Businesses and Charities

Free Wheel North

Free Wheel North is a cycling development Charity promoting special needs and inclusive cycling.

"The UK is far behind the rest of Europe in creating safe and healthy physical and legal environments that encourage responsible and sustainable transport solutions. On a worldwide scale, Scotland is amongst the poorest nations in terms of environmental justice. It is good then that Scotland is pioneering this legislation in the UK. Physical safety is entirely a matter of physics. The mass, speed and power of motor vehicles is far greater than the human frame can withstand. Pedal cycles are consistent with the forces the human frame evolved to tolerate. These physical forces are shown in the road death statistics. In the first decade of the 21st Century, 36,000 people were killed on British Roads: 8000 were pedestrians, 1000 were cyclists. Scarcely any deaths were caused by pedal cycles, simply because the forces they exert are not great enough to cause serious injury. Even if every driver obeyed every rule of the Highway Code, people would still be killed simply because of the physics: cars are not compatible with human environments. Conversely, even if all cyclists and joggers were rampantly disobedient there would be little human damage, because of the low forces involved. Consequently, the law should reflect the physical truth that on the danger scale cars are compared with guns and pedal cycles are compared with teaspoons. These ratios should be reflected in a justice system that rightly places the onus upon those who choose to use machines that are vastly and inherently hazardous."

Pro-Scot
Motorcycle and motor vehicle driving school based in Kirkcaldy covering Fife and Edinburgh 

John MacDonald, Director of Pro-Scot, commented

“Our driving school constantly promotes 'best practice' and thrives on delivering to a high standard which includes ensuring our learner drivers have the necessary tools to keep themselves and others safe on the road. I believe one of the key steps to improving road safety for all parties, lies in better education. This is why I have decided to introduce dedicated training on how to be more aware of cyclists and motorcyclists as part of Pro-Scot's standard lessons." 

The Bike Station
Scotland's largest and most established bicycle recycling organisation.

“Building a culture for cycling means instilling respect between all road users from the grass roots up and involves a combination of good training, good roads and the legal protection that presumed liability brings." 

 

The Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Operative
Britain's longest established co-operatively run biking business.

"We believe a variety of measures including a presumed liability regime are needed to make sure cyclists on our roads feel safe and protected. "As both cyclists and motorists, we share Cycle Law Scotland's desire to establish a stronger culture of mutual respect. Paying close attention to the behaviour of all road users is paramount to helping more people feel confident enough to take their bikes out."

 Read the full Press Release 

 Read the full Press release