🚲 edi.bike | 6th Nov ‘23
remember remember, there's mud on my fender
🗞️ Episode 13: Enjoying the odd dry, crisp days firing in and around town past seemingly ever-worsening congestion - it feels a far cry from the days I would longboard into town and take a long, slow bus back what with cycling being so direct and rapid by comparison (not to mention fun!). Studded tyres are going on this week and the leaf fall hasn’t gotten tiresome yet 🍂
📰 News this Week
🌆 Locally
✂️ “Outline Hair in the Old Town, was recognised by Cycling Scotland’s Cycling Champion Awards for owner Kay Corbett’s efforts to support staff and customers to cycle, including by installing cycle parking inside the hair salon.” — at The Edinburgh Reporter
🌳 The ongoing consultation on the future of Holyrood Park was briefly covered by the BBC this week;
🕞We mentioned a new bike shop in Morningside — opposite Cafe Nero — called Society Cycles and shared their mission statement; it looks like their opening has been pushed back a bit but we’ll highlight again when they open their doors;
From last week: 🏙️ The City of Edinburgh Council are hiring for three new Active Travel roles - one has now closed but two of these having a closing date of Weds 8th.
🫂 Help Needed
🚌 The George Heriots’ School Bike Bus from Fairmilehead – via the Greenbank > Meadows quiet route each Tuesday – could do with more volunteer marshals - contact Jarlath Flynn via Twitter 🐦 (or message us and we’ll pass it along for you);
✊ Pedal on Parliament’s AGM is this week (Thurs 9th), calling for new folks to get involved organising this amazing annual mass protest ride. Here’s the Twitter thread 🐦 and you can book your place at the meeting here.
😠 Bikes for Refugees recently suffered a break-in 🐦 and the loss of laptops, cash, their 📷 🐦 Riese & Muller cargo bike (👀) and bikes that were destined for the folks they help. They have a worthy mission:
“New Scots asylum seekers need your support. With a daily living allowance of £5.84 and no right to work, access to bicycles provide an essential free and sustainable mode of transport to support access to services and promote health and wellbeing.”
If you’re able to donate - bikes, or funds - there are SMS donation codes in Bikes for refugees tweet 🐦 or alternatively there’s a website to donate.
Recently: 📣 Spokes are in need of new members for their Planning and Resources groups; Edinburgh Festival of Cycling have put out a call for new volunteers and additional directors and 🛠Edinburgh Tool Library still seeking donations of unused bike tools 🐦 – get in touch.
🏴 Nationally
🧑⚖️ The High Court recently gave Transport Action Network legal permission to challenge the UK Dept. for Transport’s decision to cut walking and cycling funding by 75% and are crowdfunding to proceed – now at around £28k of the required £40k. Donate here.
From last week: 🚆 Scotrail have added cycle space reservations to their mobile app; ⚠️ Cycling Scotland have called out fast food tech-middlemen such as Just Eat and Deliveroo for ‘incentivising’ careless and illegal cycling.
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
🚗 Car Free Holyrood have a great and thorough blog post in response to the ongoing open consultation on the future of Holyrood Pk 🐦 – including key aims favouring active travel over vehicular access 🐦 – available to respond to until 19th December;
🪣 Lanark Rd’s segregated* cycle lane** is still not completed, with the double-yellow lines still not fully repainted, jeopardising the use of the route by parents cycling with kids, bike buses and other users;
* that’s just paint mate
** car park
🔕 As mentioned in Cllr Arthur’s recent 12m video review 🐦 of ongoing Braidburn Terrace works, over 1,900 responses to the Greenbank > Meadows Quiet Route consultation has meant the consultation report to the Transport & Environment Committee will likely be early in 2024 now.
📆 Events and Happenings
✊ Critical Mass Edinburgh has a social meetup / outdoor coffee morning 🐦 this Sunday Nov 12th, 10.30 - 11.30am in Holyrood Park (Parade Ground behind the Palace / Car Park);
🔧 At The Wee Spoke Hub there’s alternating puncture repair sessions and introductions to bike ownership and maintenance every other Saturday, see their schedule for details and times;
🎏 Porty Community Energy will be hosting a Fundraising ceilidh on the 25th Nov 5-10pm, get your tickets at Ceilidh Collective;
🚺 Infrasisters – “a group of women campaigning for night-time cycling infrastructure in Edinburgh that’s safe and comfortable for women and girls” – have sent out a ‘save the date’ for their #OurStreetOurNights campaign ride on Dec 1st:
“Our next ride will be on Friday 1st December at 7.30pm from Middle Meadow Walk, and we're planning a wee tour of central Edinburgh. Light up your bikes and come along!”
