 The first item of business today is a member's business debate on motion 5106 in the name of Liam Kerr on cycle capacity on Scotland railways. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and may I ask those members who wish to speak to press the request-to-speak buttons. I call on Liam Kerr to open the debate around seven minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank all of those from across the chamber who added their support to the motion, allowing us to debate what is on so many levels and to so many different groups a very important issue. There are two things that I particularly enjoy, cycling and trains, and preferably together. Living in the north-east allows me to indulge both. I frequently will cycle along the old D-side line out past Bancary, down over the Cairn Amount to Montrose, where I will pick up the train back to Aberdeen. I and often four or five companions will stop and spend locally, perhaps at the Milton, the Crathus, the Clatteron, Brig or Feta Cairn, which provides a no-doubt welcome economic boost in the current climate. According to Sustrans, cycle tourism like that is worth £345 million a year to the Scottish economy. However, it is not just tourism. The Scottish Government has an ambition for 10 per cent of journeys to be made by bike by 2020, which requires commuting. That parking at stations has improved tremendously. However, many commuters not only want to cycle to the station, but to get on their own bike at the other end. Nearly all ScotRail trains between Edinburgh Glasgow and Inverness Aberdeen are three-car class 170 turbo stars. Officially, those have four bike spaces on board, two spaces in each of two carriages. If I get to Montrose with three friends in tow but there is a bike already on the train, one of us is stuck. However, from summer 2018, ScotRail will start introducing 26 refurbished class 43 sets. If you picture an intercity 125, like the Virginies Coast use, that is what we are talking about. The 40-years-old, but they are still the fastest diesels in the world, and they will serve Scotland's seven cities. They look fantastic. They will deliver a 33 per cent capacity increase, a reduction in journey times and a much more comfortable passenger experience. All that is with completely revamped Mark III coaches delivering what passengers told ScotRail they wanted. What is more, in February 2015, on the penultimate slide of a presentation to the cross-party group on cycling, the ScotRail franchise delivery team stated that the class 125s will have a capacity of at least 20 cycles. It was discovered by spokes, the Lothian-based cycle campaigners, currently celebrating their 40th anniversary, that ScotRail has scaled back. The new plan is for eight bike spaces per train, two in a vertical hanging rack in one of the coaches and three in each of the two power car luggage compartments. Furthermore, those latter six spaces will only be available for end-to-end journeys such as Aberdeen to Edinburgh and will not be accessible at intermediate stations due to the inevitable delays of getting a push-bike on and off at the end of the train. If I want to go from, for example, Edinburgh to Inverness, some services require a change at Perth, so the six would not even be available to me. For my trip from Montrose going forward, I take a chance on one of the two spaces on the coach, half the current provision. I am grateful to a transport expert who I have been corresponding with who made me aware of possible health and safety and loading concerns with those two. Will ScotRail review the situation? I believe so, hence the motion and the debate. I also wrote to ScotRail in April to highlight the issue and asked for a meeting, which duly took place on 9 May. We covered a lot of very useful ground because there are solutions and no doubt colleagues from around the chamber will suggest their own. To my part, I do appreciate that there could be timetable delays from loading and offloading bikes at intermediate stations, but any basic logistics adjustment ought to ameliorate that, allocating cycle reservations to a specific power car and putting the rider's seats in the adjacent coach, for example, platform markings to show where the cyclist needs to wait to load, station staff actively working with the cyclist or the guard of the cycle passenger, or an online system showing available, reservable bikespaces and the location on the train, just like Great Western, who are running the current ScotRail sets right now, do already. It is always difficult to directly read across, but I understand that French trains open their luggage door at every station. I do appreciate that it may be logistically challenging to do this at every station, but at the very least, surely consideration should be given to opening at the key hub stations, such as parths of Inverness and Dundee Stirling. The Virgin class 43s to Inverness seem to cope with bikes in coach A, and since bikes have to be pre-booked, the guard knows in advance when the door needs to be unlocked. Or maybe we re-look at general capacity. Dave Holliday, a recognised transport expert, suggests having two bikes per carriage, plus four or five in each of the two power cars. Questions have also been raised around space in the redundant toilets, i.e. unused in the new design, which will simply be locked up, spokes terms transporting air. An earlier upgrading of the Mark III coaches by Chiltern completely removed the