We have invited candidates from the main political parties to speak directly to voters about their vision for sustainable and active transport in Scotland. The event will give them a chance to outline their party’s priorities before taking part in a Q&A session with you.

Who Is Attending

We have contacted all 6 of the main political parties and the following will be attending:

• Scottish Lib Dems – Peter McLaughlin, candidate for Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok
• Scottish Greens – Holly Bruce, candidate for Glasgow Southside
• SNP – TBC
• Scottish Labour – TBC
• Reform – Graham Simpson, candidate for Airdrie
• Scottish Conservatives – Kyle Park, candidate for Glasgow Cathcart & Pollok 

Find out more about who you can vote for.

Venue, Date and Time

The event will take place at The Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4JP in the Blythswood Hall on Tuesday 28 April.

• 630pm – venue opens, refreshments and networking 
• 700-830pm – hustings
• 830-9pm – final networking

Who We Are

Glasgow Eco Trust, GoBike Strathclyde Cycle Campaign, Cycling UK Scotland and Aye Cycle Glasgow represent the voices of those who walk, wheel or cycle in greater Glasgow and beyond and those who do not yet have the choice to do so.

Our supporters are commited to active travel and sustainable transport and it is a critical issue that they’d like to see the next Scottish Government deliver on. 

Glasgow Eco Trust

Community-led climate action – making a difference for people, place and planet. Glasgow Eco Trust is a local environmental charity and social enterprise based in west Glasgow that coordinates and delivers a range of environmental activities and services. Find out more at Glasgow Eco Trust

GoBike Strathclyde Cycle Campaign

Your voice for improving cycling in Glasgow and Strathclyde. GoBike campaigns for safer streets for all and making cycling a natural choice for all ages to get around. Find out more at GoBike

Cycling UK

Cycling UK enable and inspire people from all backgrounds and abilities to experience cycling’s joys and benefits. We speak up for all who cycle to make sure it’s a safe and easy choice for everyone to travel, explore and have fun. Ride with us for happier, healthier and greener lives. Find out more at Cycling UK Scotland

Aye Cycle Glasgow

Aye Cycle Glasgow is a one-stop shop website and network of community cycling organisations across the greater Glasgow area. Find out more at Aye Cycle Glasgow

Manifestoes

• Glasgow Eco Trust, GoBike and Cycling UK are three of more than 60 organisations that have signed up to the Joint Active Travel manifesto
• Cycling UK Making Cycling The Easy Choice  
• GoBike also supports the SUV Alliance manifesto https://www.suv-alliance.org.uk/

The ‘Joint Active Travel Manifesto for 2026’, supported by a range of health, environmental and road safety organisations, calls for parties to commit to multi-year budgets, link public transport and improve road safety, in order to build on ongoing success and bring the benefits of walking, wheeling and cycling to more people.

From helping to reduce Scotland’s carbon emissions to improving public health and supporting local economies, the manifesto highlights some of the many benefits that active travel brings, calling on parties to pledge to support five key commitments on continued national investment, long-term funding, infrastructure, linking active and public transport, and creating safer streets.

1. Investment: provide long term investment to transform our local high streets andcommunities, committing at least 10% of the transport budget to active travel funding.

2. Long-term commitment: Multi-year budgets to accelerate delivery of nationalstrategies on walking/wheeling and cycling, offer better value for money and givemore people access to active travel regardless of income and background.

3. Infrastructure: Transform our communities, enabling anyone, especially youngerpeople – to travel more safely on foot, by wheeling or by bike. Including through wellmaintained, accessible networks of walking or cycling routes and reorganised streetspace, creating better, greener local places.

4. Link active and public transport: Integrate walking and cycling infrastructure withpublic transport in rural areas especially, to provide alternatives to the car. Reducingcongestion for all and effortlessly linking longer journeys.

5. Safety: Reduce road danger by reducing traffic speeds in our communities, by taking dangerous drivers off the road and by creating more accessible streets for all:implementing the pavement parking ban, reinforcing the new Highway Code and making welcoming spaces everyone can use and enjoy.

