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My fietsen! Bike stories: Sonja from ENCAP

Sonja Potjewijd, from the Netherlands is one of the Project Leads who has been working on the Earlsferry to Pittenweem shared path project. She explains how cycling has always been part of her life, and now living in Scotland she is working to help develop a better cycling awareness and infrastructure here.

I have so many wonderful memories of my adventures with bicycles! As a kid, I absolutely loved going on bike rides with my parents. Every outing felt like a brand new adventure, with so much to explore and see. In the Netherlands, where I’m from, cycling is just a natural part of our everyday lives. I have so many vivid memories of sitting on the special kids’ seat and joining my parents on their daily errands.

My cycling journey began when I got my first bike with stabilizers at the age of 3. I felt like such a cool kid, riding around in my red jacket and hat, exploring the friendly streets of my neighbourhood. Whether I was riding alone or with all the kids from our street, every bike ride was filled with excitement and joy.

With such a great biking infrastructure in the Netherlands, no matter the weather – whether it was sunny, rainy, or snowy – I hopped on my bike to go to school, the park, sports activities, or to meet up with friends. I even enjoyed cycling with my grandparents through the beautiful woodlands on weekends. During holidays, we’d load our bikes onto the car and go on adventures across the Netherlands, discovering all the hidden gems of the country. There’s just so much to see and experience when you’re out and about on your bike, and the feeling of freedom and happiness it brings is simply unbeatable.

One of my most beloved bikes was a vibrant yellow and blue one I received as a gift when I finished primary school and transitioned to secondary school. I have so many wonderful memories with that bike, from carrying my school bag and gymnastics gear to having my best friend Linda on the back and using it for delivering papers during my first job, as well as for camping gear and picnic supplies. There’s nothing quite like spending time outdoors with friends and enjoying a lovely picnic!

During my university days, I had a worn-out, unassuming bike to deter potential thieves. This trusty bike carried all sorts of props for theatre plays, including up to four chairs at a time, as well as memories of my first real boyfriend.

As I grew older, I invested in a more expensive bike that has accompanied me on adventures across the globe, from cycling north to south in the Netherlands, to exploring from Bangkok to the mountains above Chiang Mai, and even embarking on journeys from Washington D.C. to Virginia.

Having recently moved to Scotland, I find myself missing the sense of freedom and security I felt while cycling in the Netherlands. This longing has motivated me to get involved in supporting organisations like Sustrans and local groups such as ENCAP with the goal of creating a more bike-friendly culture and infrastructure in Scotland and contributing to the development of shared-use path projects.

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My fietsen! Bike stories: Sonja from ENCAP

Sonja Potjewijd, from the Netherlands is one of the Project Leads who has been working on the Earlsferry to Pittenweem shared path project. She explains how cycling has always been part of her life, and now living in Scotland she is working to help develop a better cycling awareness and infrastructure here.

I have so many wonderful memories of my adventures with bicycles! As a kid, I absolutely loved going on bike rides with my parents. Every outing felt like a brand new adventure, with so much to explore and see. In the Netherlands, where I’m from, cycling is just a natural part of our everyday lives. I have so many vivid memories of sitting on the special kids’ seat and joining my parents on their daily errands.

My cycling journey began when I got my first bike with stabilizers at the age of 3. I felt like such a cool kid, riding around in my red jacket and hat, exploring the friendly streets of my neighbourhood. Whether I was riding alone or with all the kids from our street, every bike ride was filled with excitement and joy.

With such a great biking infrastructure in the Netherlands, no matter the weather – whether it was sunny, rainy, or snowy – I hopped on my bike to go to school, the park, sports activities, or to meet up with friends. I even enjoyed cycling with my grandparents through the beautiful woodlands on weekends. During holidays, we’d load our bikes onto the car and go on adventures across the Netherlands, discovering all the hidden gems of the country. There’s just so much to see and experience when you’re out and about on your bike, and the feeling of freedom and happiness it brings is simply unbeatable.

One of my most beloved bikes was a vibrant yellow and blue one I received as a gift when I finished primary school and transitioned to secondary school. I have so many wonderful memories with that bike, from carrying my school bag and gymnastics gear to having my best friend Linda on the back and using it for delivering papers during my first job, as well as for camping gear and picnic supplies. There’s nothing quite like spending time outdoors with friends and enjoying a lovely picnic!

During my university days, I had a worn-out, unassuming bike to deter potential thieves. This trusty bike carried all sorts of props for theatre plays, including up to four chairs at a time, as well as memories of my first real boyfriend.

As I grew older, I invested in a more expensive bike that has accompanied me on adventures across the globe, from cycling north to south in the Netherlands, to exploring from Bangkok to the mountains above Chiang Mai, and even embarking on journeys from Washington D.C. to Virginia.

Having recently moved to Scotland, I find myself missing the sense of freedom and security I felt while cycling in the Netherlands. This longing has motivated me to get involved in supporting organisations like Sustrans and local groups such as ENCAP with the goal of creating a more bike-friendly culture and infrastructure in Scotland and contributing to the development of shared-use path projects.

Meet the cyclist

Meet the amazing Dr. Richard Bowditch! He commutes by bike and often uses his bike or skateboard to visit his patients in care homes in East Neuk. How cool is that! In the pictures, you can see his bike and skateboard in his examination room.

The distances between villages in East Neuk are perfect for walking, cycling, and wheeling. A decent off-road shared path project will massively improve the options for people to move around pleasantly and safely, creating happier and healthier neighbourhoods.

 

 

 

Changes to Sustrans Places for Everyone funding programme

Crispin Hayes, Whole Cycle Ltd,  lead consultant to the Earlsferry to Pittenweem Shared Path project gives us his reaction to the changes in funding by Transport Scotland that will affect this and other active path community projects 

In February this year, Transport Scotland announced a decision to wind up the Sustrans Places for Everyone funding programme over the next year and a half, finally closing in September 2025, and not providing any new construction funding from now. 

Transport Scotland’s replacement is a new construction fund that will be distributed direct to Local Authorities only and not community organisations. I think that is a pity because community organisations have a much greater focus on working for their local community. My concern is that communities will lose control of their project, because essentially they do the design stages, and then hand it over to the Council to do the construction. 

It also risks projects like Earlsferry to Pittenweem Shared Path project not being near the top of the Council’s large pool of projects. And it is subject to other political and budget factors outside the community’s control. 

Our current approach is to liaise closely with Council officers to ensure they are stakeholders in these design stages, and that local support means the project has to be considered seriously for construction.

As we said previously, Earlsferry to Pittenweem Shared Path project applied in May 2024 to our funder Sustrans Places for Everyone to move to Stages 3 & 4 Developed Design. We expect to hear about the result of that funding application in late June or July, and we will update when we do know. We understand that it will be a competitive round, so fingers crossed. 

 

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