🚲 edi.bike | issue 96 | 9th June ‘25
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
📣 Make Your Voice Heard - Add Your Support for Retaining Protected Cycleways Before 15th June
⚠️ Closes Sunday 15th June (Respond on 14th or before)
Edinburgh’s Covid-era protected cycleways — those established with temporary black and white ‘orca’ bollards — are currently covered by Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs).
The period in which the remaining schemes can be commented on ends this week - last day this Saturday 14th, with the consultation closing on Sunday. It only takes five minutes or less to add a note of support, an anecdote about using the lanes, or even a mention of an issue with the current designs. Consultations attract negative input and objections and if you value the protected spaces established over the last four or five years in the city, it is well worth your time responding in favour of retaining them.
ℹ️ Notably, ETRO plans do not have cycle lanes marked - only the motor vehicle waiting and loading restrictions that make them legally possible. If you review the visual plans, you’ll see no bike lanes pictured, but these are key to enabling them.
There are four open consultations that end this week. The links below go to the Council’s portal on CommonPlace, where you can easily reply to each.
- 🧭 ‘SOUTH’ — ETRO/21/29A – a bundle including Buccleuch St, Causewayside, Craigmillar Rd, Gilmerton Rd, Mayfield Rd, and Old Dalkeith Rd - Comment Here »
- ⛰️ BRAID ROAD — ETRO/21/29B — Comment Here »
- 🚲 COMISTON ROAD — ETRO/21/29C — Comment Here »
If you prefer, you can respond by emailing TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk quoting the relevant scheme.
The fourth scheme listed on the portal with a deadline of the 15th, ETRO/21/29D - Meadows to Greenbank quiet route, is a legal placeholder - it reflects the current restrictions that enable the Quiet Route via modal filters in the Braid Estate, which the Council have managed to oopsPolitik their way into removing in favour of protected cycle lanes (and the reintroduction of more than 4,000 vehicle movements a day to a residential estate, a masterful gambit). A new ETRO with the new design — including, importantly, the option to revert back to the previous, traffic-filtered layout — will be published. As such, we don’t believe it’s as urgent to comment on this ‘status quo’ order, as another will be along soon - but you are of course free to do so.
🔮 The Future of Edinburgh: Herald Newspaper Series Covers City Cycling with Mixed Success
The Herald are running a series of (paywalled) articles about the Future of Edinburgh, currently - and inevitably, a couple have cropped up that get into cycling and infrastructure / public realm territory. They currently have a £1 for 3 months digital access trial, should you want to read any of these in full.
This week saw a fairly balanced piece by Vicky Allan, who doesn’t typically cycle in Edinburgh but gave it a try: “Is Edinburgh city centre safe to cycle? I (nervously) tried it” »
For me it was a lack of confidence about cycling through busy traffic. Finding that there are lanes across so much of the city really did make a difference - even if there are gaps in the network.
On reflection it seems slightly crazy that I was nervous about cycling in traffic given I do driver and am sometimes part of that traffic, but that in many ways is the reason why. When you're sitting behind the wheel of a car, cyclists look so vulnerable.
A lot recognisable here, and a fairly reasonable piece about demand, infrastructure, and our slow pace of delivery compared to Glasgow and elsewhere. But what would a news week be without another frothy piece about plans to pedestrianise George St?
In “George Street revamp: How pedestrianisation plan could be scaled-back”, Donald Turvill lays out the potential for the plans to revitalise George St as a public space to be value engineered with different proposals at different budget levels presented to Transport Committee members for debate and decision.
Sadly, the article manages to repeatedly platform onlookers (and, notably, omits interviewing anyone who supports actually finishing this middle section of CCWEL) who insist on referring to a ‘six-metre wide cycle superhighway’ down the middle of the George St design. This obviously won’t do on a 30-metre-wide street, leaving as it does a mere 24 metres of width for pedestrians, restaurant seating and street furniture.
Let’s take a closer look. Of course, a ‘cycle superhighway’ sounds great. However - call me old fashioned, but factoring in the time-based access for taxis, private hire cars and delivery vehicles down said superhighway, I’d probably be radical and call this a road, albeit one that is sometimes free of motor vehicles. Actual ‘cycle superhighways’ don’t tend to feature car parking spaces and designated loading zones for delivery lorries.
