🚲 edi.bike | issue 97 | 16th June ‘25
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
🚗 Are ‘Road User Charging’ Powers Coming to Scottish Councils? Maybe, Eventually…
News this week that Transport Scotland will be undertaking a “regulatory check” of the necessary legislation needed for councils to introduce congestion charging, in a bid to both reduce the dominance of private cars in urban transport corridors, but also leverage the funds raised by congestion charging or road user pricing to invest in sustainable transport choices.
While this will likely bring welcome clarity for Councillors looking to debate the potential for such a scheme in Edinburgh, it has also been described by critics as further delaying the matter of actually addressing car overuse, kicking the can further down the road while we await the regulatory review, further governmental guidance, and then the inevitable, drawn-out consultation process and gnashing of teeth. Transform Scotland shared a brief, excellent response to the news, that ends:
With car use rising rather than falling since the original 20% reduction target was set in 2020, Transport Scotland needs to bring forward a clearer timeline of action. The Government has spent years talking, consulting, and drafting plans – but without making change happen on the ground. While we welcome the message of this policy reset, we’ll be watching closely to ensure it leads to real progress, not more delay. — Transform Scotland »
🚓 Roseburn Path Reopens After Police Operation Recovers Firearm; For Path Users, Questions Remain
After a drawn-out closure lasting six days, a Police Investigation relating to the central belt’s recent ‘gangland feud’ incidents recovered a firearm after an extensive search that left users of the path with significant and often fairly fraught, traffic-heavy detours around the Police cordons blocking the route between Ravelston Dykes and Roseburn.
After finally reopening around 15:45 on Wednesday 11th, a number of discussions about the incident raised the same question: due to the nature of the operation, the Police remained tight-lipped throughout, not only about the type of incident but also the timeline for reopening. Had this been a busy road — rather than a beloved Active Travel route — would their response and communication with the public have been different? There’s obviously serious business being dealt with, but it’s hard to imagine a closure of a vehicle artery being conducted in the same fashion, and many feel that Police Scotland could have managed the expectations and diversions better.
🏰 Local Bits
👀 Lovely wee peek on Instagram at The Bike Station’s new space at 141 Lauriston Place, which opened last Thursday. There’s launch celebration coming up on 4th July - more details of the move on their blog »
🎨 This Friday 20th, Pedal and Paint - “Active Travel and Community Art Event”, 2-4pm at 📍 Gypsy Brae, West Shore Road, featuring:
Community walk from West Pilton Park to Gypsy Brae at 1:45pm
Get your bike fixed for free by Dr Bike
Try out an electric bike
BMX demonstration from Scottish BMX School
Music from Tinderbox
Unveiling of newly painted planters by Art for Grown Ups
/via Spokes
📸 Thanks to ‘Dashed Lines’ on Bluesky for tagging us in their photos of a newly opened ‘missing link’ path built between Greendykes Rd and Hunters Hall Park in the East of the city, following their photos of improvements at Greendykes and construction shots earlier in the year.
👮🏽♂️ Police Scotland will be doing two free Bike Register security marking at the following upcoming sessions:
Tomorrow, Tuesday 17th, 3.30pm - 6pm at Inverleith Park close to the central junction/crossroads - specific location 📍///feared.codes.penny »
Friday 7th June 11am - 3pm at 📍 Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, 67B Groathill Road North , Alongside ELREC and Dr. Bike who will be doing their weekly bike repair sessions.
📋 Via Spokes — Midlothian Council have an Online Survey running until 27th June on local appetite for secure cycle parking, ebike charging stations, and expanding the Brompton Hire scheme available at Sheriffhall Park and Ride;
📺 Spotted a lovely wee Bike Week video on Facebook from Sustrans this week with Sam, who following a wrist injury switched to a riding a recumbent trike, and also managed to get a narrow barrier on NCN75 made more accessible thanks to Sustrans;
🚶🏻♀️ Busy season at ScoreScotland, with the launch of their Wester Hailes Walk, Pedal and Thrive Project, including Play on Pedals sessions for kids, adult cycle training, Dr Bike sessions and more - Full details on their Facebook Post
🦓 More Leith Walk questions this week - as spotted by John Robson, why is there now a zebra crossing over the cycleway at the (already cycle-signalised) Puffin crossing to Gayfield Sq when approaching London Road?
At a guess - the number of cycle signals on Leith Walk (and the Queen St / York Place section of CCWEL) with overly long wait times means cycle signals are treated as a guideline of when it’s safe to go, not a restriction if they’re red - otherwise a very stop-start journey when many side streets can be safely crossed without adhering to them (your mileage may vary, not advocating nuffin your honour). So if we establish a design language where cycle signals are best ignored for an efficient journey, we have to stick a zebra crossing in to protect the priority of pedestrians when they have a green man signal to cross the A900 here.
💪🏽 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 »
⚙️ Spokes have recently 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]
🇬🇧 National
🏴 Scotland
💰 Via friend and reader Shellie: A total of 23 organisations across Glasgow have been awarded a share of £150,000 to promote cycling and wheeled sports - Glasgow Times Article »
🏗️ Glasgow Infrastructure:
In case anyone else has been losing track of all the construction projects going on just now… Glasgow City Council put out an Avenues Programme Progress Report in April 2025. However, a few that were due to be complete by May 2025 are still going on. So, it seemed like a good time to revive GoBike’s Infrastructure Update and have a look… — Full Article »
🏴 England / 🇬🇧 UK
💼 Big news from Transport Action’s legal case to rule cuts to Active Travel funding unlawful:
The day before the Spending Review, the Court of Appeal ruled that the March 2023 cuts to cycling and walking funding imposed by the Treasury were unlawful. — Press Release »
🥇 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 today, 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.
