Earlier this month several cycle forum members got together for a ride followed by coffee to say a fond farewell to Katy Hardacre, who has left Aberdeen. Katy has been a member of Aberdeen Cycle Forum since the early 2000s, becoming particularly active in the last two years when she stepped up as Cycle Forum Secretary. Never afraid to speak up and champion the cycling cause, Katy was a strong, articulate advocate in council meetings, challenging the status quo and pushing for meaningful change. She was a force to be reckoned with!
Beyond administrative leadership and battling with politicians, Katy attended Pedal on Parliament 2026 in Edinburgh, the Cycling Scotland Conference, Celebrate Aberdeen and Aberdeen City’s Glow Ride, a night-time campaign calling for better cycling conditions for women and girls.
Katy’s departure is a big loss for us and we will miss her dreadfully but of course wish her well on this new chapter in her life.
Over a thousand cyclists from all over Scotland gathered in Edinburgh on Saturday to call for safer streets for cycling and walking. This 14thPedal on Parliament (PoP) was seeking decisive moves in favour of active travel from all levels of government. With ongoing roadworks for Union St Central scuppering Aberdeen Cycle Forum’s normal “pop-up PoP” event, I travelled to the capital to show our support.
Assembling on the meadows
It felt incredible to join the throng pedalling the closed-road route from the Meadows to Holyrood. The sound of bicycle bells filled the air on the Royal Mile. One piper even played “Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do” as we passed. The children who joined the ride seemed to particularly enjoy the singing, chanting, smiling and waving – not to mention the VIP treatment of a bike-mounted police escort.
The foot of the Royal Mile (Photo credit Andy Catlin)
Politicians joining the event included Dr Scott Arthur MP (Labour), MSPs Kate Campbell (SNP), Sanne Dijkstra-Downie (Liberal Democrat) and Patrick Harvie (Green) plus several Edinburgh City councillors. The Scottish Government’s new Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, Stephen Flynn, was invited but regrettably did not attend.
Politicians at the head of the ride. (Photo credit Iona Shepherd)
On the grass outside the parliament building Alex Robertson (PoP organiser) kicked off the speeches by thanking the police, marshalls and feeder-ride leaders, with Aberdeen Cycle Forum getting a shout-out as (possibly) the furthest-travelled participants. Alex’s speech began by pointing out “The Scottish government says cycling is their top priority – protected cycleways, sustainable type transport, active travel, top of the hierarchy. In 2021 they told us that we were going to get 10% of the transport budget by 2024 – real money. What do we get? 3.9%. Is that good enough? We’re asking for 6% this year, 10% by the end of this term. Full stop. No hiding it in bus budgets. Be transparent, be accountable.” He went on to say, “Only 48% of Scots think it’s safe to cycle where they live, 1 in 5 drivers are distracted by their mobile phones, bigger vehicles that hurt people more … we want enforced speed limits, presumed liability (for motorists in the event of collisions), police resources and safer streets.” Before saying, “There is no such thing as a cyclist. There are nurses getting to shifts, care workers, new Scots – just people choosing a green mode of getting around. We’ve let politicians and algorithms distract us and divide us: cyclists versus drivers is a straw-man argument.” Alex closed his address with a call for greater accountability from politicians, asking them to adopt PoP’s manifesto, set bold targets and deliver the requisite funding to achieve them.
Next followed a powerful and moving speech from Rose Marie Burke, the mother of Glasgow architect and cycle activist Emma Burke Newman. Emma was tragically killed in January 2023 by the driver of an HGV that had encroached on an Advanced Stop Zone or ‘bike box’. Mrs Burke now advocates for Vision Zero “The principle behind Vision Zero is that our societies should not accept death on the roads as inevitable. We no longer accept deaths in the skies or in the workplace as inevitable. Why the roads?” The junction in Glasgow where Emma was killed has now been made safer; but speakers observed that the issue of failing to keep bike boxes clear continues to be a safety issue on Scotland’s roads. This very issue was raised at our monthly meeting in May.
