The Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Gearing up for Velo-city

07/09/2001

Pupils of Edinburgh's Royal High School were today gearing up for Velo-city, the world's biggest cycle planning conference, to be staged in the Capital next week.

Transport Minister Sarah Boyack, a former pupil of the Royal High, viewed the school's pedal power facilities, including the secure cycle racks and locker room, equipped with tools to help pupils maintain their bikes.

She also unveiled the findings of new Scottish Executive research into the take-up of cycle training in Scottish schools which revealed that 85 per cent of primary schools offer training.

The Royal High is one of seven Scottish secondary schools taking part in outreach Velo-city work after winning a competition to encourage more people to ride bikes. Two pupils will talk about their project at a special Velo-city conference session.

The opening speech at the conference - being jointly hosted by Edinburgh and Glasgow City Councils - will be given by Ms Boyack who will outline the Executive's commitment to cycling and highlight some of the major achievements to date.

Ms Boyack said:

"Cycling is not just fun and a great way to keep fit, it is also an affordable and environmentally friendly form of transport. The Scottish Executive is committed to helping people to cycle safely and that's why we have invested heavily in cycle routes and safer cycling projects throughout Scotland.

"It's particularly important that our children can cycle safely and that's why I welcome this research showing the high take-up of cycle training in Scotland's primary schools, giving youngsters the skills they need to become active cyclists throughout their lives.

"Velo-city coming to Scotland is a great chance for us all to show the world what we are doing to support cycling in this country. It's also great to see facilities such as these at the Royal High which are encouraging a new generation of cyclists."

Key findings of the cycle training research include:

• Take up rate among pupils is 70 per cent

• In addition to playground training, on road training is offered in 35 per cent of primary schools

• Nearly 2,000 cycle trainers - half of them parent volunteers - are delivering training

BACKGROUND

1. A Review of the Take-up of Cycle Training in Scottish Schools is available on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk.
2. Over 500 international delegates are expected at Velo-city 2001 - the world's biggest cycle planning conference - which takes place from September 17 -21 in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Conference themes include sustainable transport and planning, children and mobility, environment and land use, tourism and economy and health and well being.
3. As part of the Velo-city outreach work, pupils at the Royal High School have been taking part in a range of projects, including a Cycle to School Week in May 2001 which saw the number of pupils cycling to school double, with the increase maintained throughout the summer term.
4. The Scottish Executive is helping to promote cycling through its Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets projects. In the current financial year £3 million has been made available to local authorities for this work. Between 2002 and 2004 a further £11.85 million is available to local authorities from the CWSS budget.