122 The Active Travel Champion

Porty Podcast

Both the police and the City of Edinburgh Council are keen to encourage people to take part in ‘active travel’. That means walking or cycling to work, walking or cycling to school. A substantial amount of the transport budget is already devoted to improving the infrastructure to let this happen. The 20mph speed limit was one part of it; the creation of dedicated cycle lanes or cycle paths is another. It’s a recognition that you won’t persuade anyone to take their bike out if they feel afraid or alarmed by the behaviour of other traffic on the road; there’s a current police campaign to explain to drivers just how much space a person on a bike needs when overtaking. Within the past few days, Portobello Councillor Maureen Child took on the role of ‘Active Travel Champion’. Porty Podcast producer David Calder asked her to explain more.