Tag: active travel

Cheap and easy bike maintenance to save time AND money

man riding bicycle on city street

With the country being urged to exercise more to prioritise their health and wellbeing, new cyclists have been offered seven beginner’s tips to maintain bikes and save hefty bills in the long run.

Penny pinching pros at personal finance comparison site TheMoneyPig.com have researched and revealed seven bike components to check regularly to save having to pay for expensive replacements as often.

The government recently announced the Fix Your Bike Voucher Scheme as part of a £2 billion package to encourage walking and cycling.

The scheme allows British cyclists to claim a voucher worth up to £50 towards the cost of repairing a bike – but you will have to hurry as the first round of 50,000 vouchers went within hours.

For those unable to bag one of the 500,000 vouchers up for grabs, getting a bike back on the road can be costly.

But keeping on top of basic maintenance can dramatically prolong the life of bike components, which in turn will save cyclists money.

It can also greatly improve the general cycling experience, plus make it much safer.

activity bicycle bike biker
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

A spokesperson for The Money Pig said: “The benefits of cycling are seemingly endless. It improves mental wellbeing, promotes weight loss, builds muscle, and is a low impact form of cardio exercise.

“It can also be very enjoyable – there’s nothing like a relaxed bike ride around a country park at the weekend.

“But buying and maintaining a bicycle can be costly, so anything you can do to prevent having to shell out for expensive replacements often is a win.

“We’ve researched seven components to keep on top of and listed what to look out for, to save hefty repair bills.”

1. Drive train

If your bike is making the not-so-sweet sound of metal rubbing against metal, chances are all the appropriate lubrication has worn off. This can shorten the life expectancy of your chain and sprockets, which are not cheap to replace. Save yourself the unnecessary cost by regularly cleaning and lubricating the drive train. The more often you clean and lube, the less time it takes every time you do it.

2. Tyres

Tyres can make a huge difference in the quality of your bike ride. If the pressure is too low, you have to work a lot more to keep the same speed than with proper high pressure, and you will get flats more easily, especially when hitting a curb hard. Make sure you check your tyre pressure at least once every two weeks. Even if you’re not going to ride your bike for a significant period of time, try to remember to keep them inflated. If this isn’t possible, take the tyres off. This will prevent cracks developing on the sides.

3. Brakes

Ensuring your brakes work effectively won’t only save you from having to pay for expensive replacements, but it’s a matter of safety. If you have to pull the brake lever until it touches the handlebar, you should adjust the brake pads closer to the rim or disc. It’s also important to keep both the pads and the braking surface clean from dirt and oil. Dirty pads wear out themselves and the braking surface much quicker.

4. Nuts and bolts

Check regularly to ensure screws, bolts and nuts aren’t coming loose. If they need tightening, do so, but be careful not to overtighten them. With some newer bike models, the parts have the maximum torque limit written on them and you can buy tools that apply only a specified amount of torque.

5. Gears

After riding your bike for some time, you will probably realize that the gears don’t shift as smooth as when your bike was new. Provided the cables or derailleurs are not damaged, you can easily re-index the gears by yourself at home. There are tutorials online that you can follow.

6. Chain

Regularly cleaning the chain will allow you to squeeze more miles out of it before needing a replacement. You can easily check the chain wear using a chain checker. If the chain stretch is above 0.75% it’s time to get a new chain. A worn-out chain will quickly wear out the cassette and chainrings, which could lead to even costlier replacements.

7. Saddle

Quite often saddles will squeak, quite rhythmically, with each pedal stroke. To remedy this remove the saddle from the clamp, clean the rails then apply a couple of drops of light oil before wiping off. Then replace.

East Craigs to become capital’s first Low Traffic Neighbourhood

Edinburgh’s first Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) is to be introduced as part of Spaces for People improvements.

The city council will be implementing a series of temporary measures in the East Craigs area of the city over the coming weeks to help people walk, cycle and wheel safely, including segregated cycle lanes, closing roads to ‘through’ traffic and a bus gate. These interventions will add to temporary measures put in place across the city since May to support safe physical distancing.

LTNs reduce the impact of motor traffic on neighbourhoods, creating people-friendly spaces and encouraging physical activity by limiting through traffic on designated streets, while maintaining local access.

Recent feedback to consultation on the West Edinburgh Link (WEL) project demonstrated strong support for proposals to improve conditions for walking and cycling, enhance public spaces and facilitate sustainable transport.