Research shows widespread support for improvements in Scotland, with a clear majority (62%) of people supporting increased dedicated space for cycling in their area ¹, while Living Streets’ Pedestrian Pound report indicated nearly half of people walk to the shops foreveryday necessities several times a week ². Data recently published by Sustrans also highlighted the strength of support from Scotland’s children, with 84% of children wantingmore traffic-free paths and quiet routes for walking, wheeling and cycling, and 77% supporting more dedicated cycle paths. ³ Paths for All’s attitudes survey further emphasised these priorities, showing 91% of people rate feeling safe if walking or wheeling alone as important. ⁴

Increased national investment in active travel was supported by all major parties at the 2021 Holyrood election, with record levels of investment leading to impressive increases in walking, wheeling and cycling where projects have been delivered, including the South CityWay in Glasgow, and national walking levels increasing in the past decade. ⁵

Sadly, it’s not all good news as 12 people are killed or seriously injured while walking, wheeling or cycling every week and more action is needed to keep people safe and reduce danger at source. ⁶

Devi Sridhar is Professor and Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh and author of ‘How Not to Die Too Soon’. In support of the manifesto, Professor Sridhar said:

“A move towards active travel isn’t about banning cars, but rather increasing options and freedoms for people to choose how they want to go to school, work or city centre, whether it’s walking, cycling or public transport. Getting people moving in their daily life should be a high priority for governments given that sedentary behaviour is a major risk factor for chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and dementia. Exercise also contributes at a cellular level to better mental health.

“Scotland has made positive steps in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go to catch up with major European cities who have built active travel into urban design”.

Rose Marie Burke and John Newman, the parents of Emma Burke Newman who was killed while cycling in Glasgow City Centre in 2023, said:

“In the name of Emma and all our children killed on the road, let’s do all we can to avoid needless death, trauma, suffering, and costs to society.”

For more information download the Joint Active Travel Manifesto for 2026.

1. Attitudes and Behaviours Towards Cycling in Scotland, Wave 5, 2023 | Cycling Scotland ︎
2. Pedestrian Pound, 3d Edition, 2024 | Living Streets ︎
3. The Children’s Walking and Cycling Index Scotland, 2024 | Sustrans ︎
4. National Survey of attitudes to walking and wheeling in Scotland, 2023 | Paths For All ︎
5. Walking rates in Scotland pick up pace, study finds | The University of Edinburgh ︎
6. Reported Road Casualties 2023 | Transport Scotland ︎

With the elections coming consultations have once again dried up. Like me, you might be grateful because its been a busy couple of months of writing responses. One left – the STPR2 consultation which closes on the 15th April.

Section 1: Current Consultations

(in date order for responses)

1.1: Transport Scotland – Strategic Transport Projects Review – STPR2

There’s only a few days left to respond to this important consultation. The format is mainly drop down menu style with extra space for comments about the recommended projects in each section.

STPR2 is a shortlist of transport infrastructure projects for delivery over the next 20 years which will help Scotland to decarbonise transport as well as other objectives. This is positive and a change from the first STPR which was notable for locking in high carbon infrastructure such as motorway building and the Queensferry Bridge.

However, STPR2 still has big projects – creating a network of cycle lanes is a big job – but different in that they will be delivered by multiple actors.

I have produced a guide (below) for Cycling UK, to help people respond to the consultation – anyone is welcome to use this. Read more background in the associated STPR2 blog post.

The guide provide guidance on how to answer questions dealing with the recommendations that can benefit cycling, such as:

• Active Freeway & Cycle Parking Hubs
• Rural cycling connections
• 20 minute neighbourhoods
• Behaviour change projects
• Access to bikes
• Cycling to school
• 20mph zones
• Speed limits review

The guide doesn’t advise on the rights or wrongs of other projects such as the Glasgow Metro system!

Closes 15 April 2022

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

Transport Scotland is developing a new Cycling Framework and Delivery Plan for Active Travel which is the follow up to the Cycling Action Plan. This will be very important for driving forward action on cycling so will be a highlight of a future digest.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

None this month

Section 4: Election Actions Special

There are lots of way to get involved ahead of the election on 5 May. Below are a few of the actions you can take via active travel campaign partners. Sorry if I have missed any.

