Making Sense (of it all)

We’re still trying to make sense of it all.

What’s heartening to experience all the ways that Emma’s life has moved her friends and others to do something. John and I clearly saw that inspiration on our recent trip to Glasgow. Let me share just a few highlights, with more to come.

First, we participated in the events for the first iteration of the #Residency_for_Ideas Oct. 3-6, where a group of architecture students from the @Mackintosh School of Architecture received a grant to explore a subject of their choosing. That was called “Making Sense,” and so apt in the many meanings of the word. This Emma-inspired effort has, in the words of her Mack School tutor Luca Brunelli, “knitted together” a convivial community. Emma would have liked that metaphor. Go here for more on Instgram: https://bit.ly/4fh6iFJ

Second, the #Shawlands_Bike_Bus greeted us in the schoolyard of Shawlands Primary School, which is located in Emma’s back yard in the south side of Glasgow. On Mondays and Fridays, parents cycle with their children to school, bunched together like a bus. Cars give way, creating a safe corridor. The bike bus parents feel for Emma, who herself was cycling to school and should’ve had a safe route. Go here for more info:  https://shawlandsbikebus.org/

Third, we met with Glasgow city councillors and officers who shared their hopes for infrastructure improvements to the intersection where Emma died to make it safer all road users, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. A public consultation is set for 2024 and construction is expected to begin in 2025. Plus, we had a conversation including #CLOCS champion @Kate Cairns about how to reduce road risks of large construction vehicles like the one involved in Emma’s death. Go here for a video overview of CLOCS: https://bit.ly/3ZSXeSS 

And finally, we heard from Scottish Transport Secretary @Fiona_Hyslop, at the Cycling Scotland annual conference on Oct. 9 in Glasgow, who pledged additional funds for road infrastructure and, vitally, road safety. That comes on the heels of data showing a 2023 year-on-year percentage increase in road deaths (including Emma’s) when Scotland is aiming for zero % under the #Vision_Zero policy. Go here for more info: https://bit.ly/3zU8vHQ

Thank you all for remembering Emma and may she inspire you in some way to keep on your path, whatever that may be. And may that be a safe one …