Scottish Government

The Policy Context

With tackling climate change, improving public health and strengthening the global economy at the top of most countries' "to do" lists, there is no better time to highlight the benefits of cycling and how it can be used to achieve individual goals and high level outcomes for both Central and Local Government.

A behaviour change from inactive to active travel through cycling will help the Scottish Government meet its ambitious climate change target. It will help meet the targets in the National Physical Activity Strategy and help to reduce the levels of obesity in Scotland. Cycling can help Local Authorities to meet the targets in the Single Outcome Agreements, for example, to increase the proportion of journeys to work made by public or active transport.

Since 2007, the Association of Directors of Public Health ( UK) has led a collaborative partnership initiative ( ADPH Active Travel Initiative) to call on government, local authorities and other decision makers to take action on active travel, to bring about a population-wide shift from sedentary travel to cycle and walking by:

• Committing 10% of transport budgets to cycling and walking initiatives
• Setting a 20 mph default speed limit in residential areas
• Creating safe and attractive walking and cycling conditions
• Improving driver training and better enforced traffic laws
• Setting ambitious official targets for increases in walking and cycling

This action plan will consider these and other interventions.

The Government's Economic Strategy and LAs' Single Outcome Agreements

The Scottish Government's National Performance Framework sets out the agenda for making Scotland a more successful country. This Government's overall purpose is

To focus government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing economic sustainable growth.

Underpinning the statement above is a range of National Outcomes. Those aligned to active travel include outcomes where:

• We live longer, healthy lives;
• We live in well designed, sustainable places where we are able to access the amenities and services we need;
• We value and enjoy our built and natural environment and protect it and enhance it for future generations;
• We reduce the local and global environmental impact of our consumption and production.

In addition to these outcomes, we also have National Indicators and Targets with which Local Authorities can measure the success and impact of the actions in their Single Outcome Agreements. These include actions that will:

• Increase the proportion of adults making one or more visits to the outdoors per week;
• Reduce the proportion of driver journeys delayed due to traffic congestion;
• Reduce the rate of increase in the proportion of children with their Body Mass Index outwith a healthy range by 2018;
• Increase the average score of adults on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale by 2011;
• Reduce mortality from coronary heart disease among the under 75s in deprived areas;
• Increase the percentage of adults who rate their neighbourhood as a good place to live;
• Increase the proportion of journeys to work made by public or active transport.

One of the key arguments for taking forward infrastructure and other projects is to measure the likely economic benefits the project will bring. For example, the numbers of jobs created or safeguarded, the financial benefits for the local economy through tourism or regeneration opportunities for the local community. The economic argument for the promotion of cycling projects is just as valid. Making places welcoming and attractive, where people want to go and spend time in, encourages businesses to flourish in both the retail and the leisure sectors. In Denmark, the attractiveness of public places is measured by the increase in and the occupancy rates of tables outside cafes and restaurants.

In the Transform Scotland Trust report " Towards a Healthier Economy" it is estimated that if Scotland had a 13% modal shift for cycling, using the World Health Organisation's HEAT for Cycling Tool, the Scottish economy would realise a benefit of between £1-2 billion. This is calculated on the basis that those who are active will require less health services and will take fewer sick days off work therefore increasing productivity and increasing profits for businesses.

Conversely, the negative economic and health impact of doing nothing also provides a compelling argument. Places that are less attractive to spend time in through lack of facilities or poor maintenance promote sedentary behaviour which takes it toll on all of us individually as well as increasing the burden on the NHS. The Foresight Report Tackling Obesities - Futures Choices (2007), states that UK obesity levels have more than doubled over the past 25 years and that over half of the UK adult population could be obese by 2050 if we don't tackle the underlying causes now. From the economic forecasts in the Foresight report we can estimate that, if left unchecked, obesity in Scotland could cost us £5 billion by 2050. Of this, £4 billion would be attributable to expenses other than those borne directly by the NHS, for example costs to local services and to the economy from productivity lost to poor health.

Tourism

In 2007, Visit Scotland research showed that almost 16 million tourists took overnight trips to Scotland, spending just over £4.2 billion. Activities undertaken while on holiday range from walking/rambling at 49%, golf and fishing at 4% and cycling close by at 3%.

Over the past 20 years mountain biking has become established as a major sport and recreational pursuit in Scotland. Our country has proved that it is truly a world class venue for the activity, as recognised by the International Mountain Bicycling Association, which in 2005 and 2006 declared Scotland as a "Global Superstar". Last year, and again this year, Scotland will host the World Mountain Bike championships at Fort William in June, attracting over 20,000 spectators to the area and boosting the local economy.

Major trail facilities in Scotland are producing significant economic benefits for local communities too. For example, the 7stanes Network in the South of Scotland has generated £9 million for the local economy through some 400,000 visitors to October 2007. The UK Tourism Survey shows that trips in Scotland involving mountain biking were 108,000 in 2006 and had risen to 197,000 in 2007. The estimated spend for these visits were £39m and £65m in each year respectively.

With an upgrade in the standard of current facilities and with more new facilities, Scotland can grow as a top destination for cycling holidays and cycle sport.

