๐ฒ edi.bike | issue 38 | 29th Apr '24
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
๐ฐ News this Week
๐ญ Edinburgh Festival of Cycling launches 2024 Programme of Events
The ninth Edinburgh Festival of Cycling is back with a full 10-day programme after five long years! Running from Friday 31st May to Sunday 9th 2024, theyโve just released their programme of events. Thereโs an interactive map of the locations where you can find a printed programme - if you'd like to get out on your bike and help to get the programmes distributed far and wide, check out the call for Volunteer programme distributors;
๐ง๐ปโโ๏ธ Transport & Environment Committee Round-up
๐ง๐ปโโ๏ธ The Council's Transport & Environment Committee met last Thursday, 25th April - we've got a full roundup on all the active travel news from the session below โฌ
๐ Local Bits
๐ Local climate journalist Douglas Rogersx got in touch to share his excellent two-part article on both Critical Mass and The Wee Spoke Hub: 'Cycling isn't always easy - and that's why we need communities'.
From Last Week:
'The Unlikely New Bike Lanes Gracing the Scottish Capital' in Bloomberg;
Tri-shaw Joy Rides.
๐ง๐ปโโ๏ธ Transport & Environment Committee Roundup, April 25th - Ben Seven โ๐ฝ
The City of Edinburgh Council's Transport and Environment Committee ('TEC') met last Thursday, with a long agenda for all things transport across the capital. As ever, we'll get into the specifics below.
This month's Active Travel Highlights:
Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route
Which Rat Runs the Lib Dems Do and Donโt Support this Month
Trams to Newhaven - Snagging / Defects
Local Traffic Improvements Programme
Roads and Infrastructure Investment 24-25
Plus Updates on:
Trams to Granton
Major Junctions Review
Active Travel Bridge - โLongstone Linkโ
๐ Documents and Links
๐บ Watch the Webcast | PDFs: ๐ผ Business Bulletin | ๐ Reports Pack | โ๐ฝ Deputations | ๐ Motions and Amendments
๐ก Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route
Having erratically voted to rip out the successful through traffic countermeasures in the southern half of the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route at last TEC, the minority Labour administration this time round did some welcome amending and clarifying - likely influenced by the widespread roasting they had for siding with Conservative and Lib Dem counterparts to take steps in direct contradiction with their own targets and policies; and also the highly popular local residents petition calling for the retention of the modal filters that have reduced through traffic in the residential area by 40% since their installation.
Their tabled addendum updates to include the following:
๐ Noting that the adoption of 'Option 3' - removal of the filters (reinstating the through traffic) and implementation of a segregated cycle lane instead - emphasising that Option 3 is a trial, and 'that is acceptable that we look at robust but inexpensive ways to test the approach';
๐ฌ That there are a 'range of views in the local community' and that 'the ETRO* process will provide a platform to amend the scheme in response to feedback from residents';
(* ETRO = 'Experimental Traffic Regulation Order' for 6 months)
๐ฅ That while Option 3 is being deployed, that 'Council Officers should include in the ETRO powers to install all/part of Options 1 or 2 in response to feedback from residents'. This feels like a key aspect that pro-quiet route campaigners will look to leverage in the coming year;
๐ Agrees that the modal filters should not be removed from the Quiet Route until the following improvements have been implemented:
Braid Ave and Braid Rd (north of Hermitage Dr) are not primary traffic routes, and as such this should be reflected in their layout and design;
Speed reduction measures to be installed on Hermitage Dr, Midmar Dr, Braid Rd (south of Hermitage Dr) and Braid Ave where there are known speeding issues;
Provision of a Blue Badge holder parking space as close as possible to the Hermitage of Braid entrance;
Any necessary updates to local School Travel Plans have been made.