toilet and luggage rack to create a kind of large vestibule. This creates flexible bikespace, but also extra for buggies, pushchairs and passenger surge at stations. Since the refurbishment work to fit the sliding doors will involve removing the toilets and luggage racks at the coach ends to install the door pockets, would it really be so difficult? Finally, a quick point, as I want to give the minister plenty of opportunity to clear up what I think is a genuine misunderstanding. I tried to draft the motion very carefully, because I didn't want to politicise this debate, but despite being out for nearly two months, as at today's date not one SNP member has signed, I'm genuinely surprised at this and a bit disappointed, because I think on issues like this we need to put the politics aside, we need to work constructively with ScotRail to find solutions, particularly given the cycling targets that we talked of earlier. The minister will know that that absence has been noted by those outside the chamber, and I just thought it fair to give the minister an opportunity in closing to explain that omission, if he would. The Scottish Government is desperate for a modal shift to cycling by 2020, but appears to be missing the target at the moment. ScotRail can play a major part in making cycle tourism easy, but also encouraging cycle commuting. With the new rolling stock coming in, there is a fantastic opportunity to do it, and I look forward to continuing the dialogue with ScotRail with a view to a solution. We move to the open debate. The speeches are four minutes, please. Up to four minutes. I call Marie Todd to be followed by Graham Simpson. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you, Liam Kerr, for bringing forward this member's debate. Apologies for not signing your motion. I have to claim that that was an oversight, not politics at all, in my part. Scotland is, of course, a fantastic destination for cycle tourism. In the Highlands and Islands region that I represent, we boast some of the most scenic cycle routes in the whole country. Cycle tourism brings huge benefits and value to the Scottish economy. According to Sustrans, it is worth £345 million a year. That is particularly great for the rural economy because we know that cyclists will stop and spend money locally, injecting money into local businesses. Cycle tourism brings significant environmental benefits compared to many other types of tourism. That is mainly because cyclists tend to use public transport when they are reaching the start of their tour and for making onward connections instead of using their own car. The picture in Scotland is a bit mixed, in terms of bike rail integration. On the positive side, bikes are allowed on most trains free of charge and can be booked in advance. On the other hand, the number of bikes allowed on a train is typically pretty limited at the moment, usually only four. It often requires mandatory prior booking. Those factors provide a significant discouragement to allowing larger groups to travel together and reduce flexibility in travel planning, for example if there is bad weather or mechanical failure or illness. I heard from a group of four people who travelled from Switzerland to go on a cycling tour in Scotland. They had a really tight schedule and a week-long plan. Not being able to get a train would have thrown out their whole programme, because they had a book in advance. If another group had been trying to get on the same train, someone would be left behind. They mentioned that getting the bikes on and off the trains was hard and pressured due to timing, as you have mentioned. Looking at the situation now, I am pleased that ScotRail will be phasing in new high-speed trains into service in 2018. On the routes that serve Scotland's seven cities, those new trains will provide extra capacity. However, it is disappointing to learn that, rather than an unexpected rise in cycle capacity, those new trains seem to offer a reduction in what is already provided. I hope that the minister will clarify whether that is indeed the case when he sums up. As I understand it, there will be eight bike spaces, two vertical hanging rack in one of the coaches, and three in each of the two power car luggage compartments. However, I hear that six of those spaces will only be available for, as Liam Kerr said, end-to-end journeys. If you are trying to get on in an intermediate station—this is what I would really like you to clarify—for example, if you get on in Avymor, which is in the Cairngorm National Park, the top cycling destination, the two bike spaces that are already taken, you will not be able to get on the train. Given the social and economic benefits of cycle tourism in Scotland, that really misses an opportunity. Also, as a member of the health and support committee, I fully support integrating cycling and transport as a way to make cycle tourism and cycling committing easy and to encourage people to get fit and active. What solutions can be offered in Switzerland on popular routes with tourists and cyclists? There is an additional freight-style carriage at the back of the train for people to put their bikes on. It does not clog up the passageways, disabled spaces or risk bikes falling down or hurting someone. On other trains, there are carriages with less seats that are especially for people with bikes, as well as push chairs and other bulky equipment that keeps them all together rather than spread out