Health

The recommended daily amount of physical activity for adults is to accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week, and children should accumulate at least one hour of moderate intensity activity each day. For most of us, the easiest and most acceptable forms of physical activity are those that can be incorporated into everyday life. Encouraging more people to cycle regularly would help achieve and outperform these recommended levels.

• 67% of women and 56% of men aged 16-74 years are not active enough to benefit their health.
• 26% of boys and 37% of girls are not active enough to benefit their health.

The health effects of an inactive life are serious and associated with disease, disability and poor mental health. The Cycling Action Plan for Scotland can make a significant contribution to a Healthier Scotland.People who are active can enjoy:

• a longer life;
• less risk of developing many chronic diseases;
• greater mental wellbeing and fewer symptoms of depression;
• lower rates of smoking and substance misuse;
• the ability to function better at work and at home.

People cycling regularly in mid-adulthood typically have a level of fitness equivalent to being 10 years younger, and a life expectancy 2 years above the average. The health benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks involved thanks to these extra life-years by a factor of 20:1 according to one estimate. A study of the population of Copenhagen found that people who did not cycle to work had a 39% higher mortality rate (i.e. risk of dying in a given year) than those who did, regardless of any other physical activity they might take part in.

Indeed, the greatest health benefits occur when the least active people become moderately active. The National Physical Activity Strategy underlines the importance of creating and maintaining an environment which supports physical activity. The Cycling Action Plan can also make a significant contribution to the goals in the Scottish Government's Equally Well document.

As part of its role in promoting and supporting evidence-informed action for health improvement in Scotland, NHS Health Scotland ( HS) produces Commentaries on NICE Public Health Guidance. In Scotland, NICE Guidance has no formal status but nevertheless provides a useful source of reviewed evidence. The commentaries consider the evidence cited and the recommendations presented in the NICE Guidance, in the context of policy and practice in Scotland. One of the key recommendations in the commentary on the NICE Guidance PH8, Physical Activity and the Environment, is that Local Authorities should ensure that pedestrians, cyclists and users of other modes of transport that involve physical activity are given due priority when developing or maintaining streets and roads.

The Scottish Government's Healthy Eating Active Living action plan (2008) sets out the current range of our investment in improving diet, increasing physical activity and tackling obesity. This Action Plan makes a commitment to developing a long-term cross-sector approach to tackling obesity in Scotland by modifying our environments to support healthier everyday behaviour, of which active travel is a key example.

Events

Bike Week happens every June in the UK. In 2009, Bike Week will run from 13-21 June. Cycling Scotland promotes events and offers advice and publicity to event organisers. In 2005 there were 15,000 participants in Bike Week events. In 2008, this grew to 42,400. Visit www.bikeweek.org.uk/event_search.php

Pedal for Scotland is a 50 mile charity cycle ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh which is organised annually by Cycling Scotland. In 2005 there were 1,700 participants. In 2008, 5,700 people took part. The ride this year will take place on Sunday 13 September. To register visit www.pedalforscotland.org

Education and school travel

2008 Scottish Transport Statistics

• 22% of children travel to school by car
• 21% go by bus
• 53% walk
• 1% cycle to school

A research study in California ( Shepherd R, J) showed that children who walk or cycle to school arrived more ready to learn and achieved higher exam results than those who were driven to school. The recent Sustrans' Hands-Up Survey of how children travel to school, showed that of the 400,000 children survey, 2.8% cycled. This is compatible with the 2008 Scottish Transport Statistics above which has a much lower data set.

As well as the improved health benefits, children who cycle to school learn a sense of responsibility for their travel and for looking after their bikes. They connect more directly with their surroundings, the changing weather and seasons. They can develop social skills and become independent travellers.

The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with Sustrans and other partners to tackle the "school run" by offering those schools who wish to promote cycling new cycle shelters, new off-road and on-road safe routes, resources to incorporate active travel into the curriculum and lesson plans.

"In addition to planned physical education sessions, physical activity and sport take place in the classroom, during travel such as walking and cycling, in the outdoor environment and in the community."

Curriculum for Excellence, Health and Wellbeing: experiences and outcomes

It is vital that everyone knows and respects the rules of the road and the needs of all road users. Through education we can make cycling a more attractive and safer option. By promoting cycling training at school and by making the case for a cycling module to be included in the UK Driving Test, we can all become better road users.

We will continue to work with Road Safety Scotland and Cycling Scotland to provide on-road cycle training in schools for P6 pupils, as supported by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Cycling Scotland will also provide resources for P5 and P7 pupils for playground training and advanced road skills, respectively.

Climate Change

Travel Diary 2004/05

• 23% of all journeys under a mile made by car
• 57% of all journeys of between 1 and 2 miles made by car

Personal transport and freight traffic will continue to grow year on year. If the Scottish Government is to meet its Climate Change target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050, we must be willing to take action now. Journeys under 2 miles can easily be made by bike. The average speed on a bike is 12 miles per hour and a 2 mile journey should take about 10 mins. This compares favourably to the average speed of motorised traffic in residential areas, which is often slower than travelling by bike. Cycling can be truly a door to door experience without spending time in traffic congestion, looking for a parking place or waiting for a bus.

