🚲 edi.bike | issue 90 | 28th Apr ‘25
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
🚘 “A Lack of Leadership and No Clear Plan”: Scottish Government to Cut 20% Car Usage Reduction Target
The Scottish Government will roll back their previous target of a 20% reduction in car kilometres travelled by 2030, based on a 2019 baseline, with Scottish Transport minister Fiona Hyslop quoted by the BBC as stating “I think the figure of 20% is not realistic and will need to be changed”, and that ”car use in Scotland is currently contributing significantly to carbon emissions, and that must change”.
It’s clear to edi.bike and other commentators that the issue here is not a lack of prior art in the matter - be it from other countries, or other cities on a localised level - but the lack of political backbone to deliver not only incentives to reduce vehicular traffic, but disincentives also - regardless of popularity.
Cycling for transport is not, in and of itself, a dangerous activity. Inattentive and dangerous driving, coupled with poor road surface conditions — caused by increasingly heavier and more deadly vehicles — is the reason urban cycling ends up requiring protected and segregated space to make it safe enough for new riders. So while a headline about failure to address car saturation isn’t the most on-brand story of the year for us, it does affect cycling for transport in an overwhelmingly negative way, even when factoring in the positives and conveniences of car ownership among cyclists.
🗞️ Coverage and Responses:
BBC News »
Great background from this Holyrood article »
Response from Transform Scotland »
📋 The guidance they ignored:
AECOM research the government themselves commissioned:
Research commissioned by the Scottish Government from AECOM consultancy shows that it is perfectly possible to achieve the government’s commitment to a 20% reduction in car-km by 2030. But … the government’s weak response shows no sign of adopting the recommendations of the research, and leaves tough decisions up to Councils and to the UK government. — Spokes, “20% Traffic Reduction: ScotGov research shows how” »
19 proposed interventions from a draft Transport Scotland Route Map »
Transform Scotland’s Five steps to deliver 20% traffic reduction now »
🤥 Local Politicians — who themselves failed to demonstrate leadership on even more ambitious targets while heading up Council Transport policy — being hypocrites on the internet:
This — from the draft route map — puts some ideas around this in very reasonable terms, for anyone feeling a bit uncomfortable about the way the evil cycling lobby™ sometimes speaks about the ‘war on cars’. Some of the rhetoric can sound radical, impossible and impractical — partly thanks to an unconscious bias known as motonormativity — but even in the context of the biggest contributions to climate change coming from corporations and feeling out of our hands, we can all make daily choices that shape how the car is woven into society, for our own benefit as well as the collective good:
The route map does not aim to eliminate all car use. We recognise that would not be realistic or fair, especially for journeys undertaken by disabled people or in rural areas where sustainable travel options may not always be available or practical.
Rather, the route map encourages all of us to reduce our overreliance on cars wherever possible and identifies four key behaviours that we want everyone in Scotland to consider each time we plan a journey: make use of sustainable online options to reduce your need to travel; choose local destinations to reduce the distance you travel; switch to walking, wheeling, cycling or public transport where possible; and combine a trip or share a journey to reduce the number of individual car trips you make, if car remains the only feasible option.
Reduce, reuse, recycle… and re-plan some of your journeys. Great place to start.
☀️ ‘Ride With Us’: A Stirring Call from Cycling UK
Well here’s a lovely palate cleanser after all that - a beautifully shot and rather poetic ode to cycling and our journey towards a country that has more of it, from Cycling UK as part of promoting their five-year strategy - watch it over on Youtube »
⚙️ Spokes Action Update & Public Meeting This Wednesday 30th
Spokes, the Lothian Cycle Campaign, have published their latest SpokesWorker Action Update [PDF] - replete with all manner of updates from across Edinburgh, including details of the 2025 Spokes Competition.
Also featured are details on their public meeting this Wednesday 30th with Transport Convener Cllr Stephen Jenkinson and Deborah Paton, City of Edinburgh Council’s Head of Transport Strategy and Partnerships; more details also below in our ‘Events’ section ⬇️
🍱 Nascent Riders Association Takes Shape for Delivery Cyclists in Edinburgh
Via a post to ‘The Meadows Chat’ on Facebook — which is unfortunately not visible unless you are a member of that group — long-time cycle courier Derek Johnstone Fraser is looking to establish a new scheme to support delivery riders in Edinburgh:
I am pleased to announce the formation of the Edinburgh Riders Association.
