0:00:05 > 0:00:06Rush hour on the M8.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11In the '60s, the motorway promised a fast,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13stress-free journey to the future.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19But today, Scotland's most important artery is clogged.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22The prescription - bypass surgery.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Across the country, we're in the midst of a massive upgrade
0:00:25 > 0:00:27of our road network.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31But does our love of the car come at a price?
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Well, we risk increasing our rates of diabetes, increasing our rates of
0:00:35 > 0:00:40cardiovascular disease, increasing dementia, increasing depression.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45People feeling generally less good, less happy, less productive.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49There are more than two million cars on Scotland's roads
0:00:49 > 0:00:51and the number's rising.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Manufacturers promise us comfort and convenience - freedom, even.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01But there's growing evidence all that comes at a cost, to our health.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Amidst warnings of heart disease, strokes and obesity, and claims of up
0:01:05 > 0:01:09to 2,000 premature deaths each year,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I want to know, is Scotland car sick?
0:01:24 > 0:01:25ENGINE TURNS OVER
0:01:25 > 0:01:29ENGINE REVS
0:01:36 > 0:01:38'My name's David Miller.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41'I'm a motorist, a cyclist and a pedestrian.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45'I also travel by bus, train, even tram.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47'But it's the car I rely on most.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51'I drive thousands of miles each year.'
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Millions of Scots love their cars.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Rely on their cars.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01And you know what? I'm one of them.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05This beautiful MG is the car I coveted
0:02:05 > 0:02:10when I was growing up as a schoolboy in Ayrshire back in the 1970s.
0:02:11 > 0:02:18It's taken me until the age of 46 to finally get my hands on one.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20But you know what? I'm rather enjoying it.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Time spent behind the wheel is rarely this much fun.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34For many, this is the reality of 21st-century motoring...
0:02:34 > 0:02:35- RADIO:- ..an accident between 27...
0:02:35 > 0:02:41A slow frustrating commute with only the radio or a sat nav for company.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46At least we can be sure our modern hi-tech cars are meeting
0:02:46 > 0:02:49the highest environmental standards. Or can we?
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The Volkswagen scandal spreads to Europe.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56It admits 11 million cars around the world have software which
0:02:56 > 0:02:59cheats pollution emissions tests.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02The Volkswagen group's emissions scandal
0:03:02 > 0:03:07has led car buyers around the world to question claims made by the big
0:03:07 > 0:03:11manufacturers about the benefits of diesel engines.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15The link between the cars we choose to drive, air pollution
0:03:15 > 0:03:20and ill-health is under greater scrutiny than ever before.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26Cars, lorries, vans and buses, fuelled by diesel and petrol,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30all contribute to what campaigners see as a major threat.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35We think that air pollution is a public health crisis.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Although you can't see it,
0:03:37 > 0:03:42it's having an impact on our health - it can cause asthma attacks,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46it can make you more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48So it is a public health crisis
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and the reason for our air pollution is mainly traffic,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55so we need to see the Scottish government working with local
0:03:55 > 0:03:57councils to tackle traffic levels on our roads
0:03:57 > 0:04:01so that we can breathe cleaner air and live healthier lifestyles.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Here in Glasgow, and across Scotland,
0:04:06 > 0:04:11work goes on around the clock to monitor air pollution on our streets.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Warnings are issued to those whose health is most likely to suffer.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17This looks like the TARDIS.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22It might not be quite as exciting as the TARDIS. Tell me what it does.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27So, this site in particular monitors for PM 2.5,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30PM 10 and then nitrogen dioxide, with this analyser here.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32There's also a black carbon monitor down here.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36These monitor 24/7, all year.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Because it's quite a roadside site obviously, we would visit
0:04:40 > 0:04:42every two weeks.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47And what you get is, it pulls in a sample from the roof
0:04:47 > 0:04:49and it takes it through each of the systems,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and depending on the analyser or monitor,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53for the pollutant in question.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- This is just one station out of a big network...- Yeah, there are 91 sites.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- ..right across Scotland? - Across Scotland, yeah.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06They're monitoring a complex mix of gases and particles.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11It's a cocktail which could take months, even years off your life,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15thanks to an increased risk of asthma attacks, lung diseases,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17heart attacks and strokes.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide
0:05:21 > 0:05:26and carbon monoxide are just some of the gases which make up the mix.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Then there are tiny particles, mainly from diesel engines.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34The more scientists learn about their impact on our health,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37the more worried they become.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40And we shouldn't forget carbon dioxide -
0:05:40 > 0:05:44a greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Right, just get yourself comfortable.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52'I wanted to know more about the potential impact on my own health.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:59'So, I came here - the Centre for Cardiovascular Science
0:05:59 > 0:06:02'at Edinburgh's Royal infirmary.'
