🚲 edi.bike | issue 124 | 22nd Dec ‘25
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
👀 TRO Sub-committee passes ‘South area’ travelling safely schemes, makes much ado about Rose St
📅 The City of Edinburgh Council’s Traffic Regulation Order Sub-committee met last Tuesday, 16th December;
📋 Two key cycling items were on the agenda - you can read about them in our look ahead article here »
At the Sub-committee:
👏 The ‘Travelling Safely’ South Area schemes up for review passed and will be made permanent, which is excellent news and continues to shore up Edinburgh’s on-road protected cycle network;
7️⃣ Of the eight contraflow (two-way cycling on one-way streets) proposals, seven were approved: Cassel’s Lane, Circus Lane, Drummond Street, Richmond Lane, Simpson Loan, Thistle Street, and Wishaw Terrace.
🤦 A huge amount of fuss was made about the dangers of ‘encouraging’ cycling on quiet, peaceful, pedestrian nirvana (with bonus! free! car traffic!) Rose Street — where cycling is already permitted eastwards — after much hand-wringing the vote tied at 4 votes to 4 and the convener cast a deciding vote in favour of leaving it for now but potentially coming back to it in future. Spokes have great coverage of the decision here »
I will say this - whoever’s raising the issue of delivery cyclists in this context to not only further vilify them but to justify preserving one-way cycling has their head in a pudding.
If you think someone being overworked for hee-haw money with no employment rights, hard pressed by a big tech algorithm to get wee Bobby in Leith his junk food order before it’s cold, gives two hoots about which way they can pootle out of Rose St, just let me knit you a festive thinking cap for that cold, hard skull, I’m begging you.
Please accept the number of commas in that particular run-on as my Christmas gift to you, oh patient reader…
That would be us lurching into the Festive recess with a heavy sigh at the Edinburgh of it all, but there were a few more sparks to come on Rose St and the Sub-committee in the hours and days afterwards:
📹 Blackford Safe Routes posted a great video to Bluesky of riding eastwards on Rose St on Tuesday itself, demonstrating significantly more of the realities of cycling on Rose St than could be mustered by those pearl-clutching at the debate itself;
📈 Robbie posted a thread of STATS19 collision data - actual incidents on Rose Street, overwhelmingly caused by or involving motor vehicles, not cyclists;
🗳️ At full Council, the Green group proposed a significant change to powers delegated to Officers which would have effectively killed off the TRO Sub, bringing us more in line with Glasgow where Traffic Orders can be made by Council Officers. Sadly, while backed by the SNP group, the motion was defeated.
⌛ Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route changes; further delays as integrity of original vote questioned
Even more delays on the proposed changes to remove modal filters in the Braid Estate section of the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route were announced this week, as two councillors who are (or were at the time) resident local to the scheme apparently failed to disclose conflicts of interest before the vote took place and were referred to the Ethical Standards Commissioner.
This is even more controversial if, as seems to be the case, Liberal Democrat Councillor Neil Ross — who was not at the time a regular member of the Transport & Environment Committee — ‘subbed in’ for another Lib Dem member specifically and only for the vote on the Braid Estate filters. Both he and Conservative Cllr Marie-Claire Munro (whose ‘transparency statement’ on the day of the vote consisted of the downright vague “I live in my Ward”) will appear before the Standards Commission in March*. While details of the cases are not public, these are believed by campaigners against the re-introduction of significant levels of rat-running car traffic on the route to be the reasons for the Standards hearing, and the need to delay changes on the ground.
Braids Estate update - I believe pausing the implementation of this scheme is the right thing to do at this time. We will have to wait until after the Standards Commission hearing in March before deciding what the next steps are. — Cllr Stephen Jenkinson on Bluesky »
The scheme has been a great success, removing significant amounts of through-traffic on the estate and creating much quieter streets for residents, and people walking, wheeling and cycling through it. The vote to remove the filters (and instead, implement segregated lanes throughout) was highly controversial at the time; many local residents — as well as those cycling through — would prefer the filters remain in place, and while a small and vocal faction would like to see everything go back to a pre-Covid traffic free-for-all, it’s clear that isn’t on the table. It will be interesting to see what happens if the same vote is re-run as a result of the ethical issues around the original decision - which it’s pretty clear from the outside, it should be.
