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For media accreditation, editorial and story ideas: Contact Mike Wilson +44 (0)131 446 9265 e-mail mwilsport@aol.com

 

Velo-city 2001 - the world's biggest cycle planning conference - Over 500 international delegates

Conference themes: Health and Well-Being; Tourism and Economy; Children and Mobility; Environment and Land Use; Sustainable Transport and Planning.

Press releases

Friday September 21 2001

Bikes a Possible Salvation for South African School Children, says Minister

Thursday September 20

Levy on car advertising called for to promote cycling message

18 September 2001

CYCLING IS KEY TO ECONOMY, TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT SAYS SALLY KEEBLE

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 18 2001

DELEGATES GET ON THEIR BIKES TO RIDE BETWEEN EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW

17 September 2001

BOYACK SHOWCASES SCOTLAND'S CYCLING ACHIEVEMENTS

EMBARGO 00.01 Monday September 17

TRAINING SCHEME GEARS UP TO GET WOMEN ON BIKES

September 10 2001

ARTIST GETS ON HIS BIKE TO MARK CYCLING CONFERENCE

September 7 2001

ISSUED BY SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

BOYACK GEARS UP FOR VELO-CITY 2001

FRIDAY September 7

ISSUED BY VELO-CITY 2001

Royal High pupils show Minister plans to push bikes

September 3 2001

GET ON YOUR BIKE AND PEDAL FOR SCOTLAND

Briefing notice August 29 2001

 
WOMEN AND CYCLING
 
 
Friday July 20 2001

GLASGOW'S KILOMETRES BETTER FOR GERMAN CYCLISTS

June 27 2001

CLOCK TICKING DOWN ON DISCOUNT DEAL FOR CYCLING CONFERENCE

June 12 2001.

RAIL AND BUS COMPANIES RALLY ROUND TO RELIEVE TIRED LEGS

April 23 2001

CYCLE LANES HELP WIN TOP AWARD

April 16 2001

COMMUNITY EXPERTS SIGNING UP FOR WORLD'S BIGGEST CYCLE PLANNING CONFERENCE

January 11 2001

HEALTH LEADS THE WAY IN WORLD'S BIGGEST CYCLE PLANNING CONFERENCE

October 3 2000

TWO EDINBURGH SCHOOLS REACH FINAL OF COMPETITION TO MAKE CYCLING SAFER AND MORE FUN

October 2 2000

TWO LANARKSHIRE SCHOOLS REACH FINAL OF COMPETITION TO MAKE CYCLING SAFER AND MORE FUN

26 September 2000

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

26 September 2000

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON CHILDREN AND MOBILITY

26 September 2000

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENT AND LAND USE

26 September 2000

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON TOURISM AND ECONOMY

26 September 2000

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON HEALTH AND WELL BEING

September 8 2000

THREE GLASGOW SCHOOLS REACH FINAL OF COMPETITION TO MAKE CYCLING SAFER AND MORE FUN

Monday September 4 2000

SCOTTISH SCHOOLS TOLD: 'YOU DON'T HAVE TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL'

Thursday August 17 2000.

MSPs GET ON THEIR BIKE FOR SCOTLAND'S CHILDREN

Friday 21 July 2000

TOP SCOTS CYCLIST COMMITS TO PROMOTING BIKE USE AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN

24 May 2000

SCHOOLS SET CHALLENGE TO DREAM UP CYCLING PROJECTS

23 May 2000

PREVIEW OF THE FOUR SEATER 'FORMULA ONE' BIKE

Sunday, May 14 2000

FOLLOWING TODAY'S BIKE SHED STORY IN SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (PAGE NINE)

Background info

28 April 2000

BRITAIN'S MOST AMBITIOUS CYCLE-PLANNING CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED

Sunday 20 June 1999

SCOTLAND TRIUMPH IN ESTONIA WHEN EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW WORK TOGETHER

Tuesday June 15 1999

SCOTS RIDE INTO ESTONIA FOR CYCLISTS' DECISION

27 April 1999

CLOSING STAGE OF JUDGING FOR EDINBURGH/GLASGOW BID TO HOST INTERNATIONAL CYCLING CONFERENCE

7 March 1999

GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH BID FOR INTERNATIONAL CYCLING CONFERENCE - THROUGH TO LAST ROUND - IT'S A TWO-BIKE RACE


September 8 2000. FAO newsdesk

Issued by the Velo-city 2001 media team, 0131-446 9265 or 0131-225 2082.

