๐ฒ edi.bike | issue 37 | 22nd Apr '24
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
๐ฐ News this Week
๐ณ Meadows to George Street - Detailed Plans Published
A significant milestone this week as the Meadows to George Street project was advertised for the road redetermination orders required for the work to go ahead.
Detailed plans were published - linked to from our 'Infrastructure Progress and Consultations' section below - showing the establishment of:
๐ Two-way motor traffic routed along Teviot Place and along Bristo Place, to avoid Forrest Rd;
๐ซ Forrest Rd closing to motor through-traffic, with timed loading and University vehicle access only;
๐ฆ A dedicated cycle phase of the traffic lights at the end of Forrest Rd, crossing George IV bridge onto a new bi-directional, segregated cycle path on the east side of the street;
โ๏ธ The continuation of the segregated two-way cycle lane all the way up George IV Bridge, across onto Bank St and down the Mound, remaining on the east side;
๐ Crossing the tram tracks at a better angle than currently provided, in another dedicated cyclist traffic light phase, and then splitting off into two separate uphill and downhill segregated lanes on Hanover Street.
Frankly, this looks excellent. From the plans, it seems like a CCWEL-quality link, tying the extensive paths in the Meadows and its route-bridging green spaces together with the city centre as a key active travel corridor. Given how unsafe the experience of leaving the top of Middle Meadow Walk and weaving through the cacophony of bus, motor and delivery traffic vying for space on Forrest Rd feels currently, this can't come soon enough.
โน๏ธ More details below and in the Council's Press release.
โ๐ผ Critical Mass this week and 'Pedal Power' Exhibition Opening
A special Critical Mass this week - as ever, from the mid-junction of Middle Meadow Walk at 2pm, but a shorter ride ending at the Scottish Parliament before heading to 'Pedal Power', a free exhibition co-curated by Critical Mass Edinburgh, Infrasisters, Spokes and folks running Bike Buses across the city which is coming to the Museum of Edinburgh from this Saturday 27th and runs until the 22nd September - including some talks and events that we'll highlight nearer the time.
๐ข Transport and Environment Committee Papers for 25th April
The City of Edinburgh Council's Transport and Environment Committee meets this Thursday 25th April. Ahead of this, their Business Bulletin [PDF] has been published - or tune in next week, when we'll have our usual round-up of the cycling-adjacent items.
๐ฐ A Boost to Roads and Infrastructure Budget
The Council has allocated an additional ยฃ12.5m spend (press release) on roads and infrastructure in its February budget:
The additional ยฃ12.5m of funding will be used to improve the road conditions, pavements and improve paths, and is part of the councilโs capital budget allocated across six different workstreams, including: road operations and structures, street lighting and traffic signals, carriageways and footways... These schemes have been prioritised to the areas based on agreed criteria and weighting. 5% is applied to roads on the cycle network, promoting renewal schemes most used by cyclists. Edinburgh is the only local authority in Scotland to include such a weighting and reinforces the Councilโs commitment to active travel.
๐ Local Bits
๐ฐ From Laura Laker in Bloomberg - The Unlikely New Bike Lanes Gracing the Scottish Capital - Edinburghโs new cycle tracks took a decade to install, but their mere existence shows that bicycle infrastructure can happen anywhere;
๐ฅฐ News to us - Joy Rides is "an Edinburgh based business, using a trishaw โ a customised electric bike โ that carries one or two passengers, with the โdriverโ cycling from behind."
An amazing cycle and a worthy mission:
Joy Rides enables people who are no longer able to cycle independently to feel the wind in their hair and the exhilaration of travelling on a bike through a beautiful area, in a safe, secure and supported environment. Joy Rides will help passengers combat feelings of isolation and loneliness, improve their health and well being and make them visible in their own community.
โด๏ธ The Wee Spoke Hub have announced they've recently received Cycling UK Funding to provide 20 bikes, plus accessories, "to members of our community and help them become everyday bike-users!" They've shared some lovely testimonials FB
๐ง Hart's Cyclery is hosting a free Dr Bike session at St. Margaret's Park in Corstorphine this Saturday 27th, from 10am til 3pm by the seating area by the Dower House Cafรฉ;
๐งฎ Gordy Carmichael shared a rather forlorn-looking 'master cycle counter'X outside Victoria Quay this week, like a sad Sustrans Wall-E patrolling a desolate shoreside office space after humanity largely left to WFH from their own little spaceships. It wasn't always this wayX and this prompted some great reminiscing from Spokes about the related (and also decomissioned) Middle Meadow Walk counterX;
๐บ๏ธ Also over on X, some interesting experiments with mapping, route classifications and open source tools by Robin LovelaceX to mark up a cycle route map of Edinburgh;
From Last Week:
'Essential Evidence 4 Scotland' - one-page, plain-English summaries on aspects of transport planning
edi.bike leaves Substack;
May East's Blog Post about Porty Community Energy's Saddle Library.