* If the EEN website yells at you about using an ad blocker, read at this link. And if you implement ad-block sniffers on your public interest articles, you’re getting coal in your stocking.
🏰 Local Bits
📋 Are you local to Pennywell Road?
Walk Wheel Cycle Trust are working with the City of Edinburgh Council to help improve walking, wheeling and cycling conditions for local residents in the Pennywell Road area, and would like to hear the views of the local community — fill out their survey »
📦 Local bike shop Substance Cycles in Inverleith are moving - relocating from 26 Montagu Terrace just up the road to 📍 6A Montagu Terrace over the Christmas break (having just closed up on Saturday 20th). They’re throwing a re-opening party on January 6th, from 19:00 to 21:00 - and all are welcome. Check them out online in the meantime;
👕 The fine folks at Edinburgh Critical Mass have some lovely new additions to their Critical Mass t-shirt shop, with a couple of designs on darker / coloured tees - perfect if there’s some chrimbo cash coming your way in the next few days…
⚓ Local Leith business Transfer Magic had some success lobbying the council for some on-street cycle parking for their customers to use when visiting Anderson Place, and some has appeared! More on their Instagram post »
🌲 Christmas tree sales from The Cycling Gardeners — aka Tollcross Treeworks — have finished up at Tarvit St with remaining stock having moved round to the Pavilion Café on the Meadows [Facebook] »
🚸 Edinburgh RC and Jarlath Flynn shared a call for more Bike Bus marshals on Facebook:
Happy Christmas from the ERC #bikebus marshals crew! Do you have 20 mins you can volunteer once or twice a month to help marshal a bike bus. No formal training required just good cycle sence and confidence. Contact jarlathflynn@hotmail.com WE NEED YOU!
💸 Reminder: The Bike Station are currently running their #EverydayHeroes crowdfunding campaign »
⛈️ National
🙄 London has become a “Wild West” thanks to cyclists riding on pavements at speeds of “up to 70 miles per hour” and exhibiting an “arrogant culture of non-compliance”, the House of Lords was told this week, with one former Conservative minister asserting that, as a pedestrian in central London, “you take your life in your hands every day”.
What is this, a CEC Sub-committee?! The House of Lords play ‘bloody cyclists bingo’ over at Road.cc
🌍 Elsewhere
🚅 European rail operators will remove any size and weight restrictions for regular bicycles on international train services - article at European Cyclists Federation /via Edinburgh Festival of Cycling
🛣 Route Closures and Issues
Updates this week: A couple of bits of news while Robbie’s on a break:
🏗️ Open again: St Marks Path: Section of Quietroute 20 between McDonald Road and Warriston Path which has been closed for CEC Powderhall redevelopment works. The path has reopened until Sunday 4th January 2026 and Cllr Jack Caldwell posted to Bluesky, on Thursday:
🚶🚴♀️👨🦽 Delighted to pass on that as councillors were discussing, this afternoon, the need for the St Mark's Park walking/wheeling/cycling path to re-open, the Powderhall site manager's confirmed their intention to re-open tomorrow (w/ some asterix ie initial controlled crossing & nearer diversion).
Councillor Caldwell also included the following updated site map with the new and more suitable intended diversion for when works have resumed:
👏 Reader Claire shared an update about some car-free spells in Holyrood Park over the holidays; closed to cars 8:15am to 3:45pm (usual winter weekend hours) 25th to 28th December. Thanks Claire!
🧑🎄 Otherwise, same closures around as last week; over the CHRISTMAS BREAK; we’re anticipating few updates to road closures, giving Robbie a well-earned break in the process; if you find our list of closures helpful why not wish him a Merry Christmas (and thanks!) on Bluesky »
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 season’s road closure info as of 14th December - many thanks to regular contributor Robbie for collating and preparing these, weekly updates will resume after the Christmas break:
⛳ Gilmerton Road: Obstruction of segregated cycle lanes at Kingston Avenue by Liberton Golf Course for Scottish Water repairs.
🚧 Caledonia Place: Dalry footway improvement works underway until April 2026. Closures of Caledonian Rd and Caledonian Pl underway. Later phases will impact the Telfer Subway entrance.
