Foreword

By 2030 the Scottish Government’s vision is that people will make walking, wheeling and cycling  their most popular choice for short journeys. That will have huge benefits for health, wellbeing, the quality of neighbourhoods and the environment.

This Cycling Framework for Active Travel is a plan for everyday cycling. Everyday cycling plays a major role in realising that vision. To maximise cycling’s potential as a mode of transport we need to ensure the right building blocks are in place.

We are already investing record amounts in active travel and will continue to do so, with the active travel budget rising to £320 million or 10% of the overall transport budget by 2024-25. That investment will help to build more, safe cycling infrastructure, support people, for example through training, to ride safely and help ensure fair access to bikes for all. Our newly updated design guidance, Cycling by Design, published in late 2021, will ensure consistency and a high standard of infrastructure for our investment.

To make a difference on the ground, change must be delivered locally. The Cycling Framework makes clear the importance of local active travel strategies in network planning and investment decisions and our recently published active travel strategies guidance provides local authorities with advice on the development process, placing greater emphasis on using data and evidence to inform network development.

This Cycling Framework is another important piece of the jigsaw, setting out Transport Scotland’s strategic priorities and shared actions for growing cycling for transport. The Framework has been developed in partnership with Cycling Scotland, Sustrans and Local Authorities via the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) and informed by extensive stakeholder engagement and public consultation. The shared actions will help drive behavioural change and remove barriers to cycling across the country, support Scotland’s green recovery and help deliver a transport system that supports the vision of the National Transport Strategy – one which reduces inequality, takes climate action, helps to deliver a sustainable economy and improves our health and wellbeing. This Framework will be a reference point for how we deliver programmes and policies in the coming years.

So I am pleased to present this Cycling Framework and Delivery Plan, with thanks to our delivery partners whose contributions have been invaluable. By continuing to work together we can make sure that our vision for 2030 is turned into reality.

Patrick Harvie MSP

Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants Rights