I probably have it wrong though — in the article, cycling expert and Conservative Councillor Joanna Mowat weighs in:
“[George Street] is not really a particular transport link because of the squares at either end, so for it to become the main cycling connection would be awkward for cyclists who like to go in very straight lines,” she said.
It’s hard to follow such eloquent piffle with anything other than a dismissive smile and a paracetamol chaser. If you’re finding your blood pressure dangerously low of a morning, feel free to subscribe to the Herald and you can see what other brilliant insights on the city they’re willing to publish. Your mileage — in a very straight line, mind — may vary.
📋 New Consultation in Meadowbank for Marionville Rd Cycleway, and Details on Smokey Brae
Following consultation in 2022, the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) has published new web pages this week detailing plans for protected cycleways on Smokey Brae, including Marionville Avenue and Restalrig Avenue. There are pages featuring visual before / after renders, and others with street layout plans.
These changes are part of an overall plan for the area which now includes a new section being consulted on, featuring a bi-directional protected cycleway on Marionville Rd. The associated consultation is open until the 17th of August, with CEC no doubt hoping to deliver both sets of improvements in tandem in the near future.
🏰 Local Bits
🚓 At time of writing, the Roseburn Path remains closed from West Coates to Ravelston Dykes due to a police incident, having been closed off on Thursday. Very little information about the nature of the closure has been forthcoming from officers at the scene.
🌄 This week saw Edinburgh Dawn Patrol increase to three weekly 5.40am rides, with a new ‘Gravel Edition’ route on a Wednesday morning [IG] - find out more about this and the Tuesday / Thursday road rides on their Instagram »
⚙️ Spokes have launched their annual competition with a range of excellent prizes - entries welcome on the theme of ‘My favourite bike ride’. Details and lots of local Edinburgh cycling news can also be found in their most recent Action Update [PDF]
💪🏽 Please consider supporting one of our excellent readers:
🚲 A local mum and edi.bike subscriber is biking from Glasgow to Edinburgh on 28 June to raise money for a new, inclusive breastfeeding support charity. Biking for breastfeeding is a way to raise awareness of the need for breastfeeding support and funding at a time when the funding landscape has changed in Scotland. What do biking and breastfeeding have in common? Both come with a sense of freedom - the sense of freedom moving about on your own two wheels is similar to that feeling when you crack breastfeeding and are able to feed a baby anywhere (a right that became legal 20 years ago in Scotland this week!) — 💷 Donate Here »
🪚 Addressing a scourge on the city: Edinburgh Festival of Cycling makes call for councillors to combat bike theft »
🧡 From The Wee Spoke Hub:
In June we'll have weekly women & non-binary Fix Your Own Bike workshops 🏳️⚧
Can't make it this month or tickets are sold out? Most of our events recur weekly or monthly, check out our Eventbrite for more dates and information!
🛠️Swing by our shop Wednesday-Saturday 1pm-6pm for all your bike servicing and repair needs! 🛠️
🚲 This Is How We Move: The Bike Station’s Bold New Base at Lauriston Place
This June, The Bike Station is launching a new, city-centre hub at 141 Lauriston Place — and it’s more than just a new address. It’s a catalyst for change.
We’re not here to tweak the status quo. We’re here to help drive a cycling revolution — one that’s powered by communities, rooted in sustainability, and built to last for generations.