4.1: Cycling UK in Scotland – Scotland local election e-action

Cycling UK are calling for cycling revolutions in local communities across Scotland to enable more people to cycle for pleasure and short local journeys, in attractive and safe urban and rural spaces.

Councils must make this happen by spending the record levels of funding now available for cycling, walking and wheeling on high-quality cycle routes and other projects which make neighbourhoods better for people.

Election webpage – for more information
Manifesto – 10 things councils must do
Petition – how you can join in calling for action – please sign.

Cycling UK also has a new Election 2022 toolkit for cycle campaigners.

4.2 Pedal on Parliament

Join thousands of others on Saturday 23 April in Edinburgh for a 10-year anniversary Pedal on Parliament. More information about the ride, which starts at 1pm, is at pedalonparliament.org

4.3 Walk Wheel Cycle Vote

WWCV focusses on accessibility in active travel infrastructure and public spaces. See the WWCV website to contact your candidates. Also use your social media accounts to post photos of good infrastructure near you and use the hashtag #MoreOfThisPlease.

4.4 Ramblers Scotland

Ramblers Scotland’s election page has five things you can do ahead of the election.

4.5 Living Streets

Take action where you live.

I’m aching for spring and some better weather to enjoy. Maybe this hopefulness has put me in an optimistic mood but I do feel as though the winds of change are starting to build and blow through Scotland’s policy landscape to create the conditions needed for cycling to thrive.

The bureaucracy of government works slowly but if all the strategies below are strongly implemented it would move Scotland a long way towards transformatory change. What’s needed now – in parallel – is for Local Authorities to step up, be bold and deliver the change at the local level – for people, communities and cycling.

At Cycling UK we have launched a local elections campaign manifesto and are urging councils and politicians to make local cycling revolutions happen across Scotland. See item 1.5 for more information but please do support our campaign by signing our campaign e-action.

New in this month’s digest:

• ideas for responding to the Spending Review consultation (item 1.1)
• NPF4 consultation events (item 1.2)
• a new guide from Friends of the Earth Scotland on responding to the 20% Car km reduction route map (item 1.3)
• a new guide from Cycling UK in Scotland (for download below) on responding to the STPR2 consultation (item 1.4)

Section 1: Current Consultations

(in date order for responses)

1.1: Scottish Government – Investing in Scotland’s Future: Resource Spending Review Framework

The recent budget announcement of £150m for active travel is a substantial increase although it was below what was hoped for. Therefore, we need to argue for a big boost to funding in the next budget at the end of this year – £235m would be appropriate in order to get Scotland on a straight line trajectory to £320m in 2024/25.

Beyond this we need to call for ongoing increased investment in active travel to 20% of the transport budget, as Walk Wheel Cycle Vote called for at the last election. We don’t want funding to plateau at £320m – we need to argue for growth to continue.

In addition, we need multi-year funding settlements for cycling projects and initiatives so that there can be security to meet long-term objectives.

The Spending Review does not go into the detail of budgets and spend but concentrates more on the principles of future spending. I recommend using Q4 to outline the need for the above investment in active travel and that this spending will meet the principles/objectives to/for;

• ‘Empower individuals and communities’
• ‘Prevent negative outcomes from arising’
• ‘Prevention: we will consider options to redirect funding towards demonstrable preventative approaches.’

Finally, for Q4 there is also the opportunity to call for more policies which financially affect drivers as a way to disincentivise car use. The workplace parking levy, Low Emission Zones, parking charges and road-user charging (road pricing) can all add cost to driving and meet the Spending Review’s consideration of using ‘Targeted revenue raising’.

Closes 27 March 2022

1.2: Scottish Government – Draft National Planning Framework 4

The NPF4 is a major document setting out the direction for national planning policy and national developments for the next decades. The fourth NPF is focussed on meeting the net-zero target and supporting the nature restoration and recovery – good progress from NPF3.

Overall its a positive document aiming to drive planning and national developments towards addressing the climate emergency.

The big news for cycling is the inclusion of a National Cycling, Walking and Wheeling Network as a National Development, important because this designation as a national development gives it high status. There’s also more detail on creating 20 minute neighbourhoods.

Also relevant to Glasgow is a ‘Clyde Mission’ national development. However, there’s not a great deal of detail on these proposed policies.

