🚲 edi.bike | issue 58 | 16th Sep ‘24
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
🔐 Edward Tissiman on ‘Edinburgh’s Cycle Storage Challenge’
Edward Tissiman - cycle user and frequent online purveyor of quality cycling data and visualisation - has published an article on ‘Edinburgh’s Cycle Storage Challenge’ and the excellent associated interactive map visualising council-procured Cyclehoop residential on-street cycle storage and waiting list demand. It’s a fascinating look at the huge demand:
”This latent demand for cycling is being realised, and in a big way. As new hangars go in they become a visible part of our public realm and more and more people become aware of them.
As things stand, the council will need to install a further 560 hangars to meet demand. Over 1,000 people joining the queue in the last year or so; if replicated this year, that’s another 170 hangars required on top of that.
Yet the council only has plans for around another 160.”
Really excellent work - consider buying Ed a coffee!
⚙️ Spokes’ Action Update for September
Spokes — the Lothian Cycle Campaign — have published their September Action Update [PDF] with events, cycling news and consultations. Read, consider becoming a member, and get involved!
🌆 September Transport & Environment Committee Roundup
Following our review of the committee’s papers last week, you’ll find our roundup of the meeting on Thursday 12th after the Local / National / Elsewhere news roundups below ⬇️
🏰 Local Bits
⚡ Porty Community Energy will pause hiring from their Bike Library during the October break:
Just a quick note to let you know that our Bike Library will be closed for the autumn school holidays from Monday, October 14 to Sunday, October 20. 🎉🍂
But here's the great news: we would absolutely love for you to hire one of our bikes during this time! 🍁
More info on their Instagram post »
🅿️ Edinburgh South West MP Dr Scott Arthur posted a teaser for a new Sustrans and Cyclehoop report on residential parking on X;
🏫 Edinburgh Bike Bus champion Jarlath Flynn was recently at the City Chambers promoting bike bus cycle travel [x] to kids and teachers from Edinburgh Schools. Also interesting to learn of Schwalbe / Sustrans bike bus partnership ‘FRideDays’ in the replies. Could you help marshal a bike bus? The main blocker to running bike buses is a lack of volunteers. Check out the Bike Bus Directory to find contact details.
🤔 What do you call a three-person tandem? That’s the question from local bike shop Soul Cycles about their new bikes over on Instagram »
➕ Nationally
💷 New from Sustrans: “The case for a [cycle purchase] voucher scheme for people on low incomes and not in employment”;
From Adam Tranter on X:
“One of the most sensible voices in today’s Lords debate on cycling was Sir George Young.
Nearly 50 years ago he made a speech in Parliament advocating for cycling - at roughly the same time the Dutch were building their comprehensive network.
It is amazing how so many of the issues on facing us then on health and the environment still face us now, and how much progress still needs to be made.
The best time to listen to him would have been 50 years ago, the second best time is now.
I thoroughly recommend reading the Hansard entry.”
👁️🗨️ Public consultation has begun for Glasgow’s Inner North and South cycle networks;
🎉 At Forbes: ”70% Of Londoners Want More Low Traffic Neighborhoods, Finds New Survey”
🌍 Elsewhere
🫶 “Our precious time and energy are better spent on the bigger picture” — a compelling thread on intersectional cycle campaigning from Melissa & Chris Bruntlett;
🛣 Route Closures and Issues
- Take care at the Foot of Leith Walk: One of the currently non-operational northbound cycle signals was uncovered and running again [x], sending cycle users into a potential left-hook as it’s incorrectly timed to run at the green light for motor traffic; fixed fairly quickly [x] thanks to some timely citizen reporting by John Robson;
- Princes St: Images shared online at City Cycling Edinburgh show a ‘closure to cycles’ heading eastbound from Frederick St to Hanover St, which is down to one lane - with an accompanying closure on Frederick St, all seemingly down to emergency Scottish Water Works;
- Lawnmarket and Upper Bow: Road improvements commence Monday 23rd September; be sure to read the Council’s page about the closures, which managed to completely omit arrangements for a certain human-powered transport mode, so good luck I guess;
- 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 runs until December this year;
- Spokes shared the upcoming partial closure of NCN 196, on the Auchendinny-Rosewell railway path for resurfacing with ‘flexipave’ - a 6-8 week closure from today, Monday 16th September. Details from Midlothian Council »
👥 Roundup: Transport & Environment Committee (‘TEC’) Meeting, Thursday 12th September
📅 Meeting Page / Webcast | 📄 Public Agenda Reports Pack [PDF] | 💬 Deputations [PDF] | 📎 Motions and Amendments [PDF] | ⚙️ Spokes’ Live Thread of Proceedings [Unrolled]
In case you missed it; our delve into the papers ahead of TEC in last week’s issue serves as a good primer - so if any of these items are lacking in context for you, best to start there. That review also includes a number of items in the Rolling Actions Log and Business Bulletin that are not necessarily debated at the meeting
✨ Any PDF links below will go directly to the right page in the PDF documents from most desktop browsers. On mobile, you’ll need to scroll to the appropriate page.