The new space will open on 12th June, with a community party to follow on 4th July - more details on their blog »
💧 Edinburgh too rainy for cycling? Some great homegrown stats from Dr Mark Hartl over on Bluesky; in 1,000 commuting rides along the Roseburn path and Union Canal, it was only rainy enough for him to end up soaked 1.4% of the time;
💰 Excellent news for ScoreScotland, having been awarded £205,000 of National Lottery Community Funding over the next few years - Post on FB »
🏙️ Friend of the newsletter Harry Williams has launched his latest project, City Scope - an amazing tool for visualising and exploring planning applications across Edinburgh. Read more about the project at Deadline News »
📷 Good to see finished construction photos of new filters at Colliesdene in Portobello from Charlie over on Bluesky;
⚓ The team behind the promising new Leith Links Activity Park have a thread over on Bluesky introducing their newly published designs for the skatepark, roller rink and pump track »
⚡️ As mentioned last week, at Porty Community Energy:
If you are a paid or unpaid carer, we are offering FREE electric & cargo bike hires, FREE bike lessons and led rides, plus bike security and maintenance sessions over the summer. — @portyenergy on Bluesky
🇬🇧 National
🔬 Via SW20 — a new study “The link between low-stress bicycle facilities and bicycle commuting” - and there’s a Road.cc article summarising the findings too.
🥇 Following hot on the heels of Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling 2025 nominations opening last week, nominations are now open for the Cycling Champion of the Year Award:
The Cycling Champion of the Year Award is organised each year in partnership between Cycling Scotland, Cycling UK, Scottish Cycling and Sustrans Scotland, to celebrate an individual who has made a significant impact on cycling strategy, development or delivery in Scotland at a local, regional or national level, bringing the environmental, health and social benefits of travelling by bike to more people.
Nominations are open until midday on 16th June 2025, and it takes just a few minutes to put someone’s name forward for the award via the simple online form »
People are welcome to submit multiple nominations for different nominees, and the awards panel will use the quality of the nomination, rather than the quantity, to inform its decision, ahead of the winner being announced in late summer 2025.
🛣 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:
🏞️ Roseburn Path: Police closure is expected to continue today, Monday 9th June, between Wester Coates and Ravelston Dykes. Police have been diverting users via Garscube Terrace, which adds a hill to the journey.
📶 George Street: Virgin Media Fibre works in parking bays outside Browns from today Monday 9th June for 2 weeks may obstruct cycle lane or carriageway eastbound.
🎥 Old Town Filming: Closures continue at Potterrow underpass and Victoria Street until Thursday 12th June. It may be possible to pass at Victoria St between shoots.
🚌 Leith Walk: Bus tracker poles at Foot of the Walk and Shrubhill citybound being replaced over the next 2 weeks, potentially obstructing segregated cycle lanes. Remedial works by Elm Row may place further obstructions.
🚧 Calton Road: closed this Sunday 15th June for Scottish Water repairs. Access will be maintained between Waverley Station and Leith St.
⛳ Kingston Avenue: Closed outside Liberton Golf Club all next week 16th to 20th June for BT fibre installation. Through traffic will be prevented, though it may be possible to dismount to pass.
🚂 Brighton Place: Reopens at 8am after overnight railway bridge repairs next Monday 16th June until Thursday 19th June. Works may be delayed and prevent morning commuter traffic to Portobello.
🚧 Murieston Place: Closed at Russel Road next Wednesday 18th June for Scottish Water repairs. If you’re travelling between Slateford and Roseburn Path, the new Dalry Park may offer an alternative.
Longer Term Closures:
⚡ Dryden Street: Link between footbridge and modal filter at Cambridge Ave closed until end of July for Scottish Power upgrades. Leith Walk segregated cycle lanes have largely superseded this route and may offer an alternative.
🚧 Viewforth: Closed for various works until 10th July. If you’re heading between the Union Canal and Bruntsfield, Leamington Ter may be an alternative.
🌉 Hope Lane Footbridge: Exit to Portobello High St closed for resurfacing works. It will be possible to access the footbridge via Windsor Pl or by dismounting.
🚧 Stenhouse Drive: road between shared use path along tramline and Water of Leith Path closed at Gorgie Road for SGN works until mid-August. Stenhouse Ave may offer an alternative route.
⛰️ 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 currently possible. It is anticipated that a fence will be constructed allowing access to cycles and pedestrians only.
🏗️ Port Hamilton Cyclepath: Shared use path between Union Canal and West End closed until 2026/27 for building works. A diversion has been signed via Gardeners Crescent and Semple Street – look out for diversion signs with the red number 7.
🌉 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, though the footway remains open. A closure of the path underneath is expected, which may include a signed diversion.
