Sharpen up your campaign skills

We’re delighted to be hosting the CTC-Cyclenation conference this year. It’s a great opportunity for local and national cycling campaigners to learn from each other on how to campaign effectively to promote cycling, and to get up to speed on the most topical political, policy and technical issues.

The day will kick off at 9.30, with formal business for Cyclenation members taking place from 10-11.30 (others are welcome as observers). For those who aren’t Cyclenation members, registration will kick off at 11am, with tea and coffee available from 11.30. At 11.45 Paul Tuohy, CTC’s Chief Executive, and I will be welcoming delegates and running through the agenda.

To introduce our first session, on building political commitment for cycling, we’ll be hearing from Cllr  Jennifer Brathwaite, Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability at Lambeth Council, followed by a recorded statement from Secretary of State for Transport Robert Goodwill on the Government's draft Cycling Delivery Plan (CDP). Naomi Green, Head of Cycling Policy Team at the Department for Transport, will then take questions on the CDP, which will form part of the DfT’s consultation on the plan.

After that, we’ll be hearing from our panel members: Prof David Cox OBE, ex-chair of South Birmingham Primary Care Trust and chair of CTC Council, who’ll talk about the Birmingham Cycling Revolution; John Richfield, Urban Cycling Transport Designer for Bristol City Council, who’ll be explaining how he’s working towards turning Bristol into a cycling city; Chris Kenyon, co-founder of the enormously successful CyclingWorks campaign, and Paul Gasson from the Waltham Forest branch of the London Cycling Campaign, who’s done a fantastic job growing political support for the mini-Holland project in Waltham Forest.

After lunch, our second session will look at Design Standards: background and scope for  development across the UK. We’re pleased to have three great presenters: Phil Jones of Phil Jones Associates, lead author of the design guidance which accompanies the Active Travel (Wales) Act; Brian Deegan, Principal Technical Planner at Transport for London and co-author of the London Cycling Design Standards, and Martin Lucas-Smith, Cambridge Cycling Campaign and lead author of the Making Space for Cycling guide. There’ll also be a question and answer session with our presenters.

Next, we’ve got a choice of three policy workshops. One will be on Public Health and look at  working with local authorities in their new duties. This workshop will be presented by Lucy Saunders, Public Health Specialist at the Greater London Authority, and part of Transport for London’s Transport and Public Realm team. A second workshop, facilitated by Rachel Aldred, Senior Lecturer in Transport, University of Westminster and Kevin Hickman, Inclusive Cycling Forum, will look at Accessibility/Inclusivity of Cycling: towards a CN Inclusive Cycling Policy; and the third will be run by CTC’s very own Campaigns and Policy Director Roger Geffen, and will focus on next steps for the national Space for Cycling campaign.

After the workshops we’re looking forward to hearing from the Mayor of London’s Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan, before the day is wrapped up with closing comments from Eric Booth, chair of Cyclenation. And after that, we hope you’ll join us for a drink in a nearby pub.

If you’re not local to London but staying over, we can help with accommodation (subject to availability) – and if you feel like a ride on the Sunday, our local groups are hosting a number of them. All info will be sent out to delegates in advance, and will also be available on the day.

We’re really looking forward to it – hope to see you there! Tickets are available from http://bit.ly/CNconf for £25 (50% off for students).

Huge thanks to CTC and Cyclenation for their help coordinating the event, and to Lambeth Council for sponsoring the conference.

If you have any questions about the event, you can email cyclenation@lcc.org.uk.