🚲 edi.bike | issue 22 | 8th Jan ‘24
happy resuming roadworks day
Welcome to your weekly roundup of cycle travel news, events and infrastructure progress in Edinburgh. Back to work this week and there’s lots going on…
📰 News this Week
🌆 Locally
📝 Edinburgh Trams and Cycle Safety
Cycling Law Scotland have a new blog post about the coexistence of Trams and folks who cycle, and the current impact the existing route has in terms of incident numbers;
📊 ‘Corstorphine Connections’ Low Traffic Neighbourhood measures have community approval
Transport Convenor Cllr Scott Arthur posted to XX some stats about trial programmes taking place in Corstorphine, promoting less through traffic in residential areas and provide more (and sometimes widened) quiet spaces for folks walking and wheeling to move around. The statistics in question have come from market research, so being as they are a representative sample across demographics and ensured to be folks actually local to the area, they’ve upset exactly the right people :)
The Evening News’ article had some further comments from Dr Arthur when reporting on the story.
🗣️ Transport & Environment Committee meeting this week
The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) Transport and Environment Committee will be meeting this Thursday, 11th January at 10am. The aforementioned Convenor posted a 12m video summary on XX of what will be discussed, and the meeting agenda and link to view the webcast are on this CEC website. We’ll try and have a roundup on this next week;
📣 Trams to Newhaven cycleways still aren’t officially open
As mentioned last week, Dr Arthur’’s timelapse of Picardy PlaceX sparked a few discussion pointsX around the fact that six months on from the opening of the tram line extension to Newhaven, the cycle lanes still aren’t officially open. There’s the lamppost in the middle of the gyratory cycle pathX, the legacy ‘no entry’ sign for the downhill section from the Omni, and severalX collapsed utility / manhole coversX on the route, including one reported to the councilX 347 days ago (!) with no repair in sight. Add to this contractors cutting corners on plantingX adjacent to the scheme and issues elsewhere like incorrect use of tactile paving on the under construction Roseburn to Union Canal route, one has to wonder why CEC doesn’t seem to have any real mechanisms for quality assurance around ‘Getting Things Done™’.
Yeesh.
From last issue: Police Scotland promoting Bike Register.
🏴 Nationally
💼 Scottish Cycling are hiring for a new Coaching Development Manager;
📰 In the Telegraph, why you should start cycling in 2024 - login required to read fully:
Cycling has also been shown to cut the risk of obesity by 39%, improve insulin sensitivity by 58% and lower the risk of dementia by 20-28%. Plus, it’s proven to reduce days of poor mental health by 21.6%, and boost blood flow to the brain by up to 70.5%. The stats are impressive. In fact, if cycling were a pill, doctors would prescribe it to everyone.
🫂 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
🚄 Missing a note on how this came up and still theoretical, but the future Waverley Masterplan has a pedestrianised Waverley Bridge integrated, and cycleways either side of the station [PDF] including an elevated cycle bridge linking Market St to Calton Rd;
🐄 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 - posted by the Transport ConvenorX
💬 citycyclingedinburgh.info discussions on the Roseburn to Union Canal route where chdot linked the contractor Doig and Smith's own webpage about the project - still doesn’t reveal how the link from Fountainpark to the canal will be realised, but interesting nonetheless;
Ongoing…
⛵ Musselburgh Active Toun consultation currently ongoing - shared with us by Andrew Keba, deadline in one week on 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 in a week (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 designsX.
📆 Events and Happenings
🗓️ The Bike Station have announced their AGMX :
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).
✊ Edinburgh Critical Mass shared:
Happy New Year! If your resolutions for 2024 are:
- Have more fun 🕺💃
- Make friends 🤝
- Join a great community 🥰
- Do something for the environment 🌍
…then come to Edinburgh Critical Mass!
Next ride 27th January, 2pm Middle Meadow Walk
🔧 Lots on at The Wee Spoke Hub - 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 soon amongst other types of training.
✴️Bike DIY session on Thurs, 11th 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.”
✴️So...you’ve bought a bike... everything you need to know about cycling but don't want to ask! on Sat, 13th January 11am – 1pm: “This session will offer you an introduction to looking after your bike and being a responsible bike owner. We also cover aspects of safer on-road cycling, and answer any questions you have.”
🛣 Road Closures and Route Issues
🔒 “The cycleway west of Duddingston Park South will be closed for resurfacing work from Monday 8th Jan, for approx 4/5 days” - @edintravel, with mapX
🧭 Magdala Cres at Haymarket Ter has been open over the Christmas break but is closed again as of today (8th Jan) for the completion of Scottish Water diversion works related to the CCWEL route, which were delayed due to bad weather and drainage connection issues;
🔍 Southbound lane closure on North Charlotte St for gas leak repairs until 17th Jan (2-way traffic retained);
☎️ Northbound lane closure on George IV Bridge from Candlemaker Row to Merchant St bridge today 8th Jan until Friday 12th for CityFibre ducting works;
⛏️ Remedial works on the CCWEL on Queen St between North St Andrew St and North St David St from today 8th Jan to Thurs 11th, resulting in off-peak lane closures for surface repairs, new bollards, and footway slabbing;
😮💨 On Corstorphine Rd, between Ormidale Ter and Murrayfield Rd - section of citybound inside lane closed from Wednesday 10th for two weeks for a gas main disconnection;
🚌 Willowbrae Rd – from the bottom of Northfield Cres to Abercorn Ave – has the citybound bus lane closed for 3-4 weeks starting today 8th Jan for carriageway repairs;
🚰 Colinton Rd between Craiglockhart Rd and Craiglockhart Pk sees a lane closure / contraflow commencing today 8th Jan for two months of work for Scottish Water;
Ongoing…
🔧 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, passable via the pavement depending on your cycle, until Friday 19th;
🦩 Water of Leith: in Leith, 20 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 Park closure.
🧑🎄Santa must be on holiday by now, surely? 12hr daily partial closures of Castle St for Edinburgh’s Christmas are ongoing (really) 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 today, 8th Jan - 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 worksX are underway. There’a a comprehensive update from Council Officers on the works in this post from Cllr Scott Arthur.
Ongoing updates on the Council’s Road reports page as the week unfolds and via @edintravelX on X.
Thanks for reading - ride safe! 🚲
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