Meetings with MSPs, June 2024

The team at Safe Streets have been meeting with local groups and individuals that can help in our mission to improve safety in Bearsden.

One such group of people are MPs and MSPs. The coming election has put MP meetings on hold, but in June, we met with three MSPs who wanted to find out more about the group and understand how they could support our work. 

The first of these, on 10th June, was with Marie McNair MSP, at Cafe Creme in Bearsden. 

Marie McNair, MSP

Marie is the SNP MSP for Clydebank, MIlngavie and Bearsden North, with her boundary running through the town. 

Marie is active in campaigning for better road safety, and was one of the organisers of a meeting with many parties from the council, following the fatality on Manse Road in March. Marie has also begun canvassing some local residents on road safety concerns, and will continue this work following the general election. In the days after our meetings, Marie raised a question in Holyrood asking for an update on 20mph speed limits and cycling safety, which you can watch here. 

Marie was engaged and ready to support the group in its work and wider aims.

If you’d like to contact Marie, you can find her details here and reach her at Marie.McNair.msp@parliament.scot 

A special thanks to the Cafe Creme team, who opened the cafe especially for us to hold this meeting, as well as polling their customers on the issues that most mattered to them.

Following this, the team had a virtual meeting with Paul O’Kane, Labour MSP for West Scotland. 

Paul O’Kane, MSP

As with Marie, we took Paul over the formation of the group and our aims.

Paul was helpful in understanding how MSPs could be useful to support our cause, and their ability to ask questions at a high level. As a regional MSP covering the west of Scotland, Paul was also able to provide information on what other areas are doing, and what funding is available to help support our aims. Paul will be writing a letter to EDC to support with some of the group’s asks, and is keen to meet in-person in August, when we can walk him around the town centre to give him a good understanding of the unique issues facing Bearsden.

Paul O’Kane’s MSP information page is here and you can contact him on Paul.O'Kane.msp@parliament.scot

Following this, the group met with Ross Greer, Green MSP for West Scotland, and coincidentally, a Bearsden resident.

Ross Greer, MSP

As a local resident and a green MSP, Ross was already aware of the group and its aims, and has been raising awareness of many of the issues for some time. 

Ross was highly engaged on both the issues of air quality and road safety, and has lots of ideas for how the two issues can be tackled. He has offered to facilitate introductions to other MSPs and to local groups that would be helpful, which we’ll be taking him up on. Ross and his team have since been helpful in securing information on local issues, and we’re hoping to arrange another meeting later in the summer. 

You can find out more about Ross Greer here and contact him on Ross.Greer.msp@parliament.scot

It’s so important for us to engage these local people in power to get our message across. While we are campaigning at the grassroots, they can help spread our message more widely; amplify our concerns and hold those in power to account.