🚧 Saughton Crescent: Sections of QuietRoute 9 closed for resurfacing and Active Travel improvements by Balgreen until March 2026. Impact on cycling expected in phases 4-8, for which a signed cycle diversion is to be provided. Update 15th December: Phase 4 still delayed but may begin this week.
🚧 Silverknowes Road: Closed for resurfacing works and reconfiguration of the cycle lane. Works have halted, with cycle access in the meantime currently unclear.
🎄⚠️ Christmas Markets: New temporary arrangements for cycles on George St and Waverley Bridge. Exercise caution around vehicles loading in the morning and crowds in the evening, especially by the queuing area in the Waverley Bridge Pedestrian and Cycle Zone.
New Years Events:
🏉 Murrayfield: 1872 Cup game Saturday 27th December. Various Road closures in the surrounding area. Exercise caution and consider dismounting if possible on CCWEL to Water of Leith Path around 3pm and after 5pm. Roseburn Path to Union Canal open throughout.
🔥 Middle Meadow Walk: Torchlight Procession evening of Monday 29th December closed 3pm – 10pm.
🥳 Princes Street: Hogmanay Street Party closure from 7pm Tuesday 30th December. Castle St, Market St, Waverley Bridge and Freddick St begin closures from Monday 29th December.
🏊 Holyrood Park: New Year’s Day Triathlon 8am – 5pm on Holyrood Park Road, Queen's Drive, Holyrood Gait and Horse Wynd.
Longer Term Closures:
🏰 Dalmeny Estate: Private Roads within estate closed to walking and cycling every Saturday until 1st February for an undisclosed private event. NCR 76 on John Muir Way unaffected.
🚦 Bankhead Drive: Quietroute 8 along the tramline obstructed at junction with S Gyle Access until Summer 2026 for construction of West Edinburgh Link.
🚛 Kings Stables Rd: Closure between Lothian Rd and the Barrace Steps for Christmas market setup until 18th January. It should be possible to dismount for 200m, or West Port and Castle Ter may offer an alternate route.
🏞️ Water of Leith Path: Closure of Pansy Walk by Balgreen until March 2026 for Scottish Water upgrades. Pedestrian diversion to be signed via Westfield Ave. However, for cyclists, the Water of Leith Conservation Trust advise an alternate diversion via Baird Drive.
🏗️ Edinburgh Park Station: Quiet Route 8 cycle path between Hermiston Gait and the Gyle Centre closed for works in preparation of the Edinburgh Arena development. It’s only possible to go around by carrying your bike up roughly 20 steps. It’s been queried whether the cycle path will reopen or remain closed long term.
🌉 Harrison Road: two bridges closed due to structural concerns with micro-cracking in the original cast iron beams:
The north-west bridge over a small path requires a dismount and use of the footway. The bridge is expected to fully close to pedestrians and cycles for 3 months during rebuilding works, date tbc.
The south-east bridge over the Union Canal is closed to cars but not cycles, with fencing placed across the bridge as a temporary modal filter. The bridge is expected to reopen to cars with a 7.5T weight limit.
🌉 South Gyle Road: Bridge between modal filter and Quiet Route 9 closed for repairs until April 2026. It is required to dismount and use a temporary bridge.
🏗️ 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;
📣 Help edi.bike ✍🏼
🗣️ Recommend us to someone - why not forward to a friend, or just point them to edi.bike online
📝 Share a story / issue - If you run into anything that might be a good fit for next time, feel free to send it over.
💜 Join the Supporters Club for £1/month to help us cover costs and promote to a wider audience. More info below.
🎉 Events and Happenings
📆 Upcoming / Ongoing
🎤 Save the date for Towpath Talk #4 at Gamma Transport Division; 23rd January 2026 will see Tom Taylor speak on ‘Creating a Cycling Community’, along with a talk from adventure racer Rich Rothwell, hosted by Izabela Murtagh. 19:00 start - follow Towpath Talks on Instagram and listen to previous talks on Spotify »
👶 This January a NEW friendly, play-based balance bike club is coming to Edinburgh, helping children aged two and up to build balance, coordination and confidence. The perfect start to independent cycling.