Helpful questions to officers on the subject included queries about:
The monitoring of speeds - where the traffic counts in March of this year did not include speed measurements prior to the modal filters being taken out - before and after the changes;
The before / after monitoring of air pollution, as this will likely be affected by the re-introduction of through traffic to the area; there has not been any to date, other projects like Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) implementation and the City Centre West to East Link did include this;
The measurement not only of the number of cycle users at the modal filter on Braid Ave, but also the type of cyclist (adult, child etc) which would help assess whether the safety of the route has been successfully preserved;
With implementation planned for autumn, when detailed plans will be available. The new ETRO revising the scheme requires plans to be publicised, however Traffic Order drawings donโt typically show detail like cycle lane widths.
Less helpful questions from the Conservative Department of Whatabouteryโข included a very concerned Councillor asking whether cyclist speeds in the Quiet Route would be measured, as they had witnessed a 'beloved pet' running afoul of a delivery cyclist on an (assertedly illegally throttle-powered) ebike.
๐ค Putting aside that there was absolutely zero mention from said councillor about the dangers to the lives of human children from the reintroduction of speeding multi-tonne motor vehicles to a residential and primary-school-adjacent area that their own recent vote was bringing about, the officer tasked with answering any and all questions (regardless of how grounded in reality they were) managed to keep enough of a straight face to acknowledge that there was continued interfacing with Police Scotland on the issue of illegally modified or throttle-accelerated ebikes across the city.
๐ Which Rat Runs the Lib Dems Do and Donโt Support this Month
While I'm in salty mode... two measures brought by Liberal Democrat councillors this month didn't sit quite right.
One Councillor brought an amendment regarding trial road restrictions in Cramond, from an original vote back in 2021 'to proceed with a trial closure of Cammo Road to through traffic as a result of safety concerns over the volume and speed of commuting and HGV traffic'.
Another brought an amendment regarding Parkgrove Drive near Clermiston - where officers 'acknowledge that this is a known through-route from Queensferry Road to Drum Brae North. Drivers were observed to use this route, through residential streets, to avoid west-bound queues at the Drum Brae North signalised junction. Drivers are also known to follow this route in reverse to then travel either east or west onto Queensferry Road.'
Both of these residential communities deserve to have safe space to live, travel, play in and enjoy in their locality without the threat to safety and health that high volumes of through-traffic present. I don't want to question for a moment the value of, and need for, these interventions. It's great they're being raised to be dealt with.
What I do question are the values and integrity of a political party who can't even manage month-to-month consistency on the issue of through-traffic in neighbourhoods. Where were the Lib Dems' concerns about the volume and speed of through traffic last month, when they voted to tear out exactly the kinds of measures that solve these issues for residents of the Braid Estate?
โ๏ธ Trams to Newhaven - Snagging / Defects
This might surprise you to learn, but the York Pl to Newhaven phase of tram development in Edinburgh has not had an ideal snagging period.
At this point in time, of course, the Leith Walk cycle lanes provided by this project have not had an official opening. Across the paths and also the public realm surrounding the new line, problems range from building materials left behind and general untidiness, all the way through to serious safety issues that continue to be present along the route. And it's only recently that the Picardy Place Pole has been rehomed to a nearby corner, no longer lingering smack in the middle of the cycleway.
On the plus side, the report brought to TEC this month acknowledges a number of lessons learned about how defects can be handled in future - one of the key findings being that the tram line was completed 'section by section' in a linear fashion, but the period for dealing with defects was to wait until the whole project was 'complete' to commence. This is part of what has lead to such a long lifespan for some very obvious / 'easy win' outstanding defects, which can only have damaged the public's perception over the delivery of tram line projects. An immediate snagging period per 'section' completed would be more likely in future, and would surely deal with such issues in a much more timely manner.
We're aware from visiting Councillor Caldwell's comments at TEC, and also from engagement with other stakeholders like Spokes that there are a significant number of issues raised with the team not on the current, public list of remaining defects - which can be seen on page 392 to 394 of the April TEC Reports pack [PDF]. There was great encouragement from visiting Councillor Mowat to 'have a publicly accountable target' and make the list of defects public and up to date.
It was also noted that this phase of the tram line has been far better in terms of community engagement undertaken, particularly organisational and business stakeholders.
TEC reached a consensus fairly easily to receive regular reports on Trams to Newhaven - every 6 months from here out - to ensure their oversight gets the project over the finish line. It will be interesting to see whether momentum gathers again as a result.
