SCOTLAND is streets ahead of England on cycling spending and encouraging more people to get on their bikes could prevent thousands of cases of serious illness, it has been claimed.

According to active transport charity Sustrans, the Scottish Government invests almost £16 per capita on walking and cycling, compared to around £2.16 in England outwith London.

That sum is expected to fall to just 37p in 2020-21, the organisation says.

Sustrans believes the UK administrations must now “follow Scotland’s example”.

In a new report today, it calls for political commitment to “normalise” cycling for local journeys – and says thousands of life-threatening illnesses could be prevented it action is taken.

Calling for help to get more people switch from four wheels to two, the organisation says this will take long-term planning and investment, as well as infrastructure upgrades, to help people pedal to school, work and homes.

As many as 4400 serious illnesses – like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer – could be prevented in Edinburgh alone by 2040, Sustrans claims, along with 30,000 cases in six other UK cities.

These include Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Greater Manchester and Newcastle.

Titled Transforming Cities, the paper is based on data from Bike Life, the largest assessment of cycling in UK cities, and models the impact of doubling participation every eight years until 2040.

Though Scotland’s chief medical officer recommends 150 minutes of physical activity each week for adults, one third of men and 40% of women failed to meet this in 2017.

For those in the worst-off areas, this figure stood at almost half of women and nearly 40% of men.

In Edinburgh, 10% of the transport budget is committed towards cycling and almost 8% of commuter journeys are made by bike. This is a rate higher than in many other areas.

Lesley MacInnes, the council’s Transport and Environment Convener, said: “We’ve demonstrated that it is possible to increase the number of people cycling, with more than 15 million trips made by bike in the last year, but we need to continue this momentum to ensure we meet future goals.

“Our vision for Edinburgh is a better-connected, sustainable capital, and by investing in walking, cycling and public transport we are determined to achieve this – and to realise the immense health benefits.”

And John Lauder of Sustrans Scotland said: “Our report provides 34,000 reasons why governments across the UK should follow Scotland’s example and prioritise investment in walking and cycling.

“We call on communities in Edinburgh, and right across Scotland to embrace every day walking and cycling as a cheap and easy way to get regular physical activity.”