🚲 edi.bike | issue 74 | 6th Jan ‘25
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
⚙️ Spokes: 2024->2025: What for Active Travel?
Spokes have published a fantastic round-up article of not only the last year in Edinburgh, but also a look ahead into 2025. It’s about a fifteen minute read, and this top-down, in-depth look at the current active travel landscape and upcoming projects in the city is an essential review as we head into this new year;
💫 SW20 are Making Wishes for the Year Ahead
South-West Edinburgh community activism group SW20 have published a 🧵 big thread on Bluesky listing their ‘25 wishes for Edinburgh in 2025’ - going far beyond cycling and active travel, but with an amazing mix of both ambition, good ideas and also interventions that have been tried and tested elsewhere (not just bluesky thinking 😉) and are beneficial for serious, modern cities to undertake for the benefit of all their citizens. Heartily recommend a browse through these in depth;
🌊 Melville St - Newly Completed Works Almost Immediately Flooded
Bit of a close call for basement residents of Melville St this week after rubble left in drains from recently concluded public realm works on the street seemingly caused substantial localised flooding, with the Council ending up clearing them just in the nick of time;
🏰 Local Bits
🙈 Edinburgh Evening News helping to stoke misinformation around floating bus stops again, this time with the proposed Hawthornvale - Seafield route in its sights; will the Council manage to hold its nerve with vocal opposition, or crumble like the last of the Wensleydale and Cranberry lurking at the bottom of your festive fridge?
📍 Not strictly cycling but certainly adjacent; friend of the digest Harry Williams has done a very interesting job mapping details of new development sites in Edinburgh for 2025 on Google Earth, with links to detailed plans and discussion for each one;;
🥐 Following this thread about La Barantine’s Fountainbridge Takeaway Kiosk and its handy serving window we put together a Community Map and a submission form if you want to add your own (requires a Google account, and won’t update the map right away). Since featuring it last week we’ve had a few additions from readers, thanks for sending them in!
🇬🇧 National News
📰 Anti-cycling stories are bad for the UK’s health, says Chris Boardman; Racing champion turned active travel advocate criticises parts of the media for safety scaremongering — article at The Guardian
🛣 Route Closures and Issues
❄️ Widespread Issues: A number of reports about various paths - including the Restalrig Railway Path and the newly opened Roseburn to Union Canal link - not being gritted by the Council, in their latest plan to discourage unnecessary car trips throughout the seasons by… making alternative modes as dangerous as possible? 🤔
🧭 CCWEL at Roseberry Cres - big thanks to Antonia who had spoken with the workers here - new tarmac has been laid, fencing and gear has been cleared and the street swept clear of debris; and the street / cycleway are open again until works return some time in January / Early Feb at the top half of the street;
📪 Info thanks to Robbie: King's Stables Rd - closed until Jan 17th;
💧 Union Canal: Towpath improvement works are ongoing from Leamington Lift Bridge to Edinburgh Quay until May 2025. A section of towpath is closed with diversion across the lift bridge and along the southern side of the canal - more info at Scottish Canals;
🛤️ Thanks to Martin for passing on an update from Midlothian Council on the partial closure of NCN 196, on the Auchendinny-Rosewell railway path for resurfacing with ‘flexipave’: “The nature of the new material requires specific settings for it to be laid and it is unable to set under the poor weather that we have recently experienced, being very wet and extremely cold conditions. The expected completion time is now by the middle of February 2025, weather dependent. As a result, the council has made the decision to open the section for the pathway, allowing users the opportunity to utilise the section over this period. The pathway from Auchendinny to Rosewell will now reopen from Saturday 21st December, and will remain open until the contractors are able to return to resurface …on February 3rd 2025, at which point the last of the resurfacing works will begin. It is estimated the remaining works will require approximately 2 weeks to complete resurfacing.”
