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The new action plan will be one of the most exciting developments in cycling in Scotland in decades, as it seeks to draw together all agencies working in cycling to pool their efforts to achieve real and lasting change.

The purpose of CAPS is to bring together the work of the various organisations working in cycling to create a more joined-up and cohesive approach to making cycling an accessible and practical option for all. The key aims of the plan will be formed via various public and stakeholder consultation events, ensuring that future cycling promotion and provision is directly tailored to the needs of users throughout Scotland.

The upcoming events include public consultations in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen, where members of the CAPS team will be talking to the public to get their views on what needs to be done

to make cycling an easier and more realistic option for them. These events will give the public the chance to complete a survey giving their views on what CAPS should be trying to achieve, and also leave a video message in the ‘Big Brother’ style diary room chair.

The public consultation work will be backed up by focus groups, which will take place in both rural and urban parts of Scotland, and telephone surveys, to ensure the widest range of views are taken into account.

Stakeholders will then get to give their input into the action plan, as the slot traditionally held by the annual Cycling Scotland Conference is this year given over to the CAPS Stakeholder Engagement Conference. The conference will take place on 7 October at the Perth Concert Hall, and will be free to attend. The event will consist of presentations from Communities and Sport Minister Stewart Maxwell MSP, a

representative from COSLA, CAPS Chairman Erl Wilkie and several breakout sessions and workshops. The workshops will focus on giving stakeholders the chance to shape the action plan in a range of areas with their own views.

Following the consultation events, it is anticipated that the information and input will be shaped into a draft action plan to be published for consultation in early 2009. You can register to reserve a place at the conference at www.holyrood.com/CAPS

Dates and venues for public events:

Thurs 04.09.08 Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow

Sat 06.09.08 The Mall, Aberdeen

Thurs 11.09.08 Eastgate Centre, Inverness

Sat 13.09.08 St James Centre, Edinburgh

New Action Plan to Boost Cycling in ScotlandKey dates for the first stages of the Cycling Action Plan (CAPS) for Scotland have been announced, with a host of events taking place over the next few months.

10th ANNiverSAry Find out more on page 4

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CYCLING SCOTLAND NEWS

ISSUE 08 AUTUMN 2008

Bike Week appeared refreshed and updated this year, with a new logo and brand style, a new agency looking after the organisation, a high profile sponsor in the shape of Nokia and a charity partnership with Sport Relief. These new changes did wonders for Bike Week’s visibility, and the number of events and amount of media coverage went up accordingly.

Over 230 events were staged in Scotland this year, up from just over 200 in 2007, and as usual there were all kinds of different activities to get involved with. Large bike rides included perennials such as the Edinburgh to St Andrews ride and another successful year for the Kingussie Bikeathon. New events included the First Mini Monster in Glasgow’s Pollok Park and a second Bike Film Festival in Aberdeen, following in the footsteps of its successful Edinburgh counterpart.

Scottish world record-breaking cyclist Mark Beaumont launched the week’s event with a photoshoot on the Clyde cycleway in Glasgow.

Cycling Scotland’s own MSP Bike Ride also scaled new heights this year with some of the highest profile MSPs in Scottish politics getting involved. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, then-Labour leader Wendy Alexander, Tory leader Annabel Goldie and Green leader Robin Harper all saddled up for a spot of cycle training outside the parliament. The event received a slew of media coverage with features in The Sun, Daily Record, The Herald, The Daily Express and the Metro, plus a 4 minute special on BBC2’s Holyrood Today, spreading the message far and wide that Scotland’s politicians support cycling.

Media coverage overall saw a significant increase, nearly doubling from last year’s figure of £250,000 to just under £500,000. As a result of all this extra publicity, participation figures soared 28% to 43,000 people taking part in events in Scotland.

Another successful year for Bike WeekBike Week took place 14–22 June, and was the most successful in recent years.