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- This is the fun bit for me.- Ah-haha!
0:06:07 > 0:06:09So, David, these are my results. What do they tell us?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12What this recording is doing is looking at your heart
0:06:12 > 0:06:14and seeing how much stress it's under.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18And from this we can get some really good idea as to how your heart is
0:06:18 > 0:06:21responding to that physical stress that you have just been through.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26But if I had been exposed to high levels of those tiny particles
0:06:26 > 0:06:28produced by diesel engines,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32my results could have been much more worrying.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35What we have found is that the blood vessels in the body,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39when you've been exposed to diluted down diesel exhaust,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41the blood vessels don't react properly.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43And they don't react properly in two ways.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46One - they don't relax as well, so they're bit tighter and stiffer.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And the second thing that happens is that they tend to form
0:06:49 > 0:06:50more blood clots in the body.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54And that's important - both those things are important -
0:06:54 > 0:06:56because they're very closely associated with heart attacks.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And we've found from various studies
0:06:58 > 0:07:01that have looked at population level,
0:07:01 > 0:07:02that when there is a polluted day,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06you are much more likely to have a heart attack.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08So it tends to trigger heart attacks.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Researchers can demonstrate how exposure to air pollution
0:07:13 > 0:07:17makes our blood stickier and more likely to clot.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21That's what increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26'George Allison knows all about that.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28'A former lorry driver,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30'he suffered a heart attack.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31'George has been left wondering
0:07:31 > 0:07:36'if exposure to air pollution could have affected his health.'
0:07:36 > 0:07:40We are being told nowadays that diesel emissions
0:07:40 > 0:07:42are a real cause for concern.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Did you ever worry about that?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46You never gave that a thought.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49You just drove. Even when you were, eh...
0:07:49 > 0:07:52standing next to a lorry or anything like that.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55I mean, if you're walking into it and the guy's ticking over,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57you're breathing in these fumes anyway, in't you,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01these particles, and you don't know what harm they're doing.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05'The research goes on. Many questions remain.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08'But we know air pollution from traffic is damaging'
0:08:08 > 0:08:10the health of the most vulnerable.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15'Scotland's Chief Medical Officer is Dr Catherine Calderwood.'
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Well, I think that
0:08:17 > 0:08:20the difficulty with air pollution in our communities
0:08:20 > 0:08:23is that it's going to hit the most vulnerable people hardest.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27So babies - particularly preterm babies - children with asthma,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31elderly people with chronic obstructive airways disease,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34or with angina, they will definitely have those conditions
0:08:34 > 0:08:35worsened by air pollution.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37So it is a priority because, of course,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41this is an inequalities issue, the most vulnerable people being
0:08:41 > 0:08:44more affected than people who are generally more healthy.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51So, doctors, scientists and politicians agree -
0:08:51 > 0:08:55we have a serious public health problem to tackle.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59It's Scotland's councils which are on the front line.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03If they choose, they can conduct roadside emissions testing
0:09:03 > 0:09:07and require drivers to switch off idling engines.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09If the regulations aren't met,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12motorists can be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17But research for this programme has revealed
0:09:17 > 0:09:22only 13 of Scotland's 32 local authorities hold these powers
0:09:22 > 0:09:25more than a decade after they were introduced.
0:09:25 > 0:09:32In our big cities, Glasgow tests around 3,000 vehicles every year.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37But Aberdeen has stopped testing, and Dundee doesn't test either.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Our congested capital, Edinburgh,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45has never carried out roadside emissions testing, despite
0:09:45 > 0:09:49having some of the most polluted streets in the country
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and the power to do so.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57The Scottish government says its vision is to ensure Scotland
0:09:57 > 0:09:59has the best air quality in Europe
0:09:59 > 0:10:04and it argues local authorities have a key role to play.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Yet some senior councillors have told us they're struggling to cope
0:10:08 > 0:10:11with the impact of the Scottish Government's road-building
0:10:11 > 0:10:16programme and lack the resources they need to make a real difference.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's claimed Scotland spent just £3 million
0:10:19 > 0:10:22fighting air pollution last year,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25while investing 700 million building new roads.