⚡ 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;
🏹 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;
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🎉 Events and Happenings
📆 Upcoming / Ongoing
⚡ From the team at Porty Community Energy;
Saturday 1st Feb, 17:30: Join us for a winter parade through Fishwives Causeway to help raise awareness and to call for better signage for this important alternative path between Restalrig/Mountcastle and Portobello.
Our lanterns will light up this safer back route for cyclists and pedestrians and especially highlight the little-known shortcut from Mountcastle. There will be a winter choir to lift our spirits up and hot food and drink to keep us warm. Come and meet others who enjoy walking, scooting, wheelchair wheeling, cycling, pushing a pram and riding around Edinburgh. Celebrate our traffic-free routes with a child and family-friendly parade.
We'll meet outside Amber Hair and Beauty opposite Royal High on the crossroads between Mountcastle Drive and Northfield Broadway at 5.30pm. We'll work down Mountcastle Crescent into Mountcastle Park and at the end of the cul de sac we'll begin the parade that takes us into Fishwives Causeway. The parade ends at the other side of the causeway on the railway bridge next to Baileyfield Road traffic lights in Portobello. Here's the route on Google Maps.
We are hoping that people will arrive on bicycle and on foot. If you are coming with a bike, you’ll need to dismount and wheel it along the route. We will parade right through the Fishwives Causeway to its end, and back again and then enjoy some hot drinks and snacks, and some music. And we'll be finished by 7pm.
Bring lanterns, lights, torches, and sport your high-vis winter fashion looks, to brighten this route on our parade.
We’re also hoping to run some family friendly workshops to make some lovely lanterns in the run up to this event, so that we can light up the night.
More on the Facebook Event »
🖼️ The Spokes, Infrasisters, Bike Buses and Edinburgh Critical Mass co-curated campaigning exhibition ‘Pedal Power’ has opened at its new venue [IG] of Duncan Place in Leith - well worth a visit;
🔁 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
🌆 Thanks to SFan who got in touch to let us know that distance ride ‘London Edinburgh London’ are looking for 2025 volunteers;
🚲 Investigating cycling as a mode of active transport in ethnic minority groups in Edinburgh - take part in an ongoing cycling study by Edinburgh University student Keping Li
🚸 From Parents for Future Scotland:
”We are recruiting enthusiastic speakers to join our 2024 Schools Air Pollution Programme as workshop facilitators. Our programme empowers children and their parents to take meaningful action against air pollution in Edinburgh. Workshop facilitators help deliver an engaging and informative talk to parents in the city, raising awareness about air pollution and the steps we can all take to help tackle it. This is a paid role and no previous experience in speaking to groups or expertise in air pollution is 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.”
More info at Vacancies — Parents for Future Scotland »
✏️ Jobs and Voluntary Roles
✴️ The Wee Spoke Hub — Administration Volunteer:
ℹ️ Also: office / studio space to sublet;
🛠️ 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 | 🆘 Donate money or bikes to Bikes for Refugees | 📦⚡️ Hire Community Cargobikes, E-bikes or Trailers from SW20, Porty Community Energy or Banzai | ♻️ Donate old bikes to The Bike Station or ‘Brake the Cycle’.
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
🚢 Leith Connections: Foot of the Walk to Dock St Construction Underway, Schedule Shared
🦶Foot of the Walk to ‘Ocean Terminal’ (actually Commercial St)
⚓️ 'Foot of the Walk to Ocean Terminal' - construction is underway on the Great Junction St cycleway, with work on Henderson St recently started too, for around ten months - a 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.
This Leith Connections works leaflet [PDF] outlines the rough timeline for construction of the route.
Confusingly, the project 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 (below);
⚓ Leith Connections Phase 3 - Hawthornvale to Seafield
View the:
Consultation Hub Page (now closed to responses);
Detailed Design drawings (PDF) »
🌳 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route
Some recent movement on the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route, in an update from Blackford Safe Routes and this update from Cllr Ben Parker;
📋 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 ongoing: 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
⚒️ Lasswade Rd Cycleways
Update: Looking like this project has now been completed.
Spokes previously 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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