Quick recap
The meeting began with introductions and discussions about cycling awards and organisational updates, including a postponed meeting with councillors and interactions with the City Council regarding various cycling initiatives. The group examined concerns about proposed cycle path layouts and discussed budget consultations, while also addressing bike parking facilities and traffic measures in the city. The conversation ended with discussions about funding changes, new bike rental schemes, and potential family-friendly cycling events, along with conversations about implementing 20mph speed limits and organising social meetups.
Next steps / actions
- Gavin: Meet with Fraser from Cycling UK on Friday to discuss guidance and insurance issues
- Gavin: Contact members who have unsubscribed from communications over the Christmas holidays
- Gavin and Rachel: Draft and circulate written commentary on Wellington Road consultation to regular contributors for feedback before submitting to Council
- Gavin: Organize social meet-up with optional bike ride on Saturday 13th December, finalize location
- Rachel: Check if Cycling UK 100 Women in Cycling Award announcement is public and confirm if news can be shared
- Katy, Deema, and Gavin: Attend meeting with councillors on 2nd December
- Martin: Organize and promote Critical Mass ride this Friday, including selecting alternative meeting location due to Christmas Village
- Martin and Katy: Follow up on Kidical Mass planning and share research/guidance
- Anyone interested: Submit individual responses to Wellington Road consultation via Council’s Consultation Hub
- Alistair: Share contact details with Katy to pass on to Banchory Belles regarding Cycling Without Age volunteer opportunities in Banchory
Attendance & Apologies
Present: Gavin Clark (Chair), Rachel Martin, Fiona McDonald, Scott H, Martin Sharman, Linda Moreno Sanchez, Francesco Sani, Alistair Gilmore
Summary
Cycling Advocacy Group Introduction Meeting
The meeting began with introductions and casual conversation about the weather and cycling conditions. For the benefit of new members, Gavin, introduced the group’s purpose as a 20-year-old campaigning and advocacy organization focused on promoting cycling. He explained that the forum brings together diverse groups of cyclists, including commuters, parents, and road cyclists. Alistair was highlighted as a key member involved in Cycling Without Age Scotland in Aberdeen.
Cycling UK Award and Updates
The meeting began with introductions and a discussion about Rachel receiving a Cycling UK 100 Women in Cycling Award, nominated by Deema. Gavin mentioned he would meet with Fraser at Cycling UK on Friday to discuss guidance and insurance matters. The group discussed the postponed meeting with councillors, now scheduled for December 2nd, with Rachel unable to attend. Gavin noted he would contact members who have unsubscribed from communications during the Christmas holidays. The meeting then moved to updates on interactions with the City Council, including ACTUP and the Wellington Road consultation, which is currently live on the council’s website.
Wellington Road Cycle Path Concerns
Gavin and Alistair discussed concerns about a proposed cycle path layout on Wellington Road, particularly regarding safety issues at a steep section where a two-way cycle lane would be close to passing traffic. They noted that despite multiple consultations over 11 years, construction was still at least two years away, with further design consultations and funding needed. Katy inquired about public responses to the proposal, and Gavin explained that individual comments could be made via a mapping system, with a formal written response to be drafted and circulated to regular contributors.
Cycling Budget and Infrastructure Concerns
The meeting began with Rachel confirming her award nomination, which was publicly announced, and Gavin and Fiona congrats her. Martin shared his cycling experience on Wellington Road and raised concerns about the scheme’s limitations for school children. The group discussed the Aberdeen City Council’s budget consultation, with Katy highlighting the challenges in expressing cycling-related preferences due to the consultation’s format. Gavin and Katy expressed some skepticism about the council’s proposed cost-cutting measures and discussed the need to address underspending of cycle-related funds. However they recognise that the council have very difficult decisions to make. The conversation ended with a brief mention of Castlegate and Union Street cycle parking stand designs shared by the designers.
City Bike Parking Facilities Review
The group discussed bike parking facilities in the city, with Gavin noting that proposed stands for Union St and Castlegate seemed intended for short-term use rather than overnight storage, as they were uncovered and had limited capacity. They identified existing undercover bike parking locations including the railway station, College Street car park, and TK Maxx steps at Union Square. The discussion concluded with a brief mention of a new Council consultation regarding traffic measures, including changes to on-street parking in Hardgate and Hollybank terrace, possibly as a result of our representations about the design of the Hardgate cycle contra-flow.
Other traffic measures
Elsewhere in the package we noted that the council was resisting demand for a pavement parking exemption in Duthie Place and instead proposing new yellow line restrictions on one side, to keep the street passable. This was closer to the approach we advocated when the council previously brought forward 6 proposed exemptions in locations with excess parking demand. Only one of those is in the current package (Corndavon Terrace) and we don’t know what is happening with the others.
Consultation Hub and Winter Cycling
The group discussed the consultation hub, noting that most council consultations are now hosted there, although possibly some still bypass it. They reviewed winter treatment of cycle paths, with Rachel mentioning that the new College Street bike path was cleared during recent snow, though this led to pedestrians using the cycle path. In the November email bulletin to members, Gavin had included an extract from the council’s gritting policy as it applies to cycle routes. We last met with them to discuss it two years ago at which time they admitted the choice of routes had little logic and had been unchanged for several years. There was little or no prospect of improving it due to shortage of resources.
The group agreed to organize a social meetup in early December, potentially including a bike ride, with Greyhope Bay Cafe or Duthie Park Cafe as possible venues. They also discussed potential future campaigns, with a quick recap of topics we’d campaigned on previously, and Scott mentioning his upcoming training with Cycling UK as a ride leader.
Cycling Funding and Initiatives Update
The group discussed changes in cycling funding, noting that funding now goes directly from Transport Scotland to local transport partnerships like Nestrans, bypassing Sustrans who have been rebranded and reduced their operations. In relation tothe current round of Just Transition Participatory Budgeting, Alistair reported on a request for £18,000 to establish a CWAS trishaw and wheelchair bike project in Banchory, and Katy offered to pass along the request to Banchory Belles cycling group.
The group also discussed a contact from an ASN teacher interested in starting active travel breakfasts at school, which Gavin directed to Nestrans People & Places, and briefly touched on the potential revival of a hire-a-bike scheme in Aberdeen, though the provider has not yet been announced, we expect it may be Voi who are now operating schemes in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Edinburgh Bike Rental Scheme Discussion
The group discussed the introduction of a new bike rental scheme in Edinburgh, operated by a Swedish company, replacing the previous Norwegian service that withdrew from the UK market. They debated the scheme’s pricing structure, with concerns raised about time-based charging rather than distance, and discussed safety issues including helmet requirements and lighting. The conversation also covered the implementation of 20mph speed limits in Aberdeen and surrounding areas, with participants noting that enforcement would be crucial for effectiveness. The conversation ended with a discussion about organizing family-friendly cycling events in the city, with suggestions to coordinate with local councils and other organizations for closed-road events.
Date of next meeting
Leaving aside any social / ride meet up, we won’t have a formal December meeting, therefore the next meeting date will be Tuesday 27 January 2026
Notes by Zoom AI assistant, with manual editing.
Aberdeen Cycle Forum 