February 3, 2025

🚲 edi.bike | issue 78 | 3rd Feb ‘25

your weekly edinburgh cycling digest

📰 News this Week

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🌳🚴‍♂️🚶‍♀️’Edinburgh Active Travel Improvement Plan. Mapped!’

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Another great resource from friend of the digest Harry Williams, following his Google Earth project mapping out all the planned developments in Edinburgh in 2025:

I have mapped most of the upcoming active travel projects coming to Edinburgh “soon” - I have left out notable quiet street improvements and other projects that have not had major updates recently.

View the map here, or there’s also a version on Google Earth;

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✨ Leamington Lift Bridge to Lochrin Basin Towpath Works Will Provide Surface Improvements

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Spotted by SRD, this project update from Scottish Canals [fb] includes a bit about surface quality on the towpath:

…The wall is being archaeologically recorded and will be left in situ under the new surfacing for future generations. Scottish natural stone paving will be laid to create a smooth surface to improve accessibility for all users, and new lighting will increase community safety for towpath users and boaters.

Personally, for comfort I won’t miss the setted stones here - but I did enjoy the game of trying to use as much of the generous gutters as possible to avoid riding over them.

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🤝 City of Edinburgh Council Transport & Environment Committee - January Meeting Roundup

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Our look ahead to the agenda for the meeting can be found in last week’s issue, and you’ll find our roundup of the items discussed below ‘Local Bits’ ⬇️

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🏰 Local Bits

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🚸 Some lovely photos on Bluesky by Jarlath Flynn of the new Parsons Green Bike Bus — If you’re interested in helping out with this new Bike Bus route while it’s getting established, message Hazel on 07786 577 884 »

You can find more Bike Buses in Edinburgh, including volunteering opportunities to keep them running, on the Bike Bus Edinburgh page;

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💚 From Cargo Bike Movement this week:

• 📹 A lovely video of volunteers on their cargo-bike-powered food waste runs [IG] around Edinburgh, collecting and redistributing food saving it from landfill;

• 📸 Nice photos from the ‘Give it a Go’ cargo bike try-out session in Bruntsfield on Friday with local climate initiative BANZAI who also have community cargo bikes for hire;

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⭐️ From the team at Porty Community Energy, some lovely video capturing Saturday’s Lantern Parade [IG] “through Fishwives Causeway to help raise awareness and to call for better signage for this important alternative path between Restalrig/Mountcastle and Portobello”;

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🛍️ The Princes Street and Waverley Valley Strategy - for which there is an open consultation survey until 21st February - have one further public drop-in feedback session today, Mon 3rd February. 1pm to 5pm. City Arts Centre, 2 Market Street, EH1 1DE

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😢 Many thanks to reader Katie who got in touch with the following helpful information for anyone whose bike was in the workshop of Biketrax when they sadly announced their closure [IG]:

If anyone else is in the unfortunate situation of currently having a bike in the workshop with Biketrax I would recommend they contact The Insolvency Company and give company name 'AC Cycles'.

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⚒️ Merchiston Community Council are back on the campaign trail to improve Polwarth’s worst junction. News of the Council commencing a redesign, and more background on the project, can be found on their website;

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📃 From lurking in Community Council mailing lists, I spotted this rather handy document listing upcoming City of Edinburgh Council consultations and their approximate launch dates for the coming year;

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⚙️In case you missed it last week - January’s edition of Spokes’ — the Edinburgh and Lothians Cycle Campaign — Action update [PDF] has been released, packed with local and national calls for action and involvement in getting better investment and outcomes in and for cycling in our towns and cities;

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🤝 City of Edinburgh Council Transport & Environment Committee - January 30th Roundup

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🌐 Meeting Page and Webcast
💼 Business Bulletin [PDF]
📄 Agenda [PDF]
📆 Work Programme [PDF]
☑️ Rolling Actions Log [PDF]
🎤 Deputations [PDF]
🖋️ Reports Pack [PDF]
📋 Motions and Amendments [PDF]

As always, our links to specific PDF pages will work in desktop browsers, but iOS and Android have not yet caught up to this feature.

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The council’s Transport and Environment committee met last Thursday, 30th January; in our last issue we covered the cycling-adjacent items featured in the committee’s papers, and here we’ll round up the items by theme.

As they so often do, Spokes posted a live thread on Bluesky as the committee took place.

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⚒️ Smokey Brae Improvements

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Item: Business Bulletin update on page 3: “Proposals to improve facilities for walking, wheeling and cycling on Smokey Brae” which will be the subject of a public consultation in ‘early 2025’.