First up for our new Association is the start of a registry of riders, and a voluntary ID plate scheme, this will be a UK first, and is modeled on the Taxi Associations.Each member will display a full plate number, these are EXAMPLES.
EDC 0000
EDN 0000
LTH 0000The first 3 letters denotes the riders home area, then the 4 number ID.
Plates will be issued subject to right to work checks, ID checks, and bike safety checks, and membership of the association carries a monthly fee of £8, costs of the plates will be determined at a later date, but we are looking at a fee of around £50.
We are looking to introduce plates later this year.
The Association’s main aim is rider safety, a home base and workshop for riders, and raising money for charity.
If you’re a Rider, and are interested in joining and helping our Association, please don’t hesitate to join our page [FB] and get involved.
There are many ways this could go - but interesting to see nonetheless.
🏰 Local Bits
✊🏼 Edinburgh Critical Mass were out over the weekend, with a wonderful turnout - lots of photos and videos posted to check out:
📹 Steve,
and the 📷 Critical Mass account;
💸 Last chance (ends tomorrow, 29th April) to double your donation to an amazing fundraising effort underway for Bikes for Refugees Scotland, and others:
In May 2025, endurance cyclist Sarah Ruggins will fight to claim the outright World Record for cycling the length of the UK and back, a total of 2,700KM, in support of two good causes based in England and Scotland who provide essential mobility & freedom of movement to refugees & asylum seekers via the gift of bikes and the transformational power of cycling..
➡️ On Instagram, follow Sarah Ruggins, and beneficiaries The Bike Project and Bikes for Refugees for regular updates. Sarah's story can be followed here, as well as information about how you can get involved and support.
💚 A lovely bit of history, insight and torch-passing this week in Guest Blog: Legacy of the Cargo Bike Movement over at The Bike Station;
💪 78-year-old West Lothian Grandfather Peter Wright completed a 200km charity cycle from Linlithgow > Edinburgh > Glasgow > Dumbarton > Linlithgow in just over 24 hours this weekend, marking his birthday and raising money for a trust he established, The Maasai Girls Education Project - see his post on completion of the epic [FB] - story originally via Spokes;
🏴☠️ As part of Porty Festival, the fine folks of Porty Community Energy will be running a pirate-themed ‘Bike Treasure Hunt’ [IG] on the 10th of May; find out more and book free tickets here;
👏 Joy Rides enables people who are no longer able to cycle independently to feel the wind in their hair and the exhilaration of travelling on a bike through a beautiful area, in a safe, secure and supported environment. Joy Rides will help passengers combat feelings of isolation and loneliness, improve their health and well being and make them visible in their own community.
Some lovely photos posted to their Instagram of recent rides, this week;
🖼️ New Venue: The ongoing ‘Pedal Power’ exhibition about cycle campaigning in Edinburgh co-curated by Spokes, Infrasisters, Bike Buses and Edinburgh Critical Mass has moved on from Duncan Place, and can now be found at Norton Park (📍 57 Albion Road) — having been transported across by cargo bike (of course!) last week;
🅿️ News this week of improved — and sheltered — cycle parking installed at Newington Library, via Spokes;
🚴 The Bike Station want to know:
What’s your favourite local trip to do by bike — and what makes it special?
Let them know in the comments on Bluesky, or their Facebook post;
⛰️ Bikepacking event Dirt Dash returns for 2025:
The 2025 season kicks off with the Dexshell Cateran Dirt Dash on 3 & 4 May, followed by the Stans Yorkshire Coast Dirt Dash on 6 & 7 July, and concludes with the Lezyne Dunoon Dirt Dash on 27 & 28 September. Organised by round the world cyclist Markus Stitz, these self-supported rides are designed for cyclists who love off-road riding and are seeking new experiences on their bikes, whether for seasoned gravel riders or anyone new to bikepacking.
📷 A Wee Pedal led a ride out from Bridgend Farmhouse to Newhailes House in Musselburgh this week, and shared some great photos on Facebook; the team also shared a beautiful moment of introspection on the 6th anniversary of starting the business over on Instagram:
6 years ago I set up @aWeePedal after being a PE teacher all my life. Inspired by our son’s Perthes disease journey, I thought I’d ’give it a go’. The handbike ‘saved’ us and the more I got involved in helping people find joy on a bike, the stronger my desire to ‘give back’ to the world of inclusive cycling became.
