Spike in cycling activity for fourth month in a row

Fears that the move to the third phase of Scotland’s route map out of the Covid-19 pandemic would result in a “big drop” in cycling have been allayed, with new figures showing a 44 per cent increase in the number of people getting on their bikes in July.

Levels of cycling activity increased by as much as 182 per cent in areas of Scotland last month.

The spike in cycling activity compared to the same period in 2019 marks the fourth successive month that levels have increased compared to last year.

New figures compiled by Cycling Scotland from data collected by automatic cycle counters showed that in some areas of the country, the year-on-year increase in July was more than four times the national average.

One counter at Millgarholm Park in the North Ayrshire town of Irvine registered a 182 per cent jump, with counters in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, and Glasgow’s Clyde Street showing rises of 140 and 120 per cent respectively.

Scotland entered phase three in the plan to recover from the pandemic on 10 July, and Natalie Cozzolino, Cycling Scotland’s monitoring and development officer, expressed delight that the cycling trend had continued.

She said: "We were concerned that the progressive lifting of many lockdown restrictions would lead to a big drop in the number of people cycling.

"So it's encouraging to see that although there's been a decrease in July, the nation's renewed interest in cycling is still continuing.”

July's increase follows rises of 68 per cent in April, 77 per cent in May and 63 per cent in June, compared with the same months last year.

Ms Cozzolino said that it was hoped the organisation would have a “better understanding” of the medium-term impact of Covid-19 on cycling in Scotland by the end of the year.

She added: "Continued action is needed more than ever to support an increase in cycling.

"We want to encourage more people across Scotland to discover the lasting benefits of riding their bikes and to help tackle the climate emergency we face.

"Better cycling infrastructure - especially bike lanes separated from traffic - giving more people access to bikes and training and enabling people to store their bike safely are four critical elements if this increase in people cycling is to continue."

It comes as the Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme went live at around 100 shops across the country at the beginning of August.

Cycling Scotland also piloted a new essential cycling skills course to help families build the skills and confidence to cycle safely.

Support worker Paula Wyllie from Annan in Dumfries and Galloway attended a session with her children - Maya, 13; Ava, 11; and nine-year-old Ben - in July.

The 35-year-old said: "We thoroughly enjoyed Cycling Scotland's Essential Cycling Skills course.

"Our instructor, Josh, was friendly and made the session fun. He was informative, explained things clearly and answered all our questions.

"We now feel more confident when out cycling as a family."

Transport secretary Michael Matheson said he was "pleased to see a higher rate of cycling in July compared with the same time last year.”

He added: "Through our Covid-19 response we're working hard to keep this momentum in cycling going across the country.”

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