Laura Lakers wonders if Edinburgh is better for bikes?

I

’m chasing Kim Harding down a hill. We’re heading from the Royal Mile to Princes Street on the kind of descent one rarely encounters, living as I do in a very flat part of the country. “I love that hill,” he says as we regroup at the traffic lights.

Like Athens and Rome, Edinburgh is built on seven hills, but perhaps more akin to a “lumpy” city like Bristol, those hills don’t deter people from cycling in relatively high numbers by UK standards - 6% of journeys to work and school are by bike, or 2% of all journeys.

Where Edinburgh stands alone is that its city council is committing a percentage of its transport budget to cycling - starting from 5% in 2012 and rising 1% each year to 10%. It’s currently at 8%, or just over £2m, with funding from the Scottish government on top. I’m curious to see what they’re spending the money on, and whether it’s making a difference.

Harding, co-founder of Pedal on Parliament, and the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling, has kindly agreed to show me around during my week-long visit to the city.

Read Laura Laker’s story in the Guardian - “Is Edinburgh's cycling budget making the city better for bikes?”