24 April 2019 it was just me and Richard, my hubby.
Now, we are a team of 14 qualified leaders and instructors based at the wonderful @bridgendfarmhse for the past 5.5 years.
Over 1000 children and adults have learned to ride a bike with us in 5 years and our award winning cycle tours are sold-out throughout our summer season.
A huge thank you to everyone who has chosen to book with us, our partners and friends at Bridgend and our team - you are what makes A Wee Pedal.
Our ethos has always been to give back and help others be active and find the joy of riding a bike. 🚲😊❤️
🇬🇧 National
🏴 Scotland
🚸 Next Glasgow Kidical Mass is on 18th May:
This week saw the opening of Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling:
✂️ Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling has created two new cycling, walking and wheeling corridors of more than 6.5 km that connect communities, businesses and higher education institutes across the city.
Video by Sustrans on Facebook and article at Stirling Council »
🏴 England / UKGov
⚡ The All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking (APPGCW) has launched a Call for Evidence as part of a new inquiry into e-bike safety in the UK, with a particular focus on the risks emerging from dangerous low-quality e-bike conversion kits, gig economy work and delivery practices. — BikeBiz article »
🤔 From Laura Laker: Why did the BBC publish 22 negative articles on 300m of bike lane in Somerset? [Substack];
👏 New from Wheels for Wellbeing:
The biggest barrier to enabling Disabled people to cycle?
Cost. Non-standard cycles are eye-wateringly expensive.
Let's change that.
Our Wheels4Me.co.uk loan scheme gives Disabled Londoners the chance to loan a non-standard cycle, totally free. Not a discount or a grant. FREE.
Real freedom.
WfW also recently published their excellent Guide to Mobility Aids »
💬 Via Spokes - a debate of interest in Westminster this week on ‘Road Safety and Active Travel to School’, the transcript of which is available here »
New City of London data shows biggest increase cycling since records began:
📈cycling up 57% since 2022
🚲🚲nearly 2x more bikes than cars
📈500% increase in cycling since 1999
— Will Norman on Bluesky
City of London’s City Streets 2025 report [PDF] »
🌍 Elsewhere
📦 Cargo love - photos on Facebook of phenomenal Carla Cargo trailers in action in New York, New York; but if that seems too distant, don’t forget you can hire one in Edinburgh from SW20!
🛣 Route Closures and Issues
ℹ️ Encountered unexpected road issues? Find out how to report them with this guide from Spokes. The team at Edinburgh Travel News are also keen to hear about cycle path alerts and can be contacted on Threads or Facebook.
🦋 On Bluesky? Follow the #EdTravCyc feed - anyone can use the #EdTravCyc hashtag to share route issues they encounter;
📪 The week’s road closure info - many thanks to regular contributor Robbie for collating and preparing these:
🏗️ Colinton Dell: NCR 75 link between Water of Leith and Union Canal over Lanark Rd, closed all this week (28th April) for a crane lift. Two diversions are provided on narrow adjacent paths, which may require dismounting.
🌊 West College Street: Closed at the pass under Potterrow for Scottish Water sewer repairs. Barriers were reduced to allow cycle access at the weekend but be aware of excavation work restricting access during the week.
⚡ Slateford Road: Segregated cycle lanes westbound closed between Lidl and Slateford Station for Scottish Power works. It is necessary to join the road with temporary traffic lights.
🚰 Restalrig Crescent: Closed next week, 5th May, at the exit of the Restalrig Railway Path for Scottish Water works to remove lead pipes. Finlay Gardens may provide an alternate route.
🚧 East Fettes Ave: Closed until the end of April for resurfacing on Comely Bank Rd. Comely Bank Ave may also be closed. If you’re travelling between Stockbridge and Ferry Rd, Inverleith Park or Crewe Rd may be alternatives.
🌉 Harrison Road: two bridges closed due to structural concerns with micro-cracking in the original cast iron beams. Until works begin, a pleasant temporary low traffic area has been created; however, access to cycles is being restricted as works begin.
The west bridge over a small path is having its deck rebuilt. A closure of the path underneath is also expected, which may include a signed diversion. UPDATE: The bridge deck is now being removed, though the footway remains open.
The east bridge over the Union Canal has been inspected and may also require repair works. UPDATE: fencing has been placed across the bridge to prevent motorists from moving cones, though there is a gap for cycles.
🚳 St John’s Road: Crossing Improvements at Featherhall Avenue until mid-June. During the initial works, the northbound cycle lane on Featherhall Avenue will be closed.