An interesting and fairly convivial first outing for new Convener Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, who navigated the session and the various formalities with a promisingly good grace, and again made mention of being in a ‘delivery phase’ for city transport projects. As ever, time will tell when ground is broken and schemes are actually delivered.
💼 Business Bulletin
➕ Edinburgh City Centre Transformation Delivery Plan Update
There was mention of the update [PDF Page 152] on this key plan for the centre of Edinburgh as the Business Bulletin was covered out, in a question largely recognising that the majority of the update was looking at past movement rather than any imminent actions to implement. The answer from Officers advised that a report would come to TEC soon regarding the rollout of the ECCT - which will be really interesting to see as the most significant (and challenging) project in the committee’s pipeline as far as challenging the dominance of private car use in the city.
📊 Corstorphine Connections - Low Traffic Neighbourhood / Bus Gate measures
Corstorphine Connections had an update in the Business Bulletin [PDF Page 148] detailing the effects on cycling and walking in the area, as well as the number of bus gate infringements from folk who live outside of the project area.
The decisions on this project - which has been a trial in more ways than one - moving forward are actually down to the TRO (Traffic Regulation Orders) sub-committee. This didn’t discourage a pretty significant slew of deputations against the schemes coming to TEC, which were as numerous as they were distinctly unable to grapple with basic statistics or trust of methodologically sound market research. Oh dear.
We may never know why a sample size of 300 residents and businesses is not adequate from transparent and deliberately representative Council-backed research conducted by professionals, but 156 randos with sticky dots at a Lib Dem fair stall is iron-clad data science. ‘Corstorphine says no…’ - apparently not just to the LTN, but to the basic tenets of scrutiny and intellectual rigour.
If you want to read more about the questionable opposition to these schemes and their various fibs, posturing and self-contradictions at TEC, a local active travel proponent wrote this solid thread while TEC was meeting, with various insights and past receipts along the way.
The most difficult aspect of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods - or any similar measure in which there is a change in the fabric of streets and how they can be used - is the authority that implements them managing to stand their ground while they ‘bed in’. If councillors in Edinburgh find a way to stay the course of any of the schemes being rolled out in Edinburgh for more than a year or two, results from elsewhere in the United Kingdom suggest the baying, exhausting and ill-informed lobby against such changes eventually become accustomed to them, and in some cases even in favour of their newfound safer and quieter locality.
Low Traffic Corstorphine provided a great written deputation [PDF Page 35] to the committee, including covering the following headline outcomes:
1. Improved safety around schools: The 9.2% decrease in peak-time traffic around Corstorphine Primary School enhances child safety, supporting Scotland’s aim for safer routes to schools.
2. Increased active travel: The rise in cycling (3.6%), walking (2.2%) and active travel to schools (3%) aligns with the UK’s target for 50% of short journeys to be made by active travel by 2030.
3. Environmental benefits: Reduced traffic speeds and improved air quality contribute to Edinburgh’s 2030 net zero goal and Scotland’s climate targets.
4. Strong community support: 50% resident support and high approval for specific improvements demonstrate community buy-in for sustainable urban development.
5. Effective traffic management: Reduction in non-local through-traffic preserves neighbourhood character, supporting Edinburgh’s broader traffic management strategies.
Sounds awful. Best get that ripped out pronto and get the cars back in there.
