🚲 edi.bike | issue 103 | 28th July ‘25
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
⚡️ Council to ‘Soft Launch’ Electric Bike Hire Scheme Trial in City Centre During 2025 Festival
Over at the Evening News, Ian Swanson reports that the procurement deadline for tenders to trial an ebike hire scheme in the city centre is coming up this Friday 1st August, seemingly with things to move swiftly after that to have hire cycles hit the ground for a ‘soft launch’ during the festival.
We reported extensively on demos from the companies in the running - Dott and Lime - back in Issue 82 in March of this year. The trial being tendered for will run in a limited fashion in the city centre, before the council looks to roll it out more widely across the city in future.
🎟️ Win a Pair of Tickets to ‘CADEL: Lungs on Legs’ Fringe Show with edi.bike
We’ve teamed up with ‘CADEL: Lungs on Legs’ to offer a pair of free show tickets to one lucky edi.bike subscriber, plus a ‘meet and greet’ photo opportunity with Actor Connor Delves - and the actual yellow jersey from 2011 with Cadel's signature on it.
To enter, just fill out this form by midnight tomorrow, Tuesday 29th, with the answer to the following question:
🤔 Question: Who did Cadel Evans beat in a photo finish to win Stage 4 of the 2011 Tour de France? — Enter Here »
Catch this moment live on stage in CADEL: Lungs On Legs at Underbelly Cowgate as a part of the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, from July 31 to August 24, 1pm daily.
🎟️ Tickets and more info at cadeltheplay.com
🏰 Local Bits
📋 Survey: If you used and appreciated the cycleway ‘bypass’ round the works on CCWEL at Rosebery Crescent put in after pressure by Spokes, it would be great to respond to this Scottish Water survey about the closure and give them positive feedback for providing it - there’s a clear need across the city for bodies like this to hold their contractors to providing space or diversions for cycles, and while not perfect this was a great example of ensuring minimal disruption to cycle users during works;
🧱 Two newly setted through-route reopenings this week - Union Canal between the Leamington Lift Bridge and Lochrin Basin has now reopened with much smoother and more usable surface following works on its northern side, and the recently completed resurfacing of Lawnmarket with new setts is promising particularly given trials underway in the area to significantly reduce motor vehicle traffic and resulting further damage;
🗞️ Evening News: Edinburgh transport convener bidding to be Labour candidate at next year's Scottish Parliament elections — Full Article »
⬆️ Plans being rolled out across the city to enact two-way or ‘contraflow’ cycling on one-way streets have hit a minor bump - at least as far as Rose Street is concerned. Living Streets Edinburgh have published an objection to a recent Traffic Regulation Order enabling these streets, the contents of which seems to infer that Rose St is still being considered as being advertised as an alternative central portion of CCWEL until new works on George Street are complete. We don’t think that’s the case, nor the outcome of the relevant Transport Committee discussions - especially given the recently secured promise of two-way cycle access during any upgrade works along the length of George St, when it’s redeveloped. It’s merely a continuation of a policy of allowing two-way cycling on most streets in Edinburgh, regardless of their one-way status for motor vehicles.
🤔 It’s a shame to see an objection about the safe mixing of pedestrians and cyclists — which is entirely possible — completely fail to mention the dangers already present by allowing motor vehicle access in a supposedly pedestrianised space, which from personal experience has been the source of the vast majority of user conflict I’ve witnessed along this street.
If you would like to issue a note of support for two-way cycle access along Rose Street (and indeed, the other streets in this particular TRO), you can review the Order and respond by emailing TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk quoting TRO/24/27.
🏆 A visit from Patrick Harvie to Bikes for Refugees this week, marking their 3,500th bicycle:
BIG BfR thanks to @patrickharvie MSP for visiting our community hub to celebrate 3500 bikes gifted to New Scots, providing essential mobility & freedom of movement.
A long-term supporter with his 1st visit when we had just distributed our 100th bicycle
bikesforrefugees.scot — Bikes for Refugees on Bluesky
An incredible number of cycles and folks helped - congratulations to the team involved and here’s to the next few thousand!
📸 Some great photos from Saturday’s Critical Mass were posted by Marek, including a pretty space-age passenger cycle…
🎭 Cycling advocate and comedian Dion Owen is back for another Festival Fringe, and is once more running the ‘Cyclopath Fringe Artist Bike Share program’, building and giving away a huge number of bikes for fringe artists to make use of getting around the city during the festival, with help from The Pear Tree and The Bike Station. You can see a brief video update from this year’s efforts on his Instagram, or check out the brief video about the program published to Youtube last year.