As per the bulletin, “the scope of the project has been expanded to incorporate additional improvements on Marionville Road, between Wishaw Terrace and Marionville Park.”

This was the subject of reasonable questions from Councillors as to why a project at a fairly advanced stage of development, and already delayed, was having its scope and area increased. The answer from officers was essentially that if looking at interventions nearby one another, it’s better value in terms of costs involved to group them into one scheme, especially as some of the issues in the increased scope came to light after initial consultation on the first round of plans.

An addendum by the Conservative group on this item, and also calling shenanigans on numbers they didn’t like relating to the successes of the Leith Connections LTN ETRO (below), was summarily defeated by the customary nine votes to two.

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🏡 Liveable, or Low Traffic, Neighbourhoods

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Business bulletin pages 5 through 9 feature a fairly comprehensive defence of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods; in questions, Liberal Democrat Councillor Kevin Lang asked officers about LTNs in general - essentially, how would the council decide a new liveable neighbourhood was warranted?

The answer from officers was that as per a February 2024 report around ‘Our Future Streets’ and the City Mobility Plan (CMP), they have developed a prioritisation methodology to assess and prioritise areas using a list of relevant factors - and that more detail around this will likely come to light as part of the CMP costing and prioritisation work due to conclude in May.

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⚓ Leith Connections Low Traffic Neighbourhood ETRO

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Business Bulletin pages 4 to 5 feature a Leith Connections ETRO Update on the successful Low Traffic Neighbourhood measures.

An excellent deputation from residents’ organisation Liveable Leith (at around 5m in):

• Backed up the successes of the scheme;

• Was represented at committee by a local parent, an asthma sufferer, and a business owner - all beneficiaries of such schemes thanks to safer streets, improved air quality and improved footfall / lingering time in the area rather than simply passing by in cars;

• Made the excellent point that the huge through-traffic decreases outweigh the minor increases seen on some boundary roads;

• Called on the Council to build on and improve the scheme - even proposing to expand the boundary.

A second deputation on the scheme came from Leith Links Community Council, who like all good anti-change agents had done their own definitely unbiased survey that’s just as good as professionally accredited market research firms thankyouverymuch; 364 responses and “hundreds of comments” showing 40% support, 34% oppose — some with very strong feelings, goodness — and 26% with mixed feelings. The CC claimed this represented an ”equal division of views” within the community, in spite of this not being how percentages or fractions work. The deputation began querying the market research, and attempted before timing out on their allocated slot to make out issues with boundary road traffic. The frequent repetition of ‘a marked increase in traffic’ that a professional transport design consultancy failed to count or notice was an interesting motif.

The Biagi Question

At the TRO (Traffic Regulation Order) sub-committee’s meeting where it was decided to tear out the Manse Rd bus gate as part of Corstorphine Connections, then-councillor Marco Biagi went on a tear about his professional misgivings with some aspects of the methodology employed by the Market Research consultants who were tasked with getting a statistically significant, cross-demographically representative sample of local views on the scheme - an outcome which was largely in favour of the changes in the locality.

The Tory Gentleman on TEC — blissfully unaware of the hypocrisy of bemoaning ‘puff piece’ journalism from the convenor while writing his own pish pieces for local papers — took it upon himself to ask officers whether the methodology called out by Biagi in relation to Corstorphine Connections was the same used in the market research on Leith Connections. Officers confirmed that broadly the same methodology, on the same contract award to the same company — and same standards and confidence level — were employed.

Green Councillor Chas Booth went on to characterise Marco Biagi’s take on the market research as “entirely bogus, entirely unwarranted attacks on professional market research”, and asked the following:

• Did Biagi meet with council officers after the fact to go over his concerns?

• Was the research conducted by a member company of the Market Research Society, the relevant professional body?

• Could officers confirm the sample size was sufficiently large to give statistical significance?

The answer from officers? They have confidence in the market research being commissioned; Biagi did meet with officers on Corstorphine Connections, and outcomes from that conversation have been influencing ongoing work; and the company used was procured through the Council’s market research framework, is a member of the Market Research Society, and that the surveying was of a significant enough sample for a 95% statistical confidence level — and representative of the community.

For anyone who’s been paying attention, that’s not surprising. Sustrans’ Edinburgh Walking and Cycling index [PDF] own market research stats have support for the creation of more low traffic neighbourhoods in the city at 61% support and 20% opposed; we would expect to — and do — see these levels of support reflected when representative market research is conducted at a hyperlocal level, but for the vocal minority of opponents, this quiet majority support just doesn’t square with their own echo chamber of freedom fighters and the very bravest of NIMBYs, nor the responses to their own unconsciously negativity-weighted survey questions.

