Cycling and Walking Around the Firth of Clyde

Please click here for the full presentation or read on for a summary of the talk.

Michael Addiscott, Cycling Scotland Marketing and Events Officer, spoke about Cycling Scotland, the many opportunities for cycling and walking around the Firth of Clyde and the potential links with other modes of transport to give rewarding, interesting and integrated journeys either for work or pleasure.

Michael Addiscott began by introducing Cycling Scotland. This is a Scottish Executive funded organisation tasked with assisting local authorities to play their part in meeting the government’s transport targets for cycling. This equates to a quadrupling of the 1996 figures of 2% of journeys by 2012. To do this Cycling Scotland works in partnership with other organisations that will benefit from an increase in cycling. Much of this work crosses over into the bounds of walking, as well as wheelchair use and access for horse riders.

The presentation aimed to give a little insight into how a recognition of cycling can be beneficial to the work of the Firth of Clyde Forum and indeed to the organisations involved. It began by addressing why cycling and walking are relevant to the Firth of Clyde. Firstly, the geography of the area particularly lends itself to this. Within a fairly small geographical area there is an enormous diversity of landscapes and so much can be reached by so many for so little effort. Within the space of an afternoon it is possible to walk from an urban location, via sand, pebble and rock shoreline, to pastoral countryside, pine and deciduous forest and on to elevated moorlands with some of the best coastal views in Europe. Add cycling to that mix and such an experience can be attained by a wider range of people, and can tie together towns, attractions and facilities as part of a recreational outing that easily outstrips motorised transport in terms of access, convenience and, most rewardingly, engagement with the environment.

Most of the population of West Central Scotland could access pleasant environments very easily. While many people complain of feeling trapped in their communities they are not being made adequately aware of how readily they can enjoy uplifting and inspirational experiences without the need for a car. Indeed cycling and walking form the backbone of many social inclusion initiatives.

While Scotland has lower car ownership than any European country bar Portugal, almost every home has access to bicycles. Unlike most physical activities, walking and cycling are often done as a part of other things, whether going to a friend’s house, visiting an attraction or facility, or just simply getting a change of scene in company with peers. Unlike more intensive forms of exercises or those where participants are spread over a field of play, walking and cycling allow people to share time and experiences in an intimate and rewarding way. And of course, in the West of Scotland where health is unfortunately still an important issue, cycling, in conjunction with the draw of an attractive, coastal environment could present an open door in terms of joining the dots between physical activity, transport and leisure.

Cycling and walking are also very practical activities in the Firth of Clyde area. DfT studies confirm that more than 50% of the population live within 5 miles of work yet The Scottish Household Survey of 2003 reveals that more than 64% of these reach work by car. In Glasgow by 2020 every resident will live within 500 metres of the cycling network, with a huge proportion already having access to this. These links, unfortunately, are often not understood by the communities that they are there to serve. While people complain about congestion, health and council tax, if they are asked who that cycle lane running past their door is for the response will be “They cyclists.” In most countries a default mechanism still exists where if a journey is of a certain distance cycling or walking will be adopted as readily as an umbrella will be adopted if it’s raining. Here we know that people make local journeys, we know that they have bikes and we know that there is an infrastructure. It’s joining the dots with a concerted hearts and minds campaign that encourages the public to see the practicality that is the tricky bit.

There are also economic benefits to increasing walking and cycling activities. Most people live within 5 miles of work yet choose to travel by car. Apart from the cost to the individual this has also has a wider economic impact. The combination of these work specific commutes along with other local journeys, whether for leisure or utility, and the loss of recognition that other modes are more practical has led to a situation where congestion is affecting us all, even if we don’t travel. Estimates for the cost of congestion to Scotland’s economy range from 7 to 15 £billion with the CBI confirming that this figure could be as high as 25 £billion for the UK. But aside from the field of changing travel behaviour, it is also worth recognising the opportunities that cycling can create in terms of leisure and tourism revenue. The accessibility to beautiful environments such as the existing facilities at Clyde Muirsheil Country Park combined with our proximity to population centres, a rail network second in the UK only to London and equally attractive terrain means there is nothing to suggest that with the right development and marketing, this area could not far exceed the provision and income offered by the mountain bike trains so successfully developed at Glentress in the Borders.

Historically, the bicycle has long been used in the Firth of Clyde area. Archives show shipyard workers pouring through factory gates without a car in site. These were hard-working people who often had physical jobs yet would not highlight a 4 or 5 mile bike ride or 2 mile walk as a significant factor at the beginning or end of their day. We now have more people competing for space in our towns as service, retail and light manufacturing replace the heavy industries along the Clyde. Housing in many areas has increased in density as land has a higher premium attached and so there are many reasons to return to the active travel modes of previous times, not because we don’t have an alternative, but because we’ve decided to choose the best one.

There are many opportunities for cycling and walking around the Firth of Clyde area. Even excluding the excellent routes created by the National Cycling Network and other superb paths and trails we have 13,307 miles of unclassified and C-class roads within the local authority areas covered by this Forum. Cycling and walking for leisure can take the form of anything from a 100 metre ride, or stroll, along Troon sea front with the grandchildren to a 100 mile epic through the most rugged off-road terrain on the Cowal Peninsula.

Cycling and walking can easily be tied in with public transport, rail, ferries, even possibly bus routes. It is perfectly possible to travel from a home or a hotel to a seaside town and then on to a rural ride or walk in the splendid isolation of real Scottish wilderness before returning home in the same day. By marketing such multi-modal journeys as clearly defined products within the Scottish leisure and tourism markets we could take a lead on developing the pride in our unique features that was called for by Philip Riddle, Chief Executive of VisitScotland at the recent Holyrood conference on promoting Scotland. The knock on effect is that by highlighting many routes as leisure facilities we bring them to the attention of potential active commuters, and by portraying our area as an attractive and pro-active destination we also encourage inward investment.

With regard to tourism, the opportunities to promote these activities to an almost limitless range of people are superb, and tied in with the fact that they can be promoted as day trips from outside this area as readily as activities to be engaged in as part of a holiday centred within the Firth of Clyde. The initial investment just has to be made.

Moving onto utility journeys, Michael Addiscott explained that the promotion of these is in many ways the easiest to address. By looking at the destinations for potential active commuters we can very often identify how those commuters can be educated and influenced. Schools, employers, estate managers and health promotion organisations can all influence without the resistance to engagement that often exists between the public and cycling organisations or sometimes even local authorities.

Michael Addiscott then moved onto the benefits of taking advantage of these opportunities. The environmental benefits of reducing the number of cars on the roads are clear. In addition, the people cycling or walking benefit socially, mentally and physically as their fitness increases and general health also improves.

What stops people cycling or walking more? The presentation described both personal and institutional barriers. The personal ones include weather, practicality, age, health, distance terrain, personal safety and traffic. Some of the institutional barriers include a stereotyping of cyclists by policy makers, and a lack of acknowledgement that cycling is relevant and viable.

The actions to combat these barriers proposed by Cycling Scotland include the development of relevant partnerships to promote cycling and walking opportunities, identifying further opportunities, implementing appropriate consultation and focussing efforts on promoting and facilitating more cycling. Most importantly there is the need to gain commitment from influencers and policy makers.

Michael concluded his presentation by stressing the valuable opportunities for, and benefits of, increased walking and cycling around the Firth of Clyde area and the potential for integration with other modes of transport. These opportunities will hopefully be developed by the work of Cycling Scotland together with the Firth of Clyde Forum and other organisations in the future.

For further information, please see the Cycling Scotland website www.cyclingscotland.org or contact them on 0141 229 5350.