Next followed speeches from the politicians present. Kate Campbell, MSP said , “As someone who is not a cyclist, but wants to be, I know just how important it is that we make our streets safe for cycling. And I will work hard over this parliament so everyone like me, who really wants the joy of cycling but just doesn’t have the confidence, can cycle safely on our streets.” MSP Patrick Harvie’s address described the benefits of cycling for normal, everyday transport: “(travelling by bike) I’m the one that arrives to meetings on time, while the ones desperately trying to find a car parking space are late.” “I arrive at the meeting with a sense of connection to the town, or the city or the community I am moving through. …I was given this sticker which says this machine fights climate change, which it does, but it also fights the disconnection that a lot of people feel when they are stuck in a little metal box being made to feel angry because they are surrounded by all the other little metal boxes.” He expressed support for Pedal on Parliament’s manifesto, the need to make active travel safer and allocate adequate funding to make cycling an easier everyday choice in Scotland. Sanne Dijsktra-Downie, MSP concluded the speeches: “Growing up in the Netherlands, I loved having the freedom of being able to cycle to meet friends, play sports or go out. I would love kids here to experience that same freedom, and for that we need safer cycling infrastructure that is connected, well designed and fit for purpose.” I look forward to hearing these and other representatives speak up for active travel in the chamber and committee rooms of the Scottish parliament.
Assembling outside the Scottish Parliament for the speeches (Photo credit Catherine Wykes)
PoP 2026 proved to be a great opportunity to catch up with folk from other active-travel advocacy organisations before taking the train home. These included: Cycling UK; Dundee Cycle Forum; Spokes, Sunny Cycles and Bike for Good (Glasgow); Infrasisters, VIE VELO and Critical Mass (Edinburgh).
My get-about-town-bike, sporting a new “this machine fights climate change” sticker, on the Cross-country train home to Aberdeen.
Aberdeen has a new e-bike hire scheme which launched in the city on Wednesday with 100 bikes positioned in various locations around town. They will be adding more bikes over the coming weeks with the plan to eventually have 350 out for hire. Today they had an official launch event at Duthie Park to raise awareness of the bikes and let people try them out which I was only too happy to do. They were even giving out free collapsible helmets. How cool are these?
I took one for a test spin. It’s very easy to do. You install the app on your phone then scan a QR code on the bike to start the hire. That’s pretty much it. The bikes have no gears and no settings for the electric assist. All you have to do is sit on the bike and pedal. The electric assist works up until 25km/h when it cuts out. I found it incredibly fast and powerful.
I cycled up Polmuir Road and Crown Street to see how it would handle the hills and I barely pedalled at all. Indeed I don’t think I even raised my heart rate other than from the exhilaration of speeding up and down hills.
Voi electric bikes are powered by a 250W Ninebot motor. They are heavy bikes, weighing about 40kg. The batteries last about 80 km before needing to be recharged and Voi swap them out with fully charged batteries rather than taking the bikes off the street to be charged elsewhere. A spokesman for Voi said they launched on Wednesday and since then each bike has been used around 4 or 5 times a day which is amazing. After the first day they had to replace 30 batteries and today they’ll be replacing about 80.
The bikes have a very useful basket on the front for belongings or shopping and a phone holder which charges your phone.
In terms of pricing you can pay as you go which costs £0.18/minute or you can prepay minutes in bulk. For instance you can buy 60 minutes for £5.99. The app provides all the pricing options. Go to https://www.voi.com/pricing-and-passes to learn more.
I thoroughly enjoyed my ride. I really hope it’s a great success and stays in Aberdeen. The last e-bike hire scheme we had withdrew after two years but they were only in two locations in the UK and completely withdrew from the UK market. Voi bikes are all over the UK and already in Scotland where they’ve clocked up a million rides in Edinburgh and Glasgow so I’m confident they’re here to stay.
About a dozen Aberdeen Cycle Forum members and friends gathered along the banks of the Dee this afternoon to pick up litter. Here’s what we found: a shopping trolley, a set of keys on a lanyard, road signs, socks, underpants, about 50 empty bottles of vodka, lots of plastic wrappers, hundreds of pieces of polystyrene and £20.
Not everyone made it into this next photo as some had already left and some were also dedicated pickers who didn’t rest even for a two-minute photo.
What I have learnt – aside from the fact someone is drinking themselves to death with vodka and throwing the empties in the river – is that there are a lots of lovely, friendly people willing to give up their time picking up rubbish to keep our city looking beautiful and that’s something to be very thankful for. Thank you to everyone who came along.