NPF4 Consultation Events
Registration is now open for Draft NPF4 online events during February and March, facilitated by Kevin Murray Associates (KMA) and PAS. The purpose of the informal, interactive sessions is to raise awareness and share views about the Draft NPF4, in order to inform and support the preparation of responses to the consultation, which closes on 31 March 2022.

Places are available on a first come, first served basis. If you want to booking a place please e-mail scotplan@gov.scot.

Each session will focus on a specific action area, or policy theme from
Draft NPF4:

Action area discussion – sessions remaining:
Tues 1 March, 12.30–2pm – Central Urban Transformation
Tues 8 March, 4.30–6pm – North and West Coastal Innovation

Policy themed discussions – sessions remaining:
Thurs 3 March, 4.30–6pm – Distinctive Places
Thurs 10 March, 4.30–6pm – Sustainable Place

Closes 31 March 2022

1.3: Transport Scotland – 20% Reduction in Car Km Route Map 

Since last month’s digest I want to highlight the new guide produced by Friends of the Earth Scotland to help you respond to this consultation.

The Route Map has been published setting out Government’s plans to achieve the target from the updated Climate Change Plan which committed Scotland to reduce car kilometres by 20% by 2030.

Its a first time in the UK that a government has targeted demand management in this way. Wales has set up a review of its road building programme in light of the Climate Emergency – many argue that Transport Scotland should also put a halt to road building, such as increasing capacity on the A9 and A96.

The Route Map includes more than 30 interventions aiming to achieve the target but all of these are recycled policies – there’s nothing new.

In my blog post for Cycling UK I also argue that there need to be more ‘sticks’ to directly disincentivise driving. There are lots of positive ‘carrots’ providing alternatives to driving but they all need developing. There also analysis in this twitter thread.

Closes 6 April 2022

1.4: Transport Scotland – Strategic Transport Projects Review – STPR2

STPR2 is a shortlist of transport infrastructure projects for delivery over the next 20 years which will help Scotland to decarbonise transport as well as other objectives. This is positive and a change from the first STPR which was notable for locking in high carbon infrastructure such as motorway building and the Queensferry Bridge.

However, STPR2 still has big projects – creating a network of cycle lanes is a big job – but different in that they will be delivered by multiple actors.

Closes 15 April 2022

1.5: Cycling UK in Scotland – Scotland local election e-action

Cycling UK are calling for cycling revolutions in local communities across Scotland to enable more people to cycle for pleasure and short local journeys, in attractive and safe urban and rural spaces.

Councils must make this happen by spending the record levels of funding now available for cycling, walking and wheeling on high-quality cycle routes and other projects which make neighbourhoods better for people.

Election webpage – for more information
Manifesto – 10 things councils must do
Petition – how you can join in calling for action – please sign.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

Transport Scotland is developing a new Cycling Framework and Delivery Plan for Active Travel which is the follow up to the Cycling Action Plan. This will be very important for driving forward action on cycling so will be a highlight of a future digest.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

None this month

Due to the suspension of campaigning we postponed the publication of our candidate blogs and party statements over the weekend. Our final post(*) is from the Scottish National Party, which will be represented at the hustings by Kaukab Stewart. We have also been provided with a statement from Michael Matheson, the SNP Transport Secretary on active travel.

Kaukab has been campaigning for independence since the 1990s and has worked as a teacher in communities across Scotland for almost 30 years and lives in the west end of the city with her family.

She stood as the SNP candidate in the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999 against the late Donald Dewar. During her time in the party she has taken on other political heavyweights including former Chancellor Alistair Darling at the 2010 General Election.

Kaukab is hugely passionate about education and ensuring that every young person in Scotland is given an equal chance to succeed. She brings first hand experience to the table along with a determination to make Scottish education even better.

Statement from Michael Matheson SNP Transport Secretary

Over the past year during this dreadful pandemic, our way of living has been turned on its head. One of the biggest changes was that the requirement to firstly “stay at home” and then to “stay local” meant many more of us living and working locally.  The closure of gyms and contact sports to keep people safe also meant many were without their usual ways of keeping fit.  Walking and cycling – active travel – suddenly became much more popular and necessary to get about and get some daily exercise.

