Get On The Go is a useful free resource that helps you save money, time and hassle while you travel in Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross. It’s the go-to place for news and updates about smart, sustainable and active travel. 

Sometimes a person or a group can make a huge difference, when they launch just the right project that will help the environment, support the community, or both. In the third and final review of 2019, we celebrate some brilliant projects from the Get On The Go region, including two significant funding awards that will transform local areas.

For regular updates, follow Get On The Go on Twitter and Facebook.

Upper Tay Transport Group

The Upper Tay Transport Group (UTTG) started as a way to increase transport options in the Upper Tay area, particularly for isolated and vulnerable people, and to enable people to access services. The group promotes public transport, active transport and shared transport to reduce negative impacts on the environment. The Upper Tay area is covered by the Community Councils of Glen Lyon & Loch Tay, Kenmore & District, Dull & Weem and Aberfeldy.

The group, which began with the Community Lifts project, gained momentum in 2019 and is becoming fully operational in 2020.

Emma Burtles from UTTG says, “The work we do is important to the area because a recent report* regarded Aberfeldy and Kinloch Rannoch as the most access-deprived area in Scotland. If you don’t have a car it’s very difficult. If you do have a car, it’s good to think about other more environmentally friendly options such as public transport or Liftshare.”

Find out more on the Upper Tay Transport Group website. If you’d like to offer your time, e.g. as a volunteer driver, please contact Emma Burtles on 07507 479555 or email [email protected].

*Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation – https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-index-of-multiple-deprivation-2020/ 

Dundee kids design unique bike racks

In 2019, Dundee Cycling Forum teamed up with the Dundee City of Design‘s UNESCO team to launch the Rack Your Brains competition for young people. Local jeweller Kirsten Manzi worked with Blackness Primary School to design new bike racks inspired by the West End of Dundee, with P&G Blacksmiths building the winning designs this year.

The competition called for simple, bold shapes and colours for the bike racks, and the ideas had to be inspired by a location in Dundee. Kirsten and the children explored the area around the school, and pupils took inspiration from the variety of local businesses in Dundee’s West End.

All Ability Cycling Project

For some children, and many adults, riding a bike is difficult or impossible due to disability, illness, lack of equipment or confidence. The All Ability Cycling project, managed by Live Active in Perth & Kinross, enables and encourages everyone to get cycling.

The main aim is to give people the chance to experience the freedom, fun, independence and the feeling of achievement – gaining fitness, confidence and balance that can be achieved through bicycling.

2019 was a milestone year for the project as supplementary funding from Perth Action Partnership meant that the service could increase from three days to five days a week. In total, 457 individuals took part in over 1,000 participant sessions.

The team runs supported sessions, guided social rides, events and a buddy scheme across Perth & Kinross. Volunteers play a vital role in supporting groups and individuals, giving them the chance to have fun and get active, as well as gaining independence, therapy, social stimulus, exercise and fun.

Would you like to take part in or volunteer for this project? If so, please contact Kirsty Eadie from Live Active’s Wellbeing team on 01738 454650 or [email protected].

Cycling without Age

Have you been in any of Perth’s parks recently and spotted groups of people enjoying a cycle ride on an adapted rickshaw? Cycling Without Age is a charitable organisation that aims to combat elderly loneliness. 

How do they do this? Volunteer “pilots” give their time to cycle on a “trishaw” (a special rickshaw that’s cosy, sturdy and accessible for older users), carrying one or two passengers, allowing them to get out and about in the fresh air and enjoy all the physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors without having to pedal.

Cycling Without Age was founded in 2012 in Copenhagen and is now a global programme. Norman Ridley, who manages the Perth project and is the senior ambassador for Cycling Without Age Scotland, says, “Cycling Without Age in Perth has been running for two years now, following an initial idea by S4 Perth High School pupil Amelia and Matthew Mackie, a principal teacher at the school. We have three ‘bikes’, bought with funding raised locally, including the High School, Perth Guildry and the Betty Ross Trust. “It’s great for older people as it gets them out of their home or their care home. We have 14 volunteer ‘pilots’ who take people out to our many green spaces such as the North Inch, the South Inch, Norie-Miller park and Quarrymill Woodland Park.” The volunteers have even cycled with their passengers in the Perth Salute, the Burns Night celebration, the Chinese New Year celebration and more.