👶🏼 Balance Bike classes for under-6s at community hub Bridgend Farmhouse, upcoming on Saturday mornings - two classes (10am and 11am) are available and run for 6 week blocks having just started 4th Nov ‘23 and again from Feb 17th ‘24; run by A Wee Pedal who also do excellent beginner cycle coaching for all ages (3.5yo to 60+!).
🛣 Road Closures and Route Issues
🧑🎄 From yesterday – before the effigy of Mr. Fawkes has even been lit, for dignity’s sake! – 12hr daily partial closures of Castle St for Edinburgh’s Christmas have commenced (makes grinch face): between George St and Rose St, plus North Castle St at George St, 10am - 10pm daily;
⛔ On Thurs 9th there are rolling road closures on the High St between George IV Bridge and Cockburn Street between 7:00 and 8:30am for Remembrance day preparations;
🫡 On Sun 12th there are a set of road closures for the Remembrance Sunday event:
High St, Lawnmarket, St Giles' St, Parliament Sq closed 9.30am - 1.30pm;
Morrison St and Grosvenor St closed at Haymarket junction 9.30am - 12.30pm;
Haymarket, Clifton Ter, West Maitland St and Dalry Rd closed 10.55am - 11.05am under direction of Police Scotland;
In Corstorphine, Kirk Loan will be closed between Corstorphine High St and Westfield House car park from 9.30am - 1pm, with the one-way order suspended at St John's Rd for duration;
In Davidson’s Mains, Main St closed between Quality St and Corbiehill Rd 12pm - 2pm;
In Kirkliston, all approaches to Kirkliston Crossroads closed 11.50am - 1pm;
In Queensferry, rolling road closure of the High St / The Loan from Queensferry Museum to Queensferry Parish Church, between 10.20 and 11.15am approx;
In Duddingston, brief 'rolling' closure Duddingston Road West / Old Church Lane between The Causeway and Duddinsgton Kirk, 10am - 10.30am approximately;
⛏️ CCWEL-adjacent works on Charlotte Sq and North / South Charlotte St running until March 2024:
Phase 2 commences today until 23rd Nov - daytime closure of Charlotte Sq (north side);
Phase 3 from 8th Jan ‘24 - daytime lane closures on Charlotte Sq (east side), North and South Charlotte Street, daytime closures of Charlotte Sq (south and west sides).
🪣 Lauriston Farm Rd closed for resurfacing until 17th Nov, Silverknowes Rd to the junction of Cramond;
🌹 Rose St South Ln closed between South St David St and Hanover St for Scottish Power cabling works until around Nov 9th;
Ongoing Closures and Works…
⚒️ Causewayside is still closed for resurfacing between West Preston St and Grange Rd until 14th November;
⛏ City centre resurfacing works on Regent Rd, Waterloo Pl and Princes St should last approximately another week 🐦– currently slated in the road closures document as ending Fri 10th;
💡 Running until March, a programme of footway works and street lighting renewal on Polwarth Gdns, involving lane closures and parking restrictions. Polwarth Pl, Polwarth Pk, Harden Pl and Mertoun Pl will be closed as work progresses;
💧 9-month programme of Scottish Water drainage improvement work on Longstone Rd 🐦;
🧰 Braidburn Ter closed (dismount to pass via pavement) at the end of the Greenbank-Meadows Quiet Route while the new pedestrian and cycle realm enhancement works 🐦 are underway, with overnight closures of Comiston Rd coming later in the project 🐦 including bus diversions - local councillor and Transport/Environment Committee chair Scott Arthur recently posted a 12m video walking through these works 🐦.
Ongoing updates on the Council’s Road reports page as the week unfolds and via @edintravel 🐦 on TwiXtter.
Thanks for reading - ride safe and stay frosty 🚲
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