0:10:27 > 0:10:33So, are our councils and political leaders doing enough to protect us?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I asked the man at the top.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38Well, I think that emissions
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and clear air is certainly more
0:10:41 > 0:10:43of a topic now than it was before
0:10:43 > 0:10:45and I hope that Local Authorities reflect on that.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48We've had a consensual debate in Parliament about actions
0:10:48 > 0:10:51that should be undertaken
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and that now has to work its way through local government, as well.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56There are a range of powers that can be deployed
0:10:56 > 0:10:58to make an impact locally
0:10:58 > 0:11:02and I'd encourage leaders to take this very seriously.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09'Our love of the car can affect our health in other ways, too.'
0:11:10 > 0:11:12CYCLE BELL RINGS
0:11:12 > 0:11:14'Biking in the Borders.
0:11:14 > 0:11:15'On a day like this, it is
0:11:15 > 0:11:20'not hard to see why more of us are choosing to travel by bike.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24'Choosing two wheels rather than four, even just one day a week,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27'helps tackle air pollution and congestion.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29'It also helps tackle obesity.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33'It's no coincidence that as car use has increased,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35'our waist measurements have increased, too.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40'Professor Chris Oliver knows all about the dangers of not
0:11:40 > 0:11:42'getting enough exercise.'
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I was morbidly obese in 2007.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I'd just worked very hard professionally.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51I hadn't really overeaten,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55I'd just stopped exercising for nearly ten, 15 years,
0:11:55 > 0:11:56and I was 27.5 stone.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59So I had a colleague who was a surgeon
0:11:59 > 0:12:04and we had a discussion and I had a gastric band in 2007.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I lost 12 stone after that.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Got back to cycling - did little rides to begin with,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12a few hundred yards, because that's all I could manage.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Then I started to ride with a 20-mile group,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18then the 40-mile group and then I thought,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21well, if I can do 40 miles a day, I can do Land's End to John O'Groats.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Are we doing enough to make it easier for people to...
0:12:26 > 0:12:30..follow your example, really, by adopting more active lifestyles?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32We're certainly trying, but there are lots more things
0:12:32 > 0:12:36we can do for active travel, such as cycling and walking.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Cycling - we're slowly moving on with that, we are many years behind
0:12:40 > 0:12:43the continentals in Holland and Scandinavia.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46With the infrastructure, we are just so many...
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I think we are 40 years behind.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'Campaigners argue Scotland must invest a greater
0:12:52 > 0:12:56'share of its transport budget in walking and cycling.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59'So, how much are we spending right now?'
0:12:59 > 0:13:02In terms of active transport,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04it's now at a record level at £39 million.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08That's the highest ever investment in active travel.
0:13:08 > 0:13:101.9% of your budget, is that right?
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Well, it's still £39 million, it's still at a record level
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and it's about behaviour change, as well.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20It's not JUST about throwing money at certain projects.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23It's about the culture we want to deliver.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26And that is about encouraging more people onto active travel -
0:13:26 > 0:13:30walking and cycling, ensuring that the infrastructure is there,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33but there's facilities if people want to use it also.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39There's a harsh reality here - obesity costs.
