Minister Says ‘Things Must Change’

Speaking via DVD at the start of today’s Cycling Scotland Conference Tavish Scott MSP, Scottish Minister of Transport, said that it was vital that cycling was made an attractive and realistic alternative to car use.

He referred to Al Gore’s film on Global Warming, An Inconvenient Truth, and indicated that The Scottish Executive was taking the issue seriously. He talked about reducing congestion and climate changing gases as well as promoting economic development and achieving a better quality of life. Nothing unexpected there then.

He was clearly concerned that across Scotland only 10% of children had access to on-road cycle training – “must change dramatically” was his verdict. A new Cycle Training scheme is being developed, as is an updated version of Cycling by Design, promised for January.

Cycling Demonstration Towns is an ambitious three year programme running in six places in England. The Minister announced that he was considering the idea for Scotland.

Long time cycle campaigner, Ian Maxwell, publicly expressed the hope that Edinburgh could be one of the first.