Scottish Government

Day to Day Cycling

Strategic Objective 2

For cycling to be the natural choice for your daily journeys

Walking, for most of us, is the first journey of the day, whether to the car, the bus or to the workplace. If you have a longer journey to make to your destination, cycling could make the first part of your journey quicker. If we are to realise the Vision statement above, we need to ensure that cycling, for whichever part of the daily journey, is a realistic choice. Cycling is quicker for short journeys compared to taking the bus or walking. By cycling, you are setting your own timetable, not relying on anyone else, saving money and being physically active at the same time.

By providing quality cycle facilities at transport interchanges and in the workplace, cycling can become the natural choice. For example, at the Central Amsterdam Train Station there are 12,000 cycle parking spaces, which are almost full every day. The Netherlands has one of the highest levels of cycling in the world, enjoying a 30% modal share for cycling, but it wasn't always that way. Between 1950 and 1970, bicycle use declined when car ownership rose. As in many cities worldwide, the rise of the car coincided with pro-car policy on planning and design for open spaces with the car as the priority. Pro-cycling planning policies and investment in cycling over the last 30 years has made The Netherlands the top cycling country in Europe.

Focus group quotes:

"I actually think they (cyclists) make you more ashamed that they're keeping fit and they're cycling and you can see them."

"What I saw in Holland was that everyone was a potential cyclist, the bikes were the first mode of transport, ahead of cars, (ahead of ) everything else. And nobody was that fashion conscious, as long as it (the bike) did what it was meant to do, (and) the bikes were ancient!"

The Outcomes from this section of the Action Plan could be achieved if we get the actions in the rest of the document right. We think the Scottish public will be proud to live in a country where they :

• have a bicycle, or access to one, with suitable routes and places to ride it;
• have the ability and skills, or access to cycle training, and the information needed to make journeys by bike;
• no longer get stressed on the way to work due to the bus being late;
• save money on car or public transport costs;
• can cycle with their family or friends at weekends or cycle with their kids to school;
• are more confident on the road but still aware of their place in the traffic;
• are fitter, healthier and happier because they are increasing their daily levels of physical activity.

Solutions and Considerations

There needs to be a fundamental change in the attitude of the majority of other road users towards cyclists. We all have the right to be on the road and tackling attitudes and conduct of all road users will help us understand each others' needs and priorities.

The extent of the negative attitudes towards cyclists exhibited by other road users may change if there is an increased exposure to cycling. One of the recommendations in this Action Plan is to include a cycling element (both practical and theoretical) in the driving test. The UK Government is looking at this proposal as part of its consultation on the UK driving test.

Pedestrians and cyclists can usually share the same spaces and often do with respect and consideration. In Exeter, Devon, cyclists and pedestrians share the pavement where it is wide enough. As a "cycling demonstration town", Exeter and Cycling England invested £3m, a 30% increase in cycling investment, over 3 years in

• Infrastructure: safe and direct shared use route to schools and workplaces;
• Soft measures: an extensive programme of schools and workplace travel planning, including Exeter college and university; and
• Cycle training: rolling out National Standard Training to children and adults.

Changes to the local regulations to allow pavement cycling and targeted investment as above has achieved a 37% increase in daily cycle trips since 2005. In 2006, 8% and 14% of children cycled to primary and secondary school respectively. Today those figures are 14% and 20%. The Legal Powers section of this Action Plan outlines more options for local changes.

Cycling to School/College

The number of children who currently cycle to school is at a very low level - 1% (Key Transport Statistics Dec 2008), although Sustrans data tells us that over 30% of children would like to cycle to school. Parents and teachers need to be reassured that the health and economic benefits of cycling outweigh the risks and that active children are more ready to learn than those who are driven to school. There are schemes and projects already in place which will be enhanced and implemented across Scotland. For example:

• Cycle training in primary schools P5-P7 will be further promoted
• Cycle promotion for children and parents
• High profile 'champions' and local role models will be used to promote and encourage more people to take up cycling

Having more children cycling is the key to making Scotland a cycling nation and other initiatives will be designed to encourage this such as:

• School cycling trains, where parents and older children supervise the trip to school;
• Promotion of how cycling can contribute to delivering the experiences and outcomes across the school curriculum; and
• After school cycle clubs, events and cycle trips.

