❤️🔥 edi.bike | issue 30 | 4th Mar ‘24
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
Content Warning: Death of a Child
I was at the Spokes public meeting this past Thursday and had the privilege of meeting and talking to Shellie, a friend of Emma Burke Newman and advocate for cityscapes that respect the diverse needs of all users, regardless of ability or travel method. Glasgow-based architect and cyclist Emma was tragically killed by an HGV driver in January of 2023. Shellie has shared stories for the newsletter a number of times, and I remember all too well her powerful testimony on the need for safer streets as we gathered at Holyrood for Pedal on Parliament - mere months after her friend’s untimely passing, in circumstances that ultimately never should have come to pass.
We spoke about our wishes for ‘easy wins’ at junctions; about camera controls to ticket incursions on advanced stop zone boxes; ‘headstart’ green light phases specifically to give folks on bikes a temporal priority over heavier vehicles crossing junctions. I admired – continue to admire – her engagement in campaigning for safer roads in the face of real, tangible, personal loss.
Mere hours after our conversation, 11 year old Thomas Wong was killed on his bike by the driver of an NWH bin lorry on his way to school in Edinburgh.
🔗 Police Statement | 🔗News Story
The shithead ghouls of Twitter were out in force trolling anyone who dared suggest that we already know what the answers to these problems are. That he shouldn’t have been riding to school on roads - roads that when I grew up in Edinburgh, kids like me rode day and night with freedom and ease. That he shouldn’t have been able to make such a choice at a young age. Blaming the victim - a victim at the very least of a careless and heartless system of inaction, inattentive and impatient driving, and empty-promise politicking.
Fuck them, and fuck this. It is never too soon to loudly, and with force, demand that we do not die on these streets - that our children do not die on these streets. They are Our Streets.
— Ben
📰 News this Week
I almost elected not to publish this week. I’m angry, I’m tired of slow and timid progress, and it’s hard to put together a list of what the rest of us are carrying on doing after something like this happens.
But the fact is, none of this gets solved by giving up. This digest wouldn’t exist without the tireless efforts of the grassroots groups out there doing the work, and it does exist purely to centralise and amplify them. And so, we write and we link. Onwards.
🌆 Locally
👭 This Weds, 6th March 7pm – 9pm; Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative host Women on Wheels, a women-led event for women, non-binary and trans folks to have a safe space to ask questions and learn more about cycling, specifically aimed at (but not limited to) folks at the start of their cycling journey;
This Friday, 8th March 7.30pm:
🚺 Blooming Mad in Bloomers – InfraSisters ride out on International Women’s day, leaving Middle Meadow Walk at 7.30pm for a short, safe group protest ride around the city centre before finishing up at The Causey for their display of Our Streets projected linocut artworks:
We know that women aren’t fully present as cyclists, due to the lack of safe, suitable infrastructure and we want Edinburgh City Council – and all public bodies designing travel infrastructure – to become equitable and empower our presence — InfraSisters
🕳️ A great article by Edward Tissiman this week on the systemic causes of potholes and an analysis of the contributing factors (spoiler; it’s not bloody cyclists™)
❣️ Love to Ride Edinburgh have launched their 'Ride into Spring' campaign. During February and March, they are giving away two prizes each week to keep you motivated to ride. To enter, any trip counts, but you'll enter an additional prize draw by logging a trip for transport! Love to Ride are working with the City of Edinburgh Council to make better planning and infrastructure decisions based on real data;
🤝 Ahead of this week’s Council Transport and Environment Committee meeting, the agenda and papers have been shared including a report on the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route consultation from late last year. The committee’s convenor, Cllr Scott Arthur, shared a quick video round-up of the agenda. (Content warning: towards the end of the video, he also dwells on the untimely death of Thomas Wong).
