🚲 edi.bike | issue 66 | 11th Nov ‘24
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
💸 National Funding Issues Causing Delays to Multiple Infrastructure Projects Across Edinburgh
In a late October update to the Active Travel Improvement Programme (ATIP) [PDF], Harry Williams spotted a number of unwelcome delays to projects across Edinburgh:
Major delays across the ATIP (again)
• West Edinburgh link - delayed 5 months
• Meadows to George st - delayed to April 26
• Charlotte sq perm works - delayed 6 months
• Cameron Toll to Bio quarter - delayed 4 months
This is on top of substantial delays earlier this year already
— Originally posted by Harry on X
Spokes provided some further context [x] - Councils across Scotland expected a ‘Tier 2’ grant early in the year, and following significant changes at Transport Scotland that money seems not to have materialised.
With the seemingly limited ambition Edinburgh has to deliver projects quickly and boldly enough to establish a truly connected cycle network this century, it’s frustrating to also be faced with external factors slowing things down.
🧡 Bikes for Refugees Scotland Deliver Their 3000th Bike Donation
Posting to their Instagram, Bikes for Refugees shared their incredible milestone:
Today we gifted our 3000 bike 🥳 🥳🥳
That's 3000 bikes donated 🧡, 3000 bikes refurbished by our hard-working & dedicated volunteers & amazing staff 🧡, 3000 bikes & Welcome Packs funded by our many supporters 🧡- & most importantly 3000 New Scots provided with essential mobility and freedom of movement 🚴♀️💞
Please, please help us to keep the wheels turning- we continue to have a significant demand for access to bikes and a long waiting list-
whilst this milestone is a fantastic achievement made possible by all of our supporters & partners working together- we really do need your help more than ever- bikes, skilled volunteer mechanics, fundraisers & funders, and new partnerships and collaborations all very welcome.
You can find out more about supporting them here, including their Christmas appeal.
🏰 Local Bits
⚓ Consultation deadline this Sunday 17th for the ‘Hawthornvale to Seafield’ route as part of Leith Connections, which will also connect the end of the currently under-construction protected route from the Foot of the Walk to Dock Street, onwards to Ocean Terminal - Respond here »
📸 Some nice photos on this post about a recent Vie Velo ride;
⛔️ Criticisms of the City of Edinburgh Council’s lack of action on the proposed pedestrianisation of the Cowgate followed the tragic death of a 74-year-old man struck by a bus last week:
”Investigations are still ongoing but it seems Saturday’s incident in the Cowgate was a tragic accident. I have asked Officers to prioritise pavement widening and road safety initiatives across the city. We have the plans, the decisions have been taken, we now just need to prioritise the delivery.” — Cllr Stephen Jenkinson posting on X
The newly-appointed convener of the Transport & Environment Committee (TEC) was — quite rightly — taken to task by a number of commentators, as it was back at the start of February that TEC voted to “take forward an enhanced plan for Edinburgh City Centre Transformation (ECCT) including an experimental closure of the Cowgate to some or all through traffic in 2024”. Sadly, the failure to press on with tackling through-traffic in demonstrably unsuitable areas like the Cowgate has ultimately led to another unnecessary road death.
➕ Nationally
📹 The All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking, posted on X:
The number of people killed or injured on Scottish roads has increased each year since 2020.
Fatalities in 2024 are already 26% higher than in 2023
There has been a 63% drop in the number of road traffic offences being detected and recorded.
All sourced from this report at the BBC:
Police watchdog warning amid rise in road casualties
Police Scotland is detecting significantly less crime on the country's roads despite increasing numbers of deaths and injuries. — BBC article
This in spite of nigh-on every adult in the country carrying an internet connected photo/video camera in their pocket at all times; and while nearly every other police force in the United Kingdom has taken advantage of this fact by providing a straightforward online portal to submit helmet camera, dashcam or smartphone footage through, Police Scotland still have no equivalent service in spite of having been allocated £300k of Transport Scotland Funding back in 2022.