Currently Cycling Without Age works with residents from Balhousie North Inch House and North Grove, Parkdale Care Home in Auchterarder and Vision PK. The rides are free of charge and make a world of difference to the people who use them. Norman says, “Some of the care home managers have said what a difference it’s made to the people who go on the rides. They come back having enjoyed themselves so much that they want to take part in other activities.”

To find out more, or to volunteer for this amazing project, follow Cycling Without Age Scotland Perth on Facebook or contact [email protected].

PK On The Go website

PK On The Go is Perth & Kinross’ local sustainable travel channel, helping residents and visitors to Perth and Kinross to save money, time and hassle while they travel. It aims to enhance the region’s urban environments, by reducing traffic congestion and pollution, and helping people be a bit more active.

In 2019 PK On The Go launched a bright new website full of tips, information, travel guides and useful links, to help us all make smarter and more sustainable travel choices across the county.

Sustrans Wins for Angus and Perth & Kinross

There were huge celebrations in 2019 when Angus and Perth & Kinross councils were awarded £6.92m and £6.45m respectively to implement two ambitious and innovative schemes. The new active travel projects have been given the go-ahead through the Places For Everyone fund which is funded by Transport Scotland and managed by walking and cycling charity Sustrans Scotland. 

Perth, People, Place

In Perth & Kinross, the Perth, People, Place project was awarded funding for the first arm of a new cycling and walking network, on Dunkeld Road, connecting the neighbourhoods of Bertha Park, Inveralmond and Muirton to the city centre. The project aims to make Dunkeld Road a key walking and cycling artery for local travel. How will this work? Work is well underway to use existing parts of the A912 dual carriageway to create a fully segregated cycle-lane and improved footways as well as improvements to the public spaces and green infrastructure.

It’s hoped that these improvements, the first of a series, will considerably reduce barriers for active travel in Perth, as highlighted in consultation with local residents. A proposed bridge connecting to National Cycle Network Route 77 will provide a commuter and leisure link with villages north of Perth.

This bold approach is part of a large programme of investment to deliver a cohesive network of cycling and walking routes which link communities and growth areas in Perth to popular landmarks and the city centre

Accessible Arbroath

The Accessible Arbroath project was awarded nearly £7 million funding to address the severance caused by the A92 dual carriageway which cuts through the centre of the town. To reduce the dominance of vehicles, the plans include reallocating two lanes of traffic as walking and cycling links. There will also be new areas of planting, to provide year-round colour, and improved public spaces. 

New crossings across the A92 will reconnect local amenities and attractions with housing and tourist accommodation, while National Cycle Network Route 1 will also be enhanced with new connections to train and bus stations. Integrated active travel and local transport is expected to benefit staff and students at Dundee and Angus College, local residents and visitors to the area.

 A new 1.5km active travel corridor would link the West Links play area to Arbroath’s famous Abbey and with redesigned junctions, crossings and landscaping to encourage and enhance cycling and walking for visitors and residents.  

Find out more about Places For Everyone on this short video

Keep up with Get on the Go in 2020

Looking ahead to the rest of 2020, Get On The Go will be highlighting and supporting many great travel projects and initiatives throughout Tayside – so don’t miss out! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news.

Get On The Go is a useful free resource that helps you save money, time and hassle while you travel in Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross. It’s the go-to place for news and updates about smart, sustainable and active travel. 

2019 was an action-packed, successful year for active and sustainable travel across the three regions. We take a look back and bring you highlights from Get On The Go about smarter travel by bus and car.

For regular updates, follow Get On The Go on Twitter and Facebook.

Earn Mi Rewards on buses

Did you know you can earn rewards just by using Stagecoach buses in Perth and paying by card? Mi Rewards, the loyalty programme that rewards shopping locally, now lets you earn points by jumping on the bus for work or leisure! All you need is to download the free app, link your payment cards to it, and then pay on the bus, online or via the Stagecoach app.

You’ll be eligible for free perks and prizes and, once you’ve saved enough points, you’ll earn a Perth Gift Card!

20p buses for kids

In 2019, Stagecoach offered a special fare for families with children in Dundee once more in the school holidays. Dundee City Council teamed up with bus operators to offer a reduced fare of 20p to children when they travelled with an adult fare payer or concession ticket holder.

Launched with support from the Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme (a Paths for All programme funded by Transport Scotland) the council, Xplore Dundee, Stagecoach and Moffat and Williamson, it allowed families to enjoy a day out and discover the city by bus.