⛰️ Duddingston Low Road in Holyrood Park: Ongoing inspection works have identified a risk of rockfall, resulting in a closure until further notice. Dismounting to pass is not possible. The innocent cycle path is currently unaffected; however, this may change. UPDATE: Works may reopen the road in May ahead of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival.
🚂 Waverley Bridge - concrete barriers have been placed across the southbound lane with no gap. Council officers are planning to replace them with temporary barriers with a southbound cycle lane. Be aware a faulty sensor is causing airport buses to enter the ‘bike box’, further restricting access.
🧱 Ellen’s Glen Rd, a quiet link in Liberton, closed at the modal filter to repair flooding damage until late May ‘25. Closure includes pedestrians and a diversion is signed via Malbet Wynd;
🏡 Leith LTN: Closure of Duncan Place until late May ‘25 for footway resurfacing. During this period, traffic will instead primarily access the LTN via Links Gardens, with the bus gate suspended. The modal filter on Wellington Place may provide quieter cycle access.
💧 Union Canal: Towpath improvement works are ongoing from Leamington Lift Bridge to Edinburgh Quay until May ‘25. 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;
⚡ 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
⚙️ This Wednesday, 30th April: Spokes public meeting, featuring Transport Convenor Cllr Stephen Jenkinson and Deborah Paton, the Council’s Head of Transport, Strategy and Partnerships:
This will be our first public meeting with Transport Convener Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, who took over when Cllr Scott Arthur was elected as an MP... He will speak on the place of cycling within Edinburgh’s overall transport policies, and what we can expect to see happening this year. Also speaking will be Deborah Paton, Head of Transport, Strategy and Partnership at the Council. As a senior officer, whose remit includes active travel, she is knowledgeable both on detailed active travel issues and on how individual projects fit into overall council transport plans. Deborah previously worked at Glasgow City, drawing up their new Local Transport Strategy, and before that preparing West Lothian Council’s Active Travel Action Plan, thus rising rapidly through the ranks!
Wednesday 30th April, 📍 Augustine United Church. 7.30pm - 9.30pm, with doors open from 6.45pm for coffee, stalls and chat, including a special stall to join Spokes or renew your membership
🟰 Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) have an Edinburgh Cycling Club and are running beginners cycling classes:
Spring has sprung, it’s time to ride!
New to cycling? Join our FREE beginner classes every Saturday at NKS!
Where?
7 Gillespie St, Edinburgh EH3 9NHWhen?
10 am Beginner Class
11:30 am Intermediate Class
All levels and backgrounds are welcome, bikes are provided!
Please register on Meetup »
🎻 27th May (Edinburgh Pianodrome): “Sarah Small's 'Good Again?' concert cycling tour will see her perform in a total of 26 venues, pedalling approximately 4,000 km (2,500 miles) in distance” /via Spokes;
🧘 Yoga by Bike, coming in May - and thanks to popularity, early booking for June, including 2 for 1 early bird tickets, now available too:
Join Detour [IG] for a social bike ride and yoga practice in East Lothian, on the 4th May!
We will meet by 📍 PATH (Portobello Active Travel Hub, on Porty Promenade) at 9am. We’ll ride around 15 miles to Longniddry, with plenty of stops to chat, hydrate and enjoy the scenery.
Around 11am we will arrive at Fern Bothy, where snacks and hot drinks will be provided. Jorja will then lead a 1 hour Vinyasa Yoga class, suitable for all levels.
Option to jump on a train home from Longniddry, or ride back to Edinburgh together!
🎟️ Tickets for 4th May »
🎟️ Tickets for 8th June »
📸 Lovely wee video on Instagram from a previous session too.
🏴 Save the date for She Pedals Scotland:
On 14th June 2025 we want to see how many women and girls in Scotland can ride their bikes in one day. Whether it's 1 mile or 100 miles, off road, on road, racing, cycling round the park, e-bike, BMX, handcycle, it doesn't matter. Let's create a buzz around women and girls riding their bikes outdoors!
