THE Scottish Government is launching six pilot projects to provide free bikes for school pupils who can’t afford them.

As part of the Scottish Government’s commitments for the first 100 days after the election, new pilot projects will be tested over the next year and evaluated. They will be operated in urban and rural areas, as well as across primary and secondary schools.

Ministers hope to include local bike shops in the initiative to support economies, and promote recycled bikes too.

Transport Minister Graeme Dey went to St Paul’s Youth Forum in north-east Glasgow this morning, alongside Shanaze Reade, ambassador for children and young people for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.

READ MORE: Without work to fix the roads, where will children ride their free bikes?

Dey said he has been “blown away” by how community groups and cycling partners have responded to the Government’s 100-day commitment.

“We’ve still got a lot of ground to cover when thinking about how best we can assess need, build in accessibility for all and ensure supply and delivery models which are sustainable for urban, rural and island communities across Scotland,” he said.

“That said, when we look at pilot projects already mobilised, it’s clear that the strength of ambition on display is immediately apparent. We’ll be looking at the evaluation very closely to see what’s working most effectively and inclusively to support future schemes.

“The benefits of providing greater access to bikes for children are obvious. It ensures equality of opportunity in building life skills, confidence, independence and embeds healthy and sustainable travel habits from a young age. Ensuring that more children can choose active travel including cycling is vital to help meet our world leading net-zero targets.

“The Equality Cycles project between St Paul’s Youth Forum and the Rosemount Development Trust is a fantastic example of community collaboration to get more children on bikes using local networks. I look forward to seeing the success of this project and the other pilots, as we refine blueprints for effective local delivery and get more bikes to children who cannot afford them.”

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Meanwhile Ben Raw, the project co-ordinator at the youth forum, said the free bikes will allow young people regardless of where they are born to access transportation that “allows them to have good mental and physical health”.

“We know that communities with the least, are feeling the effects of climate change across Scotland and the world,” he said. “By offering young people access to bikes this project ‘Equality Cycles’ doesn’t just allow young people the opportunity to get around, but offers them a way to re-see and re-imagine their communities.

“By creating climate-resilient neighbourhoods, local people, in one of the most economically deprived areas of the country, can not only survive, but can thrive and flourish.”