The answer seems to be largely self evident - especially in Edinburgh...
But the question, and the next bit 'why don't other people cycle as much' has come up quite often in conversations and events I've been involved in recently.
This is in today's new Herald blog -
"
Gone are the days when cycling was solely the territory of Lycra-clad wiry bods. On my daily commute I see trendy hipsters on fixed gear models, chicly dressed women gliding past on what the Dutch call "omafiet" – or "granny bike" – and workmen in steel-toed capped boots rumbling along on mountain bikes.
"
This presumably refers to Glasgow, but it's not known if the writer has seen one or many in those categories.
Last night at the transport event, the subject was brought up.
Someone in the audience said 'it's because in Edinburgh the middle class live in the centre and (generally) the working class live around the edge'.
Edinburgh is fairly unusual in UK terms in this respect.
She went on to say that 'it's harder for people in Wester Hailes to cycle to work'. This got a round of applause.
That of course is a bad example because of the canal (other routes are available) and assumes that 'everyone' works in the city centre.
There are several people on here who live in the city centre and work in The Gyle/EP, so, to some extent that disproves the 'distance' theory.
Some years ago in the run up to Edinburgh's Active Travel Action Plan I was at a meeting which discussed (among other things) priorities for spending money.
The consensus was 'city centre, because that's where most people cycle'. One women was a lone dissenting voice - 'more money should be spent in areas where fewer people cycle'. There was some sympathy for this view, but the conclusion was to spend money 'where it would be most effective' - ie encouraging even more people to cycle were they already did.
Apart from the fear of the 'usual complaints' about the point of 'cycle facilities where no-one cycles' was this a bad call if the aim is to get more people (from a wider demographic) to cycle?