This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Pupils brief South African Transport Minister
21/09/2001
South African Transport Minister met pupils from an
Edinburgh school before going on to address Velo-city 2001,
the world's largest cycling conference jointly hosted
between the Capital and Glasgow.
Minister for Transport Sarah Boyack delivered the
opening conference speech on Monday when she outlined what
the Scottish Executive is doing to raise the profile of
cycling.
Ms Boyack said:
"The Scottish Executive is committed to increasing the
number of Scots who cycle regularly and one of the best
ways to do this is by encouraging young people to get on
their bikes and giving them the skills to cycle safely.
"Safer Routes to Schools is proving extremely popular
and valuable in our primary schools, helping youngsters and
their parents play an active part in reducing local traffic
congestion and improving the environment.
"I'm delighted that the pupils from Sciennes have been
able to join us today to tell Dr Omar at first hand about
the work we have been doing in Scotland, why it is so
important and why so many people are enthusiastically
supporting it.
"We are determined to reduce the number of children
killed or seriously injured on our roads each year and this
initiative both raises awareness among children and reduces
the amount of traffic on the roads near schools."
BACKGROUND
- Velo-city 2001 has been running from September 17
in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The conference closes today.
Conference themes included sustainable transport and
planning, children and mobility, environment and land
use, tourism and economy and health and
well-being.
- Sarah Boyack delivered the opening speech at the
conference in Edinburgh on Monday.
- The Scottish Executive is helping to promote
cycling through its support for 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. Funds can be used for a range of measures
including traffic calming, pedestrian and cycle
crossings, secure cycle storage facilities and
providing footpaths and cycle lanes.
- The Scottish Executive is committed to doubling the
level of cycle use in Scotland between 1996 and 2002
and doubling it again by 2012.
- The Executive's target is to halve the number of
children killed and seriously injured on Scotland's
roads by 2010.
- At Sciennes, teachers and parents have been working
on a Safer Routes project since 1997 with the aim of
encouraging more families to walk and cycle to school.
The school has covered cycle racks and a number of
parents also use trailer-bikes and bike-trailers. A
number of families have also formed a 'walking bus' to
allow them to operate a rota for escorting pupils to
school.