Safe and sustainable driving 

There are times when taking the car is unavoidable, but are there any ways we could travel more sustainably? Across the Get On The Go Tayside region, there were some great news stories about safer or more sustainable car travel.

Dundee – the charged city

Pop-up electric car chargers started appearing in Dundee streets in 2019 thanks to new funding. Smart city consultancy Urban Foresight was awarded £3 million from the Innovate UK scheme for tests into low-cost, scalable charging solutions for electric vehicle users with on-street parking. The ‘pop-up’ models, which will be installed mainly in residential and public streets, will avoid street clutter and obstructions and integrate into the streetscape. 

Dr. David Beeton, CEO of Urban Foresight, said: “Dundee is already recognised as one of the best places in the world to drive an electric vehicle. We’re delighted to have secured this additional investment for the city which should make it even easier for many more people to go electric.”

Dundee also secured funding of over £2 million to expand its fleet of Electric Vehicles and charge points, with an additional 66 EV charging bays across the city and surrounding area.

Safer routes to Tulloch Primary School

Driving and parking around primary schools at peak times can be difficult and dangerous. Neil Quinney, a project officer at Sustrans, has been working with Tulloch Primary School as an embedded team member of Perth & Kinross Council’s Road Safety and Design team to tackle issues with the school run. 

“We consulted with the school, parents, pupils and the local community to find out what they’d like to see improved,” explained Neil. “The main issues were the perceived speed of vehicles and finding safe places to cross. We’ve put together ideas for tackling these and will discuss with the Council what measures we can take, depending on budget and further consultation with the community. We have learned many useful things from this that we can use with other schools throughout Perth & Kinross, to reduce traffic speeds, make kids and parents feel safe and provide safe routes to school.” 

As well as targeting the driving issues, Neil has also worked with the local iBike officer led to improve access to the school’s site by foot and by bike. 

If you’d like to find out more, you can contact Neil on 07971 352989 or [email protected].

Angus leading the charge with electric vehicles

Angus Council is making great roads into encouraging the use of electric vehicles (EVs) for residents, employees and visitors in Angus. The use of EVs has increased dramatically over the last few years with an estimated quarter of a million reported to be in use in 2019 compared to just 3500 in 2013. 

Angus Council is planning an EV Hub at Orchardbank in Forfar, with four rapid chargers (which allow 80% charging within 30 minutes), three fast chargers and two slower chargers. 

The project has been awarded funding as part of the Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund, established by Transport Scotland from funds awarded under the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020 programme and Transport Scotland funding.

Grant funding has also been allocated by Transport Scotland for charging infrastructure in Brechin, Carnoustie, Arbroath, Friockheim, Kirriemuir, Monikie and Glamis. The units will allow easy access for residents and to encourage visitors to stay in the area and explore local businesses and attractions. 

Travelknowhow

In 2019 an innovative new app was launched to encourage businesses and their employees to use active or sustainable travel to get to work. 

The RIGHT TRACK app from Travelknowhow gives lots of useful information on travel options, helping users to change their travel behaviour. When you use the app, you’ll get personalised benefits, targeted content and commuting challenges.

“We are working with a handful of businesses across Scotland, including Scottish Water, Web Help, South Lanarkshire Council, North Ayrshire Council and NHS Grampian,” says Shona Drummond of Travelknowhow. 

From the secure user data, Travelknowhow can gain valuable insights and learnings into how employees are traveling to and from work and their attitudes towards travel. They can build on this and encourage more active and sustainable travel to workplaces across Scotland.

This pilot project is an exciting collaboration between Ember Technology and Travelknowhow Scotland and is funded by Smarter Choices, Smarter Places Open Fund and the seven Scottish Regional Transport Partnerships. 

Find out more about the RIGHT TRACK app or email [email protected] for more information.

Liftshare

Liftshare is a scheme that allows users to register free and find others to share their travel, whether for work, for a festival, coming home from university or for any other journey. 

In 2019 the team at Liftshare celebrated a major award and launched their new app – which you can use to lift-share in Tayside!

At the Transport Scotland Awards in Glasgow last year, Liftshare took home the award for Excellence in Technology and Innovation.

In June 2019 Liftshare launched a new version of its app, which lets users:

• send and receive requests to/from other people to lift-share
• see how much money and how many miles they’re saving
• authenticate their journeys
• get benefits from employers (e.g. exclusive parking) because they’re sharing lifts.

