No more CTC technical officer ** NO HOAX **

[Psamathe]

I would expect that Feb's Cycle was being produced back in early Jan or late Dec.
Maybe something will be said regarding CJ in the next edition.

... we have decided to stop our dedicated Technical and Touring Helplines. Instead we'll be reinvesting this resource

1st time I've ever heard making somebody redundant described as "reinvesting this resource". To me this is just @£$*&. But I can appreciate how others might see it as a clear, honest and accurate description of what has been happening in the National Office!

It goes on to say

Our technical and touring features and reviews in this magazine and on the CTC website will be unaffected ...

So, as I understand it, they made the person redundant and that person has said they will not be doing the magazine items in future, yet we are officially told "... will be unaffected". Is the Chief Executive really telling us clearly and accurately what has been happening ?

To me this indicates that the new Chief Executive does not see any value in people beyond the cost they represent. In business this is an disastrous approach. People represent knowledge, experience, etc. and are far more than the number cheque that has to be paid each month.

Ian

[robgul]

The mag was even thinner than usual - both in content and thickness ... 5 mins and into the recycle bin.

Rob

[Chris Jeggo]

I would expect that Feb's Cycle was being produced back in early Jan or late Dec.
Maybe something will be said regarding CJ in the next edition.

Mick F, check the date of the OP. No excuse, it's appalling.

It was known before the OP. News of the redundancies leaked out in West Surrey CTC in mid-November, and councillors knew about it then. There was plenty of time to put something in the February 'Cycle'.

[Regulator]

I am sorry to hear about Chris - he is probably CTC's biggest asset. A man who knows what he's talking about.

I hate to say it but 'I told you so'. This was the sort of behaviour I was warning about when the whole charity issue was being discussed,

[MartinC]

I am sorry to hear about Chris - he is probably CTC's biggest asset. A man who knows what he's talking about.

I hate to say it but 'I told you so'. This was the sort of behaviour I was warning about when the whole charity issue was being discussed,

Can't argue with that (apart from it being "was" rather than "is"). Both propositions - that CTC is better off without a technical officer and without CJ - are patently nonsense.

I had a naive optimism that CTC might survive long enough to get over the charity debacle. It's self imploded much quicker than I expected. It's a shame because the UK needs an organisation to represent practical cycling. I don't think CTC even knows what that is now, let alone whether they want to represent it - they certainly don't have the capability. Can't help feeling it's time to cancel the DD.

[bobzeller]

The loss of Chris is dreadful. I had no idea that the change of status from club to charity for the CTC would lead to this. In fact, I suspect that the new focus of the CTC as a cyclists' rights campaigning organisation from what it was (a club of like minded cyclists who wanted to band together to share touring and related cycling experiences) was not fully understood at the time that most of us agreed to the changes. Most certainly I valued the club as a club - an organisation where members could share our love of cycling while at the same time give and get advice, fellowship and many other things. I always knew that expert help was available from the staff ie Chris. But now, instead of Chris, we have a huge and enormously expensive infrastructure for campaigns which most likely overlap with Sustrans, TfL, LCC and so on. I would be interested in seeing the percentages of our expenditures. I'll bet anything we are spending a great deal more on the campaigning front than we are on the touring or even general cycling. And if that's true, I suggest that few of us were aware that this would be the result of the debates a few years ago. It is almost seemed that our club has been stolen from us. I don't know if it was a deliberate policy right from the start, but I feel hoodwinked and I don't like it one bit.

[Vorpal]

There isn't any huge and expensive infrastructure for campaigns. There are mostly volunteers who were doing it long before the conversion to charity.

[gaz]

... I suspect that the new focus of the CTC as a cyclists' rights campaigning organisation ...

CTC has always campaigned for cyclists' rights.

...I would be interested in seeing the percentages of our expenditures...

The accounts are published annually in Cycle. You'll find them here.

...It is almost seemed that our club has been stolen from us...

I'm not sure who "us" refers to, it hasn't been stolen from me.

[Ron]

. But now, instead of Chris, we have a huge and enormously expensive infrastructure for campaigns which most likely overlap with Sustrans, TfL, LCC and so on. I would be interested in seeing the percentages of our expenditures. I'll bet anything we are spending a great deal more on the campaigning front than we are on the touring or even general cycling. And if that's true, I suggest that few of us were aware that this would be the result of the debates a few years ago. It is almost seemed that our club has been stolen from us. I don't know if it was a deliberate policy right from the start, but I feel hoodwinked and I don't like it one bit.

There has been no indication of increased spending on campaigning and there is no overlap on campaigning with Sustrans who are not a campaigning organization, TfL which is a local authority organisation responsible for a transport system and certainly not a cycle campaigning organization. I'm unaware of LCC but have not heard of such a group in cycle campaigning.
A poll of members a few years back indicated a considerable percentage of the CTC membership claimed one of the reasons they had signed up, or maintained their membership was because they supported the campaigning work of CTC, so increased spending on campaigning would be welcomed by many.

[Si]

I'm unaware of LCC but have not heard of such a group in cycle campaigning.

London Cycling Campaign - thus the only overlap is in London (although some might have it that that is the only place that really matters ).

[mjr]

LCC co-own cycle nation with other local campaigns (including camcycle, GMCyC, Push Bikes and so on) and CN has a collaboration agreement with CTC. LCC started the space4cycling campaign which CTC and other cities joined in with last year.

[TonyR]

, TfL which is a local authority organisation responsible for a transport system and certainly not a cycle campaigning organization. I'm unaware of LCC but have not heard of such a group in cycle campaigning.

LCC is the London Cycling Campaign that tries to stop the worst of the driver centric idiocy that TfL tries to foist on us.

[TonyR]

It is almost seemed that our club has been stolen from us. I don't know if it was a deliberate policy right from the start, but I feel hoodwinked and I don't like it one bit.

AIUI the CTC consulted its membership about what they wanted from it and is now following the wishes and priorities of its members. Of course there will always be some that wanted something different but wasn't what most people wanted.

[jb]

If a bunch of 'touring cyclists' set up a `touring club' to cater for `tourist cyclists' needs. and gain prominence among `tourist cyclists' as the number one `touring club', then later, the club is diluted by cyclists with other interests but still has the core tourists in it, then that core can legitimately say that their touring club as it was originally intended to be has been taken from them.

Likewise, I don't think the Native American Indians would agree that their lands were taken by` popular consent' among Native Americans.

[SA_SA_SA]

The current cycle reviewed some lights and complained the rear lamp (500 lumens: ie half a car headlamps worth) couldn't be aimed straight back:

IMO rather a good thing (for following persons) it can't!
EDIT

NB touring is a form of transport so IMO campaigning is part of the CTC otherwise there will be no roads on which it is safe to tour.