through the train. The other solution is maybe more ceiling hooks that you put the front wheel of a bike on to and hang them vertically so that they take up less space. Could there be more of those on the train? I know that the key constraint is that the in the UK space is limited because the train gauge is small due to the 19th century tunnels. Hanging options might not be feasible, but accommodating the requirement of cyclists is no trivial task and it's not worthy. You really must close, please, Ms Todd. Were they endeavour when we consider the benefits that cycling and cycling tourism brings? I thank Liam Kerr for bringing this debate to Parliament today. It's a shame we're here, given that Abelio originally vowed to help Scotland go Dutch and to create a Scottish cycle revolution. They took on the ScotRail franchise with big promises and a grand vision and those of us who enjoy cycling got quite excited. Sadly, progress has not been what we hope for. Maybe it will get better. Let's look at Abelio's bold vision. In their cycle innovation plan, they say that they will bring innovation to the relationship between the cycle and the railway, firstly by increasing the priority given to cycles at stations and trains, secondly through the products and services that we can offer to cycle users and thirdly through the way that we communicate with our customers on cycling issues. It all sounds great, doesn't it? But as Liam Kerr's motion, which came on the back of a cycling Twitter storm, shows that the reality has been far different, far from increasing capacity for bikes on trains, they're cutting it on key routes. The CIP actually gives the game away and perhaps explains what they mean by going Dutch. It says, quotes, Our overall long-term strategy in the Netherlands has been to reduce the pressure on cycle spaces on board trains, by investing in better storage facilities at stations and encouraging regular cyclists to either join our bike and go scheme for their onward journeys or maintain a second bike at their destination stations. We intend to replicate this successful approach on ScotRail. Deputy Presiding Officer, we have an admirable but unrealistic target of having 10% of journeys done by bike in Scotland by 2020. That's less than three years away, but at the current rate of progress it will take us 300 years. 300 years. Abelio can be part of the progress that we need, but they need to do better. On 25 February 2015, the ScotRail franchise delivery team told a meeting at the Scottish Parliament that there would be improvements in 2018-19 with the introduction of four and five coach into city trains and an expectation that those would carry at least 20 cycles. Spokes have since discovered that the increase in bike space on trains has been gradually but significantly reduced. On the Edinburgh stroke Glasgow to Inverness and East Coast mainlines, there will be fewer spaces for bikes than at present. Abelio also proposed to cut bookable spaces from six to two on West Highland tourist routes. Transport Scotland has the power to specify that current bike capacity should be maintained, as it has to approve all new train configurations. In Europe, it is common for each carriage to have to have a flexible space in every carriage, allowing more people to not only travel with bikes but also prams and bulky luggage. That would allow more standing space in peak service trains. There is a mood in this chamber to boost sustainable transport, and that is why we have the cross-party group on cycling, walking on buses, on which I am deputy convener. However, there are those who just do not get it. Last week, for example, there was a crazy proposal to scrap South Lanarkshire cycle partnership. Thankfully, that was knocked on the head. We have seen cycle routes ripped up in some parts of the country after pressure from the anti-bike brigade. Councils and government need to stand up to those people. Getting people on their bikes helps health, physical and mental. It helps productivity. It saves the public purse. It matters. I do not think that Evelio is in the negative column for cycling, but they need to go the extra mile to do better. I want to thank Liam Kerr for bringing this debate to the chamber. As a co-convener, like my colleague on the opposite benches Graham, to the new cross-party group for cycling, walking and buses, and as a co-convener of the CPG for cycling in the previous session, along with Alison Johnson, I am passionate about the development of cycling opportunities, active travel and also integrated public transport. This morning, in the female changing facilities, I was discussing today's debate with cycle commuters. One said that she used to travel from Aberdeen to Edinburgh regularly for work by train using her bike at each end of the journey. Another told me that she regularly took her car to the park and ride and then cycled. Another highlighted the joy of taking bikes on the train to Gurwick and then the ferry to Danone for the start of a cycling holiday. Whether it is for work, leisure or a holiday, nobody should have to experience the stress of worrying about whether they can get their bike on a train. Research, as we heard from Liam Kerr by Sustran, says that £345 million is added by cycling tourism to the Scottish economy every year. As Transform Scotland research has shown, further development of the national cycle network and other cycle routes across the country would increase the