Just some of the Dumfries and Galloway cyclists who pedalled on parliamebt

At the start of May, thousands of cyclists descended on Edinburgh to take part in the second Pedal on Parliament campaign event.

The strength of support on the day, and the positive media coverage that followed, sends a clear message to MSPs like me that cycling is a priority for a great many Scots.  The challenge now of course, is to turn that awareness into action.

The second PoP event was prompted by frustration at the perceived lack of action following the original PoP ride in 2012.  Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this year due to ill-health but campaigners should take heart from the fact that this year’s ride attracted an increased number of representatives from Council, Scottish and UK Parliament level.

People are beginning to sit up and take notice of the campaign’s call for action to turn Scotland into a cycle-friendly nation and its eight point manifesto makes an important and constructive contribution towards that debate.

In its Cycling Action Plan for Scotland, the Scottish Government has set the ambitious target that 10% of all journeys should be made by bike by 2020.  When you consider that the level of journeys made by bike has languished at around 1% in recent decades the scale of the challenge becomes apparent.

As Pedal on Parliament has made clear a change of culture is needed to deliver this ambition.

Part of this change is in the perception we have of cyclists. I, like so many people, have fond memories of playing on my bike as a child.  Unfortunately, again like so many of us, my interest waned for many years as I moved into adulthood. Cycling seems to have an image problem that prevents so many from make the progression from playing as a child to seeing the bike as a form of transport, leisure and sporting pursuit.

Part of the reason behind this is undoubtedly the many barriers that dissuade us from cycling.  By far and away the most pressing concern, is road safety.  Whether it is busy urban streets or winding, narrow rural roads, people are wary of the risks of riding amongst traffic. When I finally began cycling again, I had to build myself up from the small country roads to the frankly scary prospect of Edinburgh city centre.  Over time my confidence has increased but it is still a daunting prospect to come up against heavy traffic in rush hour.

Alongside road safety, there is a lack of associated infrastructure to support cycling.  Things like bike racks for instance are a rare sight in Scotland, save for outside schools.  Without somewhere safe to store bikes, cycle theft becomes an issue and people are therefore further inclined not to cycle.

It is not that these and other barriers do not exist in countries which have a more embedded cycling culture but they have taken steps to address them through.

That is at the heart of much of what Pedal on Parliament is calling for – a more integrated approach to cycling that gives cyclists due prominence  when it comes to designing roads, planning new developments and developing transport strategy.  I have repeatedly raised these issues and the need for proper funding to support cycling to the Scottish Government.

Their Cycling Action Plan for Scotland is part of that process with prominence given to skills development and improving the National Cycle Network.  These are two key areas.  In skills and development, we need to see greater focus on cycle training, particularly at school, to get young people cycling safely.  There is also a need for training to lure adults back on the saddle.  The National Cycle Network is an excellent resource but there is room for improvement with a more joined up approach to ensure that the national routes link up with local ones.

The key to this is greater involvement from local authorities through the development of cycling action plans for their areas.  Some authorities, like Edinburgh have already taken this approach in partnership with other partners like the NHS.  This has allowed for a strategic vision of how the city will develop resources for cycling to improve uptake. I would like to see other areas following suit across the country.

These are the types of issues that are frequently discussed as part of the Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Cycling of which I am a Deputy Convener. 

The profile of cycling has never been higher with the success of British cyclists at the Olympics and the Tour de France and this provide additional momentum to calls for action. From my time in Parliament, I can see that cycling and active travel more broadly are subjects which enjoy broad cross-party support.   The challenge now is to deliver on that warm sentiment to deliver the step change needed to turn Scotland into a cycle friendly nation.

Claudia Beamish, MSP

Obviously, Cycling Dumfries is an entirely non-party political organisation, so in the interest of fairness we’re happy to put up statements from any of our MSPs (or any of our local politicians) – in fact we’ll be writing to them to suggest it. 

As always, it’s as much a chance to get together and chat bikes as a serious meeting – but we do have the summer bike rides to finalise and some suggestions for campaigning and follow-up after last month’s Pedal on Parliament.

As always, everyone is welcome whether you’re a member or not – just turn up and say hello…

Just some of the Dumfries and Galloway cyclists who pedalled on parliament last Sunday. Left to right: Ray Bell, John Schofield (kneeling), Mike Gray, Sally Hinchcliffe (with panda), Paul Buxton, John Rutherford, Rosie Rutherford (with more pandas) and Rhian Davies (with Beltie)

Bill Telfer and Raymond Baird at Holyrood

Last week more than a dozen D&G cyclists joined an estimated 4,000 cyclists to gather in Edinburgh and pedal on the Scottish Parliament in support of the Pedal on Parliament cycling manifesto. We’d hoped to have a bigger photo – but such was the crowd at the parliament building that, despite Rhian’s cunningly designed Belted Galloway, we weren’t able to all find each other in the throng. Nor were we able to meet up with on of our MSPs, Claudia Beamish, as she was recovering from flu, although she has been fully supportive of the event.