🌍 Elsewhere
🆘 Via Laid Back Bikes:
Latest Afghanistan fundraiser organised by Shannon Galpin. Every £€$ helps! Since the Taliban takeover she's organised life saving evacuations for 150+ Afghan cyclists (one recently arrived in Dundee, many others across the world!). Donate & pass on if you can 🙏
Their story, as written by Galpin, can be found here — along with the Fundraiser Link »
🛣 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:
🚵🚁 Holyrood Park: High Road closed this Tuesday 17th June until 4:30pm for repair works (see plan below).
🏳️🌈🏃 Holyrood Park: Queens Drive and High Road closed this Friday 20th June after 6pm for Pride Run 2025, though the offroad shared path is expected to remain open.
🚌 Leith Walk: Bus tracker pole at Foot of the Walk citybound being replaced this week, 16th June, potentially obstructing segregated cycle lanes. Remedial works to the cycle path by Elm Row may place further obstructions.
🚌 CCWEL: Bus tracker pole at West Coates citybound being replaced this week, 16th June, potentially obstructing segregated cycle lanes. Concurrent Scottish Water repairs in the footway at Haymarket Terrace may place further obstructions.
⛳ Kingston Avenue: Closed outside Liberton Golf Club all this 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, Portobello: Reopens at 8am after overnight railway bridge repairs today, Monday 16th June, until Thursday. Works may be delayed and prevent morning commuter traffic to Portobello.
🎥 Starbank Road, Newhaven: Traffic held for short periods for filming this week Wednesday 18th June to Saturday 21st June. Trinity Path not expected to be affected.
🚧 Murieston Place, Dalry: Closed at Russel Road this Wednesday 18th June for Scottish Water repairs. If you’re travelling between Slateford and Roseburn Path, the new Dalry Park may offer an alternative.
🌴 Inverleith Terrace: Closed this Sunday 22nd June at the Botanics East Gate for BT telephone pole replacement until 4pm.
🚉 South Gyle Road: Bridge over South Gyle Station by modal filter and Quietroute 9 to close from next week, 23rd June, for renewal work until Spring 2026. It is expected, but not confirmed, that it will be possible to dismount to pass.
🚧 Murieston Crescent, Dalry: Closed at Dalry Road next week 23rd to 29th June for BT repairs. If you’re travelling between Slateford and Roseburn Path, the new Dalry Park may offer an alternative.
Longer Term Closures:
🌉 Harrison Road: two bridges closed due to structural concerns with micro-cracking in the original cast iron beams. Access to cycles is being restricted:
The north-west bridge over a small path is having its deck rebuilt. UPDATE 16th June: Full bridge closure to pedestrians and cycles from June 30th for rebuilding until November. Path underneath will also close, with a signed diversion in place.
The south-east bridge over the Union Canal is closed for investigations. Fencing has been placed across the bridge to prevent motorists from moving cones, though there is a gap for cycles. UPDATE 16th June: Bridge will not require rebuilding and is expected to re-open to vehicles in July.
⚡ 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.
🚂 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.
💧 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
📘 This Wednesday, 18th June: An interesting talk sent in by a reader —
Professor Richard J. Williams discusses his new book ‘The Expressway World’ with colleague Dr Sepideh Karami:
In the demonology of the contemporary city, is there anything more toxic than the expressway? Dividing neighbourhoods, depressing land values, concentrating atmospheric pollutants, the mammoth infrastructure of the expressway is now increasingly crumbling into the ground.
How did we build the expressway world in the first place? And what are we going to do now with it now?
This eye-opening book explores these questions partly through the great expressway abolitions of recent years, such as Boston’s Central Artery (buried and covered by a park) and Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon (replaced with an artificial river). But the book also uncovers the hidden stories of expressways that have become weird attractions in their own right, from London’s Westway to São Paulo’s Minhocão, celebrated in art and literature. Above all, the book proposes, counterintuitively, that we find ways to live with the expressway world and to adapt it to a different future, inspired by the many examples where people have already reinvented this challenging legacy on their own terms.
🎟️ Get Tickets Here »
Wednesday, June 18 · 6:30 - 7:30pm, at 📍 The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, 15 Rutland Square
🎭 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.
🌳 Saturday 28th June: The Edinburgh Climate Festival will include the excellent Porty Community Energy and BANZAI ‘Travel Agents of Change’ pop-up exhibition, and they’ll also be giving free rides in one of their cargo bikes. No doubt there will also be some other cycling / cycling-adjacent organisations around too!
🌾 Also 28th June — Bridgend Farmhouse Summer Fair:
Games and activities for kids; silent disco; family bike rides; stalls and the café with Bridgend Farmhouse handmade goods, food and drink [including pakora] on sale; music, hill race, and lots more!
Adult entry by donation, kids go free [but must be accompanied by an adult] - booking is essential for all – 🎟️ Get tickets here »
🧘 More upcoming rides and movement / yoga sessions from Detour [IG]:
28th June - Yoga by Bike, East Linton - 🎟️ Details and Tickets »
29th June - Detour x Tribe Porty - Movement by Bike, Porty to Dalkeith - 15 mile loop following cycle paths, quiet roads and gravel paths, stopping off at Dalkeith Country Park for a guided outdoor movement workshop - 🎟️ Details and Tickets »
6th July - Yoga by Bike, Porty to Longniddry - 🎟️ Details and Tickets »
🌍 Saturday 5th July: World Naked Bike Ride Edinburgh, 1pm - more info at wnbr.scot (website contains mild nudity, naturally!)
🖼️ 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:
📋 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 (Issue 96, 9th June) 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.
📋 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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