0:13:39 > 0:13:45It's estimated the NHS in Scotland spends £600 million a year dealing
0:13:45 > 0:13:47with the consequences of our
0:13:47 > 0:13:50high-calorie, low-activity lifestyles.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53We need to get this message about physical activity
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and the importance, the additional benefits that that brings.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59The car encourages sedentary behaviour -
0:13:59 > 0:14:04people drive to work, drive even to the gym - they sit at their desks.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07But in fact, a little bit of physical activity is really
0:14:07 > 0:14:08very beneficial.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Campaigners argue, by investing in walking and cycling,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19and reducing our reliance on the car, it's possible to save money
0:14:19 > 0:14:23overall, because demand for NHS services will fall.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Here in Edinburgh, there are clear signs that approach is paying off.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30The council's investing more
0:14:30 > 0:14:34and more each year, providing bike-users with safer routes to
0:14:34 > 0:14:39work and school, and the number of cyclists is on the rise.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48Remember, Scotland spends less than 2% of its transport
0:14:48 > 0:14:50budget on walking and cycling.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54This is where much of that budget is being spent -
0:14:54 > 0:14:56the new Queensferry Crossing.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00For commuters, its opening can't come soon enough.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03It will carry cars and lorries.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05The ageing Forth Road Bridge will carry buses.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11This is a remarkable feat of engineering.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13There is no doubt about that.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It's only one man's view, but speaking as someone
0:15:16 > 0:15:21who's been up there, I reckon this bridge is going to be beautiful.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24An emblem of modern Scotland.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Critics, though, are far from convinced.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30They are warning this is actually concrete evidence that
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Scotland is locking itself into a future in which we are more
0:15:35 > 0:15:38and more dependent on the car.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42The main issue was that the crossing needed to be replaced -
0:15:42 > 0:15:44that's why we're building a new bridge,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48which we are doing very much on time and under budget.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Of course, the infrastructures there then gives us
0:15:51 > 0:15:56the options for priority for public transport and other options.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Now, the purpose of building the new bridge was
0:15:59 > 0:16:03because the old bridge needed to be replaced and that's why...
0:16:03 > 0:16:06That's understood. Sorry for interrupting.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08But if we're talking about unconstrained growth being
0:16:08 > 0:16:11unsustainable, in the words of Transport Scotland,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15what will you do in five years' time if we discover that more
0:16:15 > 0:16:21people are choosing to travel across the Forth by car?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24We've not got a quota of how many cars are allowed to cross.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26You know, we put down a buyer.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It's about making public transport more attractive,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34giving people the option to use the bus and, indeed, rail, as well.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38So those options will make public transport more attractive.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40And whatever the destinations are,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43there's issues around city-centre parking, town-centre parking
0:16:43 > 0:16:48as well - there is a limit as to what communities can actually take.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Ministers argue it's all about ensuring public
0:16:52 > 0:16:57transport is a viable alternative for more and more of us.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01For commuters, cost and convenience matter most.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I hitched a ride with Nicola Scott on her daily
0:17:04 > 0:17:07journey from the Borders to the heart of the capital.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10For Nicola, the car wins every time.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13I had actually Google mapped home to work.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16With public transport, it would take over two hours each way.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Also the flexibility in terms of when I'm starting
0:17:19 > 0:17:21and finishing work, you know, car sharing
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and public transport wouldn't really be feasible options.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29You're in a part of the country which has benefited in the last
0:17:29 > 0:17:33few months from the introduction of a big new public transport scheme -
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- the Borders railway.- I haven't actually been on the train yet.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37I think my mum and dad have.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43But it almost sits the other side of the Borders.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I would be driving or having to get the bus for about 20 minutes,
0:17:46 > 0:17:5030 minutes to get to the train station.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53I'm intrigued by this, though. Because this was a huge project.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- The Queen even opened it and you've not tried it!- Yeah.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01I don't... I just haven't even thought about getting on the train.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Because the car's better?
0:18:03 > 0:18:05For me, personally, yeah.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10For some of us, the daily commute simply has to be by car.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14So is there a danger of demonising drivers?
0:18:14 > 0:18:17'The journalist and broadcaster Alan Douglas is a staunch
0:18:17 > 0:18:20'defender of Scotland's motorists.'
0:18:20 > 0:18:21The fact is that if you drive a car,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23you are going to create pollution.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25That's accepted.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Now the level of that pollution is debatable,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29depending on what you drive.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31But if it really does concern you,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34if it's so important to you, then you shouldn't drive at all.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36But then you're into other issues.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40If you go on the bus, the bus that you're taking is creating pollution.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43It is a fact of life. But what's the alternative?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45You sit in your house and do nothing?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47So the alternative would be, give up your car
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and inhale someone else's pollution?
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Well... Well, the car is...