As we rebuild and recover from the pandemic it allows us to reimagine how we go about our daily lives. A priority for the SNP, if re-elected, will be to ensure Scotland’s economic and social recovery is green and investment in active travel will be crucial to that.

That is why the SNP has already committed to the Scotland Road Safety Framework, which has just been renewed to 2030 and invests in cyclist and pedestrian spaces to keep people using them safe from traffic. During the pandemic, we have made almost £39 million available to local authorities and other statutory bodies through the Spaces for People programme -which aims to provide temporary on and off-road segregated walking and cycling routes, safer junctions and improved design of local street space.

Last month’s Scottish Budget announcement of an additional £15 million direct capital for the active travel budget bringing the total annual active travel budget to £115.5 million for 2021-22. 

The active travel budget compares favourably to spending on roads. Active travel funding as a percentage of our capital investment in Motorways and Trunk Roads has increased from 6.3% in 2017-18 to 28.2% in the 2021-22 budget.

On cycling, we are offering new support to increase access to bikes for all including the provision of public bike and e-bike share schemes, particularly in areas of multiple deprivation and we are supporting the use of e-bikes and adapted bikes through interest-free loans and grants. 

We are committed to continuing our support for the provision of child and adult cycle training and safety programmes, including driver awareness training.  

The SNP in government also recently updated the Climate Change Plan, which has 100 policies for tackling climate change. These include a commitment to support transformational active travel projects with over £500 million of investment in the next five years, delivering better active travel infrastructure, access to bikes and behaviour change schemes.  

We also want to ensure local authorities work in a ‘joined-up way in delivering active travel infrastructure, linking towns and cities with ‘Active Freeways’. That’s why we have committed to investing an additional £50 million to deliver a strategic active travel network, to provide segregated active travel routes on main travel corridors to city and town centres and major trip attractors – linking communities throughout Scotland.

If we are to tackle the climate emergency and rethink the way we travel within and between our towns, cities and villages, then we need ambitious plans which not only transform our walkways and roads but allow local authorities to be ambitious in their plans to make better spaces for cycling, walking and wheeling. The SNP is not only committed to making all that happen, but to funding it too.  

If you haven’t already done so please sign up here (link) for free to receive instructions on how to join us. The hustings is open to all with an interest in active travel, so we hope as many of our members and friends can attend.

Our hustings will run under the Wheel, Walk, Cycle Vote banner where we will focus our questions around their three pledges on accessibility, infrastructure and investment.

* We did not receive a candidate blog and party statement submission from the Labour Party.

Patrick is co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, along with Lorna Slater, and has previously represented the Glasgow Region in the Scottish Parliament since 2003.

He has been involved in a very wide range of issues including asylum, sexual health, housing, fair work and transgender rights. In response to climate change, he has campaigned extensively on improving public transport and active travel infrastructure and has repeatedly advocated for radical measures to reduce CO2 emissions and end dependence on fossil fuels.

When he’s not fighting for social and environmental justice, he will likely be consuming copious amounts of sci-fi and responsible amounts of craft beer. Glasgow residents are also likely to have seen him whizzing around the city on an aptly-coloured green bike.

Statement

Active Travel

The Scottish Greens know that a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable transport system for Scotland is a vital component in our fight against climate change.

We want a transport system that prioritises walking, cycling and other active mobility modes, followed by public transport. Commercial and business traffic can be reduced, and encouraged into sustainable modes. Private cars will likely always have a role to play, but cannot be allowed to dominate our public spaces as they do today.

We know we need to make walking and cycling the most attractive and viable transport options in order to achieve this. This means changing both the physical space on our roads and streets, and the culture of how they’re used. It will take serious capital investment to transform our infrastructure, but this should be seen as an investment in a healthy and sustainable economy. So too is spending to achieve behaviour change and an overall shift in attitude and culture.

In the 2020/21 budget negotiations, we secured an additional £15m for cycling, walking and wheeling, bringing the total to record levels, along with a commitment to ensure that the £50m town centre fund supports active travel – but we recognise there’s still a long way to go.