🛠️ Speaking of The Bike Station, did you know their Wee Bike Library now includes Cargo bike hire?
👩🏻🔧 Another Dr Bike session this Wednesday from SCOREScotland:
🚲 SCOREscotland Free Bike Repairs! 🚲
Is your bike in need of a repair or service? Don’t miss this FREE opportunity to get it fixed by Dr. Bike!
📅 Wednesday, 30 July
🕙 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
📍 Gate 55, 55 Sighthill Road, Edinburgh EH11 4PB
✅ Friendly service
✅ Completely free!
Booking is essential – Book here »
📃 Charlotte Square: the current layout isn’t the end of the story for this stage of CCWEL - plans are afoot and following feedback there is a drop-in consultation session on the final scheme: this Wednesday 30th July 4pm to 7pm at the 📍 Kimpton Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square — via the good folks at Spokes »
🗺️ All the best to edi.bike Supporter and all round good egg Aidan Hedley, currently volunteering on and riding the London-Edinburgh-London route - potentially twice - on his trike. See his ride plans, his post on Facebook, the live tracking page (if currently riding) and otherwise record of segments. On a good day I can make it to Leith and back - distances like this are seriously impressive work!
🚧 Harry Williams spotted on the roadworks commissioner site that the Living Well Dalry side streets have been scheduled for continuous footways and raised table builds as soon as September of this year, bringing forward parts of the overall scheme when resurfacing of the roads in the area have been scheduled. While the project brings significant disruption, there are a lot of positive thoughts on the outcomes for the area in the latter part of this article on Edinburgh Live by local area councillor Ross McKenzie.
🎫 Via Edinburgh Festival of Cycling: Fringe Show ‘The World at 15mph… ish’
Looking for inspiration? Want to feel uplifted? Need encouragement? Burnt out and needing change, non-athlete Naomi cycled 20,000 miles through 26 countries, with a man she'd met just three times. Riding over Thorong-la mountain pass, Cairo to Cape Town, through tiger reserves and staying in Japanese love hotels this was the journey of a lifetime. What would happen on her return? Come and hear more about this life changing story of challenge, determination, travel, cycling and relationships. An ordinary human – an extraordinary adventure. — Tickets at edfringe.com »
🚇 A new ‘Scotland’s Railway’ report highlighted by Spokes this week, with some positive sections on Active Travel improvements to stations across the country - they provide some screenshots on Bluesky of highlights, or a link to the full report PDF »
🛍️ Bike shop in ‘best place to live in Scotland’ for sale — The Herald covers the sale of Law Cycles in North Berwick;
🎥 This short video clip shows progress on the Leith Connections ‘Foot of the Walk to Dock Street’ project, which will eventually link all the way to Ocean Terminal. The Council for some reason only posted this to X, where only a handful of hardcore Edinburgh cycling folks still lurk, and not to Bluesky where folks would have engaged positively and amplified it further.
So we jauntily donned a pirate hat, hosted it on Dropbox and dropped the tweet text below. Anything but give Elon more eyeballs.
We are making really good progress on #LeithConnections
Changing streets in #Leith and making it more comfortable for anyone #walking, #wheeling or #cycling, and providing better connections to existing cycle routes and public transport #activetravel
For those of you who recall a motion for the Council to look at moving away from Xitter earlier in the year, the report is due to come to the Policy & Sustainability committee on the 19th August. Here’s hoping they’ve been getting good advice.
📺 Update: Deadline extended another month - Local musician, composer and cycling campaigner Dan Abrahams is crowdfunding a new music video for ‘Amsterdam’ - see [his message on Youtube] and back it on Indiegogo »
🏆 Spokes are running their annual competition with a range of excellent prizes - entries welcome on the theme of ‘My favourite bike ride’. Details and lots of local Edinburgh cycling news can also be found in their most recent Action Update [PDF]
🇬🇧 National
🏗️ Glasgow: the City Council has published an update on the second phase of works beginning on Byres Road, and Youtuber Charlie McGibbon has a new video out about new cycleway development at Pitt Street;
📦 A new report out this week from Sustrans:
Cargo bikes in Scotland: the barriers to a local logistics revolution
Cargo bikes have the potential to revolutionise how we transport goods. Our latest research in Scotland looks at the barriers preventing widespread use of cargo bikes – and what can be done to overcome them. — Cargo bikes in Scotland report »
🎙️ Urbanist Melissa Bruntlett is interviewed by Laura Laker in recent Streets Ahead podcast episode ‘Women Changing Cities’:
In this episode, Laura chats to Melissa Bruntlett about her new book, Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation.
