Cycling Scotland
Cycling Scotland is the nation’s cycling organisation. Working with others, we help create and deliver opportunities and an environment so anyone anywhere in Scotland can cycle easily and safely.
We provide a programme of support to help organisations be more cycling friendly, campaign for road safety for people on bikes, manage cycle training programmes including Bikeability Scotland, the national cycle training programme for school children, and monitor and report on cycling rates.
Through our National Monitoring Framework, we measure the levels of cycling rates using a network of up to 60 automatic cycle counters to help build a nationwide picture.
During the pandemic, Scotland has seen a surge in the number of people cycling. Since Covid-19 restrictions first came into force on 23 March 2020, we have been releasing regular updates on the number of people cycling across the country. Statistics released in April 2021 showed a 47% increase in cycling journeys recorded between 23 March 2020 and 22 March 2021 in Scotland.
Increases of 68% in April 2020, 77% in May, 63% in June, 44% in July and 33% in August were recorded, compared to the same months in 2019.
Cycling has a key role to play in people getting exercise and fresh air, managing the ongoing pressure on our transport system and, crucially, tackling the global climate emergency we face.
Claire from Glasgow started cycling during lockdown restrictions. “Apart from being able to get out and exercise, it’s improved my mental health as it’s given me confidence to do something I didn’t think I could do. It’s made me feel empowered. I’ve also found going for a cycle after work helps me process things that have happened during the day and makes me less stressed.”
To get even more people cycling, we need Scotland to invest more in infrastructure so that people feel safe to ride their bikes. We need dedicated and separate cycle lanes, reduced traffic on residential and shopping streets, and access to bikes and bike storage so that anyone, anywhere can enjoy all the benefits of cycling.
Visit cycling.scot for more information.