Aberdeen Cycle Forum is having our annual litter pick on Sunday 12th April at 1pm on Riverside Drive near the BP service station and The Queen Elizabeth Bridge. We’re doing the south bank of the river this time starting opposite the boat sheds.
See the map below and street view for the meeting point.
We’ll provide all the bags and litter pickers. Please come along. Everyone is welcome!
What is your name, where are you from and how long have you been in Aberdeen (if not local)?
I’m Alan, I had a somewhat nomadic upbringing but I’ve been in Aberdeen off and on for (yikes) twenty-five years. I currently work in Stavanger (Norway) and travel home every weekend or two.
How did you get into cycling?
As a child of the 1980s, I had (and outgrew) a Raleigh Chopper, Mag Burner (BMX), Peugeot racer, then a steel mountain bike which I still own. I fell out of the habit at university in Edinburgh and London, but fell back in thanks to keen work colleagues – first mountain biking and orienteering in Scotland, then road cycling when we lived in Pau, southwest France, for five years.
What kind of cycling do you do?
A bit of everything, although I undoubtedly spend as much time fixing bikes as riding them. My favourite sort of ride is mixed terrain: quiet roads, lanes, woods, nature…of which we’re fortunate to have plenty around Aberdeen. But I equally enjoy using bikes for transport whenever I can, instead of defaulting to the car.
What type of cycle do you use?
See above. Most often I ride a cyclocross bike that is reasonably efficient and practical (rack and mudguards for commuting) but capable of detouring offroad when required. I still have road and mountain bikes but ride those quite rarely. We have a family folding bike (Brompton), which is handy for mixed mode trips (bus, train or car boot). And in Stavanger I often use the public rental e-bikes – which are free for the first 15 minutes, or one hour if your employer is a member of the local sustainable travel scheme.
Where do you cycle usually/any favourite routes? How often?
My usual route in Aberdeen was from Redmoss to Westhill via the A944 path, but I wouldn’t call it a favourite… Otherwise, the Gramps (Kincorth and Tullos), the Coast Path from Cove to Greyhope Bay (before it was buried by the harbour), Tollohill Wood, the Causeymounth, and the aforementioned quiet roads and lanes linking them up. In Norway, I can bike to work on a mix of quiet roads and shared paths, which are well maintained (swept in autumn and cleared in winter) and quiet enough to minimise conflict between users. The public transport is well integrated too, and I’ve taken my bike on buses, trains and boats, which opens up some fantastic terrain for exploring on two wheels.
What would you like to see to improve your cycling experience?
Where to start? It won’t be news to anybody, but better, continuous cycle routes would be number one. Norway is undoubtedly rich, but they spend it wisely. Tunnels, underpasses and bridges are common, and it’s quite rare to cross a road “at grade” with other traffic. There is a (nearly finished) 16km (10-mile) Sykkelstamvegen (cycle highway) between Stavanger and Sandnes, with electronic counters recording the thousands of daily users (including the occasional roller skier or speed skater). There are also some simpler (cheaper) things we could adopt – clear signs, user-activated crossings that change quickly (or even automatically when a cyclist is approaching), and handy metal rails to avoid dismounting while you wait.
Any top tips for someone considering cycling in the area?
Find buddies, for help, advice and encouragement. And go for it! The Norwegians talk about overcoming the dørstokkmila – the doorstep mile. If you can just get outside and start moving, you’ll usually forget whatever was holding you back.
Some photos from cycling in Norway.
Sørmarkatunnelen – 380m of smooth tarmac and big enough for (I guess) emergency vehicles in case the adjacent road tunnels are blocked. Bikes go free on two ferries which are included in the city transport ticket. Further afield they’re cheap (or even free), and you pay a half (=child) fare on trains and buses.Bikes are (wisely) banned from the subsea road tunnels, but allowed in most others, including the first couple of kilometres of the spectacular Lysevegen mountain road.Taking a bus/boat opens up some fantastic countryside when the weather is fine (as in summer 2025). Officially, buses may be limited to two bikes, but it’s at the discretion of the driver, and there’s usually ample space.The public rental e-bikes are comfortable, pretty abundant and usually well maintained. Electric road sweeper clearing autumn leaves from a shared path on my daily commuting route.