0:18:52 > 0:18:54We have to live with the car,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56the car is here. We have to live with it.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58It's personal freedom.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01When I get in my car, I have the choice to go where
0:19:01 > 0:19:03I want to go, when I want to go
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and I can decide who sits beside me.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- Here we go.- Good morning.- Morning.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14'Time to meet another driver and another self-confessed petrol head.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16'But these days it's this electric car
0:19:16 > 0:19:19'which is getting David Brook charged up.'
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Flick that little switch. Cover.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26- Simple as that.- Simple as that.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32'David lives in Falkirk and commutes more than 50 miles every day.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33'Two years ago,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38'he swapped his thirsty V8 Lexus for this Nissan Leaf.'
0:19:40 > 0:19:43It started to dawn on me that this would make sense
0:19:43 > 0:19:47and we are totally, totally convinced by it now.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51We would never have a petrol or diesel car now for doing
0:19:51 > 0:19:53the commute to work. Cos it would just be...
0:19:53 > 0:19:55It would feel bonkers
0:19:55 > 0:19:58to go back to taxing a car, putting money in it every week just
0:19:58 > 0:20:00to get to work, when this thing gets us to work for free.
0:20:02 > 0:20:03In all of our conversation,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05you haven't mentioned the environment once.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08I understand that it's better for the environment,
0:20:08 > 0:20:09zero emissions out of the tailpipe.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It wasn't a massive consideration for me when I bought the car.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17- So this was a cold-headed financial decision?- Purely financial.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21'David's no green activist, and the electricity
0:20:21 > 0:20:25'he uses to charge the car isn't necessarily green, either.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29'For him, though, this car is simply a practical way to solve
0:20:29 > 0:20:33'an economic necessity - getting to work.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35'Electric cars don't reduce congestion,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38'but they do help cut pollution.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41'In our towns and cities, there's a much cheaper
0:20:41 > 0:20:43'and easier way to do both.'
0:20:44 > 0:20:48TRADITIONAL DANISH MUSIC PLAYS
0:20:48 > 0:20:52'This is Copenhagen and, yes, it is wonderful.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55'Cities around the world increasingly see the Danish
0:20:55 > 0:21:00'capital as an example of how to get urban transport right.'
0:21:07 > 0:21:09There's an expanding Metro network,
0:21:09 > 0:21:14but it's cycling and walking which are key to the city's success.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16I've come here to discover why.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23This glitzy new business park could be in almost any European city,
0:21:23 > 0:21:29but, for me, this place is remarkable because it isn't choked with cars.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33People get here on bike or on foot.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38Facilities like these may be commonplace in Copenhagen,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40but they are few and far between in Scotland.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44The situation here, though, hasn't been achieved overnight.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47'Here, in the heart of the city,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50'stands the Danish Cyclists' Federation.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56'They sell nice shiny bikes and lobby on behalf of two-wheeled travellers.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59'Klaus Bondam runs the Federation.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00'A former mayor,
0:22:00 > 0:22:05'he's played a key role shaping Copenhagen's transport policies.'
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Copenhagen and a lot of other Danish cities have reached
0:22:09 > 0:22:14a level where the bicycle is integrated on a completely
0:22:14 > 0:22:18equal level in the urban transportation system.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21And, if you ask me, that is how it should be.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24That is how it should be in any modern city.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28You are in a city where 45% of all workplaces and study places
0:22:28 > 0:22:31are reached by bicycle every single day throughout the year.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34You are in a city where the car is basically a minority.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Those numbers are staggering and worth repeating.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44Almost half of commuters here travel by bike every day.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49In Denmark as a whole, including the hilly bits, it is almost a fifth.
0:22:49 > 0:22:56Only around 6% of Scots say they regularly travel to work by bike.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00How have you got to the level of cycling which we see around us
0:23:00 > 0:23:02in the city today?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04First of all, there was never a car industry in Denmark.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And I think that is a very important fact to understand.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Denmark not having had a car industry
0:23:09 > 0:23:13of course meant that we did not have the car industry
0:23:13 > 0:23:16influencing on the planning of our cities.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Secondly, basically ever since the car was introduced to the
0:23:20 > 0:23:26market, there has been a very high taxation of cars.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29A car is taxed at 180% in Denmark.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38'On Copenhagen's stylish waterfront, I meet this man -
0:23:38 > 0:23:43'Mikael Colville-Andersen is a hugely influential advocate for cycling.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46'He runs an urban design company.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49'Its name is a call to action - Copenhagenize.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:53The expression Copenhagenize that I coined was
0:23:53 > 0:23:56sort of way of saying that what is possible here,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58what has happened here in Copenhagen - taking the bicycle
0:23:58 > 0:24:02seriously as transport - is possible in every other city in the world.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04So other cities can "Copenhagenize" themselves if they want
0:24:04 > 0:24:06and we have seen, oh, my God,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09all around the world, every city is discussing bicycles, you know.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Really, the bicycle here is the fastest way from A to B.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16If you make the bicycle the fastest way from A to B, I call it
0:24:16 > 0:24:18A to B-ism, people will ride.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21The weirdest people will be seen on bicycles, you know.