Aggie Mackenzie

MSPs in action

Mark Beaumont and fellow cyclists

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The annual cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh is back on Sunday 14 September, starting at Glasgow Green. The ride really does promise to be the best yet, as the detailed feedback we received from the 2007 survey has allowed us to fine tune the route and facilities. Linlithgow Palace will host the midway stop this year, giving the most scenic and historic feed station in the event’s history. Sponsored by Sustrans, the Linlithgow Fuel Stop will give Pedal for Scotland riders the chance to take a well earned rest and free lunch on the beautiful grassy Peel, with stunning views of Linlithgow Loch, all under the shadow of the well preserved ruins of the former home of Mary Queen of Scots. Other route revisions include the replacement of the unpopular steep hill out of South Queensferry, which has been substituted with a much more gradual climb. Changing facilities will also be provided at the end stop at Victoria Park, meaning that those who have worked up a sweat or caught a shower of rain can get changed into dry clothes. With around 5000 riders expected to take part, Pedal for Scotland’s tenth anniversary promises to be one of the healthiest and most enjoyable days out of the year – sign up now at www.pedalforscotland.org, or if you’re signed up already, get out cycling! Organiser Ian Aitken commented: “Pedal for Scotland has gone from strength to strength over the last ten years, so help us celebrate the ride’s tenth anniversary by joining us on September 14 to make it the biggest and best ever.” The Tour of Britain will also be back in Glasgow this year, giving you the chance to see the world’s best riders battle it out to be the first to Castle Douglas in Dumfries– catch all the action on Saturday 13 September as the riders leave from Glasgow Green.

Pedal for Scotland and tour of Britain form weekend cycling festivalThe biggest bike ride in Scotland celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and cyclists are already signing up in their thousands to be part of Pedal for Scotland 2008.

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Community Cycling innovation Fund to be launchedCycling Scotland is soon to launch a new community fund providing grants to help organisations set up cycling projects to improve life in their local area. The aim of the Community Cycling Innovation Fund is to increase the wellbeing of communities across Scotland, enabling more people to have more opportunities to cycle by helping local projects to achieve these outcomes in their own areas. Cycling Scotland’s immediate goal is to provide grants for a small number of schemes that demonstrate innovative ways of using cycling to deliver community level outcomes. These schemes will provide a series of case studies for evaluation and serve as examples of good practice for other projects to follow in future years.

Applications for grants will be considered against a set of criteria that include

Increasing access to cycling across the •whole communityPromoting cycling as a healthy physical •activity and as a sustainable and efficient mode of transport and a viable alternative to the private carGenerating and encouraging innovative •ideas to increase the uptake of cyclingPromoting and encouraging the •personal development of participantsProviding health gain for the local •community

Priority will be given to projects targeting excluded groups, operating in areas of disadvantage or working with people with the greatest health inequalities. Applications will also be assessed on how they plan to involve the local community in the planning and running of local projects.

For more details on this project and the criteria contact Alasdair Marshall on 0141 229 5350 or alasdairmarshall@cyclingscotland.org

Cycle Friendly Schools The Cycle Friendly Schools Award Scheme was launched in April this year, and looks set to present its first awards to schools at the start of the new term in September.

The award aims to promote cycling as part of the whole school culture and contribute to increasing the number of children cycling to and at school by helping to breakdown barriers and provide encouragement. Since sending out packs to all Scottish Primary Schools back in April, the scheme has received a strong response, with around 100 schools registering their involvement via the online assessment form. Cycling Scotland has provided training to create a network of assessors for the award, and

has so far trained members of staff from organisations including Sustrans, Edinburgh and Highland School Travel Co-ordinators and Grampian Road Safety Unit. The Highland Council Active Schools Team have training booked for September. Any Road Safety Officers, School Travel Coordinators and Active Schools Coordinators who would like to attend an assessor workshop should contact Lindsay Brunton on 0141 229 5350 or lindsaybrunton@cyclingscotland.org

