Active Travel

Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to The Chamber Scottish Parliament on Wed 9th Jun 2010

From the outset, the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee has taken an active interest in active travel and during the annual round of budget scrutiny we returned repeatedly to the need to allocate a greater share of the transport budget to active travel. As a result, I was pleased when we agreed to conduct an inquiry into active travel. Like others, I thank the clerks and fellow committee members for their work. Most of all, though, I thank those who gave evidence for providing us with a wealth of knowledge and for bringing such enthusiasm and optimism to the subject. Indeed, I think that all committee members have been infected by that enthusiasm-although Alex Johnstone was not present often enough to get infected by it. I am less sure that the minister has succumbed, but perhaps this afternoon we can persuade him that something really good can be done in Scotland.

I do not really need to rehearse the reasons why we should encourage active travel, although I could mention health and wellbeing benefits, sustainability, beating congestion, independence and financial savings-in fact, all those and more. Our inquiry focused on active travel not as a leisure pursuit but as a transport choice; in other words, instead of being an end in itself, it was about travelling with a purpose, be it to go to work, school or college, the local library, the shops, the brownies, the scouts or the sports pitch. Of course, any improvements will also benefit people who wish to walk and cycle just for the fun of it.

Where are we starting from? As Charlie Gordon pointed out, at the moment only 2 per cent of people cycle, only 1 per cent of children cycle to school and 12.5 per cent of people walk to work. The Sustainable Development Commission has said that

"Transport is the poorest performing area for sustainable development"

and that within that poorly performing area

"active travel is in relative decline".

That is not a very good starting point.

Our report focuses mainly on why Scotland is performing so poorly and, more important, on what can be done to improve matters. However, first of all, we had a quick reality check. Was there something distinct about Scotland that meant that we should not aspire to a more active travel style? What about the hills, the weather or the Scottish temperament? I reassure the chamber that we concluded that Scotland has the potential to embrace active travel.

What are the barriers? As Charlie Gordon pointed out, the widespread perception is that cycling is unsafe. SPOKES, the Edinburgh cycle group, told us:

"It is a prerequisite for extensive cycle use for everyday journeys by a wide spectrum of the population that the road system looks, feels and is safe and welcoming for using a bike."

That can be achieved only through investment in infrastructure in order to deal with particular pinch points and difficult junctions, to provide dedicated cycle lanes where necessary and to reduce speed limits in residential areas. I certainly think that 20 mph should now be the norm in such areas. In the longer term, the planning process must pay heed to the needs of walkers and cyclists.

It is also worth noting that there is safety in numbers. The more cyclists and pedestrians who are out and about on our streets, the safer the streets become. Road safety must also be addressed through a more co-ordinated package of cycle training, and I welcome the comments that the minister made on that subject this afternoon.

With regard to increasing uptake in walking, Elaine Sheerin spoke with great zest about the Gorbals healthy living network and highlighted walking's social and safety aspects, while the Scottish Association for Mental Health pointed out that

"there is a growing recognition that being physically active is strongly associated with mental wellbeing".

I emphasise that point, because I think that it has been overlooked in the past. Having more people out and about on our streets has a positive impact on personal and community wellbeing, and we need to find some way of factoring the less-tangible benefits into our spending decisions.

Walking is human-scale activity. It is not only active but interactive: it allows us to relate to our communities in a way that is impossible if we simply drive everywhere. Walking is a sociable pursuit that gives us time to pay attention to our companions and to meet and greet neighbours. We notice more of what is going on around us and we feel better connected to our community. If the school walk replaces the school run, we will have the time to listen to our children's achievements of the day and to hear about their worries. Children, teenagers and the elderly all rely heavily on walking; surely they deserve to have a good environment in which to go about their business.

Our committee concluded that the two most significant barriers to improving our record are lack of leadership and inadequate budgets. Leadership is needed at local and national level. Recently, I attended a walking and cycling conference and encountered a room full of exceptional people who day in, day out champion active travel but who are often not supported enough by political commitment from either their councils or national Government. Those people know what needs to be done and have the enthusiasm to make a difference. I want us to harness that enthusiasm for everyone's benefit. One of those people was Mark Kiehlmann of East Dunbartonshire's Cycle Co-op, who was recently given the Scottish and United Kingdom volunteer of the year 2009 award by the Cycling Touring Club. He is now organising the inaugural Bishopbriggs cycle festival, which will take place this Sunday. I wish him well with that.

However, enthusiasm alone will not bring about the changes that we want. We cannot escape the fact that a fairer share of funding is required. Sadly, since the Scottish National Party took over, total cycling investment has fallen each year. The minister's response is disappointing because it appears to be complacent. It is incredible that he thinks that his vision of a 10 per cent modal share for cycling by 2020 can be delivered with funding at the current level-he is kidding himself. The SNP is a serial offender in promising big but not always delivering. Surely the SNP has by now cottoned on to the fact that achievements do not happen by aspiration alone.

To improve take-up of active travel, we will need an investment programme that is sustained for many years. After the next spending review, I would like the funding that is available to the Government's sustainable transport team to increase steadily. A shift in priorities in the existing transport budget would mean that many people would opt to travel actively. The minister must match his ambition with the investment that is needed to bring about results.