Hitting the Glencorse Centre, Tuesday mornings from the 13th January 2026!
trailtribe.club
🔁 Weekly Events
❄️ Seasonal warning; some of these might be on a break over the Christmas holidays, so worth checking in with them individually before you travel!
🍃 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 talks and discussion on Zoom
☕ Weds, 8:15 - 9:45: Coffee Outside [IG]: Wednesday morning hangouts at 📍 Lochrin Basin - bring a mug, water, a way to boil water, and coffee ☕
🛠️ Weds, 3pm: Bike Kitchen at Edinburgh Tool Library
🔧 Weds, 5-8pm Fix Your Own Bike Sessions at The Bike Station, Tollcross
🌅 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, 1-4pm Fix Your Own Bike Sessions at The Bike Station, Tollcross
⚙️ 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 from Bridgend Farmhouse - every Friday 2-4pm between April and Hallowe’en, 1-3pm on the 1st Friday of each month November to March.
✊ No ride in December - see you Jan 31st! Last Saturday of the month: Critical Mass Edinburgh, Family-friendly mass protest / group ride, 2pm, Middle Meadow Walk; see you again 31st January, and check out the poster below for other upcoming ride dates.
🫂 Help Needed
💙 PARIS. [5] December 2025 – Association EBN today is launching 2nd annual €5,000 Architecture and Arts grant for young adults in the memory of Emma Burke Newman.
The grant supports the realization of a community-shaping artistic, educational, or cross-cultural project by a young adult (17-35) residing in the EEA, the U.K., or U.S. in the fields of art, architecture, or place-making—including ones that address cycling or road safety—and reflecting the values of Emma Burke Newman.
“The grant is dedicated to the memory of Emma, to honor her compassion, community, and creativity as well as her zest for life and learning,” said association President Rose Marie Burke and the young woman’s mother. Tragically, Emma was killed by a truck driver while she was cycling to university on Jan. 27, 2023, in Glasgow.
⏩ More information on the grant here - thanks to Jim Winston for sending over.
👑 Some of the Edinburgh Dawn Patrol [IG] regulars will be riding Doddie's Triple Crown 2026 — an epic annual cycling challenge to raise funds for My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, a Motor Neurone Disease charity. The challenge takes place from the 10th - 13th March 2026 with the team riding 800 miles. Mark Baker posted a video promoting the endeavour to Instagram and you can sponsor them via their team Just Giving page here or Mark’s page here »
💰 The Movement for Good Awards is an annual programme of giving by The Benefact Group donating over £1 million to charities and good causes, and you can nominate The Bike Station to receive £1,000 here »
🚲 The Bike Station is recruiting new volunteers! 🚲
With us settling nicely into our new Tollcross shop, we've received a great deal of support from volunteers, both experienced and new - thank you. We are still recruiting for volunteers for 🛠️ Fix Your Own Bike: those experienced in bike maintenance to offer advice to those keen to fix their own bike.
✅ Benefits of volunteering:
Join a wide team of volunteers and staff passionate about cycling, discounts on parts and maintenance courses. Internal recruitment opportunities made available to volunteers as well as access to events and social rides to celebrate our work.
If you are interested in any of the above roles, or would like to know how else you may be able to get involved, please email jamie.henderson@thebikestation.org.uk
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’.
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
📋 Overviews: CEC’s Active travel improvements programme | Interactive Map from City Mobility Plan prioritisation exercise
✏️ In the Works:
🍕 Proposals detailed in The Spurtle for food kiosk and seating areas by the footway at the Omni centre are causing concerns about inevitable queues affecting the already busy pedestrian through-way and cycle lanes at this location. Comments can be made on the planning application until January 6th.
👏 Safety Wins: Residents Choose New Polwarth Junction Design, Construction to Begin Within 18 Months at Merchiston Districts Community Council »
✉️ In letters issued to residents and businesses in the area, the Council have recently been giving notification of public realm upgrades at Tarvit St and the area around the King’s Theatre refurbishment project, which has key integrations with the use of Tarvit St as a key part of the Meadows to Union Canal link project, Road surfacing aside, this phase of the project does not deliver any tangible improvements to the experience of cycling through the area, but has been a notable blocker on progress to deliver the rest of the route which is scheduled for around eighteen months’ time - and what’s another year and a half on an eleven year wait?