Several schools hoping to gain the award will be assessed in the new school term, and the first schools to become Cycle Friendly Schools will be presented with their awards in September. If you would like to find out more about the scheme, Cycling Scotland will be showcasing the award at the Scottish Learning Festival at the Glasgow SECC in September, or you can visit our website at www.cyclingscotland.org/cyclefriendlyschools

Pedal for Scotland participants

Pupils From ???? School

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Fort William Mountain Bike World CupThe world’s finest mountain bikers were in Fort William from 6 – 8 June for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, with thousands of people present across three days to support the 500 professional riders taking part. Cycling Scotland attended the Mountain Bike World Cup with a stand in the Visit Scotland marquee to distribute information on cycling and encourage participation in Bike Week and Pedal for Scotland.

The 3 days of exciting competition culminated in the popular downhill race. The women’s downhill was won by British Cyclist Tracey Molesley, and Britain also performed well in the Men’s Downhill, with Gee Atherton and Steve Peat taking 2nd and 3rd place respectively, behind Russian Greg Minnaar who took first place.

Making Cycling Mainstream - proposed Free courses in Aviemore, Perth and GlasgowNew dates are being finalised for Cycling Scotland’s series of professional development courses. A string of dates for Making Cycling Mainstream workshops are currently being put together in Glasgow, Perth and the Cairngorms National Park. For the first time Cycling Scotland has secured funding and will be offering places free of charge on these workshops to appropriate staff.The courses are designed to provide professional training in specific areas for those with a remit for developing cycling. The workshops planned for delivery this autumn include Planning and Designing for Cyclists, aimed at giving engineers and transport planners a detailed understanding of how to cater for cyclists when designing infrastructure. The Monitoring and Targets Workshop explains why cycling levels should be measured, how to set targets and how to establish a monitoring strategy. The Stakeholder Engagement workshop will also be delivered, and looks at the importance of getting the views and buy-in of local users of cycle facilities, creating an effective cycle forum and managing the stakeholder engagement process. Finally, the Marketing and Promotion of Cycling workshop covers key skills in making sure routes, infrastructure and events are well used via effective PR and marketing.

Cycling Scotland is able to offer these courses free of charge, so early booking is advisable. Whilst some of the dates and venues are still being finalised, you can register your interest now by emailing jimriach@cyclingscotland.org

“Venues for these workshops are MacDonald Highland Resort, Aviemore, Perth Council, Kinnoull House, Perth and Scottish Government Europa Building, Glasgow.

WorKShoPS

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Designing for Cyclists (1 day)6th Nov

(full day)14th Nov

Stakeholder Engagement (1/2 day)5th Nov

(morning)11th Nov (morning)

Promotion and Marketing (1/2 day)5th Nov

(afternoon)

Targets and Monitoring (1/2 day)7th Nov

(morning)11th Nov

(afternoon)

Free Courses for instructors! New conversion course and instructor trainingCycling Scotland has announced a new training course to allow Trail Cycle Leaders (TCLs) to complement their existing qualification through a conversion course to become qualified as Cycle Trainers. The two day conversion course was introduced as a way to build capacity in the cycle training field. There are over 3000 people registered with the Scottish Mountain Bike Leaders Association and a real need for more Cycle Trainers. Cycling Scotland have looked at the existing competencies of TCLs and mapped these to the national standard for cycle training and developed this new 2 day conversion course.

Qualified Trail Cycle Leaders are already competent in leading groups of riders on mountain biking activities and off-road journeys, and possess key skills such as bike set-up, group management and teaching. The TCL to CT course builds on these skills by orienting Trail Cycle Leaders on the three key levels of the National Standard for Cycle Training, essentially broadening their abilities from off-road leadership to teaching on-road cycling skills.

A number of courses have already taken place, with several more booked for the near future. A programme of the four day Cycle Trainer course will also be held during the autumn and spring terms for those with no previous cycling qualifications.

Both the TCL to CT conversion and the Cycle Trainer Courses will be offered free of charge and are particularly suited to local authority staff and in particular school travel coordinators, active school coordinators and outdoor education staff responsible for cycling programmes.

