Drivers and cyclists must respect each other says Beaumont
Round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont will today call for mutual respect between drivers and cyclists to encourage more people to use bikes.
The long-distance record breaker is due to address 3,000 riders taking part in the seventh annual Pedal on Parliament rally to press for improved cycle safety.
He is expected to tell the protest at Holyrood: “While I believe progress has been made over the past seven years to make Scotland a safer country to cycle in, it is massively important our MSPS understand how vital safer roads and better infrastructure are for everyone.
“It’s only through a mindset of sharing roads and respect for everyone that we will see more adults and children feeling safe enough to cycle as part of their everyday lives.”
Denise Marshall, one of the event’s organisers, said: “I always liked to use my bike instead of my car until I had children.
“Now, I worry about all the potholes and close passes. I really miss the fresh air and exercise just getting around town and I’m disappointed I’ve had to stop for a while.”
Beaumont is scheduled to take part in the Edinburgh ride from The Meadows at noon in a cargo bike carrying his two young daughters.
Other speakers include Scotsman columnist Lesley Riddoch, Steven Mccluskey and Yaman from Bikes for Refugees, and Jean-matthieu Gaunand from Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council. No politicians have been invited to speak.
There will be similar demonstrations in Inverness today and in Aberdeen tomorrow.
Campaigners will call for 10 per cent of transport spending going on cycling, lower speed limits and better enforcement of traffic laws.
Neil Greig, the Scottishbased policy and research director of motoring group IAM Roadsmart, said: “We can all agree cycling will only really take off as more and more segregated facilities come on stream.
“In the meantime, Scottish drivers are sharing the road safely with the growing number of cyclists despite a totally unsuitable infrastructure in many places.”
Beaumont’s call comes five years after cycling campaigners criticised the Scottish Government-backed Nice Way Code campaign for mutual respect on the roads.
It included adverts on the back of buses which advised cyclists to overtake them “if you must”.
Lothian Green MSP and coconvener of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party cycling group Alison Johnstone, said many people had complained the campaign was “insulting and patronising”, while others found the adverts “misleading and even dangerous”.
Pedal on Parliament’s Inverness ride starts at 11am today from Bellfield Park to Highland Council’s headquarters
The Aberdeen event tomorrow is at 11am from Rubislaw Terrace Gardens on Albyn Place to the Town House.
Thousands of people will today descend on the Scottish Parliament in a bid to persuade politicians to help make cycling safer, with similar demonstrations in Inverness and Aberdeen taking place this weekend.
The increase in the number of cyclists on the roads in recent years has been fuelled partly by the growing realisation that exercise is extremely good for your health, a “wonder drug” in the minds of some experts. Cycling – an effective form of transport, particularly in cities – is a convenient way for people to build exercise into their daily routine. The more commuters who travel by bike rather than car, the less congested our streets will be to the benefit of other motorists.
But many people still feel nervous about riding among the traffic. And there have been tensions between cyclists and drivers as both groups get used to sharing roads largely designed for cars. More cycle lanes and dedicated paths would help alleviate both these problems.
And they could also unlock the potential of electric bikes to radically transform the way most people travel in cities.