There’s a special Liftshare for the Get On The Go Tayside region, plus Stirling, called Tactran Liftshare, which was developed with Tactran, our local Regional Transport Partnership. 

Why not register free today and see where lift-sharing takes you?

Join us for more travel updates

Did you catch our blog about cycling and walking? Check it out here! You can also follow Get On The Go on Twitter and Facebook for updates and the latest news about active and sustainable travel.

Get On The Go is a useful free resource that helps you save money, time and hassle while you travel in Perth & Kinross, Dundee & Angus. It’s the go-to place for news and updates about smart, sustainable and active travel. 

 2019 was an action-packed, successful year for sustainable and active travel across the three regions. In the first of our 2020 blogs, we take a look back and bring you Cycling and Walking highlights from Get On The Go.

 For regular updates, follow Get On The Go on Twitter and Facebook.

Get On The Go Cycling highlights in 2019

Catch up with a councillor on a cycle

Have you ever chatted to your local councillor while on the move? In 2019, Arbroath independent councillor Lois Speed came up with an innovative way to chat to local residents about sustainable travel – on a bike! Lois hopes that a gentle cycle around Arbroath will free up thinking around sustainable transport and other local issues. “My idea is to operate a sort of cycle surgery for people to either come and bike with me, or on a tandem,” said Ms Speed. “We get out in the fresh air, have a bit of fun and chew the fat on issues that matter to them. I want to try to get people to turn away from the car as the only means of getting around and to promote active travel. Cycling allows you to see things through a different lens when you are out there, interacting differently with the local environment.”

Have you tried a Social Cycle?

Social Cycle is an exciting new project in Perth that encourages people to try cycling and see if they like it. Jenny Rogers, Community Outreach Officer at The Bike Station, Perth, explains how it came about. “Sometimes people are reluctant to buy a bike because they don’t know how much they’ll use it or how much to spend. We designed the Social Cycle project to address these barriers, and to encourage and support people to keep riding.” 

“We help people to borrow a recycled bike from our loan selection,” says Jenny, “that suits the sort of cycling they want to do. We also provide advice on suggested routes. At the end of the bike loan they’re more likely to know whether they’d like to buy a bike.” As well as bike loans, Social Cycle also organises guided rides to explore cycle routes around Perth with a friendly group – ideal for building confidence. The popular project was set up in 2019 and there’s been great feedback from loan scheme participants.

Perth residents over 16 can borrow a bike between now and the end of March, or they can bring their own bikes to Dr Bike, the bike-fixing service provided by Bike Station, to help them get back on the road if they’ve not been used for a while. If you’d like to help with the guided rides, or with checking and fixing bikes, driving or working on the Bike Station shop floor, Social Cycle would love to hear from you. 

Find out more about Social Cycle on The Bike Station website or on Twitter.

Coupar Angus Cycling Hub

2019 was another successful year for Coupar Angus Cycling Hub, which runs many cycling events through the year to inform and excite people about cycling. The hub, which started life in 2013 with the publishing of a guidebook of local cycle routes, is a not-for-profit organisation that uses funding sources and income from its bike shop, Pumptrack hire and events to keep people in jobs and help to sustain cycling develop in and around Coupar Angus. The events they organise and support include Cycle for Cake, Sunday Cycles, an after-school cycling club and “Belles and Buns”, a women-only cycling day with three route options and cake served at the end

You can follow Coupar Angus Cycling Hub on Facebook or visit their website

New cycling “furniture” in Perth

If you’re a regular visitor to Perthshire’s towns and cities you may have spotted bright, colourful and cheerful cycle racks and hoops popping up in some of our towns. These new bike racks are providing dozens more spaces for cyclists to park their bikes securely, and offer a real alternative to car parking. There are new public cycle hoops at the following locations:

• Mill Street, Perth, outside Perth Theatre and Boots
• Murray Street, Perth opposite the Playhouse Cinema
• Wellmeadow, Blairgowrie, opposite the public toilets
• James Square, Crieff, opposite the public toilets
• High Street, Coupar Angus

Cycling doctors in Dundee

Two new bikes have been made available for all staff at a medical hub in Dundee, thanks to a new and exciting initiative that took shape in 2019. Whitfield GP Surgery hopes that the new bikes will help staff stay healthy and inspire patients to engage in cycling. Dr Viola Marx, Green Health Partnership Coordinator in Dundee, says, “When the bikes are in place, the staff, including the GPs, will be able to use them for commuting to work and to other locations. Cycling for work is a chance to use the time that they would spend in a car to be active. It increases their physical activity levels and helps to reduce stress levels. The medical staff also has the chance to be role models for the community.”