The committee voted to avoid meddling in the TRO sub-committee’s business, as they will take the deciding vote on the retention of the Leith LTN; the Conservative Addendum is consigned to the recycling basket of destiny once more, as local democracy fans once more chant ‘Nine - two! Nine - two!’ into the cold January air.

(It’s late).

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🧭 7.2 City Centre West Edinburgh Link (CCWEL) to George Street Active Travel Connections

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📄 Link to Report [PDF] »

The report sets out to “explore alternative routes to connect the CCWEL before the construction of George Street. Options include Queen Street, Rose Street and Young, Hill and Thistle Streets”, and notes that “additional work is being undertaken to deliver safe walking, wheeling and cycling links across Charlotte Street and St David Street to George Street”.

Questions about mitigations for the surface of Young, Hill and Thistle Streets are met with confusion - the measures being discussed are purely to allow contraflow cycling on these streets, not make them actually comfortably passable by cycle. Come on now!

A quick round of whataboutery from Cllr Lang regarding risk to pedestrians in streets with contraflow cycling, regardless of the fact that many streets in Edinburgh have featured such for years now with little to no issue; the design guidance used in Edinburgh and beyond has such measures approved and already in place. Again, Edinburgh is not unique and such features exist in many places, but we must carefully study each and every street intervention as though it’s a madcap idea council officers have just coined over a pub lunch.

The committee in general are understandably cautious about allowing contraflow cycling on Rose Street, a pedestrianised zone except for those bits we let motor vehicles through; this will come back around again as the TRO process progresses.

None of this solves the issue the report was commissioned for, which was to deal with the fact that the City Centre West to East Link was built with its central leg left on the drawing table for another scheme to pick up in half a decade, and currently leaves users to fend for themselves between Charlotte Square and St Andrew’s Square without so much as a wayfinding sign.

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🚘 8.2 Powers to reduce car use

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📄 Link to Report [PDF] »

This report looks beyond the ‘carrot’ to some of the ‘stick’ powers available to the Council — or potentially available when Transport Scotland have done some legal introspection — to attempt to meet their target of a 30% reduction in car kilometres driven in the city by 2030.

All of this is essentially awaiting the legal review being conducted by Transport Scotland; the powers the council do have, to create a Workplace Parking Levy — rehashed again somewhat at this committee meeting — are regarded by the majority of the parties at play as flawed legislation, and have already been voted down at TEC previously.

A valiant attempt from the Greens and SNP to bring such a measure back to the table was defeated in an unusual two rounds of voting, and an update will come to TEC in June as to whether Transport Scotland have made any progress.

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🚋 8.4 Trams from Granton to the Royal Infirmary, Bioquarter and Beyond – Bus Rapid Transit Update

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📄 Link to Report [PDF] »

A deputation from Philip Wade of the Save the Roseburn Path campaign was heard at around the 18m mark.

One of Save the Roseburn Path (STRP)’s current campaign angles is to call for alternative mass transport solutions other than Trams. In the deputation, Philip outlines the case for Bus Rapid Transit, as a solution that scales further than the campaign believes Trams can across a city like Edinburgh, and that an ‘on road tram’ system could be safer for cyclists, assumedly due to the lack of tracks to get caught in.

Current BRT vehicles have a carrying capacity of 140 people per vehicle - 110 less than an Edinburgh Tram’s capacity of 250, but the campaign is keen to highlight that higher capacity vehicles are in the pipeline.

The STRP campaign:
- Accepts the need for a ‘Granton Corridor’ Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Scheme
- Actively supports an on-road MRT solution, regardless of MRT form (e.g. BRT or Tram)
- Actively campaigns against any form of MRT along the Roseburn Path

In responses from Officers later in the day, some illuminating counterpoints to BRT were heard: bus rapid transit vehicles are heavy and likely require upgraded roads to run on, exacerbating ‘rutting’ seen at bus stops and along bus routes due to weight as compared with trams; their ‘swept path’ (radius for turning) is not as tight as a tram, which is difficult in a city like Edinburgh; they cause tyre wear pollution that simply isn’t an issue from tram stock; they have higher maintenance and operating costs; won’t integrate with the existing tram network i.e. are not cross-compatible on routes; and as soon as they integrate with the general bus network further into town, lose all typical benefits of a BRT implementation. Councillors in questioning officers conceded that there were certainly applications for BRT within Edinburgh, for example to serve Penicuik and other routes to the south which were unlikely to ever see a light rail network, but that for the route to Granton the calls from Lothian Buses and others were to use Tram lines.

