Cycling Infrastructure

Perthshire is a fantastic location for cycling… shame about the infrastructure!

Compared to the rest of Western Europe, the UK in general has a very poor cycling infrastructure. Up here in Highland Perthshire we have fantastic scenery, but access can be challenging due to the shocking state of some of the roads in towns and cities. The lack of dedicated cycle lanes is a general issue right across the UK, but as a result of minimum investment the truth is that compared to other countries the cycling infrastructure here is in fact declining! – For years certain councils have been claiming investment and improvements to their local cycling infrastructure, but the reality is that it is and remains all image over content.

Which is a great shame, because ask any keen local cyclist up here in Perthshire about this region and they will all tell you it’s the best place in The World to cycle!… just as soon as you have cleared the towns or city boundaries though!!

And there lies the root cause of the problem.. so many more locals would cycle if their council had the foresight and creativity to improve their own back yard! So many more tourists and visitors would flock to Highland Perthshire if they felt safe on the roads.. felt they could leave their bikes in a safe location.. if they could actually see the improvements to appalling road surfaces… if their council could actually deliver just like other forward thinking modern countries.

More to follow…

And just as a comparison, these photos were taken recently;

The only bike stand outside Perth Railway Station.. and then a photo of just one of 4 (four) bike parks situated outside Eindhoven station in NL.

Also, within a 2 minute walk from Eindhoven station they also have a secured free underground bike park in the city centre that can accommodate over 5,000 bikes per day. As Kevin Costner was once told in the film Field of Dreams; If you build it… ???

We do cycle tours, but sometimes when environmental issues are raised they are worth pursuing.. especially when they have any kind of impact on ecotourism (sustainable transport) or conserving the environment

edit May 2023: a summary on what the local council (PKC) have delivered over the past 10+ years on promoting tourism for Perth City Centre can be found at https://www.highlandbiketours....

previous observation (March 2022) about cycling infrastructure on twitter:

Any town or city can change its infrastructure to become (more) bicycle friendly… and once out cycling most people are so much healthier and happier! Here some tips from Eindhoven.. (you tube)

https://twitter.com/BikeHighla...