Bitterne ward
| Summary: | Elections to Southampton City Council in May 2015 |
| Polling date: | Thursday 7th May 2015 |
| Ward: |
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| Candidates (by surname): |
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Questions for Bitterne ward candidates (8 questions)
Jump to question: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
# Question 1
What experience do you have of cycling in the Southampton area?
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | Little. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | Over the past 10 years I have little experience of cycling in Southampton. One reason for this is that I am not a confident cyclist and do not feel safe on the roads. Despite this, I have recently been looking at bicycles as many of my friends are regular cyclists and it is something I miss. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | Quite a bit – I lived here as a student in the 1980s and cycled everywhere until I passed my driving test in 1989 – since then I’ve cycled less, but I still use the bike for shorter journeys. I own a bike I bought from the B&Q cycling scheme about 10 years ago – I’m sure its vivid orange livery has helped deter any potential thieves. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
# Question 2
We believe that 20mph should be the norm for local streets in residential areas (as distinct from main connecting roads). 20mph would: greatly encourage walking and cycling; improve the quality of life in an area for residents; and would not delay car journeys significantly (because only the start/end of a journey would be affected). Do you agree that 20mph should become the norm for local streets in Southampton?
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | No, I believe 20 mph is exceptionally low as a statutory limit for public roads. People should be encouraged to drive according to conditions, not at limits, which are limits. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | I agree that local, residential streets should be limited to 20 mph and also that more could be done to enforce fines/points for people who break speed limits in residential areas. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | I’m not currently convinced about this, but am open to looking at evidence-based studies on its efficacy. I think the definition of a ‘main connecting road’ would be difficult to nail down in practice. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
# Question 3
11,000 people took part in last year’s Sky Ride in Southampton. If you are elected what would you do to encourage these same people to cycle regularly in the city.
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | I would listen to reasonable proposals. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | The Sky Ride is a fantastic event for Southampton and I would only encourage the event to grow. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | I think that encouraging people to cycle regularly is achieved less by mass events of this type, and more by practical improvements and incentives that make cycling safer and more of a viable option for people in their everyday lives. I would like to see employers do more to encourage cycling to work, for example, through the provision of loans to purchase good-quality bicycles (along the same lines as rail season-ticket loans) and the better provision of facilities for cyclists in the workplace – for example better showers and changing facilities, and possibly even a short daily ‘time allowance’ for cyclists to use these so that they are not put at a disadvantage against their colleagues who choose to drive to work. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
# Question 4
How important do you consider the role of active travel (cycling and walking) in improving the air quality in the city and so avoid paying a large fine to the EU.
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | Really, this issue needs to be addressed by things like the availability of housing close to better public transport. It is very difficult to promote these things in isolation as alternatives to automotive transport. People tend to shop more locally now. Supermarkets have responded. Active travel has health benefits. But most people use cars out of necessity and to connect socially as they do say computers.I would want Britain to leave the EU. Fining local authorities in this way is, I believe arbitrary and unjust. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | With the recent announcement that Southampton is amongst the Top 5 for worst air quality in the country, I believe that action needs to be taken urgently to improve it as soon as possible. I believe the introduction of more cycle lanes would encourage more and more people to ditch their cars. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | They both clearly have a big role to play. I personally think that journeys in Southampton of not much more than a mile are often accomplished on foot as fast as they are by car, once the time taken to park etc. is taken into account. It is important, however, to highlight the impact that business has on generating pollutants, and to make sure that the emphasis is put in the right place. Removing cars from the road is itself multi-faceted – it’s not simply a question of encouraging car drivers to replace the car for a bike, or to walk – this can be impractical for many reasons, e.g. the need to carry items to work. Public transport, especially buses, can play a key role in reducing pollution and improving air quality. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
# Question 5
London’s Mayor has launched plans for proper prioritisation of space for cycling in London, with a 15-mile substantially-segregated route by removing traffic lanes from cars, three ‘mini-Hollands’ and more. Would you and your party support a new London-style bike plan for Southampton?
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | I would oppose it.UKIP does not normally require councillors to follow a party line, so cannot speak for all. However we tend to be sceptical of segregrating transport on this scale. Underground car parks and off road cycle routes may help. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | If done correctly this could benefit all areas that suffer from heavy traffic congestion. However without knowing the smaller details, I don’t feel I am in a position to say if it is something I would support. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | There is insufficient detail in this proposal for me to comment. I would need to see in detail how it applied specifically to Southampton before I could give a view. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
# Question 6
Do you believe that Dutch-quality cycle provision, with cycle tracks that are separate both from pedestrians and motor traffic and that have priority over side roads should be our aspiration and should a) be included within all new traffic schemes and b) be considered and consulted on for all modifications to existing schemes?
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | I would need more information. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | The Dutch cycle system is something we should aspire to and should definitely be considered for all new traffic schemes. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | No, I am yet to be convinced that this is the way forward. I am more an advocate of ‘mixed use’ road facilities, where cyclists are catered for properly but are treated as equal by road users along with drivers and pedestrians. Something that often seems to be ignored in debates of this type is that so many of us are at varying times a cyclist, a motorist, and a pedestrian – sometimes all three on the same day. Mutual care and respect between road users is, in my view, a better way to create a safe environment for everyone than strictly segregated facilities which are solely for the use of one group and which serve to divide and demarcate general road users as ‘cyclists’, ‘motorists’ etc. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
# Question 7
Do you support our view that traffic policing, of all groups of road users (cyclists, drivers, etc), should become a greater police priority, and that this should be evidence-based, namely based on the relative levels of danger presented by each such group?
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | Again I would need more information. We support fewer speed cameras, simplification, not segregration. Better parking (reducing travel time). I would support an area based approach. I would say that traffic has increased by volume, yet this (and other factors) has actually made it safer per capita, by naturally slowing traffic. All forms of transport present risk. The problems of traffic and bad driving were well known in the days of horse and cart. There were fatalities the.But let us also consider the dangers of not having transport, which is ‘inactive’. Consider the problems for an ambulance in an emergency, trying to negoitiate traffic calming obstacles in a 20 mph residential area. An older person who cannot walk or cycle very well being housed in an area which is increasingly restricted to cars.I am merely trying to explain that my responses are not based on blind prejudice but from the fact that different need to be weighed in a balanced way. I do not necessarily start from a premise like “how do I increase (or decrease) cycle usage”, personally. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | Yes, definitely. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | No, I don’t support your view that traffic policing should become a greater priority. The police have limited funding and resources. I am already very concerned about the impact that government cuts have had on general levels of policing in our communities, and I would rather that the police be focused on preventing the kinds of crime that make people feel threatened in their homes and in their neighbourhoods. I see plenty of police on our roads already – and in general, to be fair, a good standard of road use when compared with many other countries. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
# Question 8
Do you have any other general cycling-related comments or points? And what support have you given for cycling and walking, or sustainable transport more generally, in the recent past?
| Declan Peter CLUNE (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Thomas COLLIER (UK Independence Party (UKIP)) | I would refer you to a recent letter to the Echo. I have joined walking groups both personally and as part of my social care work. |
| Jodie Luke COPELAND (Green Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| Marley GUTHRIE (The Conservative Party) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
| John JORDAN (Labour Party) | No, other than to say I’m a volunteer participant in the University of Southampton’s ‘Liveable Cities’ project and that I therefore take a keen interest in how society as a whole needs to reduce its carbon emissions and its impact on the environment. |
| Robert William NAISH (Liberal Democrat) | The candidate has not responded to the survey. |
Southampton Cycling Campaign is a non-partisan body. All candidates are given an equal opportunity to submit their views.