🚲 edi.bike | issue 48 | 8th July '24
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
🚄 Best Seat on the Bench - Transport Convenor Dr Scott Arthur Departs for Westminster as new MP for Edinburgh South West
One of the many seats that changed hands in the recent General Election was Edinburgh South West, where Dr Scott Arthur - City of Edinburgh Councillor for the Colinton / Fairmilehead ward won the seat from the SNP’s Joanna Cherry.
While there’s as yet no official communication regarding the change in role, it is assumed this will lead to Dr Arthur stepping down as an Edinburgh Councillor and also ceding his role as the Convenor of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Committee (TEC). While this likely triggers a by-election in his ward, we’re unaware of any particular precedent for how his successor at TEC is selected - presumably Labour select someone else to put forward.
As TEC Convenor, Arthur was a divisive figure in the Active Travel community - it’s been notable as someone relatively new to activism that many of the long-time contributors to infrastructure success stories and cycling growth in the city regarded him with a degree of derision (or at the very least, suspicion) seeing as many of the landmark projects that came to fruition during his tenure were signed off and started long before he joined TEC. It certainly seems like more could have been made of the role — not to mention backwards steps like the Braid Estate filters fiasco could have been avoided with even a thimbleful of political courage — and one would hope that his successor takes bigger swings at the opportunities for significant change in Edinburgh to tackle congestion, public health and road safety in a forward-thinking manner, rather than simply talking about doing so.
Spokes posted a more generous goodbye on X.
🖍️ Playing along with bikeist bingo at home? You can cross off “Scott Arthur being blamed by roasters for naked cyclists” on your bingo card. Edinburgh World Naked Bike Ride’s end-of-ride (not a euphemism) photos (censored 🍑) are on Facebook and there’s a whole gallery if you are logged in on Flickr (and have safe search turned off).
🎒 Local Writer, filmmaker and Bikepacker extraordinaire Markus Stitz — of Bikepacking Scotland, through which he works with tourism organisations to create new bikepacking and cycling routes across Scotland — took a trip through the Cairngorms and along the Moray Coast to film the charming ‘📺 Chasing Rainbows’ [8mins] along with round-the-world-cycle record holder Jenny Graham. The pair teamed up with cycle manufacturer Tern to road test the new Tern Orox, and enjoy the luxuries of not having to pack quite so lightly for their trip with so much cargo capacity. Well worth a watch over a cheeky cuppa ☕️;
🧵 A solid, well-reasoned thread from SW20 this week about why Edinburgh needs a congestion charge to fund, among other things, the whims of the Evil Cycling Lobby (we meet every Tuesday…) - have a read of it on X, or instead over on Thread Reader (where you can see all of the content but with less of a fascistic / techbro background hum);
🫴 Steven McCluskey, founder and Chief Executive of Bikes for Refugees was recently interviewed for this article at healthandcare.scot - prompted by the organisation having reached a milestone in the last year of providing over 2,500 bicycles to New Scots so far. While that’s fantastic news, the demand for the service has also lead to a waitlist, particularly for bikes still in ‘good condition’ that can be quickly turned around - their recent news post has a link to the donation form, and the n+1 rule will soon have you replenishing your stables anyway;
🐘 Active Travel on the Fediverse
If you have an interest in Active Travel social media, particularly in Edinburgh / Scotland / UK, and encouraging folks to shift to friendlier climes than X - along with experience of Mastodon, Federation in general, or online community - consider sending over your email using our submissions form or pinging @edi.bike@mastodon.scot as there’s been some rumblings and it would be good to connect up folks looking at this…
From Last Week:
Photos shared to X of the recently fixed dropped kerb at Russell Rd / Roseburn Path;
🎨 There’s an opportunity to sublet a studio space with the lovely folks at The Wee Spoke Hub, available now - see all the details on their Facebook post;
🛣 Route Closures and Issues
As shared on X by Ella, a section of riverside path on the Water of Leith has been blocked by a gate welded shut - potentially due to bank erosion - at the Stockbridge end of Rocheid Path;
The Crawford Bridge - between Albion Ter and Bothwell St off Easter Rd - is closed until the 30th of August for refurbishment;
Melville St at Walker St has some partial closures of the CCWEL segregated lanes for major works as part of the public realm improvements that recently commenced and run until December this year.
➕ Nationally
😡 ‘Cost of Vandalism to Highland e-bike scheme rises to £100,000’ - BBC article. Another sad case of ‘this is why we can’t have nice things’;
🥼 Edinburgh Napier’s Transport Research Institute has released “Essential Evidence 4 Scotland” issue number 87 - "Just Noticeable Difference" [PDF]
👍 /via Spokes:
“Exercise is a miracle cure that improves physical and mental health and reduces demands on NHS and social care services. The best forms of exercise are those that fit into everyday life, making active travel a “best buy” for improving population-level health.
Public health, transport and urban professionals need a full understanding of the causal chain that causes poor health, including low levels of activity, environmental pollution, poor built environments and limited mobility options. They need to come together and deliver outcomes that alleviate these negative influences.”
— ‘We need to talk about transport and health…’ at TransportXtra.