THREE GLASGOW SCHOOLS REACH FINAL OF COMPETITION TO MAKE CYCLING SAFER AND MORE FUN

SO GOOD are their ideas to make cycling safer and more fun, pupils at three Glasgow Secondary Schools could be seeing their dreams turned into reality and showcased at the world's biggest cycle planning conference.

First and second-year pupils at Jordanhill School, Drumchapel High School and Smithycroft School have reached the final of a national competition being organised by Velo-city, the world's biggest cycle planning conference which visits Scotland for the first time next year.

Organisers at Velo-city 2001 issued first and second-year secondary pupils with a simple challenge: come up with a brilliant cycle idea, be it an ultra-modern bike shed for the playground, or a new, car-free way to cycle from home to school or a more enjoyable way for families to cycle together.

Thanks to sponsorship from The Royal Bank of Scotland, the best ideas will be turned into reality and showcased at Velo-city 2001 which is being hosted jointly by Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Erl Wilkie is the conference director of Velo-city 2001. He said: "Edinburgh and Glasgow had to beat off stiff competition from the likes of Strasbourg in France and Gothenburg in Sweden to win the right to host Velo-city 2001. Because children are the next generation of cyclists, we wanted them to be part of the next generation of cycling innovation. That's why they have been asked to come up with ideas to make cycling safer and more fun."

Each of the three finalists are being presented with a cycle repair toolbox at different times during Monday September 11. In attendance at each of the presentations will be pupils, teachers, a representative of Velo-city 2001 and a representative of The Royal Bank of Scotland.

The presentation at Jordanhill takes place at 8.45am.

The presentation at Drumchapel takes place at 10am.

The presentation at Smithycroft takes place at 2pm.

You are invited to send a reporter/photographer to any one of three presentations. WE WOULD BE OBLIGED IF YOU COULD REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IN ATTENDING BY TELEPHONING MIKE WILSON ON 0131-446 9265 ASAP.

Notes to Editor:

Round one of the competition required schools to submit their ideas on two pages of A4 paper by the end of the summer term. There are seven finalists: Three from Glasgow, two from Lanarkshire and two from Edinburgh. Each finalist receives a cycle repair and maintenance toolkit worth £100 [one hundred GBP]. They also have the chance to be linked up with pro-cycling schools on the continent.

An example of a school already 'on the case' is Portobello High School in Edinburgh, whose idea to refurbish the school bike shed has already led to a £1,000 runners-up prize in an UK-wide environment competition, held last year and sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club. For inspiration, a party of children and teachers visited a £35,000 futuristic bike shed in York.

Velo-city 2001 is expected to attract over 500 delegates - among them politicians, transport experts and town planners - and the decision to give school children the chance to present their cycling ideas directly to delegates is part of an outreach programme designed to extensively involve the general public in the conference.

Velo-city 2001 is being held in Edinburgh on 17 and 18 September, in Glasgow on 20 and 21 September 2001, with Wednesday 19 being set aside for participants to join the general public in a mass cycle ride from one city to the other.

For more information about the Velo-city 2001 Schools Challenge, contact Ian Maxwell on 0131-556 3899 (day), 0131-669 6542 (evening).

For more information about Velo-city 2001, contact Erl Wilkie, conference director, on 0141-287 9039 (day only).

Visit www.velo-city2001.org for a background briefing for the media.

