This article was published in 2003, in Newsletter 51.
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The eighth Cambridge Cycling Campaign AGM took place on Tuesday 4 November, and was well attended. Our guest speaker, Dr Dorothy Gregson, Director of Public Health at Cambridge City Primary Care Trust, spoke about the work of the Trust in improving local health. Promoting cycling is an important aspect of this work. Questions from the floor covered:
- Cycling as part of an integrated framework for promoting health
- The lack of resources available and limitations on public bodies
- Helmets and their promotion or compulsion.
We planned to show a new short film, 44 Tonne Articulated Trucks and Towns Don’t Mix, by filmmaker Robin Webb, on the dangers posed to cyclists by heavy lorries, but unfortunately lack of a projector meant that this will have to be delayed until a forthcoming monthly meeting.
Elected officers
The talk was followed by the business of the AGM, including the election of the Committee, who will serve until November 2004 or thereabouts.
Martin Lucas-Smith, Co-ordinator, presented a brief review of the year, touching on the various themes we have seen this past year, including:
- Buses and bikes – our campaigns on Hills Road and Milton Road
- Cycle parking – getting Cambridge City Council to enforce their own standards
- Changes in the city centre – including an experiment to make Trinity Street two-way for cyclists during the daytime, following a review of the current bans
- Supermarkets – Tesco and Asda (or rather, the Beehive Centre) and the problems cyclists encounter at these locations
- Bridges – Changes to Fort St George about to be made and new bridges at Milton and now over Riverside
- The challenges we face in the coming year
- Getting more members involved and showing how individual members often can kick off issues that the Campaign itself finds hard to bring up.
David Dyer, Treasurer, gave a review of the accounts, presenting a moderate surplus, but suggesting that caution will be needed in the year ahead. A motion to leave membership rates unchanged was passed nem con.
Dave Earl spoke briefly on membership figures, which are reasonably static at present. Various ideas were put forward as to how to increase the number of people in the Campaign.
Thanks were given for the hard work of the outgoing Committee. Your new Committee is as listed on this page.
Minutes, including the review of the year, are available to members via our usual contact details on request.
Secretary still needed!
The Committee is still very much in need of a Secretary, as the now vacant post was not filled at the AGM. This is to deal with things such as incoming post, helping keep track of deadlines, sending standard replies where appropriate, and ideally also attending and taking minutes at Committee and open meetings.
At present, the Co-ordinator is the acting Secretary, limiting time for campaigning.
The post is voluntary – the Campaign isn’t in a league where it can afford to pay salaries – but we can offer reasonable expenses for using your own computer, bike, and so on. And of course, we’ll reimburse any direct costs and provide equipment such as a scanner if necessary. In return we are looking for a regular commitment to spending three or four hours a week making sure we are up to date.
As we propose to do most communication over the Internet, candidates must have access to a capable PC, with email and an Internet connection, and they must be comfortable using a word processor program. Campaigning experience is not necessary, but systematic, organised secretarial skills are.
Martin Lucas-Smith