HJ
Cycling in Scotland
- Location
- Auld Reekie
Pedal on Parliament, or PoP for short, was launched recently by (among others) some former and current members of Cyclechat! ... Magnatom & HJ. It is a grass roots campaign for safer roads for all, with a mass ride on 28 April, from The Meadows in central Edinburgh to Holyrood, to hand over their petition to Members of the Scottish Parliament.
The full manifesto can be accessed on the PoP website, here is a summary of the eight points:
1) Proper funding for cycling
2) Design cycling into Scotland’s roads
3) Safer speeds where people live, work and play
4) Integrate cycling into local transport strategies
5) Sensible road traffic law and enforcement
6) Reduce the risk of HGVs to cyclists and pedestrians
7) A strategic and joined-up programme of road user training
8) Solid research on cycling to support policy-making
PoP has the support of CTC (Scotland) and Mark Beaumont, who says he is hoping to join the ride (see this news article), and are currently recruiting other well-known faces.
Come along, bring your family, and spread the word.
If you can’t join in the ride, you can still support PoP via Twitter @popscotland, Facebook and sign the petition, so everybody can contribute! And you can contact the team via hello@pedalonparliament.org
While the event is based in Scotland, there are some fresh and excellent ideas in the manifesto that could equally take off a wee bit further south!
Proper investment in cycling will bring so much more than the expenditure put in, benefits will gradually be reflected in a changing, healthier population. We all know our natural resources are not infinite and we would be irresponsible not to think of ways of making them last, but cycling is hardly a hair-shirt option. Rather it is a joyous way to get about - but one that has become confined to a hardy few because of the conditions on our roads. From Kirkpatrick MacMillan onwards, Scotland has a long history of popular cycling which has been all but forgotten. We believe these times can come again and Scotland can once more be a beacon for the world.
“Work as if you are in the early days of a better nation” – Alistair Gray
“The great city is not the one that has highways, but one where a child on a tricycle or
bicycle can go safely everywhere.” – Enrique Peñalosa
