Head of Cycling Scotland calls for cycle superhighways

A joke. And not a very good one. The ruling party rejected a proposal to introduce presumed liability because they were scared of the motor lobby. Most of the transport money is going on roads, the token amount spent on cycling goes on idiocy such as NiceWay, promotional leaflets and tourist routes.

Of course the 10% target is achievable, if they had the foggiest notion of how to. But they don't. Not that the opposition are any better - if anything they are more obsessed by the moton vote.

On a population level (almost) everyone agrees that they want more people to cycle rather than drive.

On a personal level (almost) everyone also secretly agrees that they don't want to do this because driving is easier.

Clearly there is not enough carrot in the plans for cycling in Scotland to tempt people onto their bikes, but there is also not enough stick to force people out of their cars.

Without both the vision is just a mirage.

Is that more talk I hear? Less talk and more action. That's the only way things change.

"London has seen an incredible increase in cycling for lots of reasons and it shows there is demand out there," he says. "But with the best will in the world, Scotland doesn't have the available budget that London has".

Actually, Scotland is the only part of the UK where government transport spending comes anywhere close to London levels. Look up table 9.15- http://is.gd/ER7xZT. And they don't have Crossrail and Tube upgrades to pay for.

The money is there. The political will isn't.

Closest thing we have to superhighways in Edinburgh is the Bus (and Bike) Lanes, terrific, enforced by cameras, brilliant. Currently being abolished at peak times. Back to the stone age, then!

Don't waste time imagining things are getting better.

And that Dutch 70s campaign looks like it'd translate as "Stop The Childkilling". I wonder what their infrastructure would look like now if they'd been less confrontational, maybe with a family-friendly day out "Pedal on Parliament".

Its all Pie in the Sky. Lets start by getting the roads up to a state of repair where they could be considered safe. Then lets start with educating Drivers and Cyclist on how to treat each other. The introduction of a 1.5m Law would go a huge way to making cyclists feel they have a bit of protection out there. Then if you want to go around spraying Blue Paint on the roads fine. And after that every single new road that is built(obviously other than motorways) or resurfaced includes as a bare minimum includes a 1.5m wide cycle lane.

Don't forget that these people supported the Niceway Code

The first thing you should do is out some tarmac on the roads and you might see some more cyclists... the roads are a mess potholes all over the place the countryside like like a dumping ground between Barrhead and Irvine the councils just don't seem to care anymore... all the potholes are filled for cars and alike.... they don't seemed to care about 2 wheeled vehicles

Official confirmation from parliament that 10% of all trips is a government target
http://www.spokes.org.uk/2013/02/1-by-2020-vision-or-target/

doesnt matter if it south of the border or above (seeing as scotland government has full control of scottish roads it should not be the old Westminister argument)

anyway that 10% that was a target, then it became an aim, now an ambition, and soon it will be a distant memory...

apart from tourist route upgrades, this scottish country has done very little to help day to day cycling in cities and especially in rural towns and surrounding communities.

the whole cycling infrastructure and the promises of spending are a JOKE, above and below any border in the UK.

Can we have this positive attitude to cycling from politicians south of the border as well please? (or maybe move the border south by a few hundred miles).

Did I read that correctly? A ten-fold increase in 5 years? Wow, that's ambitious.