ReDiscover Dundee – by bike or trike

If you haven’t been on a bike for a long time (or ever!), or you have health conditions, the thought of cycling can be daunting. 

ReDiscover Dundee is an innovative local cycling project which really took off in 2019. It enables people who have barriers to physical activity to enjoy cycling on eBikes or eTrikes. Focusing on the ageing population facing inactivity and isolation, the project enables people to join in guided rides to stay active and rediscover the local greenspaces.

Dr Viola Marx, Green Health Partnership Coordinator in Dundee, says, “We have eight eTrikes, two electric bikes and one trailer for people to try. Through ReDiscover Dundee we’re targeting people with mobility issues and those who aren’t confident on bikes or who haven’t cycled before. We’re supporting inactive citizens to become active. The fact the bikes are electric is great, particularly as Dundee has a lot of hills!”

If you’re interested in trying an electric bike or trike, you can book on the number below. Participants can also sign up to ReDiscover Dundee through a Green Health Prescription, which involves GPs prescribing healthy pursuits and time in green spaces as an alternative or complement to medical treatment. People can borrow them as community bikes, too.

Re-Discover Dundee is managed by Volunteer Dundee, with the support of Dundee Voluntary Action, the Dundee Green Health Partnership and funding from Energy Saving Trust. Contact [email protected] or call 01382 305757.

Get on your bike!

If you’re inspired to get cycling, start commuting by bike, or explore new routes, follow Get On The Go for all the latest chat and news. Make 2020 the year you get on two wheels!

Get On The Go Walking wins in 2019

Get Into Walking & Cycling in Angus

When Angus Council wanted to learn more about people’s commutes to work and school, they asked Angus Cycle Hub to set up a project to find out what the barriers were to active and sustainable travel, and how to help people make different travel choices. 

The project is supported through Smarter Choices Smarter Places, which is a Paths for All programme funded by Transport Scotland. Scott Francis, a director at Angus Cycle Hub, explains what has been achieved so far. 

“Many Friockheim residents said they’d love to be able to cycle to Arbroath but there are a couple of major quarries in the area and lots of HGV traffic. So we’ve set up a full feasibility study with Angus Council about joining up two sections of the core paths.” This should result in six miles of off-road cycle paths joining Friockheim to local hamlets and then on to Arbroath. It also means that residents in the small communities can access services in Friockheim by walking or cycling.

Angus Cycle Hub will also be working with Angus Council on the installation of new cycle shelters around Arbroath.

You can follow or contact Angus Cycle Hub on Facebook or email [email protected] for information on this project and active travel in the Angus region.

New accessible Provost Walk path in Auchterarder

2019 was the year that the final phase of Provost Walk path in Auchterarder was opened,  completing a safe walking and cycling path through beautiful Perthshire countryside. The £945,000 Provost Walk project, managed by Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust, upgraded a virtually impassable, muddy and uneven track to a modern, multi-user path suitable for walkers, cyclists and wheelchairs.

Earn Mi Rewards for walking or cycling

Mi Rewards is the loyalty programme that gives you points, perks and prizes when you shop at local businesses or travel on Stagecoach buses. But did you know you can also earn points for walking and cycling?

All you need to do is download the Mi Rewards app for iPhone or Android, activate the mobility settings and walk, cycle or wheelchair into Perth city centre. You’ll automatically earn points, feel great and help Perth to become a greener healthier place!

Walking to Angus schools

To encourage kids (and their parents) to make healthier travel choices, Angus Council set up a project with nine schools called WOW – Walk One day a Week – which has proved successful overall and, in fact, has turned into a competition between the schools!

Lesley Cook, School Travel Co-ordinator for Angus Council, manages the project, which is supported through Smarter Choices Smarter Places, a Paths for All programme funded by Transport Scotland. “We are also currently running the Park Smarter initiative for P4 to P7 in four of our schools. It’s about getting the kids to take the message home to parents to park in better locations. So instead of getting dropped off right at the gate or car park, the kids are getting to Park & Stride, and that means there will be more safe places to cross the road.”

Get walking for a healthy new you!

If you’re inspired to get walking, are looking for accessible paths, or would like to explore new routes with friends and family, follow Get On The Go for all the latest chat and news. Make 2020 the year you get out more by foot!