Meanwhile, the roads continue to get more and more dangerous: six pedestrians killed in nine days on Scotland’s roads »
✊ Transport Action Network:
In March 2023, ministers cut two-thirds of England’s dedicated funding for walking, wheeling and cycling, the cheapest and most effective forms of local travel in a cost of living crisis. Days later, ministers published an updated climate plan, showing the UK is set to miss its 2030 target due to carbon emissions from road transport. Do you think this makes sense? Well we at Transport Action Network don’t and hope you can help us challenge the decision by taking the Government to court.
The case was initially lost, but has been granted a hearing in the Court of Appeal and TAN are now fundraising accordingly - donate here »
🌍 Elsewhere
🇪🇸 Bicycles save lives: How bikes have been critical after Spain's Valencia floods
Chris Marshall-Bell lives in Valencia, Spain, and he and tens of thousands of others have accessed the dozens of flooded villages by bike to help with the clean-up operation — article at Cycling Weekly;
🛣 Route Closures and Issues
🍂 edi.bike reader Jamie shared an update about crossing from Tantallon Pl to Cumin Pl across Grange Rd:
The Cumin side was closed last week, Tantallon this week. Combined pedestrian and cycle crossing, Tantallon is now coned off, despite there being room for cycles to go round the side. Temporary traffic lights in operation.
🚳If you use Valleyfield St to link to and from the Meadows, David from Laid Back Bikes has shared that it’s been closed [x] at the Leven St end for a Scottish Water repair - routing via the next street south, Glengyle Terrace is advisable in the meantime (one way, but has contraflow cycling marked out and in a handful of places, protected);
📥 From reader Robbie: “CCWEL Cycle Path Closed at Haymarket between Rosebery Crescent and Coates Place in both directions for emergency sewer repair works. However, there's room to cycle through and it's been asked if the closure can be amended”;
⚡ Ongoing: The questionable Network Rail ban on ebike parking at Waverley Station - best to make alternative parking plans if travelling from this station at present;
Part of Quiet Route 8 - Roseburn to Edinburgh Park is currently blocked as reported on X by John Robson;
🏹 Lawnmarket and Upper Bow: Road improvements are ongoing until July ‘25; 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 mind how you go;;
🚶 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 ongoing partial closure of NCN 196, on the Auchendinny-Rosewell railway path for resurfacing with ‘flexipave’ - an ongoing 6-8 week closure from mid-September, so hopefully around 1 week remaining. Details from Midlothian Council »
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🎉 Events and Happenings
📆 Upcoming / Ongoing
📣 Local Bike Campaigning: Spokes Public Meeting, 21st November
I’ll be giving a short talk about edi.bike at the next Spokes public meeting on 21st November, in excellent company: Accessible and Sustainable transport expert Derek Halden, speakers from Infrasisters, Edinburgh Critical Mass, and Jarlath Flynn [x] — who does a huge amount for Edinburgh’s school bike buses.
The five short talks are then followed by a panel Q & A hosted by Helen Todd, chair of Planning Democracy and former Ramblers Scotland policy manager.
📆 Save the Date - Infrasisters Ride Again
”The first InfraSisters Edinburgh ride of this winter is planned for the evening of 29th November, starting at 7:30pm, meeting at Middle Meadow Walk, for a slow circular ride around Edinburgh city centre lasting about an hour…
The theme, following UN Women UK is #NoExcuse - no excuse for unsafe cycle infrastructure, no excuse for inaction, no excuse for standing by.”