📋 Agenda Items
🏙️ 7.1: Princes St and Waverley Valley Strategy
This new strategy piece » [PDF Page 163] aims to “guide regeneration on Princes St, provide a public realm vision and design code for Princes St, and to manage the change of - and improve access to - Waverley valley, including the protection and enhancement of Princes St gardens”.
Spokes provided a written deputation calling for segregated cycleways to be considered for the length of Princes St, also highlighting the lack of action on the West End junction with Lothian Road:
”Additionally, we do not feel that sufficient emphasis is being given to making the West End junction safe for cyclists. The junction was listed as the top priority junction in the Major Junctions Review in 2023 and is where Zhi Min Soh was killed in 2017. With current resources, it may easily be another seven years before the Lothian Road project is finished, and to leave the West End junction in its present state of danger for so many more years is surely unacceptable” — Spokes Deputation
Attention was also drawn to this by Green councillors. In response, it was explained that changes to this junction fall under the Lothian Road Boulevard project as that progresses - which we believe highlights a real issue with the inability to prioritise urgent progress on cycle safety outside of the delivery of major projects that are years in the making. A lack of tram line injuries and incidents on Leith Walk was cited here, where there are protected cycleways sufficiently separated from the tram tracks.
Officers want to do “as much as we can” to support cycling on Princes St, in spite of it not being designated a primary cycle route in the City Mobility Plan.The East end is specifically targeted for infrastructure due to the nature of links from St Andrews Sq, Waverley Bridge, Leith St and North Bridge, but Officers remain open to suggestions for the ‘middle section’ of the kilometre-long shopping and public transport hub.
Bus lanes were cited by officers as safer space for cyclists, however those lanes to our eyes are too congested on Princes St to be feasible as a safe solution - there is simply too much bus traffic to contend with, and passing a bus entails travelling in close parallel to tram lines and other risks.
There was also discussion and tabled amendments about what this strategy document is framed as for public consultation - it’s not an ‘imminent plan with a price tag’, but how it’s described — to establish it’s a vision and will guide future changes — is important when presenting it to the public, especially during a time of cuts to key services and putting other projects on hold because of the funding landscape.
📜 7.2: George Street and First New Town (‘GNT’) – Operational Plan and Project Update
This new report » [PDF Page 215] was in response to “a request from Committee to provide analysis of the operational plan, financial breakdown, funding and grant options and benefits” of the GNT project.
The project “aims to deliver a ‘people-focused’ space to encourage greater walking, wheeling, cycling while strengthening its sense of place. Key to achieving this design and operational philosophy is the need to restrict all but essential vehicles from George Street for a large proportion of the day. The Operational Plan is a crucial component of the project, as it details future arrangements for loading, servicing, and vehicle access in the area.”
An interesting aspect of the recent update report comes in the form of the suggestion that Council Officers investigate the removal of private parking from George Street - and implementation of the Operational Plan regarding timed access for loading and taxis / hire cars - sooner than the public realm aspects will be fully funded. This would go a long way towards the reclaiming of the space for safe cycling, walking and wheeling, with benefits being felt much sooner than the proposed works can otherwise deliver.
There was a polite and professional deputation from the George Street Association, which was all well and good bar an incredible moment where during questions the deputee managed to suggest that private parking should not be removed before the ‘placemaking’ public realm improvements are funded and completed, because “this street has to be attractive”. Once you can recognise motonormative thinking, it crops up everywhere - in this case, we don’t want to prematurely remove a hundreds-strong assortment of multicoloured metal boxes from the central reservation of a Georgian street, for aesthetic reasons…
There was a question from the Liberal Democrats about any correlation between the partial removal of parking during e.g. festival / christmas closures, spending and footfall at non-hospitality businesses affected by the lack of parking. Inherent in this line of questioning is that general festival crowds may be the cause of downturn in some of George St’s retail, and a line cannot necessarily be drawn straight to parking - as they say, 100% of people who confuse correlation with causation eventually end up dead. This difficulty in establishing causality was then subsequently highlighted in response by Hannah Ross, Head of Major Projects and Commissioning.