Suggestions to make it easier and safer to travel by foot, bike or wheelchair received via the Commonplace online tool also influenced council plans for an LTN, along with the local school’s travel plan and traffic surveys of vehicle volumes and speeds in the area.

Once implemented, the council monitor the effects of the LTN, making amendments if appropriate, and will be engaging with the community to help shape the scheme. Any plans for a permanent LTN, as part of WEL, would draw from this, though further, significant consultation with residents would be carried out before any decisions are made.

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “We’ve been working hard to introduce a package of measures across the city that will make it easier and safer to get around, to spend time in local high streets and to return to school as restrictions are lifted.

Many of these changes respond to feedback from the community, and in East Craigs we know that local people want to see conditions for walking, cycling and travel by public transport improved. The range of interventions we’ll be implementing will create safe, people-friendly streets by reducing speeding and opportunities for rat running. Vehicle access will of course be maintained for residents.

Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “These temporary measures are supported by previous research and feedback and will benefit the community as they return to work and school.

“We’ll be closely monitoring their impact and drawing from this as we work to develop a long-term LTN for the area, as part of WEL. Of course, there will be further consultation with the community before any decisions on permanent schemes are made.”

The key changes being introduced as part of the LTN in East Craigs include:

  • Introduction of segregated cycleways along Drum Brae North
  • Introduction of advisory cycle lanes on part of Drum Brae South
  • Improvements to junctions in East Craigs to make them safer for cyclists and pedestrians
  • Introduction of a bus gate on Craigs Road
  • Introduction of six road closures, with filtered permeability for bicycles and pedestrians, in the East Craigs area including: North Gyle Terrace, North Gyle Road, Craigs Gardens, Craigs Loan and Craigmount Avenue North

Emergency measures to support walking, cycling and wheeling while observing physical distancing have already been implemented across Edinburgh. These include segregated cycle lanes, widened pavements and road closures both in the city centre, on routes to parks and green spaces and in local shopping streets. We’re also introducing improvements around schools as pupils return.

Examples of LTNs introduced elsewhere have seen traffic levels, and often speeds, fall. Walking, wheeling and cycling has also been found to increase, while it has been observed that stopping through traffic on side streets doesn’t significantly add to congestion on main roads.

Find out more about Spaces for People on the Council website.

Council must use Spaces for People funds wisely, say Greens

New funds for cycling and walking infrastructure awarded to City of Edinburgh Council must be used wisely if traffic jams and unsafe roads are to be avoided as lockdown lifts, the Scottish Greens have warned.

City of Edinburgh Council has been awarded £5m as part of the £30m Spaces for People fund, to make social distancing and active travel possible as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

The funds are possible because of the budget deal won by the Scottish Greens, which saw the active travel budget raised to £100m for the first time ever.

However, Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors across Scotland have already resisted the establishment of temporary safe spaces for walking and cycling, prioritising congestion over common sense.

Green MSP for Lothian, Alison Johnstone, has urged City of Edinburgh Council to put public safety, air quality and the economy first by investing the funds in a way which keeps people moving.

Alison Johnstone MSP said: “I welcome the fact Edinburgh has applied for and been granted £5m to make our streets safer. This funding can make a real difference here, but only if it is invested wisely.

“If people avoid public transport in the near future, there is a real danger our streets will be clogged up with traffic jams, causing dangerous levels of pollution and preventing anyone getting anywhere.

“New infrastructure must be visible and useful not tokenistic, such as on main arterial routes which people will need when they start to go back to work. It also needs to be given the option to become permanent once the benefits become clear.

“Roads exist to serve people, not just cars, and there is some incredible work being done in France, Italy and across Europe to redesign them to keep people moving. I urge City of Edinburgh Council to ignore the retrograde naysayers who are obsessed with 1960s-style town planning and look instead to the needs of citizens.”

Cycle hire offer to NHS staff extended

Transport for Edinburgh has announced the release of an additional 250 four-month passes for Edinburgh Cycle Hire (Just Eat Bikes) for NHS staff

Developed in partnership with Sustrans Scotland and Edinburgh Cycle Hire operators Serco, the scheme has been made possible with funding through Sustrans’ Partnership Programme, supported by Transport Scotland.

Since the end of April 2020, 100 NHS workers have been benefiting from the first phase of the programme using free annual passes. These have supported NHS staff throughout the Lothian area, and provided a healthy way to travel for essential journeys and for work during the Covid-19 crisis.

Recognising the success of the 100 passes, and building upon the support demonstrated for the scheme through over-subscription to the first phase, a further 250 passes are being made available to NHS Lothian employees.