To book a place on a course, organise a course in your local authority or get further information simply contact Alasdair Marshall at alasdairmarshall@cyclingscotland.org

tP&e in the saddle for South Lanarkshire Cycle reviewCycling Scotland’s engineering consultancy Transport Planning and Engineering has been making the most of the summer weather by getting in the saddle for a new job with South Lanarkshire Council.

Engineering Manager Peter Leslie has been out riding the cycle routes of South Lanarkshire as part of a comprehensive cycle review of 15 cycle paths in the area. Ahead of a planned publication featuring all 15 of the routes, the council have employed TP&E to carry out a cycle review. A Cycle Review is a process of assessing how cycle-friendly a route is, and suggesting improvements that

would make it easier for cyclists to use.

GPS Tracking is being used to map the routes, so cyclists can download these ahead of their journey to get a feel for the paths and find out where areas of interest are.

Peter Leslie commented: “I’m delighted to be entering into a new working partnership

with South Lanarkshire Council. The cycle review will provide essential information for the council to make sure these routes are as enjoyable as possible for the residents and visitors of South Lanarkshire, and it has been a pleasure to be out of the office and exploring the routes as part of the assessment process.”

Competitors at Fort William

Courses will be of fered Free

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The assessment found improved cycle training, more cycle paths, better facilities and initiatives such as Sustrans’ Safe Routes to School initiative are just some of the steps being taken get more children out of cars and cycling to school.

The Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson marked the launch of the document by joining pupils from Denny Primary taking part in on-road cycle training, which is to be rolled out to primary schools across Falkirk. Speaking at the launch, he said: “I’m delighted that the overall outcome of the National Assessment is positive and I congratulate those local authorities that are doing a good job. However, it is clear that more needs to be done to encourage Scots to take up cycling. A Cycling Action Plan for Scotland will help us do that.”

Headline results from the assessment include a huge step change in commitment from councils to planning for cycling – developing strategies, providing staff resources and expertise and developing Travel Plans.

Local successes include West Dunbartonshire, which is the most improved council in the country, scoring 35% higher than 2005. The successes include the implementation of a Travel Plan, delivery of routes and incorporating measures into development control procedures. Cycling is now a key policy area integrated into senior level steering platforms.

Fife is still the best performing local authority in Scotland, achieving a score of 71%. There is strong support for cycling at all levels. Their participatory approach to developing transport strategy has resulted in an outcome led cycling strategy supported by specific local SMART targets. It is highly prioritised in budgeting and strategy and the cycle network accommodates a wide variety of user needs.

Falkirk has a dedicated full-time Cycling Officer who has responsibility for co-ordinating and delivering all actions on cycling. The local authority has progressed significantly in the past three years since this

post was developed. On-road cycle training is being piloted at two primary schools in Falkirk and will now be rolled out further in the area. Argyll and Bute also scored well, thanks in part to an extensive roll out of cycle training, with approximately 93% of primary schools delivering training.

Erl Wilkie, Chief Executive of Cycling Scotland, commented: “I welcome the results of the latest National Assessment, as they show some real improvements for cyclists across Scotland. The assessment shows local authorities have made significant strides forward in key areas such as travel planning and tackling the school run. However, there is still work to do in addressing some of the barriers that remain, and I look forward to further partnership working with local authorities, particularly on the Cycling Action Plan.”

The assessment is available as a download from Cycling Scotland’s website: www.cyclingscotland.org

Second National Assessment of local authorities shows improvements across the countryThe results of the second National Assessment of Cycling Provision in Scotland were published in May, and showed real improvements for communities all across Scotland. The assessment, which examines cycling provisions across all 32 Scottish local authorities, found successes across the country, with particular strides being made in tackling the school run.

Scottish cycling organisations look at streamlining training schemesA range of Scottish organisations across all disciplines of cycling held discussions recently to look at streamlining the various types of schemes supporting the development of cyclists into a clear progression pathway.

