The Conversation.

I went to the Midlothian Access Forum meeting this morning; I even gave up my Wednesday cycle run to do so. It's part of the campaign to improve the road safety in the area. A few months ago, a small group of us invited comments on problems from cyclists who use the Penicuik-Mbra road and received about twenty responses; we now have a short list of the road's good features and a very long one of complaints; they cover problems with overhanging hawthorn hedges waiting to whip your eyes out through lack of maintenance to appalling layout design. Our next step is to negotiate with the council to achieve improvements in the road. People who know about such things are placing low odds bets that we will achieve absolutely nothing.

The Access Forum is a strange body, there is no access to it for the general public that it is supposed to serve. I may have upset one or two members by likening the group to a secret society, that was under "Any Other Business." This was their annual "open" meeting, that is, it was open to anybody who had a personal invitation. The cooncil web site merely says that they exist and hold two meetings a year plus this open one. That's it, no time or place for any meeting, no contact information, no information about what they do. The story of how I managed to procure the necessary invite is long and tedious but I may have upset enough people, or found enough supporters, to make something happen; however, I don't recommend holding your breath until it happens.

The blip was taken just outside the meeting venue in Dalkeith shopping precinct after the meeting.