Inclusive Cycling in North East Scotland

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.Grampian Inclusive Cycling Bothies (GICB) is a partnership led by Grampian Disability Sport and Sport Aberdeen with the aim of supporting access to adapted cycling throughout the North East of Scotland. At present, there are adapted cycling bothies in Aberdeen, Peterhead, Alford, and Banff where sessions are run at traffic free, flat locations using adapted cycles. By locating hubs within communities, the programme aims to bring adapted cycles closer to the people within those communities who need to use them, removing barriers to cycling and fostering the development of social networks. Through improving access to cycling, GICB works to promote the health, wellbeing and environmental benefits of cycling, while facilitating physical activity for marginalised groups. This paper will offer an evaluation of the impact of the project in the North East of Scotland making use of qualitative and quantitative data, while exploring the broader enabling policy context. The paper will contribute to the limited body of knowledge on disabled people who cycle, with the aim of increasing visibility for disabled people within the active travel sphere and show how policy and targeted funding can be an enabler for marginalised groups in communities.