Melissa is an urbanist, author, and founder of Modacity, an urban mobility consultancy - and one half of urbanist power couple, Chris and Melissa Bruntlett.
Melissa and Chris have authored two books to date, Building the Cycling City, and Curbing Traffic. Their social media posts from around the world feature positive examples of change, and inspiration for other cities and advocates. Originally from Canada, the couple have settled in the Netherlands, and often share experiential learning from one of the world’s greatest cycling nations.
🎧 Listen on Acast or in your podcast player of choice;
✍🏽 Following last week’s newsletter article on the context, history, challenges and exciting scope of the newly announced pledge by 12 mayors in England to deliver a National Cycle Network, Laura Laker also interviewed Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, about the project, again published in her newsletter this week.
🇮🇪 Following Ben Healy’s performance in the Tour de France, Cian Ginty writes: The bicycle played a rich role in Ireland’s past. Now it is key to our future — article for The Guardian »
And showing that it’s not just Edinburgh that needs to look at quicker built infrastructure to address its plastic-bollarded and patchy cycle network, Ginty also writes a familiar sounding tale for his own publication - Dublin City Council needs to reexamine use of quick-build projects to connect up routes quicker while avoiding using plastic bollards — at IrishCycle.com (via Blackford Safe Routes)
🛣 Route Closures and Issues
ℹ️ Encountered unexpected road issues? Find out how to report them with this guide from Spokes. The team at Edinburgh Travel News are also keen to hear about cycle path alerts and can be contacted on Threads or Facebook.
🦋 On Bluesky? Follow the #EdTravCyc feed - anyone can use the #EdTravCyc hashtag to share route issues they encounter;
📪 The week’s road closure info - many thanks to regular contributor Robbie for collating and preparing these:
🏗️ Edinburgh Park Station: Quietroute 8 cycle path between Hermiston Gait and the Gyle Centre closed for works in preparation of the Edinburgh Arena development. It’s been queried whether the cycle path will reopen or remain closed long term.
🏫 Dalkeith Road: Works to make permanent the footway widening outside Preston Street Primary School. The eastbound cycle lane on East Preston St may also be obstructed. Update 28th July: Works now expected to finish 8th August and involve temporary traffic lights to Holyrood Park Rd.
🚧 Warrander Park Road: Closed either side of Marchmont Rd for Scottish Water works until 4th August. Closure was seen to be permeable to cycles, and resulting in a temporary low traffic area.
🚧 Dundee St segregated cycle lanes obstructed and Viewforth closed from today, Monday 28th July for 1 week for delayed Cityfibre repairs.
⚽ Duddingston: Youth football event to close Duddingston Low Rd this weekend, Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd August, just as the footway is expected to reopen following HES rockfall works. Path through Duddingston Golf Course along Cavalry Park Dr also expected to be obstructed.
Festival Closures:
🎪 Summertime Streets: Expanded closures for the August festivals this year. High St to be closed from 10:30am daily. Lawnmarket closed and Cowgate closed daily from 3pm, however access will be maintained for loading. Update 28th July: Cycle access on Cockburn Street Between North Bridge and Waverley Bridge expected to be retained. Exercise caution and consider dismounting if you can on High Street.
🎪 George Street: Usual annual closure between Hanover St and Frederick St for Fringe venues, with temporary cycle path. Note that non-permeable barriers are expected to be erected in the cycle path, requiring cycles to go around them.
🎪 Hill Square: Fringe Festival will close Hill Place westbound from 14th July until end Aug but cycle access will be maintained. Be aware of temporary road signage in the contraflow cycle lane westbound and an increase in pedestrians. Nearby Roxburgh Place will also be closed, which may create a pleasant low traffic area.
Longer Term Closures:
✔️ Union Canal: Towpath improvement works now complete
✔️ Lawnmarket and Upper Bow: Road improvements works now complete
✔️ Rosebery Crescent: Scottish Water long running repairs on CCWEL now complete. Road has been open to cycles since March following installation of a temporary cycle route. Feedback is requested via a survey here, until August 10th.