In the Netherlands, where cycling is given due consideration as a mode of transport in its own right, there is a modal share of nearly 30%. Scotland can achieve this if we all play our part and make a small change. For example, by cycling one day a week - instead of driving to work - we will already have increased cycling by 20% and reduced car levels by the same amount. If we achieve our overall aim of 10% modal share for cycling, we will be saving over half a million tonnes of harmful carbon emissions each year. Small personal changes can achieve larger goals if we all play our part.

Funding

For Scotland to work towards achieving the cycling levels enjoyed in northern European countries, funding must be targeted at cycling. Currently funding for cycling projects comes from two main sources - the Scottish Government and local authorities. In 2008/09 funding for cycling was less than 1% of the Scottish Government's transport budget, although additional funding was also available for active travel projects that tackle obesity and from the Climate Change Challenge Fund. Funding for cycling in 2008/09 was broken down into Scottish Government investment of:

• £5.015m for National Cycle Network and school travel projects
• £1.4m to promote cycling in Scotland
• £9.09m for Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets projects
• £2m as part of the Trunk Road Cycling programme

The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places initiative, currently operating in seven areas in Scotland to encourage people to change their travel behaviour, will benefit from £15m of investment over 3 years. Other Scottish Government Directorates, Health and Wellbeing and Environment, are contributing 20% of this funding. All seven project areas have elements of cycling in their plans including new cycling and walking routes, public bike hire schemes, free cycle maps and school and family based promotions.

However, health experts and academics readily acknowledge that the current levels of investment will not increase levels of cycling. The responses to this action plan and the evidence from health and environmental research will strengthen the case for a higher level of investment in the next spending review period which begins in April 2011. The Scottish Government will review all current funding streams in order to provide scope for consideration of increased levels of investment to achieve a better aligned cycling budget across policy areas. This exercise will contribute to the 2011 spending review process. The CAPS will be reviewed periodically. As our vision is for 2020, the main timelines for action, in relation to funding, are in the table below:

Monitoring and Evaluation

The overall objective of this action plan is " to get more people cycling more often". In the action and activity table at the end of each section we have outlined how we will measure the impact of the individual actions proposed. To measure the overall impact of the Action Plan we will

• Carry out an annual Hands-up Survey in schools to capture the travel behaviour of pupils;
• Work with LAs in developing a comprehensive monitoring tool to capture the number of cyclists using on and off road facilities;
• Continue to carry out a two yearly National Assessment of cycling investment by Local Authorities;
• Evaluate the results of the Scottish Transport Statistics, the Scottish Travel Diary, the Scottish Household Survey and the Tourism statistics.

Fife's Travel Diary

Fife Council carries out a travel diary survey ever 5 years. This is used to establish a baseline for cycle use throughout Fife.

They also continuously monitor cycling levels at 10 telemetry sites across Fife which are situated on key, designated cycle routes, with good facilities. The monitoring is reported every quarter and is also used to set targets within the Local Transport Strategy every 6 months. Once these targets are reached, new targets are set.

The cost of a telemetry site is around £2,200 with a monthly subscription of £7 for each site.

Implementation Plan

During the roll out of this Action Plan the Scottish Government and the CAPS Board will be developing an implementation plan to ensure all the actions are acted upon and progress measured. Where local authorities are the Lead/Delivery Body, we will agree with COSLA (the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) a plan of implementation. Where Scottish Government is the lead/delivery body, the Sustainable Transport Team within the Transport Directorate will work with policy colleagues to agree policy buy-in across Government and secure the best use of resources for delivering the actions.

Stakeholder organisations and local community groups will be involved at all stages where applicable. This Cycling Action Plan for Scotland will be inclusive, progressive and focussed in delivering its outcomes, objectives and actions.

Summary

The outcomes and actions in this document were identified by public and stakeholder consultation. Last year the CAPS Board identified several potential objectives that would be crucial to the success of the Action Plan. These were:

• to identify which organisations would be best placed to deliver specific actions;
• to ensure national agencies are working towards shared outcomes;
• to optimise the use of resources across Scotland;
• Scottish Government had to show commitment to cycling through increased funding levels, better planning guidelines, forward thinking legislation, recognition of the transport hierarchy;
• Local Authorities need to recognise that cycling and walking can meet their many and varied local objectives and obligations in their Single Outcome Agreements;
• the need to seriously consider reallocating road space in favour of the bicycle;
• increase the public's awareness of the benefits of cycling and the individual willingness to cycle;
• mainstream the changes/ policies needed to achieve the overarching aim;
• influence the design of the built environment; and
• integrate transport modes, e.g. cycles on trains, buses and trams, and public bike hire schemes.

The actions in this document will aim to enhance policies and interventions that will:

• improve Planning and Design for Cyclists;
• encourage Day to Day Cycling;
• suggest Incentives for individuals, Local Authorities, employers and schools;
• promote the use of our Legal Powers; and
• ensure that we Monitor and Evaluate the impact of any new policies and projects.