The new four-month Edinburgh Cycle Hire passes can be applied for by emailing a request to support@edinburchcyclehire.com using an NHS email address (@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk or @nhs.net).

The passes will provide workers with a code to load into the Edinburgh Cycle Hire App, allowing them free access to use both pedal and e-bikes up to 60 minutes per ride for the first two months from date of issue. The final two months of the four-month pass will revert to pedal bikes only up to 60 minutes per ride free. E-bike trips will then cost 10p per minute.

George Lowder, Chief Executive, Transport for Edinburgh said: “We are delighted to have secured a second tranche of funding from Scottish Government via Sustrans, to provide further support for up to 250 NHS Staff in Edinburgh, giving them four months free access to the scheme and then an opportunity to remain members of the scheme at less than half the price of an annual pass.”

Ross Miller, Senior Transport Integration Officer at Sustrans Scotland said: “After seeing such a positive response to the first phase of this programme, we are delighted to provide funding to support a further 250 NHS Lothian staff in making happier and healthier journey choices.

“These four-month passes, combined with reduced price membership renewal, offer a healthy and convenient transportation choice, and we hope that by giving more of our vital NHS staff the chance to access the scheme, more staff members will adopt changes in the way they choose to travel which will last beyond this pandemic.”

Alex Macdonald, General Manager of Just Eat Cycles, said: “We want to thank all NHS employees for their incredible efforts and the sacrifices they continue to make.

“Our network is proving to be a lifeline for many people during these unprecedented times with many essential workers using the bikes to travel to and from places of work. We hope these additional NHS Passes can go some way to support NHS employees during what is an incredibly challenging time.”

Pupils being driven to school at the highest recorded levels

Edinburgh: Cycling at highest recorded levels (was 4.5% in 2010, is 7.0% in 2019). Has more than doubled since the first survey in 2008, in which it was 3.3%

The percentage of pupils travelling to school by car reached its highest ever recorded level in 2019, according to new data released by Sustrans Scotland.

More than a quarter of pupils said they used private motorised transport to get to school each day, with 23.8% reporting they arrived by car – the highest level since the survey began in 2008.

And, despite remaining the most frequently reported mode of travel to school in Scotland, active travel fell to its lowest recorded level over the same period. Of the 47.8% of pupils who reported travelling actively to school, 41.0% walked, 4.1% cycled and 2.7% scootered or skated.

Cycling to school is at its highest recorded level, whereas walking to school is at its lowest recorded level.

The findings form part of the annual Hands Up Scotland Survey, an official statistic in Scotland. Funded by Transport Scotland, the survey was carried out in September 2019 by Sustrans Scotland in partnership with all 32 Scottish local authorities. 78.9% of all state schools in Scotland (excluding nurseries) took part in this year’s survey.

Bus use also continues to decline from 18.2% in 2010 to the lowest recorded level of 16.0% in 2019, whilst the percentage of pupils travelling to school by park and stride (driven part of the way and walk the rest) increased to a high of 10.2%.

The findings also reveal a difference in active travel between independent and state schools. 44.5% of pupils from independent schools are driven to school whereas 23.6% of state school pupils are driven.

Commenting on the findings Sustrans Scotland’s National Director John Lauder said: “We want to thank all the schools who took part in the 2019 Hands Up Scotland Survey.

“The report is an incredibly useful indicator of trends in how children travel to school. Helping schools, local authorities and partners identify what needs to be improved to help more children travel actively every day.

“What we have seen during lockdown, with fewer cars on the road, is that people will change their behaviour if they feel their streets are safer.

“Travel patterns will have inevitably changed as a result of lockdown. It is important we make it easier and safer for children, parents and teachers to travel in an active and sustainable way.

“Our streets cannot afford more congestion and air pollution and our children cannot afford more inactivity after months of homeschooling. Let’s bring back something better.

“We need to make it easier and safer for children, parents and teachers to travel in an active and sustainable way, once schools re-open in August.

“Only then will we be able to ensure that walking, cycling and scooting is seen as a viable alternative to the private car.”

Transport Convener: We’re responding to the city’s desire to walk, cycle and wheel

Transport and Environment Convener Lesley Macinnes writes of council plans to make walking, cycling and wheeling safer and easier during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond:

One positive aspect of these last few, trying months is the city’s clear desire to get walking and cycling.

Not only has our own analysis shown pedestrian and cyclist numbers rocketing, but since launching the interactive Commonplace map we’ve received thousands of ideas for making it easier and safer to get around the city by foot, bike or wheelchair.