As always, you can tune into the webcast on Thurs 7th March, or tune in here when we’ve put ourselves through it and done our best to summarise. ✏️
🎉 The Bike Station recently launched Free Wheel Gorgie:
Free Wheel Gorgie is a grassroots community project based in South West Edinburgh, run by The Bike Station and funded by Transport Scotland.. The project consists of a partnership programme where we work with organisations across Gorgie, supporting their individuals with free bikes, accessories and skills classes.
📃 Also enjoyed this from The Bike Station this week:
📋 Disappointing to see Leith Community Council engaging in leading survey respondents into negative responsesx
🛠️ Edinburgh Tool Library have launched their Bike Kitchen:
A Cycle Kitchen is a community-driven space where people can share their knowledge about bicycle maintenance, repair, and building. We provide tools, spare parts, and expertise to help members fix and maintain their bikes… The Cycle Kitchen is more than a workshop; it’s a place where you can learn, grow, and connect with others.
➕ Nationally
🏴 “Active travel investment up, but commitments missed” - Transform Scotland’s article “What Does The Scottish Budget Mean For Sustainable Transport?”
🫂 Help Needed
🔧 Bikes for Refugees are hiring a Project Worker / Bike Mechanic, deadline 21st March;
🎭 The ninth Edinburgh Festival of Cycling will run from Friday 31st May to Sunday 9th 2024 and they’ve recently put out a call for events - consider getting involved!
Ongoing:
🙋 Sustrans seek volunteers for their ‘I Bike’ school programme: teaching kids, maintaining a bike fleet or marshalling rides with pupils;
🗨️ Spokes are in need of new members for their Planning and Resources groups;
🤝 SW20 are 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
📰 Catching up on Submissions
There’s a form for sending in items to edi.bike — but as it turns out, it was set up without notifications, so there’s a few bits we missed that are still very much worth a share now they’ve been rediscovered. The intern responsible has been duly reprimanded, fired, and then rehired (...it’s me).
💥 Shellie shared this piece by Laura Laker on Bloomberg about the potential for backlash and second-order effects resulting from the boom in cycling in London;
📚 Local author and founder of Bikepacking Scotland Markus Stitz got in touch to share his books on Bikepacking, Gravel riding and more;
🤖 Our friend David Jarman got in touch with this generative AI tool ‘Dutch Cycling Lifestyle’ to play with and ‘Add a touch of Dutch’ to your street, visualising how it might look with the addition of better cycling space and public realm.
Submissions are always welcome and going forward, we might even see them. Progress 👏
🚲 Spokes Public Meeting 29th Feb
🎙️Thursday saw a Public Meeting held by Spokes; featuring transport convenor Cllr Scott Arthur on the Future Streets policy; cycling, transport and environmental journalist Laura Laker reviewing Edinburgh’s recent progress and sharing findings from around the country; and a panel Q&A session deftly chaired by Ewen Macleanx, organiser of Blackford Safe Routes.
Spokes have since published their Meeting Report and a video of the meeting on Youtube, which is well worth your time. It was great to attend, to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones, and see a glimpse of where we’re headed.
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
🌈 A new consultation has opened on the future of the Lindsay Rd ‘Pride Bridge’ in Leith, running to the 4th April;
🚲 Spokes recently shared this piece outlining various considerations around the north-south tramline extension being proposed - and potentially slated for a section of the Roseburn path - which is worth a read;
🗨️ Elsewhere, the Council has opened its consultation for Roseburn to South Gyle walking, wheeling and cycling improvements (Quiet Route 9) here, running until 27th March - including some interesting (and decent looking) before and after visuals:
📆 Events and Happenings
Regular events on at The Wee Spoke Hub - follow their schedule here:
✴️ Thursday 7th March, 4pm - 8pm: The weekly Bike DIY Session, “£6 per hour for use of a stable 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.”
