Co-ordinated bike-sharing initiatives in Scotland’s largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, led to thousands of people taking up in cycling in lockdown, according to a new report.
Shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) said promotions in the Scottish capital and western city allowing users free time on a bicycle sparked a massive upturn in interest.
The scheme, funded by the Scottish government, attracted more than 18,000 new users, resulting in a 38% increase in cycling trips recorded across the cities between June and September last year.
CoMoUK’s report, A free ride to a green recovery, also found that almost three-quarters of riders experienced an improvement in their physical wellbeing, while 47% reporting their mental health improved.
Furthermore, one in 10 users said they enjoyed the scheme so much they went on to buy their own bicycle.
Lorna Finlayson, Scotland director for CoMoUK, said: “Not only will users save money and reduce their own carbon footprint, they are also likely to experience improvements to their own physical and mental health.
“The benefits that await governments and councils from promoting shared transport options like this are huge – and go well beyond simply hitting environmental targets.
“Now that we have these results, it’s important to build on this evidence and ensure more people have the opportunity to use these fantastic initiatives.”
The Glasgow and Edinburgh schemes offered the first 30 minutes of use for free, and a range of subsequent discounts to get people cycling.
The initiative was funded through Paths for All’s behaviour change programme Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) which is grant funded by Transport Scotland.
It was operated in partnership with Glasgow City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, Transport for Edinburgh and bike-share operators Nextbike and Serco.
Stuart Douglas, Paths for All’s SCSP manager, said: “This initiative is an excellent example of our funding being used to provide local solutions for local priorities and it’s fantastic to see that thousands of people in Glasgow and Edinburgh took advantage of it.
“This new report highlights that providing more opportunities that give people an alternative to the car for short journeys is not only important for the environment but also for our physical, social and mental wellbeing.
“We believe that active travel has an important part to play in a green recovery from Covid-19, and we’ll continue to work with our partners and Transport Scotland to make Scotland an active nation.”