figure substantially. The capacity for bikes on trains is fundamental to that. In my own region, we have Borders Rail, which over the last 18 months has proved successful in encouraging tourists into the Borders. Cycle tourism is a significant contributor to the local economy. It is a popular cycling destination with many bike trails and cycling paths to enjoy. However, access to the area is made difficult for cycling tourism when there is not adequate bicycle storage on trains. I have taken a keen interest in this issue for some time and I am getting a strong sense of deja vu at the moment. In September 2013, I asked the then transport minister Keith Brown, I quote, what provisions for cycling access and storage on trains and at stations will be included in the contract for rail passenger services to be issued in 2014. I suggested looking at solutions, as did Marie Todd, used on the continent such as cycling carriages to improve trains for cyclists. Those could be used in the tourist season and even relocated for specific road cycling events. The minister replied, the next ScotRail franchise will commence in 2015 in April. Bidders will be required to develop plans to improve rail's integration with the wider transport system, which includes improvements facilities for cyclists. I had thought of stating today that we must be sure that the next franchise tender sets even more robust and imaginative demands for bikes on trains in its criteria, but then I stopped myself. That is because it is years ahead, even though it is an imperative. As stated in Liam Kerr's motion today, on 25 February 2015, we heard that the franchise delivery team informed a meeting in the Parliament at which I was attending. We heard about the introduction of more bikes on rail. Now we hear that each train will only carry eight bicycles and that the interim stops are even more problematic. Spokeslothian has stated quite clearly that converting some of the redundant toilets into bike spaces is a possibility and Liam Kerr made many positive suggestions, as have other members, as to a way forward. Spokeslothian suggests that this problem could surely be resolved with a small cash injection from Transport Scotland. I give the example that, way back in 1998, this was managed by the Scottish Administration, which was then in government and arranged through match funding. Surely the present Government could do something similar. I strongly agree with the motion and support it. We need action now. I thank Liam Kerr for the opportunity to debate the subject and I thank my fellow co-conveners of the cross-party group on cycling in session 4, Claudia Beamish and Jim Eadie. I look forward to working with Claudia Beamish once more and Graham Simpson and other members in this session. I am also endlessly thankful to Spokeslothian's cycle campaign group for their tireless work on that and many other cycling-related issues. I welcome their representatives, Ewan Jeffery and Jolene Warren, to the chamber today. Like me, constituents are contacting you frequently with concerns over active travel infrastructure both nationally and locally. Following that debate, I am meeting constituents who are presenting a petition in Parliament probably at this very moment to ensure that it is possible for cyclists and pedestrians to cross the sheriff's hall roundabout in Dalkeith safely. The issue of a joined-up transport network that puts the needs of people at its heart is one that affects all of us and all modes of transport. It is one of the issues that I am asked most to push the Scottish Government for improvements on, and the lack of facilities around taking bikes on trains comes up in my inbox day after day, time after time. Although better bike parking and cycle hire solutions are welcome, they are not the solution for many people. If you are on holiday up north, a family of four or five and you are asking folk to hire bikes, that is an additional expense. There are many people who are absolutely in love with their pride and joy, their custom-made bicycle. That is the bike that they want to tour round the highlands and islands on. We seem to have some tension. Network Rail took some persuading that a cyclist should not be banned from Waverly station. When I took the opportunity to try out the Borders Railway, when it was newly opened with my bike, I tried booking a cycle space in advance, to be sure, but I was told that it was an unreservable service. This first come first served policy. It is an outdated way of approaching sustainable travel. With leisure cycling and mountain biking being rapidly growing activities and cycle tourism, as we have heard, contributing £345 million to the economy annually, the Scottish Government needs to do more to embrace the opportunities to make this an industry that Scotland is renowned for internationally, and that we are able to accommodate demand for the length and breadth of the country. I do not think that there is any good reason for provision to be so poor, so out of step with the experience that we have in other European countries. I have travelled by train in Germany a lot. I am just mentioning that. There are many other good examples where multifunctional carriages are the norm. There is space for 10 bikes. If they are not being used for bikes, then the seat folds down and people sit on them. Buggies can get on no problem. There are better models in the 21st century. Spokes have highlighted the issue that perhaps