A CYCLING CITY

The city of Inverness has great potential to take its place on the world stage in promoting cycling as a healthy way of transport. Healthy not just for the populous but also for the pocket as well as the planet – I have long been an advocate of the benefits of the bike. 

Having a chat with Drew Hendry this week about the Highland Council’s support for increasing cycling in Inverness has really got me looking forward to the improvements to the arterial cycle lanes. The city has great potential and recently Inverness has been given a leg up toward becoming a cycling city and various cycling clubs, events and dedicated individuals are to be credited for that. A vision for Inverness to stand comfortably alongside European cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen and be seen as a city that’s actively encouraging its residents towards their bikes is a vision that I am very much on board with and would love to see be realised. 

At New Start Highland, nestled in among our vast furniture re-use service, our award-winning training and support services and our continually expanding facilities management – New Start Bikes, New Start Highland’s bike project and workshop, is doing fantastic, often under-estimated work in helping to realise this vision. So far the bike project, which receives donations of pre-owned bikes, has saved over 2500 bikes from the landfill site and put them back on the road. The public can get quality bikes at affordable prices making cycling accessible to everyone, irrespective of age, ability or budget. 

Beyond this however, and because it also acts as a training facility, New Start Bikes has a remarkable track record in getting people into employment. People facing long term unemployment have developed skills and experience that have led to them gaining qualifications and as a result, moving on to full time work. Finally, perfectly demonstrating the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ that we aim to hit – every penny that is earned from the bike project is reinvested into transforming Highland lives.

New Start Bikes'  "Build a Bike Workshop"

Value for money or what!

New Start Highland however, isn’t the only organisation doing great things for the local cycling scene. 

Events like the Strathpuffer, which has been running for a number of years, and Etape, taking place in May, put our area on the cycling map. It has been well documented that with events like these, a real boost is realised for the local economy, with cyclists from all over the place coming to enjoy the unique terrain that the Highlands have to offer. 

The area is definitely beginning to catch the bike bug; especially in the social enterprise sector as organisations like Velocity café and Transition Black Isle are promoting cycling in a fun, accessible and sustainable way. A little further a-field in Cantray, the Highland Cycle Ability Centre, which calls itself “Scotland’s first dedicated cycling facility for people with physical and learning disabilities,” has been making its cycling track available to schools, community groups and disabled and able bodied cycling clubs for a year now since it opened in the wake of GB and specifically Scottish cycling success in the 2012 Olympics. 

Stuart Black, myself and Drew Hendry - on our bikes!

With cycling stars like Chris Hoy inspiring a whole host of young Scottish cyclists and the commonwealth games just around the corner, the time couldn’t be better to get out on your bike. I know I’ve taken my own advice and managed to get out a fair bit lately and I’m feeling all the better for it.