Sustainable transport in the valley

After the citizens’ assemblies, the idea was that working groups would take the ideas generated in the assemblies and run with them. I had signed up for the sustainable transport working group. And one day I got an email inviting me to a meeting at 5 pm on a Thursday. I would see Jenny that day, but she was okay to be moved. So I was available for the meeting!

The venue was the office of Dyffryn Gwyrdd, the organisation who is behind quite a lot of these Green initiatives. It's on the High Street, a stone’s throw from where I live! So the logistics were easy. When I walked in, two gentlemen who had been involved in the assemblies were already there: Chris and Huw. Chris was mainly there to facilitate, while Huw is involved in projects having to do with sustainable transport. And soon the second volunteer walked in: Pete. I was getting to know him a bit; he went to all assemblies, and he is a student in our college, I had met him in Machynlleth, and I sometimes bump into him on my commute. He does that on E-bike every day, and it is quite a distance! It was not difficult to see why he was interested in sustainable transport.

Nobody else showed up. So it was just the four of us! And we basically did some brainstorming. I thought that there should be more awareness of the various schemes we have in the valley, such as an electric bus going to Llyn Ogwen. Partneriaeth Ogwen bought up a building that used to hold a small supermarket that went bust. I thought they could probably use its windows for drawing attention to such things. Very many people come past this building every day! 

Huw also mentioned something I wasn't keen on; it is not certain that the electric car stays in the village. It was a trial! I hope it continues. But we will be getting an electric cargo bike. That is quite handy as well, but for different things.

We also thought we could use "bike to work day" to draw people out of their cars. We could do an organised commute! When you've done it once, maybe you go more often. And if not, well; we bike to work anyway. If no one shows up, or no one who does show up ever commutes by bike again, we haven't really lost much! At least we would have tried.

Some of the thoughts we had hit their heads against a brick wall of practicalities. But it was good to have a big brainstorm! And after about 1 1/2 hours we called it a day. Chris will type it all up and send it through. Let's hope we can make a tiny little bit of a positive difference!