The range of instruction in cycling varies from basic cycle skills right through to elite performance training for top level athletes. The range of programmes are currently carried out by a number of different organisations with different schemes and there are a limited number of links between them.

Cycling Scotland arranged a meeting between all stakeholders to discuss the idea of bringing all the different schemes into one simple structure, so that people who want to take part in the training can be easily directed on to the programme which suits their abilities best.

Members of Cycling Scotland, CTC, Scottish Cycling, Scottish Mountain Bike Leaders Award, Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland came together to discuss the proposals. Now that the three stages of cycle training in schools has been established, (Ready Steady Bike, Scottish Cycle Training Scheme and Go By Cycle) the topic of discussion centred on how to make sure that this effectively fed into to the key areas of cycle-sport, on-road journeys and off-road journeys.

The partners agreed that a more co-ordinated approach would be a good thing, and

discussed a number of options for taking the idea forward. These included starting a whole new awards structure, using models that have worked elsewhere, setting up a new body to handle all cycle awards, or using a franchise system to create an overall brand for cycle awards or schemes in Scotland with strong links between the different organisations delivering it. The latter idea was deemed to be the preferred option.

Cycling Scotland will now draft an outline action plan for taking the idea forward. For further developments on this project, check the next edition of this newsletter.

Active travel Partnership with edinburgh and Stirling UniversitiesStaff and students at the Universities of Edinburgh and Stirling are to be offered a helping hand to be more active. The Universities - in partnership with Sustrans, Paths to health and Cycling Scotland – are launching several initiatives this year aimed at improving opportunities for walking and cycling to, from and between University sites.

The Universities are offering a number of initiatives to encourage and support staff and student cyclists. These include a Cycle to Work Scheme, free Dr Bike Sessions, a Bike Buddy Scheme, free cycle training and the provision of secure cycle storage. Cycling Scotland are delivering our commuter and cycle ride leader courses to both Universities, more information on these courses is available from the Cycling Scotland website.

With the support of Sustrans and Cycling Scotland the range of initiatives available to support and encourage more staff and students to cycle will be expanded. These will include the provision of handy cycling maps showing local paths, major area

destinations and on-street links, and new signs to dedicated facilities, shops, parks and other key destinations to help people navigate the areas by cycle.

transport Minister Stewart Stevenson

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the riderz – Get into CyclingFollowing on from Cycling Scotland’s recent campaign to get more children cycling to school, an exciting new initiative was launched in June to raise the profile of cycling amongst youngsters as one of the coolest activities around.The Riderz are a team of stunt bikers who have been visiting schools in Scotland and captivating school children with their amazing stunt shows and activities. The team was created by Cycling Scotland and top creative agency The Union, pulling together the best stunt riders in Scotland and adding an urban brand image, website and unique personalities for each team member. The central idea is to create cycling role models for kids, to encourage them to take up cycling too.

The Riderz made visits to ten schools across Scotland during June, peforming a spectacular stunt show, before launching a series of activities to equip kids with key cycling skills. To give pupils a taste of the stunt riding skills of the team, the Riderz guided kids along a timber trail stunt course, before teaching playground cycle control skills and journey planning. The reaction at schools was phenomenal with the activity generating huge excitement amongst pupils, and most schools visited had cycle racks filled to bursting point. Post-event research showed that the activity had a very positive effect on attitudes to cycling. 67% of the children surveyed after a visit from the Riderz said it had made them want to do lots more cycling, and 69% said they were either more likely or much more likely to cycle to school having seen the show and taken part in the activities.

Check out the Riderz website

www.theriderz.com to find

out more about the team.

Smarter Choices Smarter Places towns announcedTransport Minister Stewart Stevenson is making up to £15 million available over the next three years to help create a series of ‘sustainable travel demonstration communities’ across Scotland under the title ‘Smarter Choices Smarter Places’. The communities will be role models for others to follow, showcasing the very best methods available to encourage residents to use more environmentally-friendly forms of transport.

