More ambition needed

Cycling campaigners urge council to step up a gear

A DUNDEE cycling group has called on the council to be more ambitious in try ing to get people to ditch their cars.

Following the council’s successful bid for £440,000 from the Scottish Government, Dundee Cycle Forum has set up an online petition calling for the council to apply for more money.

The initial sum of money will be spent on introducing new 20mph zones, removing through traffic in some areas, and temporarily banning vehicles on some streets, such as Union Street.

However, the group says more needs to be done, such as creating a citywide cycling network, more storage facilities, and further measures to tackle congestion and pollution around schools.

They also want to see an online consultation set up to help find out what residents would like to see done to encourage people to walk and cycle.

Donald Baddon, from Dundee Cycle Forum, said: “Active travel and public transport should be our priority, but right now they are fighting for the crumbs, that is why we have high pollution and this could be the first steps to a really good future. It is all about how to make a better Dundee.

“The fund is still open, and Perth got £1.1 million, Aberdeen got £1.7m, Glasgow got £3.5m and Edinburgh got £5m, which are all substantially bigger bids than Dundee.”

The council has said it is committed to applying for a second tranche of cash, but added it needs to first make sure it has carried out all the proposals from the first round of money.

Alan Ross, convener of city development at Dundee City Council, said: “We are focused on implementing the current first phase over the next three or four weeks, but as more resources have been identified for the fund, we are committed to bringing forward a second bid and will work up further proposals once the first round of successful bids have been implemented.”

Donald Baddon, from Dundee Cycle Forum.