ENDS

 

Date: Monday September 4 2000 - For immediate release

Attention: Newsdesks and Education desks

SCOTTISH SCHOOLS TOLD: 'YOU DON'T HAVE TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL'

Scottish Schools have been urged to hook up with their counterparts abroad to share the best new ideas in cycling, including how to make cycling to school safer and more fun. The call was made in Glasgow [today, September 4 2000] by an organiser from the world's biggest cycle planning conference which visits Scotland for the first time next year.

Ian Maxwell of Velo-city 2001 told 200 delegates at a symposium on how to make cycling to school safer that now was the time to start dreaming up good cycle-related ideas so that the best of them could be turned into reality by next year's Velo-city event.

At 'Towards Safe Routes to School', held in Glasgow City Chambers today [Monday September 4 2000], Mr Maxwell said: "Velo-city 2001 will attract town planners, politicians and transport experts from around the world. Schools that have got good ideas to make cycling safer and more fun will have the chance to showcase them to an international audience at least 500 strong. "Some schools are already beginning to come up with good ideas as part of an outreach programme set up by Velo-city 2001.

"Between now and Velo-city 2001,which takes place next September, the challenge is to turn these ideas into reality. We have secured sponsorship from The Royal Bank of Scotland to make that happen. An excellent source of good ideas are those schools abroad that have already been down this route. The expertise is already out there, you don't have to re-invent the wheel."

At 'Towards Safe Routes to School' - where a live link was set up between Maxwell and the BBC Radio Scotland programme, 'Now You're Talking' - Scottish transport minister, Sarah Boyack MSP, further outlined plans announced in May for a GBP 5.2 million spend this year to make walking and cycling to schools safer.

Notes to the Editor:

Velo-city 2001 is being held in Edinburgh on 17 and 18 September, in Glasgow on 20 and 21 September 2001, with Wednesday 19 being set aside for participants to ride from one city to the other on a new long-distance cycle route that will link them.

Sunday, May 14 2000, 2p.m. FAO newsdesks, education correspondents, transport correspondents

FOLLOWING TODAY'S BIKE SHED STORY IN SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY NEWSPAPER (PAGE NINE)

Background info

THE BIKE SHED

The bike shed is back, with schools throughout Scotland renovating long disused cycle sheds or building hi-tech new models. As cycling to school becomes more popular and sfae routes to school are created, there is also an increasing need for secure cycle storage facilities at schools.

One such example is Portobello High School in Edinburgh. The proposed Portobello shed has been dreamed up by the 'Porty Path Patrollers', a group of High School pupils and their teachers Mike Farrell and Ann O'Hagan. One source of inspiration is a £35,000 futuristic bike shed in York which the pupils visited last year. The resulting decision to plan to build in Portobello something similar to the York shed led to the school collecting a £1,000 runners-up prize in an UK-wide environment competition, held last year and sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club.

The Portobello plan may feature at an international cycling conference,Velo-city 2001, taking place next year in Edinburgh and Glasgow. 'Velo-city 2001 Schools Challenge' - about to be officially launched - is a competition for secondary school pupils to thinkup ways of encouraging more families to ride bikes.

The best of these ideas will actually be turned into reality using £10,000 of sponsorship money from The Royal Bank of Scotland. Participating schools will also have the chance to learn from their counterparts in Europe, thanks to international links created by the Velo-city 2001 organising team.

The 'Challenge' will culminate next year when the best ideas will be showcased to over 500 delegates from thoughout Europe expected to attend Velo-city 2001 in Edinburgh and Glasgow between September 17 and 21 next year.

Contact Ian Maxwell, outreach programme director at Velo-city 2001,0131-556 3899.

Contact Mike Farrell on 0131-669 2324 (B).

The futuristic shed in York is at Burnholme School in York, contact Paul Osborne on 01904 651506. Pictures of the York shed are available.

