Edinburgh cycles ahead

City aims for 15% of urban journeys by bike

Scotsmen are on the right track to efficient urban transport and better health as Edinburgh aims for 15% of urban journeys to be undertaken by bicycle by 2020 - currently it's just 4%.

Edinburgh is the first UK city to commit to the Charter of Brussels, which it signed at the end of the Velo-city conference in May. Edinburgh (and new head of Transport Marshall Poulton) has taken up a real challenge - ambitious, but not impossible, with a change of attitude and proper funding.

Edinburgh is already cycle-friendly, with many traffic-free cycle routes running along old railway lines, and over 50 junctions with advance cycle stop lines; at peak times cyclists are allowed on bus lanes in and around the centre. The city is a great place to visit by bike, and its steep hills offer a fun workout.

The charter also calls for greater safety for bicycles on normal roads, more focus on parking, ‘anti-theft’ policies and cycle training.

With cycling groups in the city already lobbying for more bike racks and cycling training to be implemented in schools as part of the new Curriculum for Excellence, it seems Edinburgh is ripe for a change in travel habits, setting an example soon to be followed by more UK cities.