🚂 Waverley Bridge – Issues with cycle access following the road being temporarily re-opened to airport buses, as raised by Spokes. Update 28th July: A new temporary arrangement has been installed for the festival period. Officers are looking to install similar long-term arrangements in September.
🚧 Cargil Terrace: Closed at Wardie Primary School for SGN works 28th July to 21st August. Part of Wardie Road may also be closed. If you’re travelling between Wardie and Trinity, Darnell Rd or the Ferry Road Path may be alternatives.
🚧 Leamington Terrace: Closed in sections for resurfacing until 12th September. If you’re travelling between Union Canal and Merchiston, Viewforth may be an alternate route.
🌉 South Gyle Road: Bridge between modal filter and Quiet Route 9 expected to close for repairs until April 2026. When asked about cycle access, a spokesperson for Network Rail Scotland said: "Plans for South Gyle station bridge are still at an early stage, with work expected to begin late summer. We understand the importance of this route for cyclists and are developing proposals for a temporary bridge to maintain access throughout the work. Further details will be shared with the community as planning progresses". It is expected to be required to dismount and use a temporary bridge during the works.
⛰️ Duddingston Low Road in Holyrood Park: Ongoing inspection works have identified a risk of rockfall, resulting in a closure until further notice. Dismounting to pass is not currently possible. The footway is expected to re-open at the end of July, requiring dismounting to pass.
🌉 Harrison Road: two bridges closed due to structural concerns with micro-cracking in the original cast iron beams. Access to cycles is being restricted:
The north-west bridge over a small path is having its deck rebuilt and will be closed to pedestrians and cycles for rebuilding until November. The path underneath will close from today, 28th July, with a signed diversion in place.
The south-east bridge over the Union Canal has been closed for investigations, with fencing placed across the bridge and a gap for cycles. The bridge is expected to re-open to vehicles August 15th.
🚧 Stenhouse Drive: road between shared use path along tramline and Water of Leith Path closed at Gorgie Road for SGN works until mid-August. Stenhouse Ave may offer an alternative route.
🏗️ Port Hamilton Cyclepath: Shared use path between Union Canal and West End closed until 2026/27 for building works. A diversion is advised via Gardeners Crescent and Semple Street.
🏗️ Craighall Road: Closed until May 2028 for the Refurbishment of Trinity Academy. Access to the Victoria Path is expected to be maintained. A diversion will be signed along Newhaven Road, however the removal of parking for improved traffic flow may lead to this being a wider and faster road, less suitable for cycles.
⚡ Ongoing: The questionable Network Rail ban on ebike parking at Waverley Station - best to make alternative parking plans if travelling from this station at present;
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🎉 Events and Happenings
📆 Upcoming / Ongoing
☀️ Some lovely summer Sunday family rides coming up with Porty Community Energy:
Why not join us for one of our led family picnic rides every Sunday from 9 August.
Learn some good, family friendly local cycle routes and enjoy a picnic (🤞🏽for☀️).
Borrow a cargo bike for you and your family for the ride if you'd like (book in advance), or come on your own bikes.
FREE but please BOOK in advance »
🚌 Every Sunday until 26th October: “Inner Forth Bike Bus - the route, between Alloa and the Forth Bridges, encourages cyclists to travel more sustainably within the Inner Forth. See this video on Instagram for more. The concept of the Inner Forth Bike Bus was developed to enable local people, and visitors, to help them cycle (or walk) part of the 'Round the Inner Forth' route, hop off at fascinating heritage sites, and return home or to a bus stop / train station for their onward travels.” - Info and Timetable »
🧘 More upcoming rides and movement / yoga sessions from Detour [IG]:
✨ Tickets are available now for the 30th August - Yoga by Bike, Porty to Longniddry - 🎟️ Details and Tickets»
🚶🏻♀️ Wester Hailes Walk, Pedal and Thrive Project June to October Events at ScoreScotland - mainly based at 📍 Gate 55, 55 Sighthill Rd, and booking required - call / text Madhavi on 07496 190 752 or email madhavi@scorescotland.org.uk.
🚸 Play Together on Pedals (3 to 6 year olds): Fridays from 2pm to 4pm;
🧭 Led Cycle Rides: Saturdays from 9:45am to 1pm;
🚲 Adult Beginners / Family Cycle Training: text for an appointment.