we could use former lws that are not going to be in use any longer. I am not sure that that is a comfortable solution, but Transform Scotland makes the point well too. In order to speed up journey times, we simply should not be preventing cyclists boarding trains. That is not progress. The Scottish Government has a responsibility to include provision for active travel in all new major infrastructure proposals. Greens have consistently raised this during budget discussions each year, and with others such as the Institute of Public Health Directors, we have called for 10 per cent of the total transport budget to go towards active travel, and we will continue to press for such changes. To honour climate change commitments made in Paris and to bring our infrastructure into line with that of many of our European cousins, we have to take a different approach. I am not sure who said that the vision of 10 per cent of all journeys by bike by 2020 was unrealistic. Well, it is only unrealistic because of the level of investment that we have at the moment. It is chronically underfunded. I think that the Government has to ask far more of those that awards franchises to I mean two bookable spaces is absolutely woeful in this day and age. We are going backwards after being promised more. I think that this is what's making us so very very angry. In closing, might I just ask the minister to stop back peddling on this issue? Thank you. I call Brian Whittle to be followed by Mark Ruskell. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I can also thank my colleague Liam Kerr for bringing this debate to the chamber. I was at best an occasional cyclist. I am now and again seeing battering down my head down backside up, flying around the roads of East Kilbride for an hour at a time maximum, I have to say. Recently, my neighbour, who has happened to have a boat down at Loch Lomond, invited me to cycle down to Loch Lomond with him and have some lunch there and get the train back. I have to say that it's a process. About 30 miles in that prospect, I thought I could probably just about manage that. Yes, I might look like John Wayne getting off a horse after a long day in the prairie, but I think I could just about manage that. Now, the thought of maybe having to cycle all the way back, there was no chance that I would have even have considered that. See these people here with all the gear. I am becoming more and more of a cyclist these days because, as my youngest daughter, she's now nine, she's got a bike now, and she's desperate to cycle to school, of which I can't let her do that. It's probably a bit of a mile, but the road network on the way there would certainly not be safe, shall we say, even if I cycled with her. So, what I'm having to do now is either put bikes on roof racks or get on the train, which we've done a few times, which is quite an adventure, I have to say, for youngsters. Get on the train, go to somewhere that's more conducive to cycling for youngsters, and then spend some time cycling back on the train and come back again. It's a real adventure for me as well, I still have to say, to be able to do that. It's a joy to be able to do that. I think that, if we can go back to the idea of cycling to school, I think that it's more of an I think that her desire to cycle to school and not being able to at the moment is kind of an endemic thing that's happening within the country. We're not really joining up particularly well. My personal view is that, in terms of cycling, instead of starting off by building massive, big cycle routes, I would really like to see primary schools developed so that they can actually have active travel. They have the ability to be active travelling to school, whether they want to walk or cycle or skateboard or scooter. I would like to see that as a starting point. When I go back to my own day, I did cycle to school or walk to school every day. I looked at the bike sheds that my school was absolutely rammed full. It was very difficult to find a space to put a bike in. I looked at my daughter's school the other day and there are six spaces for bikes at that school. I have yet to see a bike in those spaces. Now and again, there's the odd scooter, but they're not getting the opportunity to cycle to school. For me, that's where we need to be. I think that the cycle berths on trains are an end result of a policy that we could implement much earlier in life. If we can create an environment where—kids actually want to do that—there are about three or four children in my street who would cycle to school if they had the opportunity. We just don't have that environment at the moment when they could do that. If we can start looking ahead and try to create an environment where active travel to school is a viable option as a first step, perhaps we will debate that topic again sometime in the future when we will be calling for even more capacity for bikes and trains as cycles queue up to board the station. We need to think about this as an end-to-end debate, an end-to-end issue and try to treat it as such. Thank you, Mr Patel. I wonder if, next time, you'd maybe address the motion. We move to the last contribution in the open debate, and it's Mark Ruskell. