The second Walking and Cycling Index for Aberdeen has revealed the travel habits and aspirations of those living in the granite city. In this blog, we meet one of volunteers behind an innovative workshop working hard to champion cycling in the north-east.
What is the Walking and Cycling Index, and what does it mean for Aberdeen?
The Walking and Cycling Index is the biggest assessment of walking, wheeling and cycling in urban areas in the UK and Ireland. In Scotland, the Index is delivered by Sustrans' Strategic Partnerships Team in collaboration with eight local authority partners across Scotland. Each city reports on the progress made towards making walking, wheeling and cycling more attractive, everyday ways to travel.
This is the second report from Aberdeen produced in partnership with Aberdeen City Council. Credit: Brian Sweeney/Sustrans.
The Index reports every two years. This is the second report from Aberdeen produced in partnership with Aberdeen City Council. The data in this report comes from 2023 and includes local walking, wheeling and cycling data, modelling and an independent survey of 1,146 residents aged 16 or above in the city.
The Index found that, in Aberdeen, 49% of residents walk or wheel five days a week, and that 16% of residents cycle at least once a week.
Overall in the city, 23% of residents want to drive less, yet 39% of residents often use a car because no other transport options are available. And in terms of funding, 51% of residents would like to see more government spending in the area on walking and wheeling.
Supporting cycling and bike maintenance in Aberdeen
BeCyCle is a community bike workshop operating from the campus of the University of Aberdeen. Credit: Brian Sweeney/Sustrans.
beCyCle is a community bike workshop operating from the campus of the University of Aberdeen. Its stated aim is to make cycling and bike maintenance accessible by inviting people to come and learn how to fix their bikes, from patching punctures to ground-up refurbishment.
An electronics engineer by trade, Alistair began volunteering at beCyCle in 2021, possessing, he admits, very little knowledge about bicycle maintenance.
He said: “When I started, I barely knew how to fix a puncture and now I help other people fix their bicycles. I’ve learned everything that I know about bikes here, and am proof that anyone can join beCyCle!
“I actually quite enjoy the teaching aspect and the solving of a problem aspect of beCyCle. As an engineer, I can often spend weeks solving a problem. So it's really nice to come here and have problems that you can solve in a short space of time and see immediately the impact that you're having on helping someone with their bike. It's quite therapeutic and it's a good rest from work for me.”
The Index revealed that residents would like more support in order to cycle. People can bring their bikes to the workshop and pay a donation to have repairs done, or use beCyCle’s tools. Another key service offered by beCyCle is bicycle lending. Alistair explained how this could help more Aberdonians take to two wheels.
He said: “The main barrier that beCyCle is trying to break down is affordability. We offer a lending scheme that involves taking a bike that's been donated by someone in the community. We have stacks out in the back and then with the help of a volunteer a member of the community will come and we will show them how to fix up that bike. They don't need any knowledge. We'll show them what to do, we'll help them along the process and hopefully by the end of half an hour to two hours they'll have a bike that's theirs, that they've seen how to fix up and they'll be ready to cycle away!
“I think we have between 100 – 200 bikes currently out in Aberdeen through that system. Sharing bikes for free with this deposit bike lending scheme as well as free bike fixing is helping people save money.”
The aim of BeCyCle is to make cycling and bike maintenance accessible by inviting people to come and learn how to fix their bikes, from patching punctures to ground-up refurbishment. Credit: Brian Sweeney/Sustrans.
Bikes bring movement, energy... and fun!
Established 17 years ago, beCyCle continues to grow. Alistair enjoys the social element being part of the community brings, extending to the odd trip to the pub, where, one evening, the extent of the organisation’s reach made itself known.
He explained: “Recently I was in the pub and someone came up to me and other volunteers in a hoodie and said thank you so much and bought us a pint. He explained that when he was really struggling, he didn't have any way to get to work and he couldn't afford a car. He came in to beCyCle and got a bike and it really made such a big difference for him to be able to get that bike and get to work every day without spending lots of money on a bike.
“I also see a change in the wider society of Aberdeen where as you walk around you just see bikes that have those beCyCle stickers on them, and you think there is more movement, there's more energy, there's more fun happening in Aberdeen because people are able to get around their bikes.
“I love being part of beCyCle and seeing the impact that we've had on Aberdeen and the people around the city.”
Amanda’s view on cycling has been transformed. Credit: Brian Sweeney/Sustrans.
Swapping the bus for a bike: Amanda’s story
Amanda visited beCyCle in 2023, low on cycling experience but keen to take to two wheels as the cost of communting by bus was adding up fast. Having been set up with a bike there and then, Amanda’s view on cycling has transformed.
Amanda said: “A work colleague recommended the workshop because I was looking for an alternative to spending £5 on buses every day. It started as a way of saving money but now I cycle once or twice every day so I am also getting fitter!
“I find Aberdeen is okay for cycling. There are some bike lanes, but there are a lot of potholes in them. So, I normally go on the bus lane when it is safe to do so.
“I think I'd like to see more bike lanes. It would be great if they weren't all bumpy as well because as a new cyclist it was not very nice to be bumping about and having to go into the car lane just to navigate around objects which have been left in the bike lane or people parking in the bike lanes.”
Compact city lends itself to cycling – but we need storage options
Alistair cycles a lot, using his bicycle more as a means of transport, rather than for leisure. He uses his road bike to get around Aberdeen as well as to go on short trips. He believes the city has the potential to be cycle-friendly, but that there remains significant room for improvement.
He said: “Aberdeen is quite small and someone with a bike can get around the place quite quickly, but there's definitely lots to be improved in terms of the cycling infrastructure, bike lanes, and other things that would help to get people around safely.
“I'm quite a confident cyclist and I'm not quite happy mixing in with traffic, but we do get concerns of newer cyclists who are a bit unsure about starting cycling because of the lack of cycling lanes and segregated infrastructure that we have here.”
“I'd like to see more bike storage options put in place. People struggle to get bikes up into flats and back down again and end up leaving bikes out on the street. I've seen bike storage lockers in other cities. That would be fantastic for helping people have a good place to store their bikes.”