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📆 Events and Happenings
⭐ New This Week
⚙️ The lovely folks at The Wee Spoke Hub have added a weekly ‘Bike Cleaning and Oiling’ drop-in session at their shop every Saturday, 2-4pm, along with lots more on their events page;
🎨 This Saturday 13th, 2-4pm ‘Cycling Craftivism’ Family Craft Workshop:
“What message would you like to tell people about cycling? Come along to our cycling craftivism event and make badges or write a message to design your own stencil. Stencils will be used to spray chalk messages on the streets of Edinburgh!”
Just drop in - on at The Museum of Edinburgh as part of the ongoing Pedal Power Exhibition there (more below);
📆 Upcoming / Ongoing
☕️ Active Travel Cafe is a national, weekly online active travel event; news, talks & discussion via Zoom on Tuesdays at 5pm. They’ve recently published a list of speakers for the next month or so.
🎭 Still one more event left on the EdFoC events calendar:
🎭 A Quick Brown Fox – An Evening With Ayesha McGowan - This Thursday 11th July;
🧓 Edinburgh Leisure have added more cycle skills course dates to their Ageing Well Programme, whose goal is to increase the number of older adults who are active and connected in Edinburgh. Check out the wider programme page and the flyer for the next 11 week course [PDF] that starts a week today, 15th July;
✊🏼 🎭 EdFoC | Ongoing - 'Pedal Power', a free exhibition on cycling and activism in Edinburgh, 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.
Edinburgh Council archives --- who recently launched the ‘Edinburgh 900’ project to celebrate 900 years since Edinburgh became a royal burgh --- have also asked ‘Pedal Power’ to be part of the programme and will tour the exhibition around communities in Edinburgh after it finishes at the Museum of Edinburgh in September.
🔁 Weekly Events
🚵 Every Friday in July; All-inclusive social guided bike rides with A Wee Pedal, 2-4pm from Bridgend Farmhouse. Check out their flyer for more;
⚡️ Porty Community Energy are trialling a weekly Wednesday evening advice drop-in [fb];
🛠️ Edinburgh Tool Library host a weekly Bike Kitchen providing 'tools, spare parts, and expertise' to 'learn, grow, and connect with others'; Open every Wednesday from 3pm.
✴️ Regular events on at The Wee Spoke Hub - follow their schedule here including a Bike DIY Session this Thursday 11th, 4pm - 8pm, and So... you've bought a bike... what next? this Saturday 13th, 11am - 1pm;
🫂 Help Needed
Ongoing:
🚴🏼 Friends of the Skelf bike park and pump track just off Holyrood Park are [raising money currently;
💁 Help Fund a New Specialised Active Chair for Porty Community Energy Activist Roseanne Sinclair at her campaign page;
🚌 Volunteer to help marshal a local school Bike Bus - see the Bike Bus Hub Directory;
🙋 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;
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
🐳 Ends this Week: Connecting Granton Waterfront
A new Granton-focused consultation running until Tuesday 16th July. From the project’s Consultation Hub:
This project proposes a network of safe and well-connected routes as part of a walking, wheeling and cycling network for Granton Waterfront. Our ideas have been designed to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer and easier through the new and existing areas of the neighbourhood. The proposals include wider pavements, better cycling provision, placemaking improvements including new and improved landscaping and upgrades to key crossing points and junctions on the following routes:
Forthquarter Park
Waterfront Broadway
Waterfront Park
Waterfront Avenue
West Shore Road
The Promenade
View the Community Engagement Portal and give feedback via the Survey.
✍🏽 ‘Spaces for People’ Lanes in East of Edinburgh - ETRO
This ‘East Area’ Experimental Traffic Order (ETRO/21/28A) covers a number of Covid-era parking suspensions used to facilitate bollarded cycle lanes around London Rd, Willowbrae and Duddingston, including cycle routes used by school pupils, teachers and parents to and from multiple primary and secondary schools. It is currently open for comments until 28th October by emailing TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk quoting ETRO/21/28A.
🌊 Seafield Regeneration
Regeneration plans are afoot in Seafield, including active travel links to Porty, Craigentinny, and Leith. Leith Feeder Ride [x] have a great roundup thread (unrolled) on the scheme; you can also view the masterplan proposals [PDF] and respond to the consultation survey which is open until the 31st July;
🏖️ Brunstane and Portobello
‘Edinburgh roads: 'Radical changes' on way for Portobello High Street and Brighton Place’ in The Evening News;
The ETRO scheme closing Brunstane Rd to motorised traffic has been made permanent.
👣 Foot of the Walk to Ocean Terminal
⚓️ 'Signs of life' [x] - 241 days of planned cycleway construction works starting some time between late Summer and Autumn this year - on the 'Foot of the Walk to Ocean Terminal' protected cycle route as part of Leith Connections, which promises to be a great continuation of the segregated routes slowly taking root in the city centre;
🌷 Midlothian’s Active Travel Strategy
🚴🏼♀️ Nearby Midlothian Council have launched ’On the Move Midlothian: Our Active Travel Strategy for Everyone’, consisting of two parallel consultations on Active Travel (one of which has now closed) and also wider transport concerns across their council area:
The active travel draft strategy, which includes measurable and achievable targets, focuses on making Midlothian a place where getting around in a way that makes you physically active, such as walking and wheeling, will be an easy, convenient, cheap and realistic option for all.
📄 You can view the draft strategy online [PDF].
Deadline of 22nd July for the 'Active Travel Survey'.
🚶 Dalry: ‘Living Well Locally’
Closed at 26th June. Check out SW20’s excellent response.
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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