🎟️ Festival Show: ‘CADEL: Lungs on Legs’:
ONE ACTOR. ONE BIKE. ONE HOUR. Connor Delves is Cadel Evans. The epic true story of the first Australian to win the Tour de France, live on stage. — Tickets at Underbelly »
🖼️ New Venue: The ongoing ‘Pedal Power’ exhibition about cycle campaigning in Edinburgh co-curated by Spokes, Infrasisters, Bike Buses and Edinburgh Critical Mass has moved on from Duncan Place, and can now be found at Norton Park (📍 57 Albion Road) — having been transported across by cargo bike (of course!) in April;
⛰️ Bikepacking event Dirt Dash’s 2025 return wraps up in September - check out the gorgeous video they put out previously [IG] too:
Dirt Dash’s summer programme concludes with the Lezyne Dunoon Dirt Dash on 27 & 28 September. Organised by round the world cyclist Markus Stitz, these self-supported rides are designed for cyclists who love off-road riding and are seeking new experiences on their bikes, whether for seasoned gravel riders or anyone new to bikepacking.
💙 Riding LEJOG in memory of Tim McKenna — and raising money for charities Mind, Sustrans and Flight Free UK in his honour. Passing through in August, folks can join for some or all of the route by reviewing the itinerary. Thanks to John Robson for the link;
⚙️ In September, Spokes will be hosting a Cargo-bike-focused event, showing the film Motherload and hosting a discussion;
A special Spokes public meeting, discussing further development of cargo bikes in Edinburgh – as always the meeting is open to all, but local groups who we know to be involved in cargobikes will be specially invited. The evening will include a screening of MOTHERLOAD, a 90-minute documentary film which captures a new mother’s quest to understand the increasing isolation and disconnection of modern life, its planetary impact, and how cargo bikes could be an antidote. The showing and discussion will be on Tuesday September 2nd from 7pm - 9.30pm at Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge EH1 1EL. Further information from Ian »
🎉 For six months starting in September, the ‘Towpath talks’ team will be returning:
Cycling community Talks are back - with the closure of Biketrax in January, the regular cycling talks by MacKenzie Barker (@rekrab82 [IG)] and hosted by Izabela Murtagh (@iza.murtagh [IG]) will be making a return in September using a new venue — Gamma Transport Division in the Comely Bank / Stockbridge area"
Great news. Announcements currently via the Towpath Talks account on Instagram, and we’ll publish dates when available!
💯 Edinburgh RC celebrating its hundredth year in 2025 and have an ongoing challenge encouraging 100 women of all cycling abilities to ride 100km - offering help to anyone who needs it along the way;
🔁 Weekly Events
🍃 Mon, 12-2.30pm: Free, fun group ride on paths from Bridgend Farmhouse;
🌅 Tues, ⏰ 5.40am: Edinburgh Dawn Patrol - Meet St. Andrew Square, same route each time - more info on their Instagram;
☕️Tues, 5pm: [National] Active Travel Cafe on Zoom
🛠️ Weds, 3pm: Bike Kitchen at Edinburgh Tool Library
🌅 Thurs, ⏰ 5.40am: Edinburgh Dawn Patrol (same as Tues, details above);
🪨 Thurs Evenings: Edinburgh Gravel Cycling Club social group rides;
✴️ Thurs, 5-8pm: Bike DIY Session at The Wee Spoke Hub
⚙️ Sat, 2-4pm: ‘Bike Cleaning and Oiling’ drop-in session at The Wee Spoke Hub
🟰 Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council’s Edinburgh Cycling Club run weekly group rides and introductory classes;
🔁 Monthly Events
🚲 First Friday of the month: Inclusive social bike rides with A Wee Pedal, 1-3pm, from Bridgend Farmhouse;
✊ Last Saturday of the month: Critical Mass Edinburgh, Family-friendly mass protest / group ride, 2pm, Middle Meadow Walk;
🫂 Help Needed
Ongoing: 🚌 Marshal for School Bike Buses | 🙋 Help with school programme ‘I Bike’ | 🗨️Join Spokes’ Planning or Resources group | 🆘 Donate money or bikes to Bikes for Refugees | 📦⚡️ Hire Community Cargobikes, E-bikes or Trailers from SW20, Porty Community Energy or Banzai | ♻️ Donate old bikes to The Bike Station, The Wee Spoke Hub or ‘Brake the Cycle’.
➡️ A pick-up ask from Bikes for Refugees:
We have offers of bikes in Prestwick, Inverkeithing, Ayr - that need collected & taken to Glasgow or Edinburgh Hubs. Is this part of your commute?