The current average parking duration on the street looks to be between 1 - 1.5 hours per parking session, which as rightly pointed out “not exactly in line with our City Mobility Plan” according to Gareth Barwell:
“...This is seeking to give some permission to officers to go away and ask those questions, do that analysis and specifically focus on ‘what is the meanwhile future of George St?’, and to deal with the elephant in the room… if you picture George St without a load of cars in the middle of it, we could spend a lot of time debating is that better or worse, because it would be quite an open street, but it opens up a lot more desire lines to cross the street, it may be a quieter street… We’ve never actually got into that discussion, because a lot of the focus in this committee has been about a public realm scheme design, it’s not been about the fact that circa 20,000 people per month pay to park on it, and it’s effectively a car park. We want parking to support business in line with the strategy, but do we want George St for the next few years to continue to effectively be a city centre car park, and that’s really what we’re seeking permission to go away and look at.” — Gareth Barwell, Service Director - Operational Services
The GNT project is fully funded (by Sustrans) up to RIBA STAGE 4 - the detailed design stage - with plans on track to be delivered by end of March ‘25. The currently forecast work dates would be groundbreaking in 2027 and completion around 2030.
The project’s estimated Benefit / Cost Ratio (BCR) — from a broad assessment across cost of time, job creation, business turnover and more — of 2.2, i.e. a projected economic (and otherwise measured) benefit of around £88m over the coming years, in return for the project’s £40m cost.
Detailed project costs, and opportunities for ‘value engineering’ — dialling back the specification of materials and potential other details for cost-saving purposes, but balancing such aspects with heritage concerns — will be detailed in a report to come back to TEC.
A welcome Green party addendum on this issue pressed that particularly with the timeline for completion of GNT sitting around 2030, that interim measures to link up the missing central leg of CCWEL are looked into — on Queen St or elsewhere — and also noted that already multiple instances of roadworks affecting CCWEL lack appropriate cycle bypasses or other affordances, and that we should be protective of these key routes.
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📆 Events and Happenings
📆 Upcoming / Ongoing
⚡ Porty Community Energy are leading some friendly, communal rides out from Portobello in the coming weeks, this week (18th) to Fort Kinnaird, and Leith, QMU and the Meadows in later weeks - more details and booking link on their Facebook post »
🚲 The Bike Station have a Wednesday evening beginners’ Bike Maintenance course this Wednesday 18th, and next Wednesday 25th September - details and booking on their website »
✊🏼 🎭 EdFoC | Last chance to see - '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 ends this week on Sunday 22nd September. Details of where the exhibition will go next are still being finalised, so watch this space for details of future venues.
⛰️ Route Designer, Bikepacker, Writer and Filmmaker Markus Stitz is involved in organising Dirt Dash, who have an upcoming event in Dunoon, this weekend September 21st-22nd:
”This friendly and welcoming overnight event is the perfect introduction if you want to give bikepacking a go, without having to worry about the logistics. We provide you with a route, a really nicely located campsite, dinner and breakfast. While you are cycling, you get to experience the rugged beauty Scotland’s Adventure Coast on some of the best gravel trails Scotland has to offer.”
Find out more at Dirt Dash »
🧭 In the West of the city, lots going on for SCOREScotland at Whale Arts and Gate55, ranging from route planning workshops to Dr Bike, bike maintenance training and beginner cycling classes - see their Facebook post for the full list »
✊ Two weeks until the next Edinburgh Critical Mass is coming up on Saturday 28th September, 2pm Middle Meadow Walk; a friendly and welcoming mass protest ride, with the route typically published a few days before to their Facebook, Mastodon, X and email list. Ever want to join the ride late, but not sure where it is? You can use Critical Maps - an anonymous location-sharing app for cyclists in critical mass events, aiding coordination through real-time map visualisation. Only one or two people need to use it from the start, so that others can see where the ride is.*
🏴 Cycling UK in Scotland’s annual gathering - “some really inspiring talks and a free lunch”:
Sat 5th October, 10.30-4pm at Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EL.
Hear from journalist Laura Laker, endurance MTB-er Naomi Freireich, Ed Shoote on bikepacking with kids, update on the Drem-Gullane Path Campaign from Iain Monk, and Scottish campaigns and project inspiration from Cycling UK. There's also an optional bike ride beforehand. Please book in advance on Eventbrite to help manage the catering.
