🚲 edi.bike | issue 21 | 🎆 1st Jan ‘24
your inbox’s first footing
🎉 Happy New Year! Welcome to your weekly roundup of cycle travel news, events and infrastructure progress in Edinburgh. Best served with an Irn Bru and a bacon bap given how late we were to bed…
📰 News this Week
🌆 Locally
In response to the Transport Convenor’s timelapse of Picardy Place on TwitXter, John Robson made mention 🐦 of the fact that six months on from the opening of the York Pl to Newhaven tram line, the cycle lanes still aren’t officially open. There’s the lamppost in the middle of the gyratory cycle path, a legacy ‘no entry’ sign for the downhill section from the Omni, and several collapsed utility covers 🐦 on the route, to name a few of the snags;
👀 Won’t be a regular feature but spotted this 1960s tandem looking for a new owner due to relocation, on Marketplace - just in case anyone’s looking for their n+1 (n+2?!) and fancies a project;
👮 Police Scotland have been doing their annual promotion of the Bike Register scheme:
If you received a new bike for Christmas or have been a bike owner for years, please consider registering it on the Bike Register national database — @PoliceScotland 🐦
You can read more in their news article and order your own marking kit from Bike Register here.
From last issue: Some Roseburn to Canal drone footage 🐦; Bikes for Refugees (Scotland) raise over £2k 🐦
🏴 Nationally
Glasgow Council have published their cycle network plans*, with some commentary / big questions from Spokes 🐦 who also mention the City of Edinburgh Council’s intention to publish its circulation plan in February 2024.
* another ARCGIS map - layers slow to load, and if you zoom in too far the routes disappear.
🌍 Elsewhere
📊 A chart comparing the ranked carbon emissions of various transport modes has been doing the rounds on TwitXter; there’s some useful context in the original article about the sources of the data not being entirely scientifically comparable, but still bears out in rough terms. Spoiler alert: out of all vehicle types, we won 🚲
🫂 Help Needed
🗨️ Spokes are in need of new members for their Planning and Resources groups;
🤝 SW20 are now a Co-op Local Community Fund Cause - support them via this page;
🆘 Support Bikes for Refugees with an SMS donation 🐦or on EasyDonate;
🎭 Edinburgh Festival of Cycling are looking for new volunteers and additional directors
🛠 Edinburgh Tool Library still seeking donations of unused bike tools – get in touch.
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
Cycle safety improvements are planned for the junction of Dalry Rd and Haymarket - with works commencing on the 15th of January and details (including plans/visuals) TwitXted by the Transport Convenor 🐦
Ongoing…
⛵ Musselburgh Active Toun consultation currently ongoing - shared with us by Andrew Keba, deadline January 15th;
🏫 The Council “have received funding from Sustrans to implement a School Zone at Dalry Primary School that will help to make the area outside the school safer and more enjoyable for pupils, parents, carers and residents”. The consultation is open and closes on the 15th January too;
📜 Open until 8th February, the City of Edinburgh Council are consulting on the second phase of the George Street & First New Town project, covering North Castle St, Frederick St and Hanover St (North) - you can review and respond to the consultation, but it’s also worth looking over some of the criticisms that campaign group SW20 have of the designs 🐦.
📆 Events and Happenings
🗓️ The Bike Station have announced their AGM 🐦:
The Bike Station's AGM will be taking place on the 23rd January 2024 from 2pm to 3:30pm at our Causewayside branch - 250 Causewayside, Edinburgh, EH9 1UU
There’s a form to fill out if you plan on attending (still broken but we’ll publish nearer the time when fixed).
🔧 The Wee Spoke Hub sessions return on Thursday - see their schedule for details and times - they’ve also just become an official Cycling Scotland training provider and will be starting some Adult Cycling Classes in the new year amongst other types of training:
✴️ Bike DIY session on Thurs, 4th January 4pm – 8pm: “£6/hour for use of a bike stand, in a warm, dry, well-lit space. Wee Spoke Hub tools are available for your use. Also spare parts, and mechanical assistance by competent volunteers, backed up by a workshop mechanic.”
🛣 Road Closures and Route Issues
🌳 Today (Monday 1st January), the following roads in Holyrood Park will be closed for a New Year's Day Triathlon 8am - 5pm:
Holyrood Park Rd (except for access to East Parkside)
Holyrood Gait
Horse Wynd
Queen's Drive
Tomorrow, All Holyrood park roads are closed 9am - 3.45pm, except the High Road open 9.30am - 3pm.
⚽ Hibs v Motherwell tomorrow (2nd January) at Easter Rd, kick-off 3pm, with nearby roads closed before and after the match: Hawkhill Ave / Close, St Clair St, Albion Pl / Road / Ter / Gdns, Harrismith Pl.
🏙️ Thursday 4th - East London St at Annandale St roundabout - road closed eastbound for manhole repairs;
🧭 Magdala Cres at Haymarket Ter has been open over the Christmas break but will close again on Monday 8th for the completion of Scottish Water diversion works related to the CCWEL route, which were delayed due to bad weather and drainage connection issues.
Ongoing…
😷 Abbeymount at Montrose Ter - no update, may still be closed to southbound traffic for SGN gas leak repairs;
⚠️ Inglis Green Road’s cycleways have been removed pending extensive works in the area 🐦;
🔧 Continuing road closure in Morningside on Tipperlinn Rd at South Morningside Pl for gas leak repairs;
⛔ Closure of King Stables Rd between Lothian Rd and Barrace Steps, even to cycles - at least according to the Council’s roads report. Likely still passable via the pavement depending on your cycle, until Friday 19th;
🦩 Water of Leith: in Leith, 21 remaining weeks of closure at a section of the shared walkway - Spokes have worked with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust on suggested diversions [PDF] during the Coalie Pk closure.
🧑🎄Isn’t it over yet? 12hr daily partial closures of Castle St for Edinburgh’s Christmas are ongoing until Sunday 14th: between George St and Rose St, plus North Castle St at George St, 10am - 10pm daily; Waverley Br closed 9.30am - 10.30pm daily except for taxis accessing the rank via Market St); George St closed except for cycles (at all times) and loading (6.30am - 9.30am daily), which are running until Friday 19th;
⛏️ CCWEL-adjacent works on Charlotte Sq and North / South Charlotte St running until March 2024:
Phase 1 and 2 are completed;
Phase 3 begins 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).
💡 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, running until March ‘24;
💧A significant programme of Scottish Water drainage improvement work on Longstone Rd until mid summer ‘24;
🧰 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. There’a a comprehensive update from Council Officers on the works in this recent post from Cllr Scott Arthur.
Ongoing updates on the Council’s Road reports page as the week unfolds and via @edintravel 🐦on TwiXtter.
Thanks for reading - ride safe! 🚲
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