Skip to main content

Cycling Friendly

Why be a Cycling Friendly organisation?

Cycling makes people feel healthier and happier, it saves them money and it’s often the quickest way to travel. And the more people we support to switch from driving to cycling, the healthier our air and carbon impact is. This is good for everyone and reduces environmental inequalities. Communities with lower levels of income are often more impacted by air, water and noise pollution, as well as climate change.  

1,737 organisations across Scotland including large and small businesses, schools, universities and colleges, either have the Cycling Friendly Award or are working towards it. Why not join them?

How can the Cycling Friendly award support you?

The Cycling Friendly award provides one-to-one support to help your organisation enable and encourage cycling. Benefits of the award include: 

  • A framework, resources and bespoke support to help your organisation meet the award criteria and become Cycling Friendly
  • A recognised and respected award for an initial period of three years (and beyond if you continue to meet the criteria)
  • Evidence of your organisation's commitment to supporting physical and mental health, tackling climate change, working to overcome inequalities and improvement of your local environment

What’s the process?

Registration – the first step is to register for the award online. This only takes a few minutes - you’ll need to have organisational agreement and know some basic info.

Assessment – A Cycling Friendly assessor will arrange a meeting with you (online or in person) to discuss what you currently have in place to support cycling.

Action plan – Your assessor will follow up with a tailored action plan and will provide ongoing support to help you meet the criteria. There's no set timeframe to achieve the award.

Award – Once your organisation has implemented the action plan, you are awarded Cycling Friendly status and will receive a certificate and logo.  

Reassessment – After three years, you will be contacted to be assessed again.


What are the criteria for achieving the Cycling Friendly Award?

  • Cycle facilities (please note cycle parking is an essential criterion for achieving the award)
  • Organisational policies & commitments that incentivise cycling
  • Communication and promotion about cycling

 

Who else has achieved the award?

More than 872 organisations across Scotland have been awarded Cycling Friendly including

Employers: 390 organisations including NHS Scotland, Scottish Gas, HMRC, Sainsburys and National Galleries of Scotland 

Schools: 263 primary and secondary schools in urban and rural communities

Campuses: 45 college and university sites including Highlands and Islands Students Association, Fife College and University of Edinburgh  

Community groups: 174 community groups, from North Ronaldsay Trust in Orkney to South Machars Community Centre in Newton Stewart. 

I'd like my organisation to be Cycling Friendly - how do I get started?

The first step is to get in touch with a bit of information about your organisation – complete a simple form here.

Contact us

If you have any questions, you can contact us by email.

As a green business, cycling is a way that everyone can make an impact. It helps reduce absenteeism and is good for general mental health. The Cycling Friendly Award really aligns with our policy initiative.

Robert Lockhart Operational Manager, Wood & Lambert Smith Hampton