Bikes Outnumbered Cars at Edinburgh Rush Hour for the First Time Ever

Something happened on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk that’s never happened on any Scottish route before: between 8 and 9 a.m., bicycles outnumbered cars. Not on a weekend, not during a festival, but during an actual Monday-to-Friday morning rush. Cycling Scotland’s mid-May survey counted 67,000 bike journeys nationwide over two days, a 25% jump from last year, with Glasgow routes like Victoria Road and the South City Way hitting record numbers too.

The engine behind the shift isn’t a mystery. Edinburgh’s e-bike rental program has logged 1.46 million trips since launching last September, and segregated cycle lanes are making riders feel safe enough to actually commit to it. One Glasgow NHS health visitor said cycling is faster than driving and saves her a massive amount of time on home visits. Scotland also has roughly $280 million in additional infrastructure and mobility projects in the pipeline, so this trend has serious backing.

So the real question lands on your city: with the right lanes and cheap e-bike access, could your rush hour flip the script too? Tell us what would get you out of the car and onto two wheels.