not for everyone. We currently have a committee of 5 but would like two or three more people – you could contribute by helping with campaigning, research, social media and communications, future events or membership recruitment. 
Location New North Road Baptist Church (Café). Entrance in New North Parade. Cycle parking arrangements will be made close to entrance (off road) . 

Workshop

Workshop:Help formulate a Kirklees Cycling Manifesto – priorities for for 22/23. The first draft of this will be published in advance. Through a small group session we will aim to produce a 10-point plan.
We will start this after the AGM. Following brief introductions by KCC committee members, we will break into smaller groups and feed in comments and ideas. Our conclusion will be to formulate key priorities for future work by KCC. We will close by 21.00. Hot drinks will be available.

E-Cargo Bike for Holme Deliveries

Following the publication of the consultation report on the Wakefield Road Walking & Cycling proposals Kirklees Cycling Campaign chair, Chas Ball, was interviewed by Martin Shaw, Huddersfield Hub. He reiterated that the A629 Wakefield Road “provides a direct and relatively easy-gradient route for cyclists travelling between Fenay Bridge, Waterloo and Huddersfield town centre”.
He said: “It has more potential for uplift of cycling activity than any of the other strategic routes into the town. As a major route into Huddersfield it links many residential neighbourhoods in Kirklees; there is also additional planned housing that is likely to add to traffic flows in future years”. Click on the green button for the full story.

Interview with Huddersfield Hub

Greenways news

Greenways Conference
We have prepared a draft programme for a Greenways conference to discuss the potential of the network and how to ensure it is well maintained. We are in the process of booking a venue and contacting speakers. If you would like to help in organising this event or have views about the network of traffic free routes, please get in touch.
This event is now planned for 15th October and will be supported by EPIKs and HCS. We will publish more details in our next issue. Keep the date free. 
We hope the agenda for the third meeting of the meeting of Kirklees Active Travel (Cycling & Walking) Partnership on 19th May includes some of issues we have asked to be discussed (see button below). We will report back at the AGM on how far it the meeting gives time to address these issues.

Our survey of local election candidates

Our survey was circulated a bit too late in the election process and it required candidates to answer 14 questions. As a result, it was not a success.
Next time we will do a simpler survey and get it out earlier. For the record, several Green Party candidates for Kirklees Council did respond and were quite supportive.