It’s clear there’s work to do – and we’re responding. Every suggestion, from removing guardrails on narrow pavements to pedestrianising streets, to speed reduction or pop-up cycle lanes, is extremely valuable.

This process is a very complex one and our teams are working flat-out to assess and consider responses, as well as linking them to those actions already identified across the city.

From inception to delivery, each scheme’s timescales can vary significantly, and we must target the projects that deliver the greatest benefits. For this reason, we won’t be able to undertake every suggestion, but each one gives us an invaluable insight into the kind of city people want to see post-COVID and we’re taking this on board.

We’re already delivering initiatives at a more ambitious rate than any other Scottish local authority.

In the last week we have installed more than 5km of pop-up cycle lanes leading to Edinburgh’s two main hospitals, adding to some road closures to help people walk, cycle and wheel to their local greenspaces and amenities.

These changes follow engagement with communities, mobility and active travel groups and local councillors. They’ve had a great response so far. We’re continuing to listen to the people that use them, tweaking the designs where necessary.

As we begin to tentatively emerge from lockdown, we must get the city moving. Before long, businesses will begin reopening and this will have a real impact on the way we move around Edinburgh. We want cafes, bars and restaurants, shops and other services to thrive, once they’re able to reopen, while also protecting people’s safety as Scottish Government advice on physical distancing remains.

We’re already preparing for this. From this week we will begin implementing several, major interventions in the city centre to help create a safer environment, encouraging people to spend time on foot or bike as restrictions ease.

These include footway widening and the introduction of bus, cycle and taxi gates on East Princes Street and South St David Street, reducing traffic volumes and aiding cycling and public transport, and the partial closure of Waverley Bridge.

This kind of real, tangible change, supported by similar, forthcoming measures across the city’s local high streets, will help us to move to the next phase of eased restrictions.

Reintroducing parking enforcement next week is crucial if these measures are to have the desired effect. By minimising often dangerous obstructions from our streets, we will be able to create and maintain spaces for people. What’s more, encouraging turnover of parking spaces means a higher and more varied footfall on our shopping streets.

Much of the work we are undertaking is to create quick, temporary changes to help people travel safely as we adjust to these exceptional circumstances. Emphasising clean, sustainable transport and people-focused spaces, where fewer cars result in less air pollution, supports our long-term city goals of a carbon neutral future where air quality is improved and healthy, and where walking, cycling and wheeling is the norm. We will get through this together and, if we are to make the right decisions now, we can harness these positive outcomes as we emerge from this crisis.

Find out more about Spaces for People on the Council website.

Scottish lawyer calls for a change in legislation to protect cyclists

An Edinburgh lawyer is calling for the UK to adopt a similar approach to other European countries of presumed liability of drivers when cyclists are involved in a road accident.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic the government has been promoting cycling, not only for its health benefits during lockdown, but also as an alternative to public transport. Personal injury specialist at Thorntons, Michelle Adam, believes that UK roads aren’t set up to deal with an increase in cyclists, meaning there is a higher chance of an accident happening – and cyclists should be protected.

Michelle said: “If the government is serious about increasing the use of bikes, they need to invest in the correct infrastructure to keep cyclists safe – resurfacing roads and creating more designated cycle lanes. Without this, it’s inevitable there will be more accidents.

“At the moment in the UK when a cyclist is involved in an accident with a car or other vehicle, the cyclist needs to prove that the car driver is to blame for the accident. That can sometimes be difficult, particularly if a cyclist is very badly injured and there are no witnesses.

“Across most of Europe however, there is a different approach which is known as presumed liability. That means that a car driver will be liable if they collide with a cyclist. The only way to avoid responsibility is if the driver can prove that the crash was unforeseeable or out of their control. I believe this approach should be adopted in the UK.

“If a cyclist is involved in an accident with a car, they are much more likely to be seriously injured than the car driver. Motor vehicles are heavy pieces of equipment which are full of safety features to protect their passengers, which is not the case for someone on a bike.

“Cyclists should obviously obey the rules of the road and take care for their own safety but they ought not to have the burden of having to prove the other party is at fault. In our changed world, I believe now is the right time to change the law, raise awareness and make all road users safer.

“But for now, if the worst happens and you are knocked off your bike and suffer an injury, you might be entitled to compensation if you can prove the other party is at fault. If you have an accident, try to get names of any witnesses, details of the driver and the registration number of the vehicle involved. These will be useful evidence if you decide to pursue a personal injury claim.”