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank Liam Kerr for bringing forward this motion. It's not often that we get to debate cycling in this chamber, so it's very welcome, and it's not often that we get to debate how cycling integrates with other transport modes. I think that it's a really good topic for debate and very timely. I will declare an interest, Presiding Officer, in that I've spent probably most of my working life travelling to my place of work, either by bike or taking my bike to station parking and getting on a train, or taking my bike to station putting it on the train, getting off the other end and cycling. I've enjoyed it. It's been good for my mental health as well as my physical health. I would say that the current provision that we have on trains, particularly in central Scotland with the Class 170s, is quite bizarre, because most trains around Europe, and in fact around the rest of the UK as well, when you bring your bike onto the train, it has a vertical hook where you can hook your bike up. As a result of that, it's very easy to get on and off the train and you can carry many more bikes. The current Class 170s have a kind of horizontal rack, which means that you have to choreograph your bike on there with loads of other people who are also trying to get on to the train and other cyclists. It makes it very complicated, because it means that you have to have a discussion every morning with the four, five or six other cyclists who are also trying to put their bike on the train at the same time. It's a great way to meet people. I've met lots of people who had great discussions on the back of it, but it is an absolute hassle. I have to say that the guards are very helpful. There are only two places that are available in every two-car set, but most regular cycle commuters know how to stack their bikes creatively so that they can get at least four bikes into the two-place parking area. I think that we need to make some progress on this. I recognise that the focus from ScotRail Bello so far as being around bike parking is about ensuring that there are adequate facilities at many of our major stations. I think that we are starting to see some great improvements there. I commend the bike and go bike hire scheme, which I think is working well alongside other initiatives such as the next bike. However, that does not suit everybody, and it certainly does not suit people who want to join up their journeys and take their bikes with them. I think that tourists are a particular case in point here. We have heard the figure from other members about £345 million coming into Scotland every year through cycle tourism. We are in danger of losing that. I consider taking my family up to Inverness this summer for a mini tour, and we are probably going to take the Sustrans route down to Fort William. It is a great route and it is getting a lot of coverage and it is very popular. However, the hassle factor is really putting me off. We could be getting to a point now where it may become more easier to stick your bike on a plane than it is to put your bike on a train. With APD cuts, that could have an impact on the £345 million that is coming into Scotland. We have heard from many members in this debate about what the solutions are. For the class 170s, looking at more creative use of the vestibule areas, I have noticed that peak times not everybody wants to sit down. People are just getting on for one or two stops and are quite happy to stand. Having more flexible vestibule areas would allow more bikes to come on board the trains, but it would also create more space for luggage and mobility aids. For the high-speed trains, we have heard a good set of solutions that are coming forward from spokes. I really hope that the minister will reflect on those and put some pressure on ScotRail to open it up so that at least the Ruskell family can have an exciting holiday in the Highlands. Ultimately, we will recognise that bringing ScotRail back under public hands again would help so that we can get access before profit. However, I really hope that in the meantime that the minister is able to put some pressure on ScotRail and that we can get a resolution to that particular issue. I call Hamza Yousaf to respond to the debate. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to thank Liam Kerr for bringing that motion to the Parliament. I want to thank him in a couple of ways, first of all, for the constructive tone, which he always seems to strike in conversations, which I very much appreciate, and for engaging with ScotRail, which I know he has done in the constructive manner in a constructive way. Also, for his enthusiasm, when I first met Liam Kerr, he told me that he was a real train buff and that he has done nothing to dispel that since I met him, although I regret having a picture of him in Lycra in my briefing that I looked at this morning before breakfast. I also thank representatives of Spokes for their ambition for cycling in Scotland, which is very well reflected by members across the chamber. Although there will be disagreements, that happens with campaign groups and lobby groups. There are differences between different political parties. It is very clear to me that everybody that is spoken today has been driven by their ambition for cycling in Scotland, and that is a good thing. I welcome the debate very much, and I will try to address some of the points that have been made up. If I may, I suppose that the offset that members have recognised is that, of course, the day-to-day operation of train fleets and how they manage passengers on board rests with ScotRail. They are finalising the layout and operational aspects of how on-train