So the Scottish Greens want to see a radical boost in funding in active travel from 2.2%, where it currently stands, to forming at least 10% of total transport budget. This would bring us more in line with other northern European countries, which have far higher numbers of trips made on foot or by bike. It would also reduce air pollution which is estimated to cause over 2,500 deaths per year in Scotland. We’d invest as much again in the ’15-minute neighbourhood’ concept, ensuring that communities’ needs are met with lower demand for road space.

Harnessing a significant modal shift towards active travel in Scotland also requires working closely with local government and communities. For the Scottish Greens, this means calling for increased public consultation and participatory budgeting on active travel as well as 20mph speed limits in residential areas, cycle hubs at bus and train stations, better street lighting and lengthened crossing times at pedestrian crossings.

Every child in Scotland should be given the opportunity to undertake on-road cycle training and provision for the training of adults must also be supported.

To make active travel safe and appealing, the most vulnerable road users need to be protected by law. Changing the law to presumed liability would ensure that when road accidents do happen, the most vulnerable road users are protected.

In line with other major European nations, pedestrians and cyclists with additional vulnerabilities (children, older people, disabled people) should receive automatic compensation in road accidents.

These policies are by no means an exhaustive list of the policies that Scottish Greens believe are required to increase active travel uptake in Scotland and we know that much more work is needed.

I also know how daunting it can be to start cycling in a city like Glasgow, with its woeful track record on active travel. But also know how liberating and joyful it can be, and I want more Glaswegians to share in that.

Keep an eye out for our Holyrood 2021 manifesto, due to launch on 14th April, for more detail on the Scottish Greens’ pledges and commitments to walking, cycling and wheeling.

If you haven’t already done so please sign up here (link) for free to receive instructions on how to join us. The hustings is open to all with an interest in active travel, so we hope as many of our members and friends can attend.

Our hustings will run under the Wheel, Walk, Cycle Vote banner where we will focus our questions around their three pledges on accessibility, infrastructure and investment.

I’m standing to be the first Liberal Democrat MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, having just turned 30 I’m the youngest candidate standing in the constituency. I was born and raised in Greenock, I left school aged 16 to pursue a career in the technology industry with Hewlett Packard in Erskine. For the past five years I’ve been working primarily in London but also in San Francisco, delivering consultancy to some of the world’s largest companies.

I’m well aware of the positive benefits the Scottish Parliament can achieve, especially for young people. My career is the direct result of investment made by the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition from 1999-2007. I was 8 years old when the Scottish Parliament first sat but in the last decade I’ve seen the opportunities I was provided fall away for future generations, I now want to return home to make sure we come out of this pandemic with a positive progressive path for Scotland.

Statement

Safer cycling and walking

Scottish Liberal Democrats will:

Change town planning processes to make sure roads have separate spaces for cyclists, walkers/wheelers and motorists, to keep them all safe.

Make cycling more attractive with a new challenge fund to help install showers and changing rooms in workplaces and community facilities.

Decarbonise commuting through more support for e-bikes, as part of a plan to increase government support for households to buy or use forms of electric transport.

Bring forward the £50 million programme for Active Freeway routes from town centres to outlying neighbourhoods, which has been delayed until 2025 by the current government.

Plan so that every child has done their cycling proficiency test by the end of primary school, and every adult can take tuition and a test if they want it. We need to get children interested at the earliest possible opportunity. Only around 4% of children cycle to school.

Insist on a Fatal Accident Inquiry for each pedestrian death and require regional transport authorities to take remedial action.

Attitudes to cycling will only change if it is viewed as a safe and convenient alternative to other forms of transport. Research by Sustrans and Edinburgh Council in 2015 found that just 62% of city residents felt safe riding a bike during the day, falling to 34% at night. The figures for driving a car were up towards 90%.

20-minute neighbourhoods

Active travel will be helped by the drive for 20-minute neighbourhoods. The idea is to build ‘local living’ into how we plan and invest in communities.  This would mean basic services, such as schools, employment, healthcare and other community facilities are accessible and can be reached without a car. The approach should help to disperse investment, jobs and services more widely.

Making Glasgow more accessible for all

Charities including RNIB often campaign on the accessibility of the built environment. We agree with them that there are serious issues which need addressing. For example, clamping down on street furniture to make pavements easier to navigate

We also campaigned for years to clamp down on pavement parking. It was the Liberal Democrats who first tried to legislate on this in the 2007-11 Parliament. It is good that legislation has now been passed.

