50pc more cyclists on road during pandemic
THE number of people cycling in Scotland has increased by almost 50 per cent during the pandemic.
Cycling Scotland said the boom in biking saw an increase in usage in almost every month of the past year.
The charity uses a network of 47 automatic cycle counters across the country. It found there were 47 per cent more cycling journeys recorded between March 23, 2020, and March 22, 2021, compared with the same period in 2019-2020.
There were increases of 68 per cent in April, 77 per cent in May, 63 per cent in June, 44 per cent in July and 33 per cent in August, compared with the same months in 2019.
In January 2021, cycling numbers decreased 14 per cent
– which the charity attributes to bad winter weather – before a rise of 20 per cent in February. The statistics show the number of people cycling in the first three weeks of March was up 52 per cent on the same period last year, which came prior to the coronavirus lockdown.
Spikes of more than 100 per cent were recorded over the year in Girvan, Callander and Dunoon. Chief executive of Cycling Scotland, Keith Irving, said: ‘It has been a horrendous year, but one of the few bright spots has been more people getting back on their bikes.
‘To get even more people cycling, we need to invest more in infrastructure so people feel safe. We need more dedicated cycle lanes, separated from vehicles and pedestrians.’
Claire Sharp, a charity worker who lives in Glasgow’s south side, started cycling again last year. She said: ‘Apart from being able to exercise, [cycling has] improved my mental health as it’s given me confidence to do something I didn’t think I could do.’
Asif Sattar, 45, an IT worker from Motherwell, said: ‘Cycling was a way for me to break free of the lockdown gloom.’