Contact Becky at bikedonations@bikesforrefugees.scot if you can help!
📦 Cargo bikes for sale via Laid Back Bikes:
We're grateful to organisations such as @spokes.org.uk supporting cargobikes in the city & beyond. Just to remind people that we have three used UA Bosch Flatbed models available to try, hire or buy. Ideal for business, two with boxes. @portyenergy.bsky.social @sw20.info @thebikestation.bsky.social
— @LaidBackBikes (@laidbackbikes.bsky.social) 2025-07-13T19:39:03.643Z
🍃 Sustainable transport charity Sustrans is producing a new iteration of the Walking and Cycling Index - are you keen to share your experience walking, wheeling or cycling in Edinburgh? Fill in the survey »
🆘 Also via Laid Back Bikes:
Latest Afghanistan fundraiser organised by Shannon Galpin. Every £€$ helps! Since the Taliban takeover she's organised life saving evacuations for 150+ Afghan cyclists (one recently arrived in Dundee, many others across the world!). Donate & pass on if you can 🙏
Their story, as written by Galpin, can be found here — along with the Fundraiser Link »
🧡 The Wee Spoke Hub are looking for a Comms volunteer [IG] and for other roles too;
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
✨ This section of the digest will receive a revamp in the coming months to move long-running, detailed consultation information onto web pages, and instead publish a list of links for open and recent consultations (along with summaries for anything actually new). In the meantime, anything new or changed is found near the top. ✨
In Previous Updates:
🌾 Some good development on the way in Currie, featured on planning news portal City Scope — “Hard-surfacing and widening the field path linking Juniper Green and Currie, with low-level lighting, benches, filter-drainage and planting to formalise the route as a permanent public link.”.
As SW20 put it:
A vital link in the ‘education corridor’ envisioned to link all the local schools together with Heriot Watt university making walking, wheeling and cycling safer for pupils, staff, visitors and the communities it will tie together. - post on Bluesky »
🧱 Progress on the Foot of the Walk to Dock St continuing apace, with Harry Williams spotting this section at Yardheads and Henderson St being laid with pavers that looked up-sett-ingly like they might be bumpier than ideal:
Cobbled bike lanes :)
— Harry Willliams (@harryjwilliams.bsky.social) 2025-07-12T12:42:44.036Z
(As discussed in the thread on Bluesky, at a distance these look much like setts but aren’t, thankfully. But do you know the difference between a sett and a cobblestone?).
🌳 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route: with changes coming — to re-introduce rat-running traffic to the Braid Estate and attempt to mitigate the impacts for cycling with the addition of segregated cycleways through residential streets — Council Officers have advised that “The designs have now been completed and the relevant ETRO documents have been drafted. These need to be subject to legal procedures before they can be implemented, with an expectation this will take place during July and August. Due to the requirement to conduct pre-implementation traffic monitoring, which cannot meaningfully be undertaken during school holiday times, the works will not start until mid-September at the earliest."
🚧 Summertime Street Closures Announced
The City of Edinburgh Council have announced their ‘Summertime Streets 2025’ programme of full and partial road closures, to create safer streets during the festival period, on ‘various dates between 24 July and 7 September’.
Many of these are much the same as previous periods; the closures and restrictions on Johnston Terrace are interesting as they align fairly closely with the ongoing project to close it to through-traffic except for cycles, as part of the ‘Old Town Streets’ project.
📐 Having had sight of draft plans, Merchiston Districts Community Council have a blog post on the changes coming to the somewhat infamous mini-roundabout junction in Polwarth after a lot of local campaigning, which sound extremely promising. Consultation coming later in the summer, which we’ll be sure to link to here.
📸 Thanks to ‘Dashed Lines’ on Bluesky for tagging us in their photos of a newly opened ‘missing link’ path built between Greendykes Rd and Hunters Hall Park in the East of the city, following their photos of improvements at Greendykes and construction shots earlier in the year.
📋 New Consultation in Meadowbank for Marionville Rd Cycleway, and Details on Smokey Brae
Following consultation in 2022, the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) has published new web pages (Issue 96, 9th June) detailing plans for protected cycleways on Smokey Brae, including Marionville Avenue and Restalrig Avenue. There are pages featuring visual before / after renders, and others with street layout plans.
These changes are part of an overall plan for the area which now includes a new section being consulted on, featuring a bi-directional protected cycleway on Marionville Rd. The associated consultation is open until the 17th of August, with CEC no doubt hoping to deliver both sets of improvements in tandem in the near future.
