Wadler's Blog

Come join Pedal on Parliament! Gather in the Meadows from 11am Saturday 23 April, procession sets off at noon.

A few years ago, I took my son with me to ICFP in Copenhagen. We had a blast cycling around the city, and marvelled that there were bike paths everywhere. When I lived in Morningside, my cycle to work was along quiet roads, but even so it felt safer when I arrived on the bike path through the Meadows. Now that I live near the Cameo, I'm even happier to get off the busy road and onto a path. And I look forward to the future, because Edinburgh is a city that invests in cycling and has a plan on the table that includes a cycle path from the Meadows to the Canal, which will run past my flat.

Getting more people cycling will cut pollution, benefit health, and increase quality of life. Studies show that people don't cycle because they feel sharing the road with cars is unsafe, so investment in cycle paths can make a huge difference. If people in the UK cycled and walked as much as people do in Copenhagen, the NHS would save around £17 billion within twenty years. The video below makes the case brilliantly.

Scotland has set a goal that 10% of all travel should be by cycle or foot (the buzzword is active travel), but only spends about 2% of its budget on active travel. The City of Edinburgh has pledged to up it's active travel budget by 1% a year until it reaches 10%. Pedal on Parliament is our chance to support the positive steps in Edinburgh, and encourage the rest of the country to take action.

Labels: Cycling, Politics, Scotland