Following last month’s Pedal on Parliament ride which was attended by Mr Derek Mackay, Minster for Transport and the Islands, we felt that we should write to thank him, and also take the opportunity to ask a few follow up questions. Our letter is shown out below, we will let you know when he replies.

Dear Minister,

Congratulations on the SNP result in the general election, and thank you for attending Pedal on Parliament this year. We welcomed the commitment in your speech to invest more on cycling for the current financial year (2015/16) than the Scottish Government did in 2014/15. We particularly welcome your emphasis on infrastructure, which we agree is the single most effective measure to make cycling a practical mode of transport. We were also happy to hear that you plan to make it easier for councils to bring in 20mph limits, as Edinburgh has done this year.

Please could you let us know the answers to the following questions, which our supporters have asked us to ask you, after this year’s POP:

  1. What was spent on cycling last year (by this we mean cycling only, not combined active travel spending or active travel and sustainable transport)?

  2. What is the planned cycling budget for this year?

  3. How much extra investment do you expect to see next year?

  4. Where might the additional funds come from?

  5. What are the government’s future expenditure plans for cycling, in particular the next budget which will establish the budget framework for the next two or three years?

  6. What measures do you mean to take to make it easier for councils to implement large scale 20mph zones?

  7. What progress has been made in delivering the CAPS target of 10% of journeys by bike by 2020?

  8. What plans do the government have to replace “Cycling by Design” with new standards reflecting international best practice?

We hope that you will be able to provide some clarification on these questions.

Please note that in order to keep our supporters updated, we will be publishing this letter on our website and, with your permission, your response.

Thanks again for your attendance at Pedal on Parliament

Yours sincerely

Sally Hinchcliffe, on behalf of all at Pedal on Parliament

Dear Minister