 

THE SURVEY

Key figures from Lothian Safe Routes survey

Carried out in Spring 1999 - 164 responses from schools throughout Lothian

75% travel less than one mile to school

94% travel less than three miles

67% walk, 21% go by car, 6% by school bus, 5% by public bus, 1% walk

Walking is above UK average (67% vs 55%)

And car travel is slightly below (21% vs 24%)

Cycling to school is similar to UK average (1% vs 2%) but well below Odense, Denmark (60%).

Preferred way of going to school is as follows (current way in brackets)

Walk 27% (67%)

Bike 53% (1%)

Car 10% (21%)

This means that half the pupils travelling by car want to go by other means, and very sizeable number of pupils would prefer to cycle to school.

The survey went on to examine head teachers' views on whether they are actively encouraging or discouraging cycling and walking, and the factors that they think are preventing children from cycling to school.

The last large scale survey in Lothian, in 1985, showed significantly lower levels of car use and higher levels of cycling, but this was only among high school pupils.

It would be safe to say that cycling has declined and car use increased in last 15 years.

Contact Ian Maxwell, outreach programme director at Velo-city 2001, 0131-556 3899.

ENDS

 

DATE 23 MAY 2000 - ATTENTION: PHOTO DESK, DIARY - PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

PREVIEW OF THE FOUR SEATER 'FORMULA ONE' BIKE

A prototype four-seat bicycle (with riders) will be available for photographs at the Scott Monument in Princes Street gardens, Edinburgh, at mid-day Wednesday 24 May.

It is in Edinburgh to whet Scots appetites' for weird and wonderful bikes that could be a feature of the Velo-city 2001 cycling conference which takes place in Edinburgh and Glasgow next year.

During its 20-year history, Velo-city, the world's most important cycle planning conference, has been mainly concerned with technical aspects of cycle promotion. The Edinburgh-Glasgow event will cater for ordinary cyclists as well as specialists, however.

Erl Wilkie, director of Velo-city 2001, said: "It is important to encourage more people on to their bikes - but cycling is about having fun as well as getting about. The four-seater bike is a great example of a design that takes pedal power to another level. Maybe we won't all be riding these in the future, but who wouldn't fancy a ride on one today?"

The four-seater is called a ZEM bike and looks like a Formula One racing car. For anyone who can't wait until Velo-city 2001 to see similar cycling curios, the ZEM bike will be on show at a Try-Out show in York over this weekend, May 27-29.

For further information about Velo-city 2001, contact the event media team: Tim Dawson 0131 225 2082/07050 165653 or Mike Wilson 0131 446 9265/07050 169016.

Or visit the web-site www.velo-city2001.org for media background

ENDS


May 24 2000. FAO NEWSDESKS, EDUCATION CORRESPONDENTS, TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENTS

SCHOOLS SET CHALLENGE TO DREAM UP CYCLING PROJECTS  

EVERY SECONDARY school in central Scotland is being entered into a nationwide competition to find the best ways of making cycling safer for, and more popular among, today's young Scots.

The Velo-city 2001 Schools Challenge has been launched as part of an international cycling conference to be held next year in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Challenge is being put to first and second-year secondary pupils: come up with that brilliant cycle idea, be it an ultra-modern bike shed for the playground, a new, car-free way to cycle from home to school or a more enjoyable way for families to cycle together.

And as well as having their ideas showcased at the Velo-city 2001 conference taking place in Edinburgh and Glasgow next year, the winning schools will be able to tap into a £10,000 [ten thousand GBP} sponsorship fund provided by The Royal Bank of Scotland that will help towards turning the ideas into reality.

Round one of the competition requires schools to submit their ideas on two pages of A4 paper by the end of the summer term. The best of the ideas then go into round two of the competition with the winners then getting access to the sponsorship fund. Every school that enters round one will automatically receive a cycle repair and maintenance toolkit worth £100 [one hundred GBP]. The most enthusiastic schools will also have the chance to be linked up with pro-cycling schools on the continent.

