Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

10 per cent cycling in Scotland – a target or a vision?

Scottish Government’s long term vision for active travel unveiled but critics demand more immediate action

Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has unveiled A Long Term Vision for Active Travel in Scotland 2030. While its aim of encouraging more people to walk and cycle for everyday shorter journeys has been welcomed, critics are questioning whether enough is being done to achieve that.

Brown explained:

“This vision sets out how we hope Scotland will look in 2030 if more people are walking and cycling for short, everyday journeys allowing us to reap the benefits of active travel.

“It goes without saying that cycling and walking benefits the individual by improving their physical health, but also their mental health, and keeps their transport costs down whilst also benefiting the environment by reducing greenhouse gases and pollutants.”

The document depicts a future Scotland in which people are walking or cycling for the majority of shorter journeys. Main roads into town centres all have either segregated cycling provision or high quality direct, safe and pleasant alternatives; pedestrian and cycle paths are in place; and rural and suburban minor roads have low speed limits. Transport is integrated and there is a culture of active travel.

However, critics have questioned whether enough is being done to make these dreams a reality. Speaking to The Scotsman, Colin Howden, Director of Sustainable transport lobby group Transform Scotland, said:

“A long-term vision for walking and cycling is all very well but what we actually need is action now, not at some vague time off into the future.

“What we do know is the Scottish Government’s investment in active travel falls in this year’s budget despite the overall transport budget again rising. Some short-term action to tackle that situation would be more helpful than platitudes about long-term priorities.”

Referring to funding, Brown said: “During this year and next we are increasing our expenditure on cycling and walking infrastructure by a further £27 million to deliver projects that promote active travel for everyday journeys.”

Last year’s updated Cycling Action Plan for Scotland called for 10 per cent of everyday journeys to be made by bike by 2020. David Middleton, chief executive of Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland, is said to have told Cycling Scotland’s annual conference last week that this figure was a target, while his officials later described it as merely a “vision”.

Either way, campaigners question whether sufficient progress is being made with Middleton admitting: “We have stated the aspiration. Clearly, if there is no movement in the percentages as we move through the decade, we will have to look at it.”

Ian Findlay, chief officer of development body Paths for All, welcomed the 2030 vision, but added: “This can only happen if Scotland prioritises improving the infrastructure and environment for people to walk or cycle, as well as encouraging people to change travel behaviours.”

John Lauder, national director of Sustrans Scotland, expressed similar sentiments, welcoming the ambition but placing the emphasis on how this can be realised: “The challenge now is to translate this vision into action on the ground. Work needs to start on developing a long-term delivery plan, with appropriate funding mechanisms, to deliver not only the vision set out in this document but also the visions identified in the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland and the National Walking Strategy.”

Spokes, the Lothian cycle campaign tweeted: “New @scotgov #2030 cycling 'vision' improves on #2020 #CAPS vision but will stay 'vision' without funded action plan!”

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

Add new comment

12 comments

Avatar
joebee9870 | 9 years ago
0 likes

only the 45 would say thats brilliant

Avatar
joebee9870 | 9 years ago
0 likes

half wits couldn't put a nut in a monkeys mouth.

Avatar
Kim | 9 years ago
0 likes

One of the curious things about the Long Term Vision for Active Travel in Scotland 2030 is that the Pedal on Parliament was deliberately excluded from the initial consultation. Make of that what you will...

Avatar
djcritchley | 9 years ago
0 likes

"A target or vision?" - hallucination more like.

Avatar
a_to_the_j | 9 years ago
0 likes

27million is nothing compared to the budgets being spent on the a9 dualling and the a96 dualling - and looking at those plans for those routes there has been the absolute minimum, even less than that, catering for cycle lanes, or consideration for cycle routes, cycling priorities. The recent A96 plans shows us cyclists are going to have to detour 4-5k's around certain spots just to get over the thing, no concession for underpasses or anything!!!!

that 27million will be spent on useless ads' and the great cover all statements about teaching cycling school ...

its all utter tosh , westminster or hollyrood - they are all the same...

Avatar
matheson | 9 years ago
0 likes

More SNP blether that they'll never deliver.

Oh wait, it's Westminster's fault, isn't it  20

Avatar
dafyddp | 9 years ago
0 likes

mobile phone companies are obliged to cover something like 90% of the population, so all they do is saturated towns and cities. I suspect the same principle will apply in this situation - there'll be a huge fanfare around initiatives in Edinburgh and Glasgow and next to nothing done in rural areas.

Avatar
djfleming22 | 9 years ago
0 likes

In total agreement with giff77

Roads are terrible in Scotland, councils don't care about cyclists in any town, its always just about now they come out spouting about all the money there going to spend .. this is just vote hunting as far as i am concerned, until you starting acting on it rather then spouting about it i just just don't believe what an MP has to say about spending money on cycling.

Your priority should be

1. Tell councils to fix roads based on cyclist going on them not cars etc

2. Bring in the presumed guilty law against vehicles having accident with cyclist .....they might give us more room and take care overtaking.

3. The cyclebox is there for a reason to protect us for other vehicles but i have yet to see a law enforcement in Scotland stopping this from happening - you hear about in England but not here why is that.

That's a start for you Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown

Avatar
giff77 | 9 years ago
0 likes

I remain to be cynical on anything that Keith Brown and his cronies have to offer in regards to sustainable transport here in Scotland. We continue to be held to ransom by certain bus companies none of which offer a 21st century service for the public. Motorists continue to be treated with leniency in regards to traffic offenses involving the vulnerable. While infrastructure is reasonable between towns (I speak for Renfrewshire and InverClyde). Once you spin off these routes there is absolutely nothing to protect you once you start to negotiate the streets of various towns.

Paisley. A large busy town has ONE cycle box in the town centre and this has been allowed to fade away to nothing. There is a couple of others but they are on a road that personally I dont think warrants their existence.

As Oldstrath says. The current govt would rather through money at bridges and widening roads to alleviate traffic volume.

Avatar
oldstrath | 9 years ago
0 likes

Oh glorious. A future in which "rural and suburban minor roads have low speed limits". Meanwhile in the real world average speed cameras were installed on the A9 in an attempt to stop the fuckwits killing themselves and other people. So what happens - the fuckwits jump onto the parallel minor roads, knowing that even the ridiculous 60 mph limit won't be enforced.

A government of liars. Shame, but typical.

Avatar
oldstrath | 9 years ago
0 likes

'David Middleton, chief executive of Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland, is said to have told Cycling Scotland’s annual conference last week that this figure was a target, while his officials later described it as merely a “vision”.'

A fantasy would be about right. The SNP are still chucking money at road building, fantasising about having only electric cars in Scotland, and now dreaming about 10% modal share for cycling. If they could even get the police to enforce the rules for motons it would be a start.

And remember this is the party that gave us the Niceway idiocy, and recently rejected a proposal to introduce presumed liability.

Avatar
Tiffin15 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Lots of noise in fantasy land, take a look a the Scottish cabinet.

Latest Comments