Most of the above examples are aimed at primary school children and it is hoped that when pupils graduate to secondary school, that they will continue to cycle. In its 2007 report on the Primary-Secondary transition, Sustrans found that in most cases this does not happen for a variety of reasons - the journey is longer; there are more books and kit to carry; there is a school bus that drops pupils at the door or parents drop children at the school on their way to work. In secondary school cycling is just not perceived as a "cool" thing to do, especially amongst young girls and cycling levels drop at this stage. We will continue to work with secondary schools in promoting travel plans.

Colleges and universities are where the bike is discovered again as part of the student experience. With 60% of school leavers going into further and higher education, this sector provides a key transition point for behaviour change. The Energy Saving Trust travel plan advisory service offers further and higher education institutions free advice on how to develop a travel plan. A partnership of active travel organisations is also working with the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges to promote active travel.

Cycling to Work

Commuting by bicycle is increasingly becoming a significant choice for many and will be encouraged. Increasing the proportion of journeys to work made by public or active transport is in the National Indicators and Targets set by the Scottish Government in 2007. Employees and workers who ride to work are better time keepers, are more alert and ready to do their jobs, are fitter and have less absenteeism. Employers will be encouraged to reap the benefits themselves from their staff who cycle to work and who use a bike for company business by:

• Providing secure cycle parking;
• Providing showers, changing rooms and lockers in which to store clothing;
• Encouraging and supporting a bicycle user group ( BUG) for employees;
• Initiating 'Travel plans' for all members of staff;
• Introducing a company bike purchase scheme to gain the tax benefits, bike loan arrangement or supplying bikes for company use;
• Paying a bike mileage allowance similar to that paid for car use;
• Taking part in Bike to Work and the Cycle Friendly Employer Award schemes.

Through marketing and communication, we will let employers know about schemes and any financial benefits that may be available.

Community Cycling

Most car journeys are very short and generally made to local facilities such as work, school and for shopping. To counter this and provide a healthy alternative, we need to create an environment where cycling is a realistic choice for local journeys. Creative measures that involve and engage with local communities in different ways and across different locations can successfully raise the profile and uptake of cycling as a utility mode of transport. Links to and facilities at community resources such as health centres, schools and libraries will encourage people to cycle more for short, local trips.

Cycling for Leisure and Pleasure

The development of the bicycle more than a century and a half ago was driven by the fun, thrill and the pleasure it gave. These characteristics are still very much to be found with the modern machine. The bicycle also brought about an explosion in social mobility, but the fun element has sustained cycling through the period when the car dominated utility travel in the UK.

As long as cyclists have enjoyed their activity they have wanted to share the experience. The Cyclists' Touring Club ( CTC) the UK's national cyclists' organisation, was started 130 years ago and continues to flourish to this day with local groups around the country running regular ride programs for varying levels of fitness.

The modern CTC and the many other cycle clubs and volunteer workers play a major role in supporting cyclists and all forms of cycling for work health and most of all enjoyment and socialising.

Cycling as a sport

For some cycling is more than a mode of transport or a pastime. Scotland is the top destination in the world for mountain biking, and with the achievements of Sir Chris Hoy and others at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, now enjoys a higher profile in the world of sports cycling. In February 2007, the Scottish Executive published a sports strategy document called "Reaching Higher" which has a target of "60% of adults taking part in sport at least once a week by 2020". If we are to increase participation levels and achieve this target we need to work together with the sport's governing bodies, schools and clubs to encourage cycling from an early age.

Questions

3. Would an improvement in local facilities for cycling encourage you to cycle more often? If not, what else could be done to change your mind?

4. How do we achieve these actions effectively? Who is best placed to deliver these changes?

Objective 2 - For cycling to be the natural choice for your daily journeys