cycle storage will be managed to maximise the number that it can carry when the 26th refurbished HSTs high-speed trains do enter service on Scotland's intercity routes next summer. The reason why they are finalising that layout is because of conversations with members, campaign groups such as Spokes and many others have had with ScotRail about some of the concerns about on-train cycle storage. We are to make this issue because, as we know, those HSTs will come into service next summer, with £54 million being plowed into them. They will, of course, be of the later standards of comfort and accessibility that will be welcomed. As Liam Kerr said, the passenger experience will be very much welcomed as it will be improved. However, there is a recognition, I think, from those across the chamber and some have reflected on it, that spaces on trains, of course, are always limited. There needs to be a range of users, cyclists of course, foot passengers, those with disabilities—I think that that is obviously incredibly important—people with luggage, those with small children. However, not thatwithstanding, we have heard from some members about innovative solutions where everybody can possibly be accommodated. As I said, the ScotRailer is finalising the layout of the operational aspects. I would encourage it to listen carefully to what members have said about the end-to-end destination and the issues with intermediate stops. That point has been made very strongly by Liam Kerr, by Graham Simpson and other speakers across the chamber. I encourage it, as it has these discussions, as they are finalising the layout of the operation that they take into account what has been said and looked for an innovative solution. On the motion, to clarify the point that you asked me to clarify, as a member of the Government, I would not necessarily sign a motion that I am sure he understands. I think that where there was some confusion was perhaps in the line where he says that there will be fewer spaces for cycles than at present. Can I just address that, that the HSTs, as members have said, will have eight spaces, whereas currently, we will only have four spaces for cycles. No creative accounting suggests that there are fewer spaces, but there will be more spaces. However, the point that Liam Kerr was trying to make, which is a valid one, is that there might be fewer spaces on the intermediate stops. Again, as I can reiterate, that is something that I would encourage ScotRailer to look at. ScotRailer will continue to keep the policy under review. It is committed to training its staff in cycle capacity procedures and how to provide additional ad hoc spaces where it can as well. It should be said, because I have mentioned the retention of the 170s as well, which is great news, particularly good news for the central highlands, particularly good news for Murray, for Aberdeen down the east coast as well. However, I do not want to take away from what members have said that ScotRailer should always look at whether there can be innovative or inventive solutions to cycle storage, and I think that some of those have been mentioned. Can I just touch on the cycle integration point that has been made? I think that a lot of members have characterised that there has to be a choice between either the cycle storage solutions at stations versus on-board cycle storage. I think that there does not have to be attention between the two. I think that both should be looked at as ScotRailer are doing. I am very, very pleased with the Scottish Government and ScotRailer's investment in improving facilities. There are 194,000 from the Scottish Stations Fund to significantly expand Cycle Parking Facility at Haymarket with around 90 spaces. 100,000 from the same fund to install 200 cycle spaces at Waverley as well. 5,000 cycle storage spaces at station across the rail network during the franchise. From those, 1,269 have been created at 44 locations already. Bike and Go facilities, as Mark Ruskell has mentioned, have already opened at 11 stations, including in Vaness, Aberdeen, Stirling, Falkirk High and Haymarket. There is a lot of focus on that, but that is not to take away from what members are saying that there should be an encouragement to look at both cycle facilities and storage facilities at stations, but also on-train cycle storage. My Transport Scotland will continue to encourage, and I will continue to encourage, ScotRailer, to work with spokes and campaign groups. I reiterate that there will be an increase with the high-speed trains entering service next summer. We have four spaces to bookable at the moment. There will be eight spaces, and they will not be reduced because of the layout and the design of the train. They will not be reduced due to wheelchair provision, and that is very welcome indeed. We will continue to record investment in active travel over this parliamentary term, which we have committed. I know that other members in their interventions pushed us to go further, but we will certainly continue that record investment where I can. As I said, we will continue to have those conversations with ScotRailer. There will be an increase in those spaces, but in the meantime, until those trains enter service next summer, I will continue to urge ScotRailer to do what they can with the current stock. I certainly would not want to deny the Ruskell family a successful holiday in Inverness when that comes. The meeting is suspended until 2 o'clock.