Erl Wilkie is the conference director of Velo-city 2001. He said: "Edinburgh and Glasgow had to win the right to host Velo-city 2001 and had to beat off stiff competition from the likes of Strasbourg in France and Gothenburg in Sweden. Because children are the next generation of cyclists, we wanted them to be part of the next generation of cycling innovation. That's why they have been asked to come up with ideas to make cycling more fun and safer." An example of a school already 'on the case' is Portobello High School in Edinburgh, whose idea to refurbish the school bike shed has already led to a £1,000 runners-up prize in an UK-wide environment competition, held last year and sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club. For inspiration, a party of children and teachers visited a £35,000 futuristic bike shed in York.

The Challenge will culminate next year when the best ideas will be showcased to over 500 delegates from thoughout Europe expected to attend Velo-city 2001. Velo-city 2001 is expected to attract politicians, transport experts and town planners and the decision to give school children the chance to present directly to delegates their thoughts on cycling is part of an outreach programme designed to extensively involve the general public in the conference which takes place between September 17 and 21 next year.

The local authority areas involved are East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Midlothian, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian.

For more information about the Velo-city 2001 Schools Challenge, contact Ian Maxwell on 0131-556 3899 (day), 0131-669 6542 (evening).

For more information about Velo-city 2001, contact Erl Wilkie, conference director, on 0141-287 9039.

Issued by the Velo-city 2001 media team, 0131-446 9265 or 0131-225 2082.

Visit the velo-city2001 web-site at www.velo-city2001.org for a background briefing for the media.

ENDS

 

Date: Friday 21 July 2000 - 6pm - For immediate release

Attention: Newsdesks and sports desks

TOP SCOTS CYCLIST COMMITS TO PROMOTING BIKE USE AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN

ON the day when he again showed the cycling world his abilities as a time trialist - by finishing seventh in today's leg of the Tour de France - Scot David Millar has committed himself to helping efforts to promote recreational cycling in his own country among school children, families and commuters.

Next year, the world's most important cycle planning conference, Velo-city, is being hosted in Edinburgh and Glasgow and, following a meeting with conference director, Erl Wilkie, Millar announced his support.

Millar - who wore the Tour's famous yellow jersey at the start of the event three weeks ago - said of Velo-city 2001: "I am really impressed by what I have heard about the efforts to boost cycling in Scotland. I am particularly heartened by recent announcements about initiatives to get children cycling safely to school and back. Once the cycling season is over, I promise that I will be back in Scotland doing everything that I can to promote the use of bicycles."

Millar posted a time of 1hr 8min and 57sec for today's 58km time trial, nearly four minutes behind stage winner and likely Tour winner, Lance Armstrong.

Notes to the Editor:

The conference will be held in Edinburgh on 17 and 18 September, in Glasgow on 20 and 21 September 2001, with Wednesday 19 being set aside for participants to ride from one city to the other on a newly complete long-distance cycle route that will link them.

For further information contact the Velo-city media team: Tim Dawson 0131 225 2082/07050 165653 or Mike Wilson 0131 446 9265/07050169016.

A full media briefing pack is available, as is the full bid document. Visit the web site www.velo-city2001.org or contact the media team for further information.

ENDS

 

Embargoed: Not for broadcast or publication until 10.30am on Thursday August 17 2000. MEDIA RELEASE - FAO NEWS AND PICTURE DESKS

MSPs GET ON THEIR BIKE FOR SCOTLAND'S CHILDREN

A newly-formed cycling group at the Scottish Parliament is challenging the public to join them on a bike ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh on behalf of two of Scotland's biggest children's charities and in anticipation of the world's biggest cycling conference visiting Scotland for the first time next year.

Bristow Muldoon MSP, a member of the All Party Cycling Group at the Parliament, laid down the challenge as he and colleagues prepared for Pedal for Scotland, a mass participation cycle ride taking place next month and expected to attract 1,000 cyclists. Flanked by historic and modern bikes, the MSPs will be joined by a group of young riders from the Edinburgh Road Club and the mascots of the charities.