Stewart Stevenson commented: “With more cars on our roads, increasing levels of congestion and rising emissions, it is time for us all to look at our travel behaviour. We need to look at new ways of persuading people out of their cars and onto more sustainable forms of travel such as trains, buses, walking and cycling. The proposals from local authorities and regional transport partnerships have been impressive and the seven communities selected now have the chance to improve travel options for thousands of residents.

“Initiatives like the bike rental schemes, the development of park and choose sites, more pedestrian-only areas, and free trial bus and train tickets will help us to meet our ambitious climate change target - to reduce Scottish emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. These proposals will help to promote healthier travel choices too, providing more opportunities for cycling and walking, allowing more people to enjoy the benefits of increased physical activity. “These schemes will make a real difference, making transport choices cheaper, healthier, safer and greener. We look forward to the lessons learned from

this project being used as a template for other local authorities, showcasing the very best of sustainable travel initiatives. It could result in a catalyst for change right across Scotland.”

Barrhead, Kirkwall, Dumfries, Dundee, Kirkintilloch/Lenzie, Larbert/Stenhousemuir and Glasgow East End will now use £15 million of funding to develop a wide range of initiatives such as personalised travel planning, the building of more pedestrianised zones, free trial bus and rail passes and the development of better walking and cycling routes to encourage their residents to use greener forms of travel. Similar schemes elsewhere have already led to impressive results. There are currently three ‘sustainable travel demonstration towns’ running in England - Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester. In Darlington, there has been a 14 per cent increase in public transport trips, 29 per cent increase in walking, 79 per cent increase in cycling and car journeys down by 11 per cent.

Within each of the Smarter Choices Smarter Places Bids there will be wide-ranging proposals, possibly covering areas beyond the scope of many individual consultants. The Smarter Ways Consortium can offer the expertise of the leading bodies across the board of sustainable travel. To find out more about the Smarter Ways Consortium you can contact the chief executives of any of the 4 organisations:

Erl Wilkie, Cycling Scotland: 0141 229 5350Sandy Cook, Living Streets Scotland: 01259 219235Ian Findlay, Paths for All Partnership: 01259 218888John Lauder, Sustrans Scotland: 0131 539 8124

Smarter Ways ConsortiumCycling Scotland has teamed up with key partners Paths for All, Sustrans and Living Streets to create a new consultancy to offer those Local Authorities who have been successful in the bid process a very broad based consultancy to assist in developing a Smarter Choices Smarter Places project which would cover sustainable transport and active travel.

the riderz amaze the kids

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Contact Cycling Scotland at:

24 Blythswood Square

Glasgow

G2 4BG or visit our website atwww.cyclingscotland.org Newsletter written by Andrew Pankhurst and Ian Aitken

ContactThe 32-year-old became the first Briton in 100 years to win three golds at the same Olympics.

Hoy won the gold medals in the keirin, team sprint and sprint events. “I cannot tell you how it feels - it is amazing,” Hoy said of the result, after winning his third medal. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to achieve the absolute maximum you possibly can. When you want something that much and the hours you put in, it is an amazing feeling when you achieve it.”

Hoy becomes only the second Briton to win three golds at the same Games after swimmer

Henry Taylor did likewise in London in 1908. Hoy has now won gold in four separate Olympic events - he won the now-defunct 1km time trial at Athens in 2004.

However, Beijing 2008 will be remembered as a victory for the entire cycling team, as other highlights from Team GB’s amazing year included a new world record set in the Men’s Team Pursuit, gold and silver in the Women’s Individual Persuit, gold and bronze in the Men’s Individual Pursuit, a gold for Victoria Pendleton in the Women’s Sprint and a gold for Nicole Cooke in the Women’s Road Race.

Chris hoy leads huge medal haul for Great Britain in Olympic CyclingEdinburgh cyclist Chris hoy clinched a hat-trick of gold medals amidst a truly exceptional team effort from the British Cycling team in the 2008 olympic Games in Beijing.

Chris hoy celebrates in Beijing

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