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How our Moving Up a Gear project helped to get more people on their bikes

Posted on 28 April 2023 by Andrea
Our Moving Up a Gear project delivered cycling behaviour change activities in and around Kirkcaldy. It gave people the knowledge, skills and confidence to cycle more for day-to-day journeys. The project ran from 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023. 
 
Our activities included cycle rides and training. It also included bike maintenance workshops, build a bike courses and volunteer opportunities. The Kirkcaldy Cycling Festival was also part of our activities.
 
Here are three ways that the project has helped people become more confident in using active travel. These stories cover the themes of volunteer development, led cycle rides and commuting using an e-bike.

Volunteer development

Our cycling volunteers and Development Workers (Cycling Outreach) visited Bike for Good in Glasgow for a training day.
 
Eight of our Ride Leaders took part in this training. It created an opportunity for them to spend quality time together and integrate three new Ride Leaders into the group.
 
We achieved all our intended outcomes and everyone felt energised and learned something new. Some of our ride leaders had never used segregated cycle paths before or cycled on such busy complex roads. This will help improve their confidence in leading rides around Kirkcaldy.

“That was a great day out. I think everyone must have learned something useful. I certainly did.”

“It was super awesome. Definitely learned a lot. Thank you for organising.”

“It was a great day, and I definitely learned lots too.”

What we learned

It was a great success taking our volunteer Ride Leaders out of their usual comfort zone. Taking them away from Kirkcaldy and introducing them to cycling on the road in Glasgow with a qualified instructor.
 
Everyone came away energised, motivated and inspired from the day. Cycling in Glasgow allowed everyone to see the good, the bad and the ugly of cycling infrastructure. They learned how to lead groups through very complicated road systems while staying safe.
 
We managed to improve the confidence and leadership of our volunteers. Now they will feel able to lead a group of cyclists on the roads in around Kirkcaldy. We want to build on this and develop a continuing development programme for our volunteers next year.

Building confidence through led rides

Taking part in led rides gave Silviya Dimova the confidence to cycle much more and the ability to cycle on roads as part of her commute to work.
 
Silviya was not new to cycling when she joined the led rides, but said:

“Although I was already a cyclist, joining Greener Kirkcaldy has really helped to increase my confidence on the bike which means that I am now cycling far more than I was previously.  I have discovered lots of interesting new routes and met new people which I really enjoy.”

Silviya’s confidence has grown so much that she now wants to support new people taking part in the social rides:

“I am actually going to undertake my Ride Leader training shortly so that I am able to lead rides myself.”

Silviya bolstered her confidence by taking part in some of the bike maintenance workshops at Lang Toun Cycles. She attended these “so that I am able to maintain my own bike or help to deal with any mechanical issues which occur on a led ride.”
 
Silviya is not a car owner and was already using a bike for part of her commute from Kirkcaldy to Edinburgh. Borrowing an electric bike from the Bike Library has meant that she can cycle more of the journey than she used to.

What we learned

It is great to see how taking part in led rides, even for people who cycle already, can increase their confidence and motivation to cycle more. We know that one of the barriers to cycling for short journeys is that people often do not know which safe routes to use. Our led rides show people where they are.
 
Meeting new people and feeling part of the community is another important part of the led rides. It is good to see that in Silviya’s case this means she now wants to volunteer to help others.
 
Silviya feels empowered to become a cycling volunteer and undertake Ride Leader training. She also wants to make people aware of electric bikes and give others a chance to try one can encourage commuting by bike.
 
Silviya borrowed an electric bike from the bike library, using it as part of her daily commute. After this trial she has purchased her own e-bike.

Switching to an active commute

Caroline Lukes gained the confidence to use a bike for commuting to and from work. She borrowed an e-bike from the library at Lang Toun Cycles Community Bike Shop.
 
Having used motor vehicles for the majority of her adult life, Caroline had never really considered making the switch to cycling.

“I had been a keen cyclist when I was a bit younger, but having young children meant that any journeys to work or places like the shops or recreation would have been done by car.”

“My attitude did change however last year, when the car broke down and needed a very expensive repair. I knew Lang Toun Cycles did a free hire from the e-bike library so I applied just to see if it was an option”.

Caroline’s job as a Senior Care Worker means difficult unsocial working hours. At these hours, public transport links are problematic. Her commute from Limekilns to Kinghorn is around 14 miles each way. Through using the bike library, her confidence has grown so much. She has recently bought a bike for her daily commute.

“Aside from all the health benefits, I am saving over £350 per month by not using a vehicle. All my kids cycle now, and really don’t see the need for a car at all.”

Caroline used the bike library to find out if an e-bike was right for her and to build her confidence. Without the option to ‘try before you buy’ she may not have made the switch.
 
She now uses the bike for work. This has encouraged some of Caroline’s colleagues to explore this option of travel. Some stay only a short distance away and they are now looking at an alternative to get back and forwards to work.
 
Caroline’s family has also benefited from her newfound enjoyment of cycling. Her children all cycle now. She has also encouraged her sister to buy a refurbished bike from the Lang Toun Cycles.

“I really enjoyed the experience of Lang Toun Cycles, so much so that I was able to encourage my sister to buy a refurbished bike from the shop, and we regularly go for a spin in the parks around Kirkcaldy. None of this would have happened had it not been for the e-bike initiative making me realise having a bike again is a real alternative for local travel.”

Bike, Walk, Move

We have begun another year of led-cycle rides and training, maintenance classes and Dr Bike events as part of the Bike, Walk, Move project. This year walking is part of our programme too. We will be organising regular walks for the local community.
 
Greener Kirkcaldy aims to encourage people to drive less and cycle and walk more by demonstrating local cycle and walking routes. We have developed a Kirkcaldy walking guide and cycling map to share local routes. We also help people meet other cyclists and walkers, and give them the skills and confidence to get out by bike or foot.
 
Bike, Walk, Move activities are free to attend thanks to funding from Paths For All’s Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme.
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