🔁 Weekly Events
☕️ Active Travel Cafe is a national, weekly online active travel event; news, talks & discussion via Zoom on Tuesdays at 5pm. See their list of speakers and details;
👪 Every Friday in September; All-inclusive social guided bike rides with A Wee Pedal, 2-4pm from Bridgend Farmhouse:
WHEELY FUN FRIDAYS with ‘A Wee Pedal’. At, or starting at, at Bridgend Farmhouse! Supported by Cycling Scotland, Paths for All, & The City of Edinburgh Council. Suggested donation per activity in brackets [£] - booking essential via admin@bridgendfarmhouse.org.uk
INCLUDING… GUIDED BIKE RIDES 2-4pm until October. Pace is gentle and social on mostly flat, off main road, routes. Destinations vary - they’ve been to the Meadows, Portobello Beach, and more. Hire an e-bike [£5] or borrow a pedal bike for free [Helmets included].
AND… BASIC BIKE MAINTENANCE Monthly sessions on the last Friday of the Month, April – October, 10am – noon in the marquee [£5] Bring your own bike to practice on, or use one of ours. Each session is a standalone class covering all of the basics safety checks and fixing a puncture etc. so one should do the trick!
⚡️ Porty Community Energy are trialling a weekly Wednesday evening advice drop-in [fb];
⚙️ The Wee Spoke Hub host a weekly ‘Bike Cleaning and Oiling’ drop-in session at their shop every Saturday, 2-4pm;
🛠️ 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.
✴️ Other regular events on at The Wee Spoke Hub - follow their schedule here including a Bike DIY Session this Thursday 19th, 5pm - 8pm;
🫂 Help Needed
💼 Hybrid / Stirling: Paths for All are hiring for a head of income generation;
⚙️ The lovely folks at The Wee Spoke Hub are advertising office / studio space to sublet in their building;
🎉 A kindly edi.bike reader let us know that charity fundraising org Kiltwalk are looking for support volunteers for the Edinburgh walk, including some lead / patrol cycling roles;
🛠️ Scottish Cargo Bike maker Ariel Bikes are looking to get 1,000 responses to their e-cargo bike market survey, and if they do they’ll give away a bike:
“Win an Ariel e-cargo bike worth £5600, with ZF 112Nm motor system, plus Magura, Shimano, Halo, Schwalbe, Suntour and Spinner parts and components. All on a hand built 4130 chromoly steel frame fabricated in our Scottish workshop. Finished in glorious orange metallic fleck powder coat.
We want to understand the UK e-cargo bike market better. So we’ve created a short survey. Fill in the survey and if we can get to over 1000 responses, we will give away the bike.”
🛠️ SW20 and Edinburgh Tool Library are looking for project volunteers:
”We are looking to expand our team of amazing volunteers and offer additional services -- if you are interested, please complete this form and we'll get back to you”;
🚸 Parents for Future Scotland are looking for more volunteers to help with organising Kidical Mass rides:
“We need volunteers to help promote and organise Kidical Mass cycle rides. Just one or two hours a month will do - help us contact local media, spread the word on social media and recce the routes. Contact rosieparents4futurescotland@gmail.com if you're interested in helping out”;
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
📋 Travelling Safely Schemes
The ETRO for City Centre ‘travelling safely’ schemes recently concluded as highlighted by Spokes on X. The other schemes have various end dates (barring ‘South’, which is not yet published) and can be found for comment at the Council’s Travelling Safely Commonplace microsite;
⚒️ Work ongoing, August to November - Lasswade Rd Cycleways
Spokes shared [x] the project page for a partial resurfacing of Lasswade Rd that includes a stretch of segregated cycle lane at each side, close to Gracemount High School. Spokes’ response makes mention of various interesting aspects and suggests changes.
✍🏽 ‘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.
👣 Foot of the Walk to ‘Ocean Terminal’ (actually Commercial St)
⚓️ 'Signs of life' [x] - planned cycleway construction works starting around the end of September (TBC) for 10 months - 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. Confusingly, a closer look at the project reveals that it doesn’t go to Ocean Terminal (shades of Roseburn to Union Canal here) and instead gives up at Commercial St, with the Commercial St to Ocean Terminal leg covered by the third phase of Leith Connections, ‘Hawthornvale to Seafield’ - where there are some concept designs in place from 2022 on the project page but worryingly no funding for construction assigned yet, only for further community engagement.
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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