- What is your name, where are you from and how long have you been in Aberdeen (if not local)?
Hello! I’m Laurie, and Aberdeen has been my home since 2016. I’m originally from a rural area outside of a small town in the US. To say it was a car dependent place would be an understatement. We didn’t even consider it possible to go out the front door for a jog. We didn’t have public buses. The private car was our interface necessary for living life.
- How did you get into cycling?
Going to university was my first time cycling in a city, and I was immediately hooked. My university was covered in safe streets, effective traffic calming measures, pedestrian areas, bike paths, and green spaces.
Leaving campus, things got a bit less cycle-friendly. Actually, it’s still a running joke between my friends about the time we were once away from campus and I realised a bike lane ended and I screamed “WHERE’S THE BIKE LANE GONE?!”
American university campuses are a work of perfection. I once overheard a uni student telling her friend how happy she was walking and using the bus, but that she was away to buy a car because she would need it when she had a job. We get four years living in a beautiful place, being active, bumping into friends in our shared (walkable and accessible) outdoor spaces, then the rest of your life in a car.
- What kind of cycling do you do?
Aberdeen is the perfect size for cycling. I can get to a lot of places in 5 minutes, and anywhere else in 15, so that’s most of the cycling I do. I find so much joy in the simple act of cycling somewhere I need to go. I’ve never found excitement in opening my car door and sitting down to drive. So I consider myself pretty lucky to get to live in a city where I can quickly get anywhere on a bike.
- What type of cycle do you use?
I used a Halfords bike (shout out to all the Apollo Virtue users out there!) for over five years. It gave me loads of new opportunities, for both work and leisure. Taking jobs in different locations, seeing all of the parks, new communities, exploring the Deeside. That bike opened up my world.
Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and that’s particularly true of a cheap Halfords bike. After I got my permanent residency last year, I bought myself a present – a proper commuter bicycle. I used to walk, car share, and take the bus all the time, but since I’ve had a reliable bike, I just don’t have interest in those other things anymore. Not that they’re not great options!! I just can’t tear myself off of my bike.
- Where do you cycle usually/any favourite routes? How often?
I dawdle up and down King Street several times a week. I love that it’s quite flat, super direct, and always filled with loads of people walking and cycling. And at least there’s a bike lane. #stopparkinginthebikelane
- What would you like to see to improve your cycling experience?
Ok, hear me out. Bus/cycle lanes help keep traffic away from cyclists. Presumably, the highest volume of car traffic happens at peak hours, so in non-peak hours the need for cars to have two lanes of travel in one direction is not significant. It doesn’t seem to me like there are many advantages of giving drivers two lanes in off-peak hours. If we had a city-wide ban on cars in bus lanes 24/7, we could potentially make cyclists safer.
It’s a small, easy fix, but at a deeper level, it would be nice if we could question the default that cars get as much space as we can possibly afford to them.
- Any top tips for someone considering cycling in the area?
Cycle with a friend! Find someone with a bike and cycle to the supermarket together. Cycle to Duthie park together and race each other down the slides. Cycle to the beach then jump in the water. (Ok, I might pass on that last one!)
That’s what I wish I could have had when I first started cycling in Aberdeen. There are lots of friendly cyclists here, but when you’re surrounded by cars, it can feel quite lonely out there.
By the way, if you don’t already have friends keen to cycle with you, you can come find some new ones at Aberdeen’s critical mass bike ride on the last Friday of the month!
Aberdeen Cycle Forum 