At the RenewableUK conference in Glasgow this week, Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond announced that the countries renewable targets were being realigned to take into account faster than expected growth. The initial target was for Scotland to produce 50% of its energy from renewable power by 2020, however, the figure is currently standing at 35%, ahead of the 31% that was forecast initially. The new target is to achieve 50% renewable power by 2015, which the First Minister described as ‘ambitious but also achievable’ – hinting that more renewable projects are due to come onstream in the next few years.

What is your opinion of these new targets? Are they achievable for Scotland? Answer our exciting poll!

Cambridge is often referred to as the “City of Cycling”. Over 20% of trips in Cambridge are made by bike. The question is how other cities in the country can achieve a figure even close to this amidst a primarily automotive backdrop.

At first glance Cambridge just looks like any other quaint tourist town in the UK, lovely views, period architecture and the odd pedestrianised area. That is, until you look a bit closer and begin to see cyclists, bike parking and bike shops everywhere you go. However possibly the biggest shock is the courtesy and respect shown to cyclists by the drivers in Cambridge. There is a distinct lack of aggressive bus drivers or abusive motorists everyone just seems to get along.

Upon touring the city centre bikes truly are parked everywhere; chained to railings, bike stands or even with just a wheel lock. It turns out Cambridge really does have a large amount of dedicated parking for cyclists. There is even an example of a multi-storey carpark which has the ground floor solely for cyclists.

One theory is that the large student population is partly responsible for the number of cyclists as undergrads aren’t allowed a parking permit unless there are special circumstances. Now so you can put that to scale Cambridge has a population of around 120,000 and the student body accounts for approximately 45,000 of that. Thus in broad terms over 30% of the population of Cambridge have no real use for a car.

According to the Cambridge Cycling Campaign spokesperson, Cambridge was extremely fortunate during the 60s and 70s when most cities were in a rush to increase their motor traffic and automotive facilities. Yet the whole thing just seemed to bypass Cambridge and therefore people simply continued to cycle.

However it takes more than luck for an idealistic idea to last this long, credit must also be attributed to the people who teach and encourage the next generation to cycle and continue it as part of normal life. If anything Cambridge should be held up as a model of what we should be trying to implement in any modern city.