Pedal for Scotland was launched last year by the Scottish Cycling Development Project formed jointly by the Cyclists' Touring Club and the Scottish Cyclists' Union. In its short life, it has already established itself as the premier cycling event in Scotland for raising money for charity. The two charities set to benefit from the MSPs' efforts are Barnardo's Scotland and Children 1st and Mr Muldoon and fellow MSPs will be training for Pedal for Scotland in Edinburgh at the Meadow's ON THURSDAY AUGUST 17 - AT 10.30AM.

Next year, the number of riders on Pedal for Scotland is set to at least double when the public is joined by over 500 delegates attending the world's biggest cycle planning conference, Velo-city, which is being hosted by Edinburgh and Glasgow. Also at Thursday's launch will be Oliver Hatch, director of the Velo-city conference series, and Erl Wilkie, director of Velo-city 2001.

The Pedal for Scotland route begins in the centre of Glasgow and follows quiet roads to Coatbridge, Avonbridge, Linlithgow and Cramond, finishing in the centre of Edinburgh at Meadowbank Stadium. A telephone hotline for cyclists interested in taking part is 01483 417217. It takes place on Sunday, September 17.

 

YOU ARE INVITED TO SEND A REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER TO THE MILLENNIUM MILEPOST AT THE JUNCTION OF MIDDLE MEADOW WALK AND THE CYCLE PATH, THE MEADOWS, EDINBURGH. 10.30AM ON THURSDAY AUGUST 17.

For more details: George di Ponio, Pedal for Scotland, 0131-669 6785. Barnardo's Scotland Media Team: Beth Hocking or Jan Murray, 0131-314 6631 or 6630. Or 020 8498 7555. Velo-city2001 Media Team: Tim Dawson on 0131-225 2082 or 0705 0165 653.

Notes for Editor:

Barnardo's Scotland runs over 40 local services for children and young people experiencing disadvantage due to disability, poverty, abuse, social isolation, family breakdown, homelessness, HIV, AIDS, drug or alcohol misuse and educational breakdown.

Children 1st believes every child has a right to a childhood free from suffering. They have a range of services throughout Scotland, many relying on voluntary contributions. One of their boldest recent initiatives is ParentLine Scotland, a free confidential helpline for parents and carers. Staffed by trained volunteers, the service enables parents to talk through worries and concerns about their children. Like Barnardo's Scotland, all money raised in Scotland stays in Scotland. The Scottish Cycling Development Project is an initiative established by the Cyclists' Touring Club and the Scottish Cyclists' Union that aims to increase cycle use for health, recreation and transport. Its work is supported by the Health Education Board for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Glasgow City Council. Visit www.scottishcycling.co.uk

Velo-city is the world's biggest and most important cycle planning conference and it visits Scotland for the first time next year, when over 500 delegates from around the world are expected to attend, among them politicians, cycle campaigners, town planners, civil engineers and transport experts. The conference, called Velo-city 2001, takes place in the autumn of next year, between September 17 and 21, and is being hosted jointly by Edinburgh and Glasgow. In tune with the work of Barnardo's Scotland and Children 1st, one of the main themes of Velo-city 2001 will be the partnership that can be developed between town planners and education authorities to make cycling to school safer for children. Already, the Velo-city 2001 organisers have launched a cycle competition for first and second-year secondary pupils, challenging them to come up with ideas to make cycling more fun and safer, with the best ideas to be turned into reality thanks to sponsorship from The Royal Bank of Scotland. Visit www.velo-city2001.org

 

ENDS

Velo-city 2001 Media Team

Tim Dawson 0131 225 2082/07050 165653 tim@timdawsn. demon.co.uk Mike Wilson 0131 446 9265/07050 169016 mwilsport@aol. com

Website

Chris Hill

 
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