🚲 Edinburgh Leisure have upcoming Cycle Skills courses as part of their over-50s ‘Ageing Well’ programme, encouraging folks to rediscover cycling. See the flyer here [PDF];
👶 More Balance Bike classes for wee tots ongoing at Bridgend Farmhouse;
💡 Weds 6th March 6pm - 7pm, The Bike Station have a women-only led ride in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, which “showcases the new, safer, well-lit cycle infrastructure which can be used as an alternative to the off-road network”; a similar ride aimed at showcasing the same infrastructure to Families takes place on Saturday 9th 10-11am;
🚺 The aforementioned Women on Wheels event at Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative on Weds 6th March, 7pm – 9pm;
👭 Reminder - InfraSisters ride again on International Women’s day:
“The sixth InfraSisters ride is going to be on Friday 8th March, leaving Middle Meadow Walk at 7.30pm and we'd love for you to be there! Check this page for updates or contact or follow us on various social media”.
The ride culminates at The Causey for their display of Our Streets projected linocut artworks.
⏩ There’s a feeder ride being organised from WHALE Arts in Wester Hailes at 6pm on the 8th - more details on Facebook.
🚲 The Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is in its 15th year and still open for registrations, running 11th-22nd March.
🚺 SCOREScotland are running cycle training for women from 12th March - find more details and sign up here;
➕ SCOREScotland are also providing a Dr. Bike repair session at Westside Plaza in Wester Hailes on March 15th.
🛣 Road Closures and Route Issues
⚠️ Continuing safety issues with the cycleway green light at the foot of Leith WalkX - mind how you go, and consider reporting to the Council too;
⛔ Today until Friday 8th; Morrison Link closed between Morrison Cres / Morrison St for Council LEZ implementation works and Sir Robert Macalpine Haymarket development works;
🗼 Sunday 10th; Frederick St closed to Northbound traffic between George St and Hill St for Crane operations;
⚡ Today until 24th March: Oxgangs Brae closed to through traffic between Oxgangs Medway and Caiystane Gdns for Scottish Power to install new ducting;
🌋 Today until Wednesday 6th (inclusive?); Duddingston Low Rd in Holyrood Park closed by Historic Environment Scotland for maintenance, from 9.30am - 4pm each day;
🚰 Laverockbank Rd closed at East Trinity Rd for Scottish Water pipe renewal works, today (4th March) to Monday 11th March;
⚽ Sunday 10th - Hibs v Rangers, kick-off 5.30pm with roads closed before and after the match: Hawkhill Ave & Close / St Clair St / Albion Pl - Rd - Ter - Gdns / Harrismith Pl.
❌ Blackford Rd closed from today (4th March) until Mid April for gas main renewal.
Ongoing…
🌊 Closure of part of the Cameron Toll roundabout thanks a collapsed section of 200 year old culvert, until around mid May;
🚦 9 weeks remain for Grange Rd temporary lights at Cumin Rd / Tantallon Pl (and closure of those roads); Council footway, carriageway and drainage improvements including improved crossings;
🌹 Roseburn Dr is closed until 3rd May for a sewer diversion;
💩 Lady Lawson St is closed southbound between West Port and Castle Ter for repairs to a collapsed sewer lasting around 4 further weeks;
🚦Traffic management measures in place on Greenbank Ter / Comiston Rd at BraidBurn Ter visualised on the transport Convenor’s postX making way for new crossing installations and other junction works relating to Braidburn Ter at the main road;
🧑🌾 Gardner’s Cres is closed with temporary lights on Morrison St at Dewar Pl for Council works associated with the implementation of the Low Emissions Zone. Hopefully this is still passable by cycle, as the work is slated to go on until March/April;
💡 Scottish Power works have an ongoing closure at Murrayfield Rd Between Kinellan Road and Stair Park;
🦩 Water of Leith: in Leith, 12 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.
⛏️ CCWEL-adjacent works on Charlotte Sq and North / South Charlotte St finishing soon:
Currently - lane closures on North and South Charlotte St, George St closed, no right turn from Charlotte Sq south side into South Charlotte St.
💡 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, concluding this month;
💧A significant programme of Scottish Water drainage improvement work on Longstone Rd until mid summer ‘24;
🧰 Braidburn Ter closed (cycle-able, dismount at the Comiston Rd end 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
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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