Pre-virus Walk to School rates plummet in Scotland

Living Streets Scotland, part of the UK charity for everyday walking, is calling for street improvements around schools ahead of them reopening to avoid gridlock and promote a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.   

It comes after new data reveals record lows in the number of children walking to school pre-lockdown.

The Hands Up survey – published today but conducted in September 2019 – shows that just 41 per cent of primary school aged children were walking to school before the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak – the LOWEST recorded level – whilst pupils being driven to school was at its HIGHEST recorded level since the survey began at 23.8 per cent.

Living Streets, the UK walking charity behind the biggest walk to school campaign, wants more local authorities to use available funding to implement measures to make walking to school more attractive, including 20mph limits, safer crossings and School Streets – which see cars banned from outside school gates at peak drop off and pick up times.

Stuart Hay, Director of Living Streets Scotland, said:  “These results are incredibly disappointing and shows that there is a lot of work to be done to make walking to school a viable option for families across Scotland. 

“We know from our work with schools across Scotland that families are put off walking to school by traffic, road danger and air pollution. By removing cars, we remove these barriers.

“When pupils start to return, it’s crucial that our roads aren’t gridlocked and our schools surrounded by dirty air. And by giving space to people – not cars – we can ensure families can physically distance at pick up and drop off.

“School Streets have been successfully implemented by many Scottish local authorities and we want to see others using the funding made available during the pandemic to follow their lead. We need to come out of this crisis stronger than before and we won’t do that by replacing it with crises around inactivity, air pollution and road danger.”

Living Streets Scotland runs WOW – the year-round walk to school challenge in 22 Scottish local authorities. On average, schools which take part in WOW see a 23 per cent increase in the number of children walking to school and a 30 per cent decrease in the number of cars driving up to the school gates.

hands-up-scotland-survey-2019_national-summary-report

Pedalling towards healthier lungs

  • A recent survey by Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Scotland found that almost 70% of Scots are looking to do more active travelling in a post covid-19 world.
  • Another study by Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation shows that 1 in 6 have noticed improvements to their lung health with the decrease in air pollution.  

The coronavirus outbreak has had unexpected effect of lowering air pollution levels across Scotland’s towns and cities. A recent survey by Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Scotland found that 1 in 7 (14%) people with a respiratory condition are reporting they have felt the benefit of cleaner air. 

As we look towards life after lockdown, Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Scotland are calling for the Scottish Government to make active travel and public transport options safe and accessible to ensure we continue to see the benefits of cleaner air. 

The recent announcement that Transport Scotland are increasing their Spaces for People fund to £30 million to support active travel infrastructure is extremely encouraging, given that almost 70% (69.4%) of Scots are looking to using more active methods of travel in a post-Covid world. However, without the continued progression of the Low Emission Zones in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow the impact will be limited. 

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Scotland, said: “It’s been very reassuring to see such high levels of support for active travel.

“As lockdown restrictions are lifted and we start to venture further from our homes, we hope that people will continue to walk and cycle wherever possible. Not only will it bring benefits to our physical health through exercise, but we will all benefit from the long-term benefits of reduced air pollution.”

Karen McGregor, Director of Sustrans Scotland, said: “Our recovery from the pandemic can be a catalyst for positive, long-lasting change in the way we live and move around.

“Cleaner modes of travel and fewer cars should be at the heart of our recovery plans. What we have seen during lockdown, with less cars on the road, is that people will change their behaviour if they feel their streets are safer.

“Failure to make is it easier and safer for people to travel more actively and sustainably will increase our car dependency, which is a major source of air pollution and greenhouse emissions in this country.” 

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: “Walking and cycling brings huge benefits to our physical and mental wellbeing, while at the same time protecting our air quality, our climate and helping to manage demand on our public transport network.

“I have reallocated £30 million in order to put forward a package of support for our local authorities to implement temporary active travel measures. This is already helping to ensure that people can walk, wheel and cycle during this public health emergency whilst physically distancing and protecting them from traffic and it will continue to help as our recovery progresses.

“To improve air quality, to respond to the climate emergency and to protect public health I am committed to introducing Low Emission Zones in Scotland’s four largest cities as quickly as possible.

“Local authorities share this ambition and Scotland’s first LEZ in Glasgow has been in place since 2018. Reviews will be undertaken across 2020 and 2021 to determine the earliest date when LEZs could realistically be introduced using the powers of the Transport (Scotland) Act.”