Dumfries cycling guru Sally Hinchcliffe has welcomed national research results showing more than a third of people now use a bike in Scotland.
But she reckons the town has “missed a trick” by failing to instal new cycle lanes with protective posts.
Sally pointed out the success of new lanes introduced to Glasgow and Edinburgh when there was a reduction in traffic due to the lockdown restrictions on travel.
She made the observation following the results of a survey by Cycling Scotland which is carried out every two years funded by Transport Scotland.
More than 1,000 people across Scotland were interviewed face-to-face in August and September 2021.
The study’s results found there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of people cycling since 2017.
Four in 10 people, 39 per cent, of 18 to 24-year-olds living in Scotland now cycle for everyday journeys compared to just 23 per cent in 2017 – a rise of 70 per cent in the past four years.
And the number of people citing the environment as a reason they cycle has more than doubled since 2017, rising from 12 per cent to 22 per cent in 2019 and now 28 per cent in 2021.
But while the past two years saw the weekly use of all other forms of transport drop, the number of people cycling at least once a week rose by a third – from nine per cent in 2019 to 12 per cent in 2021.
Keith Irving, chief executive of Cycling Scotland, said: “The world has changed considerably since we last carried out this tracker research in 2019.
“With 35 per cent of the population cycling for transport or leisure, it’s encouraging to see it becoming a much more common way of getting around and getting exercise.
“As well as helping people feel healthier and happier, swapping the car for the bike remains key in tackling the climate emergency.”
The research highlighted barriers to people cycling which officials insist needs to be addressed.
They include: parents concerned about the safety of their local roads for children and almost two thirds said a lack of cycle lanes or traffic-free routes prevented them cycling more while one in five reported that they did not have somewhere they could store a bike.
Keith added: “To help more people to cycle, we need to ensure access to bikes and storage, both at home and at destinations including workplaces and shops.
“We can see in our research that roads being too busy is one of the biggest barriers to cycling — we need to reduce vehicle traffic in shopping and residential streets, in line with the welcome Scottish Government commitment to reduce vehicle kilometres by 20 per cent by 2030.
“To make our roads safer, particularly for children, a network of dedicated cycling lanes, separated from traffic, is the biggest priority. And every journey cycled will make a difference in cutting emissions in a just transition to Net Zero.”
Sally, convener of Cycling Dumfries, said: “We are certainly seeing more cyclists.
“But I do think in Dumfries it is disappointing not to see more cycle lanes with small poles sectioning them off for protection like in Glasgow and Edinburgh where temporary lanes have now been made permanent.”