💙 Riding LEJOG in memory of Tim McKenna — and raising money for charities Mind, Sustrans and Flight Free UK in his honour. Passing through in August, folks can join for some or all of the route by reviewing the itinerary. Thanks to John Robson for the link;
🎉 For six months starting in September, the ‘Towpath talks’ team will be returning:
Cycling community Talks are back - with the closure of Biketrax in January, the regular cycling talks by MacKenzie Barker (@rekrab82 [IG)] and hosted by Izabela Murtagh (@iza.murtagh [IG]) will be making a return in September using a new venue — Gamma Transport Division in the Comely Bank / Stockbridge area"
Great news. Announcements currently via the Towpath Talks account on Instagram, and we’ll publish dates when available!
💯 Edinburgh RC celebrating its hundredth year in 2025 and have an ongoing challenge encouraging 100 women of all cycling abilities to ride 100km - offering help to anyone who needs it along the way;
🔁 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 - more info on their Instagram;
☕️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, Family-friendly mass protest / group ride, 2pm, Middle Meadow Walk;
🫂 Help Needed
🧡 The Wee Spoke Hub are looking for a Comms volunteer [IG] - if that could be you, drop them a line!
🍅 SHRUB is looking for food distribution volunteers and Cargo Bikes:
We need anyone available any evening from Monday to Friday with a cargo bike or other transport to help us at SHRUB, picking up food from various supermarkets, that needs sorting and delivering to SHRUB in Bread Street. We are a zero Waste Hub charity and work for community environmental stuff!
We need to keep collecting and giving out for free a lot of waste supermarket food! This project has existed for 3 years any many of our people are vulnerable, disabled and/or elderly and rely on our free safe fresh food that would otherwise go in a bin
Can you help? If you can lend us your bike any day a week or even do the collection? Please email kai.allen@shrubcoop.org
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, The Wee Spoke Hub or ‘Brake the Cycle’.
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
✨ This section of the digest will receive a revamp in the coming months to move long-running, detailed consultation information onto web pages, and instead publish a list of links for open and recent consultations (along with summaries for anything actually new). In the meantime, anything new or changed is found near the top. ✨
In Previous Updates:
🚶 Pedestrianisation and Cycling Project to Close Lawnmarket to Traffic
Via Harry Williams on Bluesky, news of a new City of Edinburgh Council project commencing in July will see an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) close Johnstone Terrace and Lawnmarket during daytime, with deliveries and loading taking place outside of those hours:
Restrictions will be between
10.30am and 7.30pm, Monday to Saturday
12.30pm and 7.30pm, Sunday
Lawnmarket’s former black vehicle barriers have been removed during works, to be replaced at the end of the current work with mechanised retractable bollards. In addition to this filter, the following changes will be put in place:
Johnston Terrace:
Restricted access for large vehicles when pedestrian and cycle zone is in operation
Removal of existing coach parking
Taxi and private hire pick-up and drop-off areas
Additional blue badge parking
Public and resident parking
Turning area for smaller vehicles including taxis and vans
Castle Terrace:
Coach pick-up and drop-off on Castle Terrace
Relocated residential parking to make way for Coach spaces, at the cost of
Being an ETRO, over the eighteen trial months the council will be looking to monitor the impact and any changes needed before making the scheme a permanent change - including six months of public consultation. There’s also an extensive page of current arrangements, ahead of the ETRO commencing, including changes to through traffic on Castle Terrace.
These welcome (and long overdue) changes are seemingly part of a series of new projects under the heading ‘Improving Old Town Streets’ which starts with Johnstone Terrace and Lawnmarket, and also covers Victoria Street, High Street (west), Cockburn Street, High Street (east) and Hunter Square - all earmarked for changes under the various themes already established by the Transport Committee:
The strategies and plans guiding our proposals
The project reflects our ambition to be net zero by 2030 and the wider vision for the city as set out in our key strategies including:
City Mobility Plan 2021 – 2030: a 10-year strategy to transform the way people, goods and services travel around the city;
City Centre Transformation: an ambitious plan to provide a people-focused city centre, which is a desirable place to live, work and visit.
Our Future Streets (Circulation Plan): a long-term approach for planning transport and improvements to outdoor spaces across the city.
🌸 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route: ‘Option 3’ Detailed Plans (At Last)
Last Spring, the Labour Administration sided with Tory and Lib Dem colleagues on the Transport and Environment Committee and voted to remove traffic filtering from the Braid Estate, forming a key part of the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route - filters that had reduced through-traffic in the neighbourhood by as many as four thousand cars per day, a vote in direct opposition to several of the councils’ own policies. After a long design process, the plans for ‘Option 3’ (in a strange, consultation-as-referenda programme of stumbling around local objections and procedural glitches) have finally been made available, providing instead a series of protected cycleways through the streets forming the Braid Estate. Recently, Cllr Ben Parker asked for an update at Full Council and received a number of clarifications from Officers.