๐ฆ Local Traffic Improvements Programme
Sometimes, there are small projects that don't fit into the Capital Maintenance budget, Active Travel programme, or other large project scheme - but would still make a difference to local communities.
Enter the new 'Local Traffic Improvements Programme', for which the TEC received and passed a report on, specifically the Proposal and Assessment Criteria for new 'LTI' projects.
This new programme takes the form of a ยฃ500K annual budget across the city - up to ยฃ50k per project - โ...intended to improve local access for people walking and cycling in our communities and consider the introduction of small traffic schemes to mitigate or eliminate the impact of intrusive road traffic in residential areasโ.
Essentially, a set of small budgets for interventions that deal with reducing through-traffic and improvements to walking, cycling and wheeling safety that would normally โslip throughโ the Capital Maintenance budget, with some weight given to whether the project would take place in an area in the top 20% (most deprived) of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
โQuick Winsโ are also a โtierโ of project to be considered for this funding as well - small changes like removal of redundant signage poles, addition of dropped kerbs, and the like - either on their own or as a series that in aggregate can make a significant difference for communities.
There was concern from councillors that theyโd expect the demand for these budgets to outstrip the proposed pot fairly quickly, and officers received various questions around that and how projects would be spread throughout city wards. But it was also asserted that โperfect is the enemy of goodโ, and that this was a good starting point for the scheme to get going.
๐ฐ Roads and Infrastructure Investment 24-25
This report sought TEC approval for the allocation of the Roads and Infrastructure Capital budgets and programme of works for 2024/25.
This includes carriageways, footways, street lighting and traffic signals and structures. As mentioned last issue, an additional ยฃ12.5m has been allocated in 2024/25 to improve pavements, streetscapes, lighting, roads and road safety, above and beyond the usual annual spend.
In terms of cycling impact, while any improvement to road condition is a welcome one, there's also the clause that "a prioritisation weighting of 5% to carriageway schemes that have an existing onroad cycle lane continues to be applied. This promotes carriageway renewal schemes heavily used by cyclists... Edinburgh is the only local authority in Scotland to include such a weighting. This further enforces the Councilโs commitment to active travel."
Additionally - "Where there are alignments between the carriageway investment programme and the Active Travel Investment Plan, officers will work together to decide the most efficient way to deliver these schemes in tandem, or at the very least in a way that ensures that best value is being achieved."
The description of this weighting did of course prompt the usual โwHat aBouT oTheR RoAd UseRsโ questions from Conservative Councillors. Won't somebody think of the motorists ๐.
As a result of an ยฃ11m additional investment in 2023/24, there was a small improvement to previously declining overall road condition; this in contrast to one neighbouring authority, who saw a continued significant decline in the condition of their road network.
One contributing factor to the increased delivery in the last year was implementing a 'like-for-like' approach to carriageway resurfacing, with a hold on improvements in favour of getting more surface area dealt with without design changes. This year, it is proposed that this pause on improving-while-resurfacing is lifted, and that Street Design Guidance improvements will be applied to carriageway strengthening and resurfacing schemes. Because it takes longer, this also slows down delivery to a degree.
๐ต On one side of the room, we then had Conservative councillors at TEC moving a position to do the same as last year - โlike for likeโ resurfacing, without Street Design Guidance improvements - which could be argued to be pragmatic to build on overall better road condition, but is hard to see as anything other than โ rather typically โ prioritising the needs of motorists over an opportunity to simultaneously improve active travel as part of routine resurfacing.
๐ข On the other side, we had Green councillorsโ addendum, emphasising the need for resurfacing works taking into account Street Design Guidance as much as possible, as well as sustainable drainage systems - pointing out that the future weather conditions the city will face as a result of climate change will not be โlike for likeโ, and directly calling out the Conservative position for completely ignoring this. The fight back against โlike for likeโ was also backed up by SNP Councillors - โwe have design guidelines for a reasonโ.
