Sculpture highlights cycling campaign

Local artist Mark Carr has seen his new sculpture unveiled in one of Edinburgh’s leading shopping centres to launch a campaign to encourage more Edinburgh residents to get active.

The sculpture features three bicycles stacked on top of each other and is designed to draw attention to the new bike facilities at Fort Kinnaird which recently invested in four covered cycle shelters and eight outdoor bike racks.

Bosses wanted to give cyclists dedicated spaces to securely park their bikes while they shop, eat or visit the cinema.

Fort Kinnaird team has also joined with Workplace Travel Planning Edinburgh, an initiative driven by The City of Edinburgh Council, to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport more regularly.

The partnership will see Fort Kinnaird host a series of workshops for cyclists of all levels, covering topics such as cycling in the dark and travelling safely on the road.

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “We are supporting Workplace Travel Planning Edinburgh to help make shoppers and staff aware of where and how they can choose to walk or cycle in the city.”

Councillor Maureen Child said: “If we can swap short car journeys for bike rides, we will not only be doing our health the world of good, but also the environment.”

Artist Mark Carr, said: “The sculpture designed is to draw attention to the bike parking shelter and is a lampoon on 1970s multi-story car parks. It is kinetic and moves in the wind, as if there were ghost riders there.”