🛣️ Sign the petition to Stop the £55 Million A701 Relief Road »
🐚 The consultation on Station Road as part of the Musselburgh Active Toun project is currently open: respond online by mid December /via Cllr Shona McIntosh;
🚋 Recently closed: Major North-South Tramline Consultation until 17th November| Spokes’ brilliant, detailed response [PDF] | Officers A8 ‘Diversion’ Clarification
💬 Resistance in Silverknowes to new cycleways; comments from supportive users on ETRO/21/30C can be made here using the ‘Respond to Consultation’ button at the bottom of the map - open until 10th February.
🚲 Consultation: Barnton Connections; open for comments until January 26th;
📝 West Edinburgh Link, including Glasgow Rd, South Gyle, Bankhead, Sighthill, Wester Hailes and Clovenstone. “Around 5km of new segregated and improved cycleways, new crossings, path and pavement improvements”, with the first phasecommencing build at the start of December this year, with an initial focus primarily on links to Quiet Route 8 - Technical plans [PDF]
⛲️ Dundee Street Fountainbridge Active Travel Project consultation open until 12 January 2026 | 🗺️ Mapped illustrations (do zoom in!) — Image 1 and Image 2 | 📄 Technical drawings [PDF, 23.7mb]
🤔 The ‘Curriehill Active Travel Link’ reported by Spokes to have been delayed beyond its 2025 due date by ‘biodiversity concerns’.
🤫 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route having detrimental changes made, delayed to January ‘26: Detailed Designs [PDF] | ETRO Published as TRO/25/17
⚒️ Road Resurfacing & early ‘Dalry Living Well Locally’ Outcomes
🧱 Vital path upgrade through Muir Wood park in Currie
🦦 Burdiehouse & Niddrie Burn Restoration - blue-green regeneration project including 3m wide ‘Pentlands to Portobello’ core path;
🔬 Trials & Programmes Underway:
✨ Improving Old Town Streets | Includes current ETRO for Lawnmarket & Johnston Terrace
📋 Consulted On:
⭕️ Polwarth Gardens road layout consultation;
⛏️ Marionville Rd and Smokey Brae improvements;
🧪 Edinburgh BioQuarter Active Travel Gaps - Sheriffhall Park & Ride to BioQuarter Campus Route;
🌞 Dalry Living Well Locally | Initial Feedback Report » [PDF]
⚓ Leith Connections Phase 3 - Hawthornvale to Seafield | Detailed Designs (PDF) »
🚴🏽♂️ Midlothian Council - A7 Sustainable Transport Corridor
East Lothian Council - Prestonpans to Levenhall | Combined plans » [Large PDF]
🚧 Under Construction:
⛏️ Burnside Path Repairs & Longstone Sinkhole
Contractors setting up on site w/c 3/11 for repairs required to the retaining wall/sinkhole. Hope to complete the in-river works by xmas, & reinstatement of sinkhole by end of Feb. Option to extend contract if required. — Longstone Community Council on Bluesky » (including site plan images)⛴️ Queensferry High Street Improvements | Technical drawings [PDF]
⚓️ Foot of the Walk to Dock Street | Works leaflet » [PDF] | Progress photos »
🚋 Trams to Newhaven Snagging / Defects List »
🤬 Silverknowes Rd North being returned to cars | Spokes’ area history
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
💜 Join our 'Supporters Club'
The weekly edi.bike digest will always be free (gratis) to read for anyone who subscribes, as well as remaining ad-free.
For £1/month, you can join our Supporters Club, and help with existing costs for our domain name, hosting, and promotional materials like posters and stickers.
Huge thanks to those of you who have already signed up to support us - we really appreciate it 💜
🎁 Club Perks
As well as supporting us, we're also planning the following perks for Supporters Club patrons:
A quarterly behind-the-scenes update sharing subscriber numbers / growth, promotional efforts, and other stuff about the running of edi.bike;
A shiny 'Supporters Club' sticker;
Over time, we might also consult Club patrons on strategic decisions and other matters.
If you can't support us in this way, that's grand too - thanks for reading!