๐ The report, with the Greensโ amendment, passed with 9 votes, versus 2 votes for the Conservative position.
Other Updates
๐ Trams to Granton
It was pointed out that with public concern over the use of the Roseburn Path for the Trams to Granton project, progress on a public consultation needs to not only be swift but also with some committed dates - rather than action items from the 'Rolling Action Log' just saying โOngoingโ in the date column.
There is Likely to be a 12-week consultation when launched, to give the public plenty of time to take in the information and respond.
๐ Major Junctions Review
The business bulletin updates on Major Junctions revealed that stakeholders in the King's Rd / Portobello High St junction should shortly be updated on detailed designs for improvements, including the upgrade for all crossings to Toucan signalised crossings; there is continuing progress on the funding and resourcing of interventions for the other major junctions covered by the scope of the review.
๐ Active Travel Bridge - โLongstone Linkโ
A new active travel route enabled by a bridge over the Water of Leith from Lanark Road to Gorgie Road is undergoing early stage designs. The committee had some questions about why the width of the bridge had been designated as 5m rather than 3m - it was answered that based on space needs set out in Cycling by Design guidance, and a half meter either side to not be cycling right up against the parapet, five metres was the appropriate sizing for a walking, wheeling and cycling bridge to give adequate space to users sharing the span.
Transport Scotland funding covers the majority of Active Travel Infrastructure funding in Edinburgh. This year design funding is still coming primarily from Sustrans' "Places for Everyone". A review of the entire Active Travel Investment Programme is pending - looking at the possibility of internal funding for design works.
Convenor Cllr Arthur also expressed concern that recent events in the Scottish Government may affect Active Travel funding in future.
๐๏ธ Mer News
โ Nationally
๐ "We strongly feel that no cyclist should ever be labeled as having 'put themselves in a vulnerable position' when using bike boxes or other road infrastructure that has been specifically designed for their use."
โ Rose Marie Burke, mother of Emma Burke Newman - who was tragically killed while cycling in Glasgow last year - posted a threadx (or read at non-Twitter link) following the sentencing of the HGV driver responsible.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Thread about the weird things people say regarding cycling in Scotland (Originally on Twitter)x
๐ "After years of piecemeal funding, we are finally funding & building a proper cycle network for Glasgow ๐ฒ We have record numbers now choosing the bike over the car, but much more to do. Modal shift takes time." โ Glasgow Cllr Blair Andersonx
SW20 say:
"Theyโre building it in Glasgow. Same hills, legislation and (worse?) weather. It can happen in Edinburgh too."
๐ Elsewhere
๐ฆ Why New York City will soon be filled with commercial cargo bikes.
๐ซ Help Needed
๐ด๐ผ A Crowdfunder has opened to support the Skelf bike park, just off Holyrood Park;
๐ Also crowdfunding now, Porty Community Energy's new Sea Rising Festival;
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. The auction will go live at the start of this year's Edinburgh Festival of Cycling on 31st May.
As ever:
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;
๐ Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
๐ Braid Estate Filters Petition
"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 last 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
๐ง If you want to provide support for the scheme, you could email TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk mentioning TRO/21/32 and RSO/21/08 with your positive noises, comments and constructive feedback.
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 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
VIE Velox - a tandem cycling club based in Edinburgh to enable people with visual impairments in Edinburgh and the Lothians to get cycling - are running an information and training session on Wednesday 1st May, 6pm to 8.30pm at Saughton Park. Contact vieveloridecoordinator@gmail.com for further details and to book your place.
โ๐ผ Now Open - 'Pedal Power', a free exhibition co-curated by Critical Mass Edinburgh, Infrasisters, Spokes and folks running Bike Buses across the city at the Museum of Edinburgh running until the 22nd September - including some upcoming talks and events in the summer that we'll highlight nearer the time.
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.
โด๏ธ Regular events on at The Wee Spoke Hub - follow their schedule here;
๐ฃ Route Closures and Issues
๐คฏ The use of 'Orca' cycle lane defenders for a trial road diet / pedestrian space at Charlotte Square continues to confuse folksx - 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 4 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.
Ongoingโฆ
๐ฆฉ Water of Leith: in Leith, 4 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
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