Scotsman.com: One vehicle in seven is a bike during Lothian Road rush hour

Bikes account for one in seven of all forms of transport on Lothian Road during the morning rush hour, according to a new study. The results of the survey have even surprised cycle lobby groups, who now plan to press the council for more help in boosting the number of cyclists. They are angry after city chiefs dropped their target of having ten per cent of workers travelling by bike in 2010, which was blamed on the failure to introduce road tolls.

The new study - the first of its kind - was carried out on a weekday in late November, when the number of cyclists is traditionally at its lowest. It found that 13.9 per cent of all traffic on the busy commuter route was made up of people cycling to work.

The Lothians cycle campaign group Spokes also found that 16.3 per cent of traffic at the junction of George IV Bridge and Forrest Road was made up of bikes, rising to nearly one quarter between 8.45am and 9am.

Lobbyists said if even more people took up cycling, streets such as Lothian Road would become a “paradise”, with few delays for buses, taxis or commercial vehicles.

Judy Cantley, who organised the survey, said: “The amount of cycle traffic revealed by the survey surprised everyone.”

Dave du Feu, from the Spokes resources group, added: “The council needs to appreciate the very high level of bike use they have already achieved, and the contribution it is already making to the economy of the city.

“There is vast potential for further increase if the council takes cycling seriously and stops shooting themselves in the foot by removing colour from cycle and bus lanes.

“The huge levels of cycling on George IV Bridge, leading to the Mound, highlight the scandalous delay in resurfacing the Mound cycle lanes.”

The survey was carried out on Tuesday, November 28, between 8am and 9am.

Bicycles comprised 133 of the 954 northbound vehicles on Lothian Road, peaking at 18.4 per cent of total traffic between 8.45am and 9am.

Spokes counted 658 private cars during the same period, with 163 buses and commercial vehicles.

The body said if half the cyclists switched to cars, congestion could soar by up to one third.

The study counted every form of transport once, which means direct comparisons with previous statistics - which usually count people not vehicles - are difficult. For example, a bus can carry dozens of people.

At present, the council’s official position is that four per cent of people cycle to work, however a recent Evening News survey of 4500 people put this at 6.5 per cent.

In its new local transport strategy, the council expects the official figure to rise to six per cent by the end of the decade - four per cent lower than originally planned in 2004.

Ian Maxwell, a member of Spokes, said: “We are very disappointed that the council is proposing to duck the challenge of the ten per cent target for 2010.

“We feel that cycling has a very bright future in Edinburgh, and the city council should not be selling this short in their strategy.

“Not mentioned in the strategy is a factor which we feel will help to increase cycle use in the next few years: disruption during the construction of the tram network will make traffic slow down and in these circumstances the bicycle will be the only reliable and fast way of moving around central Edinburgh.”

But Councillor Ricky Henderson, the city’s transport leader, said: “I am extremely proud of our record of encouraging cycling in Edinburgh.

“Cycling usage has doubled in the last decade, and Cycling Scotland ranks Edinburgh second for cyclists in Scotland.

“Our cycling targets in the last local transport strategy were based on congestion charging revenue being available to promote cycling and build more cycle routes and lanes.

“We obviously have had to re-adjust these targets, but our new targets are still ambitious.

“I strongly disagree with Spoke’s statements about disruption during trams. Although obviously there will be some disruption, it will certainly not be as severe as Spokes envisages and there will many modes of transport - not just cycling - which will remain reliable.”