Neither pro-filter campaigners nor their pro-through-traffic counterparts are particularly thrilled by the plans, which will be implemented using temporary materials under a new Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO). However, thanks to Labour having tabled a last-minute caveat at the time, the ETRO will include the option to revert and reintroduce filters on the estate without requiring further legal process (e.g. another ETRO design and advertisement), so there is still hope if a case can be made that the goals of the project are deemed to have been compromised by reintroducing through-traffic to a liveable neighbourhood…
You can download the plans here [PDF].
📋 Consultation: Edinburgh BioQuarter Active Travel Gaps - Sheriffhall Park & Ride to BioQuarter Campus Route
Now closed (2nd March at 23:59): Consultation spotted by Spokes this week; seeking to connect up both some missing internal links in the active travel pathways around the Edinburgh BioQuarter site at Little France, and also deliver protected cycleways and quiet routes between the site and the Midlothian Council park and ride facility at Sheriffhall:
“Edinburgh BioQuarter partners (City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian, Scottish Enterprise and The University of Edinburgh) are in the process of improving active travel routes and facilities in and around the campus…
The improvements being looked at within this project will see the development of a new active travel route to Edinburgh BioQuarter from Midlothian in the south to plug a 'gap' in the infrastructure. Eliminating the 'gap' will improve accessibility for walkers, wheelers, and cyclists during everyday journeys.”
Detailed Plans and Rationale on the project’s StoryMap »
🗺️ East Lothian Council are carrying out consultations on proposed improvements between Prestonpans and Levenhall; there is of course some local resistance, and it would be great to see folks who feel able to comment responding to the consultation.
Download the (muckle!) combined plan [PDF] or browse the list
🍃 Spokes recently highlighted a new consultation from Midlothian Council to create Active Travel provisions along the A7:
The aim of the project is to improve active travel connections within the study area making it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle for their everyday journeys and to connect to public transport services more easily. Currently, there is no or limited provision for walking, wheeling and cycling along the majority of the A7 corridor.
The consultation has a deadline of 30th March for comments and input;
📋 Following the recent deadline for the ETRO (Experimental Traffic Regulation Order) consultation for the Northern ‘Travelling Safely’ areas, Spokes shared their final response [PDF] to the various areas and schemes covered - as always, thoughtful input on taking the schemes forward and potential improvements;
📃 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;
🏞️ Via Spokes - in an update from Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park the start of a new project to improve the valley is ongoing:
Burdiehouse Burn Restoration - Concept Design
“For the Burdiehouse Burn to become a successful and notable blue-green regeneration project, restoring approximately 5 km of the burn and surrounding habitats”
Core project objectives:
Sustainable river restoration
Habitat restoration in the surrounding landscape ✨ 3. Active travel connections
Placemaking & access improvements
Education & engagement of people and organisations local to the burn
Net zero gains
Improve the resilience of the site to climate change.
More in their newsletter »
🏚️ New plans for 21 flats on the site of the derelict Longstone Inn - damaged due to local flooding - have been published, featuring a ramp and alley access to the Burnside path; in addition, the council have now progressed with identifying who owns which bits of land and wall where the Burnside path sinkhole is situated, so discussions with the landowner will be ongoing to come up with a plan for remedial works here to fix not only the sinkhole, but hopefully the underlying cause too.
⚒️ 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;
📋 Dalry ‘Living Well Locally’: the council have published an Initial local resident feedback Report on the Dalry Town Centre proposals [PDF]. There is a summary on the main Consultation page.
🕳️ Photos shared by Longstone Community Council show recent works have provided “Some improvements to the diversion path surface and the gradient made on the Burnside path. Barriers also secured more robustly stopping access to the sinkhole.”;
⬆️ The statutory process for a handful of one-way street cycle exemptions have been published by the Council - available here as a list and more detailed plans: ‘TRO/24/27 - One-way street exemptions for cyclists - Various Roads - Ending on 31 January 2025’. Just one part of a city-wide project over the next 18 months or so to make more one way streets legal for contraflow cycling.
🚧 Works on the West Edinburgh Link project look to be starting at the end of May according to the listings on the Scottish Road Works Commissioner web portal spotted by Longstone Community Council;
🚢 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
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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