Last week four of us from Aberdeen Cycle Forum attended the annual Cycling Scotland conference, which was taking place in Dundee. It feels to many of us that Aberdeen is falling behind other cities in providing safe, attractive cycle infrastructure that really encourages more people to cycle as part of their everyday lives. Why is that? Why are Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow pushing ahead, not just delivering schemes now but showing hugely ambitious plans for the future? We hoped to learn some answers. Here’s what we thought:
Alistair:
We heard a wide range of views on cycling infrastructure from “build it and they will come” to the challenge of balancing budgets at national and local level – and that was just the keynote speech from the Transport minister. It’s obviously a subject that should be getting the right level of attention with a vision in mind, not just be an afterthought. I was impressed to see what has been done in Dundee – surely a compatible city with Aberdeen that we could learn from?
The breakout sessions were worthwhile – I joined a discussion on how to share the value delivered by cycling projects with funders and one with a police inspector on improving road safety for cyclists.
Katy:
The title of the conference said it all “Investment in Everyday Cycling Delivers Results”. Quality insights and examples of leadership from the keynote speakers: powerful storytelling from Brian Deegan on freedom, Glenn Lyons on vision, Jillian Evans on health and Rebecca Morris on safety. Plenty of inspiration too from the break-out sessions on skills training and infrastructure: wouldn’t it be fantastic to see Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire officers and Councillors up there too next year boasting of their amazing accomplishments and bold plans! Heartening also to meet delegates from other cycle forums in Dundee, Edinburgh and Midlothian who share ACF’s determination to keep advocating for active travel even in the face of funding challenges.
Deema:
The room was full, and the speakers were engaging and insightful throughout. One point that stood out for me came from Glenn Lyons [Professor of Future Mobility, University of West England], who challenged the old assumption that traffic growth inevitably follows economic growth. Looking at the past 10 years in England :
People are travelling less overall (average trips per person down 14%, distance down 20%)
Yet the economy grew 35% and emissions from domestic transport fell 19%
Some trips are declining (commuting, business, shopping), while leisure and social trips are increasing.
This means we can no longer rely on “more roads” as the answer. Future traffic models need to reflect changing behaviours, the rise of digital substitution, and the shift in why people travel.
It’s a reminder that mobility planning must evolve — not just to reduce congestion, but to support healthier, more sustainable travel choices.
Gavin:
It was great to be in a room of like-minded people and to listen to some inspirational speakers from around the country. At the same time it made me realise just how far behind Aberdeen is falling. Other Councils seem to be delivering faster and have so much more ambition than we see in Aberdeen. It’s really hard to understand why that is but today we got some clues. Several speakers referenced key prerequisites – political courage – technical expertise – and funding, but in reality I think they are all linked: if you have the first one, the others will follow.
We enjoyed participating in the Celebrate Aberdeen parade yesterday alongside hundreds of other local groups and organisations. It was a fine day: not too hot, not too cold and everyone marched with much merriment from Albyn Place to Marischal College behind a terrific pipe band.
This is the first year Aberdeen Cycle Forum has participated in the event. I’m sure we’ll do it again next year so if you missed out this time please join us next year.
We had a very successful litter pick along the River Dee yesterday. Thank you to all the volunteers and to Aberdeen City Council for providing the pickers, bags and for taking the rubbish away.
Next year we’ll do it in early spring before all the vegetation has grown as some of us had unpleasant encounters with stinging nettle and bramble.
Next Saturday we’re joining the Celebrate Aberdeen parade so please come along to that if you can. The meeting point is Albyn Place from 10:20am onwards with the parade starting at 11am. It’s in alphabetical order so we’ll be near the front.
We’re organising a litter pick tomorrow along the River Dee just beside Victoria Bridge in Torry at 1pm. See litter pick 2025 for a map with the meeting location. The more the merrier!
We’ve also got tshirts that we’re selling for £20. These are made with 100% organic cotton and will help to raise money for Aberdeen Cycle Forum. Here’s Ben modelling a size medium.
The dimensions of the size medium are in the photos below.
I need to order a minimum of 4 in one go to get free postage but we have two spare size mediums currently so if you want one of those let me know. I’ll take them with me to the litter pick tomorrow.
Aberdeen Cycle Forum 