A new initiative to make the world a “more sustainable place” by getting people involved in cycling took place in Dundee over the weekend.
The Cycle hack group discussed possible projects and how to meet challenges that may dissuade people from using their bikes, at a convention at Abertay University.
The scheme is part of a worldwide movement that hopes to remove barriers to cycling and inspire people who may not have considered riding a bike as a more sustainable mode of transport.
Through the use of an “open-source” guidebook of “hacks”, users can find out where the best routes are in the city and what traffic areas to avoid.
They can also submit entries on to the website to highlight potential danger areas and leave tips on how to make cycling more enjoyable.
Conor Judge, Cycle hack event organiser, said: “Ultimately what we are looking for are ideas that meet an evident need and help make cycling easier or more straightforward for both those who currently cycle and those that don’t.
“Micro barriers surround small problems that need solved, such as how can to make this specific street corners safer.
“Other things we considered were how to design a new way to take a bike on to a train.
“Macro barriers surround bigger, wider spread issues like how to improve cycling marketing to get more people on their bikes, or how we can create more empathy between all road users.
“There can be loads of barriers to cycling for people in Dundee, such as confidence on the roads, getting noticed by other road users or what happens after you’ve been cycling.
“At the event, we considered how to break down the barrier and create an idea, product or service to overcome these barriers by collaborating with other people at the event, developing different approaches, building prototypes and testing them.”
The initiative comes as Dundee City Council announced earlier this month that at least 5% of the council road budget will be spent on maintaining cycle and walk ways in the city.
A new “cycling tsar” post will also be created, who will be charged with implementing the council’s cycling initiative.