A combined Labour, SNP and Green position passed, moving the report with amendments to:

• Prepare a briefing note Investigating the use of the South Suburban Railway and Leith Docks branch line for light rail transit;

• Additions highlighting approved development and regeneration in Granton, the need for interim solutions while North-South Tram extensions are built, and looking towards mobility hubs and bus priority in the north of the city in order to deliver for the North of Edinburgh.

This defeated, by 7 votes to 4, a position by STRP supporters the Liberal Democrats calling for BRT alternatives to be developed and included in the North-south Tram extension consultation.

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📈 8.5 City Centre West to East Cycle Link and Street Improvements Project and Continuous Footway Monitoring

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📄 Link to Report [PDF] »

Based on the first six months from its opening, this report details some of the measured outcomes from the delivery of the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL). It’s a highly detailed report, making for a long read, but as summarised from last issue’s headlines:

• Pedestrian satisfaction on key streets has increased notably

• Around 90% of shoppers interviewed on affected streets had travelled by sustainable means;

• Overall satisfaction levels for shoppers on affected streets increased;

• The level of support has increased since pre-construction from 49% to 64%;

• Residents living near the scheme who cycle as their main mode of travel to work increased from 8% to 12% or from 8% to 16% if respondents who work from home are discounted;

• Residents’ satisfaction with the public realm and the availability of parking spaces both improved;

• Children at Roseburn Primary School usually cycling to school increased from 13% to 24%;

• 6% of people cycling on CCWEL would previously have made their journey by car or van - modal shift estimated to have reduced 29 tonnes of CO2 in 2024.

In questions about the report, Lib Dem Cllr Dijkstra-Downie asked about tactile crossings - with some concerns having been raised through the Edinburgh Access Panel and Trams to Newhaven feedback, will the next iteration of Edinburgh’s Street Design Guidance reflect feedback from blind users?

In a response specific to CCWEL’s implementation, Officers explained, this would be around continuous footways — where the footway surfacing continues over the side road unaltered, showing to motor vehicles to give way to pedestrians. It was believed that introducing tactile paving at such crossings would define the distinction between the footway and the carriageway, and discourage drivers from giving way in this fashion as they should per highway code and side streets.

Careful monitoring of both CCWEL and Leith Walk - and some of these locations monitored with both pre- and post-implementation research, possibly unique to Edinburgh - saw the proportion of motorists who slowed and/or stopped was 10% of motorists pre-scheme, and following the introduction of continuous footways was between 60-80%, a ‘clear majority’.

If used in appropriate locations, they are proving to be effective - and it remains a concern that the addition of tactile paving in this fashion would affect those positive outcomes. There are a few locations where the amount of traffic remains too high and the team are looking into those locations for other reasons and possible interventions.

On the subject of ‘Bus stop bypasses’ - Cllr Booth asked that, with the report stating there were negligible incidences of conflict on CCWEL bus stop bypasses between cycle users and pedestrians - to what extent this will contribute to use of this kind of design elsewhere in the city.

Officers were pleased with the outcomes of behaviour monitoring here, where only around 1% of pedestrians crossing to board a bus had any kind of interaction with a cycleway user, and clarified that this data is from several hundred bus users, during peak time monitoring of a route seeing up to 1200 cyclists a day on its busiest days. The team are also aware of research other parties are doing, like Living Streets UK’s findings — but that they are looking at some extremely busy bus stops in London, with much higher numbers of both pedestrians and cyclists - and officers are encouraged by the monitoring results from these layouts as implemented in Edinburgh currently.

The report was moved with no amendments - as such great news should be.

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☔️ National News

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🌸 As we pass the 27th of January — the two year anniversary of the death of Glasgow-based cyclist Emma Burke Newman — her parents John and Rose have shared renewed calls for the safety of our roads and longer bans for dangerous driving, speaking to the BBC both for a news article and radio interview. The junction in question is subject to significant upcoming improvements for the safety of all users, and our transport culture and lack of enforcement of safe spaces for cyclists should never, ever have allowed for her death in the first place.

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✂️ As headlined previously, Cycling UK are calling for contacting MSPs about funding cuts:

”The Scottish government plans to slash more than £30 million from next year's active travel budget, while finding the money to increase spending on road building.

The government is now back-pedalling on the support for cycling it promised would help tackle the climate crisis, improve public health, and give people real transport choices.”

Stop the Cuts »

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🎙️ A new episode of the Streets Ahead Podcast:

Ned, Laura and Adam meet to talk about delivery riders in the gig economy. Laura finds a happy rider, and we interview author and academic Callum Cant about the reality for riders, and the creep of AI in our lives. Delivery Riders: who wins?