Holyrood and Edinburgh might seem a long way away from Dumfries, both literally and actually. Most of the roads we cycle on around here are built and maintained by the council – so why did people take the time and effort (Paul Buxton actually cycled all the way from Moffat – in the pouring rain – on Saturday. Chapeau!) to attend?

The POP manifesto in brief has 8 points:

1)    Proper funding for cycling.
2)    Design cycling into Scotland’s roads.
3)    Safer speeds where people live, work and play
4)    Integrate cycling into local transport strategies
5)    Sensible road traffic law and enforcement
6)    Reduce the risk of HGVs to cyclists and pedestrians
7)    A strategic and joined-up programme of road user training
8)    Solid research on cycling to support policy-making

We believe these are as important for cyclists in our corner of Scotland as those on Edinburgh’s roads, perhaps more so. Where you’ve got a council that essentially doesn’t ‘get’ cycling, having real leadership nationally will do more than in places like Edinburgh where cycling is a key part of the council’s strategy.

For instance, Edinburgh council has already pledged to spend a rising percentage of its transport budget on cycling – from 5% to 10% over the next few years – including on maintenance (which means their cycle paths get cleared and gritted in the winter, compared to the skating rinks we have to cope with. In contrast, the council here only spends money on cycling infrastructure if it’s part of a national programme – such as the Smarter Choices towns – or if it’s got match funding from schemes like the Sustrans Connect2 funding (and even then it comes out of the ringfenced Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets money). So the more funding there is nationally, the more investment we’ll see in Dumfries. National design standards will also see an end to some of the mad cycle paths we’ve got, like the shared pavement on Hardthorn Road that jumps from one side of the road to the other halfway along. Lower speeds – not just in towns, but on rural unclassified roads – will do a lot to make cycling AND walking safer, and so on.

Of course pedalling on parliament alone is not enough. Last year we invited our council candidates to cycle with us in the town to see some of the problems we encounter daily at first hand, and we think it opened a few eyes. We’ll need to consider how best to keep the pressure up on both our local and our national politicians – and keep up the campaigning momentum. Any suggestions?

It’s really aimed at people from out of Dumfries and Galloway who want to experience our quiet rural roads back where ‘cycling all began’ (allegedly!). But it’s also a chance to meet other cyclists and an excuse to do some riding and perhaps discover some routes you didn’t know about. It will be held at Barnsoul Campground near Shawhead, and right in the middle of a network of lovely quiet roads. This year it will be combined with the Spring Fling rides as well. Find out more

Getting there

Most people seem to be making their own way there, but if you’d like help arranging a lift, then let us know. If you’re planning on taking the train, then do check beforehand – there are very few bike spaces on the Lockerbie to Edinburgh train, so if you’ve got a folding bike then bring one. There are also engineering works affecting some services between Glasgow and Edinburgh. If you’re planning on riding all or part of the way there, then let us know – especially if you’d like to organise a lift back. If you want to drive in and then park on the outskirts of Edinburgh and ride on from there, there are a couple of feeder rides that might be a good option – there’s one from Braidburn Valley Park in South Edinburgh, and Harrison Park in South West Edinburgh. Even if you don’t make the rendezvous, the route they’re using could help you navigate if you’re not familiar with cycling in the city. Also do bear in mind that it will be fine to turn up on foot – you don’t actually need a bike.

On the day

As well as affecting national policy, a good turnout of people from Dumfries and Galloway might just help persuade our politicians that cycling is something their constituents care about. So we’re going to try and gather everyone for a group photo at the Parliament building when we arrive. The tricky part will be meeting up! So please look out for someone holding a sign (or possibly even a Belted Galloway) as this will be the rendezvous. Whether or not you make it for the photo, it’s important that you also contact your MSPs and councillors  to let them know that you support the cause. If you bring letters on the day, they will be delivered directly to your MSPs, otherwise you can just email them via Write to Them. Please also take lots of photos and videos and share them as widely as you can – and if you use a GPS or GPS-enabled phone then take a trace of your entire journey to help the organisers make a visualisation of the day. There’s more information about what to bring and what will happen here.

Thank you for your support for Pedal on Parliament – it’s really important that it’s not seen as just an Edinburgh thing, or something for the Central Belt.  And we’ll be back to normal (and thinking about our summer rides!) as  soon as it’s all over next week.