🚺 Score Scotland — on a “ mission to empower women through cycling, foster community connections, and promote sustainable, active lifestyles in Wester Hailes and beyond” - recently released their November events calendar including cycle training and led rides;
🔁 Weekly Events
🍃 Mon, 12-2.30pm: Free, fun group ride on paths from Bridgend Farmhouse;
🌅 Tues, ⏰ 5.40am: Edinburgh Dawn Patrol - Meet St. Andrew Square, same route each time - contact Markus [x];
☕️Tues, 5pm: [National] Active Travel Cafe on Zoom
🛠️ Weds, 3pm: Bike Kitchen at Edinburgh Tool Library
🌅 Thurs, ⏰ 5.40am: Edinburgh Dawn Patrol (same as Tues, details above);
✴️ Thurs, 5-8pm: Bike DIY Session at The Wee Spoke Hub
⚙️ Sat, 2-4pm: ‘Bike Cleaning and Oiling’ drop-in session at The Wee Spoke Hub
🔁 Monthly Events
🚲 First Friday of the month: Inclusive social bike rides with A Wee Pedal, 1-3pm, from Bridgend Farmhouse;
✊ Last Saturday of the month: Critical Mass Edinburgh, Protest Group Ride, 2pm, Middle Meadow Walk;
🫂 Help Needed
🚸 From Parents for Future Scotland:
”We are looking for enthusiastic parents to join our 2024 Schools Air Pollution Programme as parent speakers. Our programme empowers children and their parents to take meaningful action against air pollution in Edinburgh. Parent speakers help deliver an engaging and informative talk to other parents in the city, raising awareness about air pollution and the steps we can all take to help tackle it. No previous experience in speaking to groups or expertise in air pollution needed - we provide free training and a buddy system to help build your confidence as you grow into this important role. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to positive change in your community, meet other like-minded parents, and develop new skills.”
✏️ Jobs and Voluntary Roles
⭕ The Bike Station — Board Members and Shop Floor volunteers for their Causewayside branch [x] »
💚 Cargo Bike Movement — Freelance Communication and Marketing Lead »
🛠️ SW20 & Edinburgh Tool Library — Project Volunteers:
✴️ The Wee Spoke Hub — Administration Volunteer:
ℹ️ Also: office / studio space to sublet;
🛠️ Update - with over 500 responses, halfway there! 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.”
Ongoing: 🚌 Marshal for School Bike Buses | 🙋 Help with school programme ‘I Bike’ | 🗨️Join Spokes’ Planning or Resources group | 🤝 Support SW20 via Co-op shopping | 🆘 Donate money or bikes to Bikes for Refugees | 📦⚡️ Hire a community Cargobike / E-bike from SW20, Porty Community Energy or Banzai
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
🌳 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route
Some recent movement on the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route, in an update from Blackford Safe Routes:
New Traffic Regulation Orders representing the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route, as currently implemented, are to be drawn up within the next couple of weeks.
This is a technicality – there is no need to comment on them, and comments will not be counted by the council.
Following on, in January 2025*, another traffic order will be drawn up to include the changes that were discussed (removal of the traffic filters in the Braid estate and implementation of a segregated cycle lane) during the March Transport & Environment Committee (TEC) meeting. Comments to the council on the changes will be invited. We will be back in touch with you then.
*January 2025 will be the (almost) 4 year anniversary of the traffic filters being installed outside the school. That’s 4 years of a simple, low-cost traffic intervention helping to keep children safe and the neighbourhood more pleasant! 4 years of successful community campaigning to support the council to meet its own policies, objectives and manifestos. Policies that the majority of residents support. Thank you for continuing to show that people do have agency and can make a difference!
📋 Travelling Safely Schemes (Various)
ETROs for these 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; also by emailing TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk quoting the relevant scheme.
🌊 Musselburgh Active Toun Consultation
Updated plans over on Musselburgh Active Toun with further consultation in the coming weeks, including two drop-in sessions about the updated plans: these may be of particular interest to Edinburgh residents as they cover the East Lothian section of Edinburgh Road that would eventually facilitate the long-held ambition of a tie-in to Joppa and Portobello prom, as well as the rest of the North Edinburgh network.
Comments on the consultation can be emailed to musselburgh.uki@aecom.com
🚢 Leith Connections - Consultation for ‘Hawthornvale to Seafield’ Open
⚓ Leith Connections Phase 3 - Hawthornvale to Seafield
Consultation currently open - running until this Sunday, 17th November.
View the:
Consultation Hub Page (link at the bottom to fill out the survey before the deadline);
Detailed Design drawings (PDF) »
🦶 Foot of the Walk to ‘Ocean Terminal’ (actually Commercial St)
⚓️ As spotted by Harry Williams [x], 'Foot of the Walk to Ocean Terminal' - construction start date has been updated to ‘start of November 2024’ (for ten months) - 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 (above).
⚒️ 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.
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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