We campaigned for the Spaces for People rollout and worked to secure funding from Ministers. We wanted to reclaim road space for pedestrians to give everyone more room so that it’s easier to distance. Having more space on streets will also help disabled people in the long-term.

The implementation of that wasn’t perfect everywhere, and where there were issues on the ground in places like Edinburgh we campaigned to see them rectified. It’s in nobody’s interest to see rollouts that don’t work with the community’s needs.

There is a lesson to learn here – that plans need to be properly backed up by planning, consultation and funding. We can avoid and remove obstacles by taking account of the needs of disabled people early in the design process

If you haven’t already done so please sign up here (link) for free to receive instructions on how to join us. The hustings is open to all with an interest in active travel, so we hope as many of our members and friends can attend.

Our hustings will run under the Wheel, Walk, Cycle Vote banner where we will focus our questions around their three pledges on accessibility, infrastructure and investment.

Graham Simpson has been a Scottish Conservative for Central Scotland since 2016. He was a councillor in South Lanarkshire between 2007 and 2017 and formed South Lanarkshire’s Cycling Partnership. Prior to being elected to parliament he was a sub editor for The Scottish Sun.

Statement

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us all the value of the outdoors.

More and more people have discovered what’s on their doorsteps and they are liking it.

The numbers of people cycling and walking has increased and the challenge must be to ensure that increase is here to stay.

People need to feel safe and secure when they are cycling.

So I want to see more segregated routes in every town and city.

The Spaces for People scheme has been good – mostly – but some councils have not gone about it in the right way.

Edinburgh, for example, was particularly bad. They steamrollered scheme through without any consultation and that has got people’s backs up.

What should have been a positive thing has turned into something controversial and that should not be happening anywhere.

I want to see the active travel budget as a proportion of overall transport spend increase. It’s been stuck at around the 2-3% mark for years.

I think it is realistic to aim for that to reach 10% over the course of the next parliament, though anything more would be welcome.

We need to set design standards for routes, using what I would call the double buggy test – that is it needs to feel comfortable for anyone pushing a double buggy. If it doesn’t then it has failed.

Get that right and it helps able bodied and not to able bodied too.

My party’s more-detailed proposals will be set out in our manifesto, which we have yet to publish.

If you haven’t already done so please sign up here (link) for free to receive instructions on how to join us. The hustings is open to all with an interest in active travel, so we hope as many of our members and friends can attend.

Our hustings will run under the Wheel, Walk, Cycle Vote banner where we will focus our questions around their three pledges on accessibility, infrastructure and investment.

We can confirm that a representative from each of the five major political parties will attend and have so far had named confirmations from:

Patrick Harvie – Scottish Green Party
Alex Rowley – Scottish Labour Party
Graham Simpson – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Kaukab Stewart – Scottish National Party
David McKenzie – Scottish Liberal Democrats

As with most things over the past year, this event will be online. Please sign up here (link) for free to receive instructions on how to join us. The hustings is open to all with an interest in active travel, so we hope as many of our members and friends can attend.

Our hustings will run under the Wheel, Walk, Cycle Vote banner where we will focus our questions around their three pledges on accessibility, infrastructure and investment.

Walk, Wheel, Cycle, Vote is a collaborative campaign asking all candidates for the Scottish Parliament to sign up to three clear pledges that will make Scotland a country where everyone has the choice to walk, wheel or cycle in safety for their everyday journeys. The pledges are:

• Accessibility: Ensure that our streets, paths and footways are accessible to everyone, whether on foot or using any form of mobility aid; by putting accessibility at the heart of our street design, we will create places everyone can use and enjoy.
• Infrastructure: Create a long-term programme to rebuild our villages, towns and cities around walking, wheeling and cycling, with active travel infrastructure everyone can use – the initial goal should be that every child who wants to can walk, wheel or cycle to their school.
• Investment: Provide the sustained, long-term investment needed to start this transformation of Scotland into a country that enables active travel everywhere – starting from 10% of the transport budget, and rising to 20% over the course of the parliament.

Read the asks in full here.