Brian Whittle MSP has challenged a Scottish Government minister to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to promoting cycling.
Scottish Conservative and former Olympian Brian raised the issue with Green Minister Patrick Harvie at Holyrood as he questioned the effectiveness of a government bike loan scheme. The Access to Bikes scheme, which was spearheaded by Patrick Harvie, has been given almost £400,000 to provide loans to people who might not otherwise be able to afford a bike. However, three months after launch, it had yet to offer any loans.
Brian questioned whether this loan scheme was the best option for helping more people on low incomes get on their bikes. He went on to highlight the success of East Ayrshire based community enterprise, Cycle Station, who rescue unwanted bikes and refurbish them before selling them on at a fraction of their cost new. The South Scotland MSP urged Mr Harvie to make it easier for organisations like Cycle Station, which has already been hugely successful to get financial support to continue to grow.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“There’s no question that getting more people on their bikes would help the environment and public health, but the best way to do that isn’t necessarily another expensive, centrally run Scottish Government scheme.
Patrick Harvie’s scheme is still working to get its first loans out the door, and looking more and more like a £400,000 vanity project. Meanwhile, organisations like Cycle Station, which have proved so successful already, struggle to access financial support to do more.
I’m a huge fan of the work Cycle Station have done locally to give more people affordable access to bikes and encouraged people to take up cycling. The SNP-Green Government should be giving already successful projects the money they need to build on their success.”