Callum Cant is the author of a new book, ‘Riding for Deliveroo: Resistance in the New Economy’, which I’ve immediately ordered to — unfortunately, most likely, I can change I swear — add to my tsundoku;

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📉 Despite $5M Cash Injection British Cargobike Firm Zedify Now In Administration — article at Forbes »

Zedify of course bought up local cargo bike delivery legends Farr Out - from the article, “The company’s hubs in Cambridge and Edinburgh remain operational for now, but the Zedify hubs in Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Plymouth will close, with 101 employees made redundant.” Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these redundancies;

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📺 “January 2025: The UK Parliament Transport Select Committee Takes Evidence from Active Travel England” - two hours on Youtube, including a passing mention by MP Scott Arthur of the wonderful Infrasisters at around the 1h 16m mark;

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🛣 Route Closures and Issues

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⛔️ Rodney Street tunnel approach from George V Park closed for 3 weeks

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Thanks to Martin for reaching out with the following:

[The closure is] poorly signed with no cycle diversions despite being part of National Cycle Route 75. The "pedestrian" diversion is through a play park and up a steep ramp and not very welcoming to cargo bikes and I suspect they wouldn't want anybody cycling through there. Also some gates to contend with. The only closures signs will probably just be at the location rather than at the places where cyclists could choose an alternative route and the current notices are inconspicuous

This is compounded by one of the better diversion routes - the contraflow cycle lane on Eyre Pl - being currently blocked by building works. We can chalk this closure and lack of diversion - or any real serious affordances for cycle users like advanced signage - up on the long list of recent works suffering the same lack of planning.

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🧱 London Rd, opposite Meadowbank - beware of loose / protruding cycleway kerbs following some kind of shunting incident, thanks to @Wingpig on Bluesky - multiple, as it would seem from SW20’s follow-up photo in the same thread;

• 📐 Also a ‘tree down’ (nearly!) warning from Wingpig; ‘partially-fallen tree just next to Dazzy's Hoose nook by the S. Fort Street bridge is still partially-fallen, though seems quite stable’ - photo on Bluesky;

• ⛔️ A member of Merchiston Community Council dropped us a note to let us know that a part of the Roseburn to Union Canal link — the ramp from Dalry Community park down to Dalry — is currently closed, due to the construction of new Toucan crossing as part of Roseburn to Union Canal project from 15/01/25 to 25/02/25

• 📪 More road closure info thanks to contributor Robbie:

  • 🧭 CCWEL at Rosebery Crescent - further sewer repair works are ongoing - a diversion northbound is being added after it was raised that works failed to mention cycle accommodation, as pointed out by Spokes;

  • 🧱 Ellen’s Glen Rd, a quiet link in Liberton, closed at the modal filter to repair flooding damage for 4 months. Closure may include pedestrians and may affect the Burdiehouse Burn;

  • 🌳 Water of Leith Path closed at Belford Bridge to repair a metal walkway from today, 3rd Feb for up to 5 days;

  • 🚂 Waverley Bridge - concrete barriers have been placed across the southbound lane with no gap, requiring some manoeuvring to pass. This has been raised with the Council for action;

  • 🚦 National Cycle Route #1 at Duddingston Park South is having its Toucan crossing upgraded currently, and expected to take until today (Monday 3rd Feb) so may be ongoing. Dismounting to cross may be required;

  • 🚂 National Cycle Route #1 at Innocent Railway Path closed 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week (w/c 3rd Feb) for rockfall inspections at Duddingston Low Rd. Historic Environment Scotland are providing a signed cycle diversion [fb];

  • 🚓 National Cycle Route #1 at St Leonards Lane Police Station closed on Tuesday 4th for phone mast work. It may be possible to go around via Hermits Croft. Note there are cycling prohibited signs on the path behind the police station;

  • ⛔️ North Bridge closed to northbound traffic from the 17th Feb for 6 weeks. The diversion will temporarily allow vehicles to turn right from Chambers St onto George IV Bridge, so be aware of unexpected vehicle manoeuvres here;

• 💧 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;

• 🛤️ Cheers Martin for passing on another update from Midlothian Council on the partial closure of NCN 196, on the Auchendinny-Rosewell railway path for resurfacing with ‘flexipave’:

  ”Resurfacing will restart on 3rd February 2025. It is estimated that the remaining works will take roughly 2-3 weeks to complete weather dependent.

  There will be limited through access to use the pathway at the Rosewell end the section which is to be completed. If users can cooperate with the workers as they pass this section, that would be much appreciated.

  The council would like to thank local residents and users for their patience.”

• ⚡ 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, though recently ban signs have been absent (we’re seeking clarification with station management);

• 🏹 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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