0:24:21 > 0:24:2563% of all the politicians in the national parliament here ride a bicycle.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27They do not do that, you know, waving their green agenda
0:24:27 > 0:24:28and showing the world,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31demonstrably showing the world how green they are.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32It's just the quickest way for them
0:24:32 > 0:24:35to get to work, like it is for me and my kids going to school.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39One of the things which strikes me about the situation here is
0:24:39 > 0:24:42that you do not talk about cyclists or motorists or pedestrians,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45everyone's just trying to get around the city.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I'm not a cyclist and I don't want to be called a cyclist.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51I don't wear spandex. I do not gear up to go cycling.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I just, you know, I just ride around my city.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54I'm just a Copenhagener
0:24:54 > 0:24:56who happens to be using a bicycle because it makes sense.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10'There's still lots of traffic on main routes through Copenhagen,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14'but just imagine how congested this road would be
0:25:14 > 0:25:17'if all the cyclists were driving a car.'
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Some argue our cities can't afford to invest in walking and cycling.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Copenhagen argues it can't afford not to.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Bicycle infrastructure is extremely cheap compared to the
0:25:32 > 0:25:33outcomes of it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38For every kilometre that we exchange the car with the bicycle,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41we save the Danish society seven kroner.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42That's almost a pound.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46But it saves Danish society in prolonged life
0:25:46 > 0:25:47and improved health effects.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Denmark's love of the bike hasn't stopped the country
0:25:53 > 0:25:55investing in its roads.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00But that investment hasn't been made in urban motorways like ours.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Just outside Copenhagen, this is the futuristic road
0:26:05 > 0:26:09and rail bridge which links Denmark with Sweden.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11It offers some prospective.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17My time here has taught me it is
0:26:17 > 0:26:21possible to invest in the roadwork work, underpin economic growth,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24while at the same time,
0:26:24 > 0:26:30re-shape towns and cities to ensure the car is no longer dominant,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34to create places where people feel safer to walk and cycle,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37improving their health along the way.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41This bridge doesn't just link Denmark and Sweden -
0:26:41 > 0:26:47perhaps it also offers Scotland a route to the future, too.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Back home, our political leaders often encourage us
0:26:51 > 0:26:54to look to Scandinavia for inspiration,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58about what Scotland could and should become.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00So, do they share Denmark's vision?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I do think there is political imperative around this
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and therefore a great deal of interest.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11But it will require a culture change from the public, as well,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14in terms of how we go about our daily business.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18There are more cars in Scotland now than ever before
0:27:18 > 0:27:21and we are using them more and more, too.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24As we've learned, that has an impact on our health.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28The young, the old and the sick are at greatest risk.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31But there are implications for all of us.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Well, we risk increasing our rates of diabetes, increasing our rates of
0:27:35 > 0:27:40cardiovascular disease, increasing dementia, increasing depression.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45People feeling generally less good, less happy, less productive.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51If you are looking at public health, you look at the big killers,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54the causes of ill health - heart disease is one of them.
0:27:54 > 0:28:00And this is one of the top avoidable contributors to that ill-health.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03So this is something that we have to address
0:28:03 > 0:28:05and we have to try and modify.
0:28:07 > 0:28:08A lot's changed
0:28:08 > 0:28:14since this old sports car rolled off the production line in 1974.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17It's time for me to hand back the keys.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Today, our cars are safer, cleaner and more efficient,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25but our reliance on them still comes at a cost.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28If we are to get on the road to a healthier future,
0:28:28 > 0:28:34perhaps it's time for all of us to learn to love our cars a little less.