โ Nationally
๐ A new study from climate charity Possible and the University of Westminster shows E-cargo bikes deliver faster than vans in London;
๐ Elsewhere
๐ Cycle tech company 'Tiler' offering ebike charging through the cycle's kickstand via an inductive tile in the ground;
๐ Study: E-bike owners use their cars less, some get rid of their car completely - "new research from Swiss university indicates e-bikes could reduce congestion and pollution in towns and cities worldwide"
๐ "The EU sets minimum bicycle parking standards for residential and non-residential buildings throughout Europe for the first time."
๐ฌ๐ง Take me back, Brussels, I swear I've chaaaaaanged...
๐ซ Help Needed
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Closing today! Cycling UK in Scotland are recruiting for several Development Officer roles, in Helensburgh, Moray, Shetland, East Lothian & Dumfries and Galloway respectively;
๐ญ The ninth Edinburgh Festival of Cycling will run from Friday 31st May to Sunday 9th 2024 โ get in touch if you can offer help;
๐ฉ๐ปโโ๏ธ THE BIG 'Bikes for Refugees Scotland' FUNDRAISING AUCTION 2024
Bikes for Refugees are looking for the donation of experiences, cycling-themed items, artworks, event tickets, signed memorabilia, gift baskets, and other ideas to auction off in their fundraiser: get in touch with bfrscotland@gmail.com
Note: We got this email address wrong last week - if you emailed from here, worth trying again with the corrected address above!
๐ป BFR are also looking for help with Google Sheets, having used it for years but in need of some help with a deep-dive - contact admin@bikesforrefugees.scot
๐ง๐ฝโ๐ง Soul Cycles are hiring for a mechanic to join their team as seen on their Instagram;
๐ ๏ธ Porty-based Velow Bikeworks are also hiring for a mechanic positionIG:
Weโre looking for an experienced mechanic to join the Velow team in our Portobello workshop. You will ideally be Cytec or Velotec qualified but most importantly have a passion for classic bicycles. Drop into the workshop for a chat or send your CV to walter@velow.cc.
๐ฒ Bikes for Refugees Scotland request on X:
New Scots refugees and asylum seekers need your bikes now. Providing essential mobility and freedom of movement. Please complete the bike donation form on our website, thank you https://www.bikesforrefugees.scot
Ongoing:
๐ Volunteer to help marshal a local school Bike Bus - see the Bike Bus Hub Directory;
๐ Sustrans seek volunteers for their โI Bikeโ school programme: teaching kids, maintaining a bike fleet or marshalling rides with pupils;
๐จ๏ธ Spokes are in need of new members for their Planning and Resources groups;
๐ค SW20 are a Co-op Local Community Fund Cause - support them via this page;
๐ Support Bikes for Refugees with an SMS donation ๐ฆor on EasyDonate;
๐ญ Edinburgh Festival of Cycling are looking for new volunteers and additional directors
๐ Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
โก Ends this week - the UK Government are consulting on making changes to speeds and regulations for ebikes until 25th April. Worth reading about - Cycling UK have safety concerns.
๐ Braid Estate Filters - can you 'Save Our Streets'?
Please consider sharing this ahead of the upcoming Transport & Environment Committee meeting on 25th April:
"With your help, we can send a strong message to Local Government to re-consider their proposals on future local travel and resident amenity in the Braid Estate:"
๐ณ Meadows to George Street Project
The Meadows to George Street team announced this week the Publication of the detailed design proposals and advertisement of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and Redetermination Order (RSO) for this vital gap-joining project, tackling one of the city centre's nastier cycling gauntlets:
๐ค CEC Press Release
๐ Project Website
โ๐ฝ Detailed Design Documents:
๐ Teviot Place, Forrest Road, Bristo Place [PDF]
๐ Forrest Road, Candlemaker Row and George IV Bridge [PDF]
๐ North Bank Street and the Mound [PDF]
๐ The Mound, Princes Street and Hanover Street [PDF]
๐ Market Street [PDF]
๐ฌ Public Drop-in sessions at Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL:
2nd May, 2pm - 7pm
9th May, 2pm - 9pm
๐ญ Lots of positive aspects of a new housing development project at Powderhall, including significant amounts of cycle parking and modern heating systems as outlined by The Spurtle in their article. Positive comments from Spokesx who also point out the planning application is still open for comment until 3rd May..
๐๏ธโ๐จ๏ธ The new Dalry Living Well Locally consultation runs until 26th June:
๐ค CEC Press Release
โ๐ฝ Detailed Drawings - Overview of 'Sections' and road layouts [PDF]
๐ Comments welcome on the proposed Curriehill Active Travel link: "A formal, lit and surfaced active travel path linking Curriehill Station to Heriot-Watt is now at the detailed design stage";
๐ Events and Happenings
โจ New This Week
๐ฒ ๐ This Thursday 25th, 1-2pm - As part of Sustrans' 'FRideDays' Bike Bus Campaign there's a free webinar series starting up - link included in the Bike Bus toolkit when you download it;
๐ฅ This Friday 26th, 2pm - 4pm - A Wee Pedal at Bridgend Farmhouse: All inclusive social guided bike ride:
Hybrid bikes can be borrowed if you don't have your own
'Step-through' E-bikes can be hired at ยฃ5 pp
Book a place by emailing admin@bridgendfarmhouse.org.uk
๐ Upcoming
๐ This Thursday 25th, 7pm - 8.30pm - Queens of Pain host a screening of the film "Women Don't Cycle" at 50 George Square (University of Edinburgh). QOP are a cycling community based in Edinburgh that centres on the experience of women in cycling. You may spot them on one of their group cycles, through Edinburgh every Wednesday evening. All funds raised from the sale of tickets will go to Medical Aid for Palestinians. All welcome! Follow on Instagram.
