North Kent MAG held a meeting in Rochester to discuss biking issues with senior local Councillor, Vince Maple. Vince is Labour Councillor for the Chatham South ward, and is well known for his ambition to increase the influence of Labour in the local authority.
He also has a strong positive reputation locally for ‘getting’ where rights groups such MAG from and promoting their causes. This prompted North Kent MAG to make its presence felt now, prior to the local elections. The meeting took place in the Nag’s Head, in Rochester High Street.
MAG’s North Kent Rep, Dave Sawicki says, ‘since the local elections are in May, 2015, this seemed like a very good time to ask him along to our MAG meeting. I’m glad to say Vince was very receptive to our concerns. He was clear about taking them up for us in the Council, and committed to continuing the working relationship with us in an on-going way. I’d thoroughly recommend all MAG groups to contact their local councillors. You just need to be specific about what you’re asking them to do. We discussed accidents caused by SMIDSY (Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You) car drivers – but you can cover anything from sorting out slippery manhole covers, bikes in bus lanes or simply the state of the roads.’
At the meeting, Councillor Maple commented, ‘I’m really happy to work with (MAG). Let’s keep in touch and I’ll be able to pass on your issues to the relevant Councillors and people in the authority.’