- The east bridge over the Union Canal has been inspected and may also require repair works. Fencing has been placed across the bridge to prevent motorists from moving cones, though there is a gap for cycles.
🚂 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.
💧 Union Canal: Towpath improvement works are ongoing from Leamington Lift Bridge to Edinburgh Quay until June ‘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
🎭 Edinburgh Festival of Cycling Events in June
A whole host of events in June associated with the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling - have a look over the Events Board for the full set (more are still being added) and see if anything takes your fancy.
📅 This Wednesday - Upcoming Public Meeting to Launch 'Friends of Dalry Community Park' — part of the Roseburn to (still not) Union Canal active travel link, via Cllr Ross McKenzie:
Wednesday June 11th 6.30pm - 8pm at St Brides Community Centre, 10 Orwell Terrace.
This is an opportunity to come together to form a group that ensures the Park is well looked after in the future, and to discuss issues that have been raised since the park opened in December (graffiti, watering, bins, public safety etc.) with representatives from the council and its contractors.
🏴 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!
🧘 Upcoming from Detour [IG]:
28th June - Yoga by Bike, East Linton - 🎟️ Details and Tickets »
6th July - Yoga by Bike, Fern Bothy - 🎟️ Details and Tickets »
🖼️ 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!) in April;
⛰️ Bikepacking event Dirt Dash’s 2025 return continues in July - check out the gorgeous video they put out this week [IG] from a recent event too:
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.
💙 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 Evenings: Edinburgh Gravel Cycling Club social group rides;
- ✴️ 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
- 🟰 Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council’s Edinburgh Cycling Club run weekly group rides and introductory classes;
🔁 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] and for other roles too;
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:
📋 Open Consultation: “Walking, wheeling and cycling improvements in Currie” is now open for comments until 6th July. The plans include junction and crossing improvements, and additional cycle parking and access at Curriehill railway station, as well as access into some of the new developments in the area. There is a drop-in session about the plans at Currie Library on 16th June from 2-5pm;
🌳 Progress at Elm Row - with the new combined downhill / uphill section of cycleway behind the bus stops finished up, pending the pavement being reinstated at the former downhill lane - photos from John Robson (Issue 95, 2nd June);
📸 Some great construction photos from Martin (Issue 95, 2nd June), documenting progress on the ‘Foot of the Walk to Dock St’ protected cycleway;
🔭 As spotted by Harry Williams and others, some movement on the ‘Longstone Link’ bridge (Issue 95, 2nd June): a Boundary Map [PDF] and Pre-application Screening have been published on the planning portal, which reads:
The proposal is for a new 5m wide shared-use bridge over the Water of Leith between a new housing development and New Mart Road. The bridge will link on the north east to a 3.5m wide shared-use path that will be widened to 5m wide connecting to New Mart Road in HRA. On the south west, it will connect to a new path to be delivered within the land of the new residential development. On the north west, the existing wooden boardwalk will be altered to connect to the new infrastructure. The location and alignment of the bridge has been selected to minimise the impact on trees, flooding management considerations and to retain the desire line for users crossing the Water of Leith.
🚌 Good to see changes underway at Elm Row, where the downhill cycle lane in front of the bus stops is being combined with a newly widened two-way lane section behind the shelters, reducing conflict with bus passengers (and also reconfiguring some of the parking at Elm Row in a way that hopefully makes a dent in some of the atrocious excesses being committed in the name of vehicle storage). Initially no diversion was provided - on Scotland’s busiest cycleway, well done everyone - but as per Robbie’s excellent Route Closures info above, it looks like this may now have been addressed
🌸 Thursday 8th May saw the meeting of Edinburgh’s full Council, and tabled amongst its business were some clarifying questions to the Transport Convener on the safe implementation of the changes coming to the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route by Green party Councillor Chas Booth; the answers are worth a read through [PDF, Page 17] in terms of some previously unseen detail, including different widths of planned protected cycleway on Braid Avenue depending on whether travel is in an uphill or downhill direction;
⛔ Charlie shared that the Brunstane Road and Coillesdene scheme — TRO/23/14 [PDF] — has works underway presently to make it permanent, which is great to see;
🚶 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;
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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