๐๏ธ In Restalrig, from community hub The Ripplex:
"Ripple Riders weekly cycle launches on Thur 25th Apr 9.30-11. Do you love cycling and want to do local quiet off road routes, easy paced, with trained leaders and friendly members? Come and join! Its free! Bike borrowing available. Call Cat 07510 521759 to join or find out more."
๐๏ธ 26th April, 17:30 - 20:30; Biketrax' Towpath Cafe hosts their fourth 'Towpath Talk':
In the fourth talk of the series, we bring you three legendary cyclists: Jon Pavelin, Fraser Maxwell, and Gary Cameron. Jon has an amazing breadth of experience in long distance riding. Heโll give us the Big Cycling 101: How to ride long, longer, and longest โฆ with a smile. Fraser and Gary are the creators of an iconic fixture on the Scottish cycling calendar โ Ride to the Sun. This event simply entails riding 100 miles through the night from Carlisle to watch the sunrise at Edinburghโs Cramond Beach for the summer solstice. Every year it attracts hundreds of participants, and this year marks a decade since its first edition.
๐ Weekly Events
๐ ๏ธ Edinburgh Tool Library host a weekly 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 bikesโฆ The Cycle Kitchen is more than a workshop; itโs a place where you can learn, grow, and connect with others.
Open every Wednesday from 3pm.
Regular events on at The Wee Spoke Hub - follow their schedule here:
โด๏ธ Thursday 25th April, 4pm - 8pm: The weekly Bike DIY Session, โยฃ6 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.โ
โด๏ธ Saturday 27th April, 11am - 1pm: Bike Puncture Repair Session: How to get rolling again, โCome and learn everything you need to know about repairing punctures on your bike in our friendly and inclusive space!.โ
๐ฃ Route Closures and Issues
โ ๏ธ A big yikes in Causewayside was last week shared as a warningx when the guard rails for a new on-road bin store location were installed ahead of any bins, and without their usual reflective stickers;
๐คฏ The use of 'Orca' cycle lane defenders for a trial road diet / pedestrian space at Charlotte Square continues to confuse folks this weekx - Spokes provided some clarificationx and also pointed to a thread by Cllr Finlay McFarlane which includes an outline of phased changes to Charlotte Square and the surrounds over the coming year, including a dedicated cycle crossing phase.
โ๏ธ 5 weeks remain for the closure of Dublin St between Dublin Street Lane North and Albany Street. This is on National Cycle Route ('NCR') 75, just off York Place, and as reader Martin got in touch to point out is particularly steep which - so potential issues getting rolling again when travelling southbound after walking around the closure, on such a steep hill. The council policy to have a space left for cycle passage around works has not been followed here, and that's being looked into.
๐จ Ahead of the Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) going live on 1st June, a new right-hand turn at Tollcross is now permitted (began Thursday 4th April onwards):
Allowing a right hand turn to all traffic from Home Street to Brougham Street, at Tollcross junction. This will go live to all traffic on 4 April 2024 at around 01:00 AM and will be communicated on street with new / temporary signage. โ @CllrScottArthurx
Also part of this programme:
Morrison Street is now two-way to all traffic between the Morrison Link/Morrison St junction and the Dewar Place/Morrison St junction;
A right-hand turn is permitted from Morrison Link to Morrison St eastbound.
There's a Council information page about the changes there.
Ongoingโฆ
๐ฆฉ Water of Leith: in Leith, 5 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.
Thanks for reading - ride safe ๐ฒ
๐ฃ Help edi.bike โ๐ผ
We want to grow our readership as far as possible - the more folks we have on board, the more we can amplify the progress being made and the organisations to support along the way.
If you find this useful, you could:
๐ฃ๏ธ Recommend it to someone - why not forward to a friend, or just point them to edi.bike online
๐ Share a story / issue - If you run into anything that might be a good fit for next time, feel free to send it over.
๐ Join the Supporters Club for ยฃ1/month to help us cover costs and promote to a wider audience. More info below.
๐ 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 ยฃ1/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 ๐
๐ Club Perks
As well as supporting us, we're also planning the following perks for Supporters Club patrons:
A bi-monthly (~6 times a year) behind-the-scenes update sharing subscriber numbers / growth, promotional efforts, and other stuff about the running of edi.bike;
A shiny 'Supporters Club' sticker, once we get them printed up (subject to collection in person!).
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!