📋 Consultation: “Walking, wheeling and cycling improvements in Currie” closed to comments as of 6th July 2025. The plans include junction and crossing improvements, and additional cycle parking and access at Curriehill railway station, as well as access into some of the new developments in the area.
🔭 As spotted by Harry Williams and others, some movement on the ‘Longstone Link’ bridge (Issue 95, 2nd June): a Boundary Map [PDF] and Pre-application Screening have been published on the planning portal, which reads:
The proposal is for a new 5m wide shared-use bridge over the Water of Leith between a new housing development and New Mart Road. The bridge will link on the north east to a 3.5m wide shared-use path that will be widened to 5m wide connecting to New Mart Road in HRA. On the south west, it will connect to a new path to be delivered within the land of the new residential development. On the north west, the existing wooden boardwalk will be altered to connect to the new infrastructure. The location and alignment of the bridge has been selected to minimise the impact on trees, flooding management considerations and to retain the desire line for users crossing the Water of Leith.
🚌 Good to see changes underway at Elm Row, where the downhill cycle lane in front of the bus stops is being combined with a newly widened two-way lane section behind the shelters, reducing conflict with bus passengers (and also reconfiguring some of the parking at Elm Row in a way that hopefully makes a dent in some of the atrocious excesses being committed in the name of vehicle storage). Initially no diversion was provided - on Scotland’s busiest cycleway, well done everyone - but as per Robbie’s excellent Route Closures info above, it looks like this may now have been addressed
🚶 Pedestrianisation and Cycling Project to Close Lawnmarket to Traffic
Via Harry Williams on Bluesky, news of a new City of Edinburgh Council project commencing in July will see an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) close Johnstone Terrace and Lawnmarket during daytime, with deliveries and loading taking place outside of those hours:
Restrictions will be between
10.30am and 7.30pm, Monday to Saturday
12.30pm and 7.30pm, Sunday
Lawnmarket’s former black vehicle barriers have been removed during works, to be replaced at the end of the current work with mechanised retractable bollards. In addition to this filter, the following changes will be put in place:
Johnston Terrace:
Restricted access for large vehicles when pedestrian and cycle zone is in operation
Removal of existing coach parking
Taxi and private hire pick-up and drop-off areas
Additional blue badge parking
Public and resident parking
Turning area for smaller vehicles including taxis and vans
Castle Terrace:
Coach pick-up and drop-off on Castle Terrace
Relocated residential parking to make way for Coach spaces, at the cost of
Being an ETRO, over the eighteen trial months the council will be looking to monitor the impact and any changes needed before making the scheme a permanent change - including six months of public consultation. There’s also an extensive page of current arrangements, ahead of the ETRO commencing, including changes to through traffic on Castle Terrace.
These welcome (and long overdue) changes are seemingly part of a series of new projects under the heading ‘Improving Old Town Streets’ which starts with Johnstone Terrace and Lawnmarket, and also covers Victoria Street, High Street (west), Cockburn Street, High Street (east) and Hunter Square - all earmarked for changes under the various themes already established by the Transport Committee:
The strategies and plans guiding our proposals
The project reflects our ambition to be net zero by 2030 and the wider vision for the city as set out in our key strategies including:
City Mobility Plan 2021 – 2030: a 10-year strategy to transform the way people, goods and services travel around the city;
City Centre Transformation: an ambitious plan to provide a people-focused city centre, which is a desirable place to live, work and visit.
Our Future Streets (Circulation Plan): a long-term approach for planning transport and improvements to outdoor spaces across the city.
🌸 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route: ‘Option 3’ Detailed Plans (At Last)
Last Spring, the Labour Administration sided with Tory and Lib Dem colleagues on the Transport and Environment Committee and voted to remove traffic filtering from the Braid Estate, forming a key part of the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route - filters that had reduced through-traffic in the neighbourhood by as many as four thousand cars per day, a vote in direct opposition to several of the councils’ own policies. After a long design process, the plans for ‘Option 3’ (in a strange, consultation-as-referenda programme of stumbling around local objections and procedural glitches) have finally been made available, providing instead a series of protected cycleways through the streets forming the Braid Estate. Recently, Cllr Ben Parker asked for an update at Full Council and received a number of clarifications from Officers.