This is just a quick post to encourage you all to write to your MEPs and object to EU proposals to open the UK’s roads to huge trucks, which will be seriously detrimental to safety for both cyclists and pedestrians.

You can find out more here and here

• Monday 6th May – Discover Cycling in Dalbeattie - a bike fun day with led rides in and around Dalbeattie. See the flyer for more details
• Thursday 9th May – Cycling Dumfries meeting 6pm at the Coach and Horses, Dumfries. The usual mix of chat and more chat. We’ll be finalising our summer rides and plans for Pedal on Parliament
• Sunday 19th May – Pedal on Parliament. The big one!

There’s also loads of rides and events going on now that the ‘cycling season’ is in full swing. The local CTC group run regular rides so if you want to get out and about in good company hop over to their site and see what’s going on

Although most of this report relates to England rather than Scotland, it should mean politicians across the UK raise their game promoting cycling. The more people sign up, the more it shows that the desire is there to make cycling a safe and practical option for everyone, not just those who cycle now. We urge all our members to sign it, and to ask their friends and family to sign it too.

Added to next month’s Pedal on Parliament, we have a real opportunity to show our governments – Scottish and UK wide – that the political will is there.

Thanks to everyone who came to last night’s meeting (well, pub chat mostly!)  - it was great to hear so much enthusiasm for Pedal on Parliament (and cycle campaigning in general) and there were some great ideas which we’ll be following up on over the next few days.

In the mean time, I have taken the opportunity to write to our regional MSPs and MP to invite them to join us at POP. It will be an opportunity for them to show us that they’re listening to our concerns – and for us to show them that this is something we feel strongly enough to protest about.  I’ll keep you posted if any of them respond – but meanwhile, here’s the email I’ve sent:

Dear Joan McAlpine, Jim Hume, Claudia Beamish, Graeme Pearson, Paul Wheelhouse, Aileen McLeod and Chic Brodie,

I’m emailing you to invite you to attend Pedal on Parliament on Sunday May 19th at 3pm at the Meadows in Edinburgh, cycling down (slowly!) to Holyrood to ask the Scottish Government to make Scotland safer for Cycling.

As you may know, we held this protest last year and 3000 people attended, young and old, including some kids on balance bikes. This year we’re hoping even more will come, and that some of our politicians will join us not just at the rally at Holyrood, but on the ride itself. It will be a chance for you to hear first hand from ordinary Scottish families what they’d like to see change so that they feel that they can use their bikes to get about.

You can find out what we’re asking for from our manifesto http://pedalonparliament.org/the-manifesto/. This is something with wide support from all kinds of cyclists, including many of your constituents. I know that there are many people from around Dumfries planning to attend.

I hope to hear from you soon

Yours sincerely,

Sally Hinchcliffe

If you want to write as well, then please do – the more who do the stronger the message – but do put it in your own words. You can easily contact your MP, MSPs or local councillors through the handy website Write to Them

Pedal on Parliament flyers

Pedal on Parliament is a mass bike demonstration in support of safer cycling in Scotland – last year over 3000 people turned out, including hundreds of families. Cycling Dumfries has been a supporter of POP since its inception and last time around a number of Dumfries and Galloway cyclists made the trek up to Edinburgh. This year we’d like to see many more – not only will it make an impact on the Scottish government and our MSPs, but it will also show the council back home that cycling is a burning issue for its voters, not just something to be funded if there’s any money left over after the more important things have been done.

If you’d like to come to Edinburgh on May 19th to add your voice, then let us know (you can email us at cyclingdumfries AT gmail DOT com), or come along to the Coach and Horses this Thursday at 6pm where we’ll be planning the logistics of getting people and their bikes up there on the day. If you’ve got a car, a bike rack, a trailer, folding bikes, or anything else that might make things easier we want to hear from you! And if you need a lift – or if you’re planning on riding there and would like some company – let us know. The more people who turn out – even without bikes (the ride will be very slow) – the more of an impact we will make.

You don’t have to be a mad keen cyclist to take part. In fact, POP is as much about those people who’d like to cycle – or would like to cycle more – but don’t feel that the roads around them are safe enough to do so. There’s many people who’d love the opportunity to get on their bike, or would love to give their kids the independence to ride to school or just for fun, but simply don’t dare. We all know that there are places around Dumfries (Collin, for example) where the simplest journey is just impossible for all but the most confident cyclist. Multiply that by every town and city in Scotland and you’ll see just what could be done if only the political will was there. But the political will won’t just happen unless people get on their bikes and tell their politicians what they want.

So please do drop us a line, or come along on Thursday if you can so we can make sure D&G cyclists’ voices are heard…