What road wars?

By trusty bicycle is my main mode of transport these days.  I've got so used to being able to run round town not worrying about parking that I'm not sure what I'd do without it.



On my bike

There has been a fair bit in the media in recent months about the supposed road war between cyclists and drivers. Despite this my own experience of cycling in Edinburgh is pretty good - especially the care taken by Lothian Bus drivers on Leith Walk.  That isn't to say that their aren't times when I feel in danger on my bike.  However, this is very rarely the result of aggressive driving.

I was moved to blog about this today by the exceptional understanding of two drivers in the New Town.  The first was waiting next to me at a t-junction when I carelessly let my handlebars knock against his wing mirror.  It was entirely my fault but fortunately there was no damage at all. However, I was instantly afraid that I'd get an angry response. To my surprise I got a big smile and a pleasant chat assuring me not to worry about it.  Less than five minutes later a second driver who was stuck in nose to tail traffic left me an enormous gap to turn right into.

These may seem like small things but when it is dark and cold they go along way.  I for one am very grateful for those generous spirited drivers who make cycling in Edinburgh that bit safer and more pleasant.

No biomass plant in Leith

Like many other people living in Leith I'm delighted that the biomass plans have been withdrawn. The plant would have threaterned the huge progress Leith has made in recent years and especially its future as a leisure and residential centre.

When it comes right down to it the proposed plant was just too big. Notwithstanding the debate over how sustainable biomass is there seems little doubt that it still has a role to play in Scotland's energy mix. No form of energy production is consequence free. Substations, plyons and the concrete involved in construction mean that even the most sustainable generation has an impact on the environment and the communities living nearby. This is one of the reasons energy conservation is so important. Smaller scale schemes are clearly much more appealing so why are the proposed schemes usually so large?

The truth of the matter is that larger scheme are more potentially profitable. The energy companies behind most schemes have a responsibility to their shareholders to invest their resources effectively. Developing new generation capacity is expensive and risky so we shouldn't be surprised that the schemes that come forward reflect that. That is why the Green Investment Bank being delivered by Lib Dems in Government is so important. Only when schemes can attract capital partly as a result of their sustainablity will small scale generation start to achieve the investment levels it needs.