Neither pro-filter campaigners nor their pro-through-traffic counterparts are particularly thrilled by the plans, which will be implemented using temporary materials under a new Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO). However, thanks to Labour having tabled a last-minute caveat at the time, the ETRO will include the option to revert and reintroduce filters on the estate without requiring further legal process (e.g. another ETRO design and advertisement), so there is still hope if a case can be made that the goals of the project are deemed to have been compromised by reintroducing through-traffic to a liveable neighbourhood…
You can download the plans here [PDF].
🌸 Thursday 8th May saw the meeting of Edinburgh’s full Council, and tabled amongst its business were some clarifying questions to the Transport Convener on the safe implementation of the changes coming to the route by Green party Councillor Chas Booth; the answers are worth a read through [PDF, Page 17] in terms of some previously unseen detail, including different widths of planned protected cycleway on Braid Avenue depending on whether travel is in an uphill or downhill direction;
📋 Consultation: Edinburgh BioQuarter Active Travel Gaps - Sheriffhall Park & Ride to BioQuarter Campus Route
Now closed (2nd March at 23:59): Consultation spotted by Spokes this week; seeking to connect up both some missing internal links in the active travel pathways around the Edinburgh BioQuarter site at Little France, and also deliver protected cycleways and quiet routes between the site and the Midlothian Council park and ride facility at Sheriffhall:
“Edinburgh BioQuarter partners (City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian, Scottish Enterprise and The University of Edinburgh) are in the process of improving active travel routes and facilities in and around the campus…
The improvements being looked at within this project will see the development of a new active travel route to Edinburgh BioQuarter from Midlothian in the south to plug a 'gap' in the infrastructure. Eliminating the 'gap' will improve accessibility for walkers, wheelers, and cyclists during everyday journeys.”
Detailed Plans and Rationale on the project’s StoryMap »
🗺️ East Lothian Council are carrying out consultations on proposed improvements between Prestonpans and Levenhall; there is of course some local resistance, and at this stage the consultation closed for comments in March 2025.
Download the (muckle!) combined plan [PDF] or browse the list
🍃 Spokes recently highlighted a new consultation from Midlothian Council in Spring 2025 to create Active Travel provisions along the A7:
The aim of the project is to improve active travel connections within the study area making it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle for their everyday journeys and to connect to public transport services more easily. Currently, there is no or limited provision for walking, wheeling and cycling along the majority of the A7 corridor.
🏞️ Via Spokes - in an update from Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park the start of a new project to improve the valley is ongoing:
Burdiehouse Burn Restoration - Concept Design
“For the Burdiehouse Burn to become a successful and notable blue-green regeneration project, restoring approximately 5 km of the burn and surrounding habitats”
Core project objectives:
Sustainable river restoration
Habitat restoration in the surrounding landscape ✨ 3. Active travel connections
Placemaking & access improvements
Education & engagement of people and organisations local to the burn
Net zero gains
Improve the resilience of the site to climate change.
More in their newsletter »
🏚️ New plans for 21 flats on the site of the derelict Longstone Inn - damaged due to local flooding - have been published, featuring a ramp and alley access to the Burnside path; in addition, the council have now progressed with identifying who owns which bits of land and wall where the Burnside path sinkhole is situated, so discussions with the landowner will be ongoing to come up with a plan for remedial works here to fix not only the sinkhole, but hopefully the underlying cause too.
📋 Dalry ‘Living Well Locally’: the council have published an Initial local resident feedback Report on the Dalry Town Centre proposals [PDF]. There is a summary on the main Consultation page.
🚢 Leith Connections: Foot of the Walk to Dock St Construction Underway, Schedule Shared
🦶Foot of the Walk to ‘Ocean Terminal’ (actually Commercial St)
⚓️ 'Foot of the Walk to Ocean Terminal' - construction is underway on the Great Junction St cycleway, with work on Henderson St recently started too, for around ten months - a protected cycle route as part of Leith Connections, which promises to be a great continuation of the segregated routes slowly taking root in the city centre.
This Leith Connections works leaflet [PDF] outlines the rough timeline for construction of the route.
Confusingly, the project doesn’t go to Ocean Terminal (shades of Roseburn to Union Canal here) and instead gives up at Commercial St, with the Commercial St to Ocean Terminal leg covered by the third phase of Leith Connections (below);
⚓ Leith Connections Phase 3 - Hawthornvale to Seafield
View the:
Consultation Hub Page (now closed to responses);
Detailed Design drawings (PDF) »
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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