February 2025
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728  

2024–>2025 : What for Active Travel ?

Edinburgh 2024 saw big highlights for cycling, as major long-term projects came to fruition, and data showed bike use rising alongside new infrastructure. But 2025 may be a disappointing contrast, with no completions on a similar scale, and a general slow-down following the Scottish Government’s 2024 active-travel funding procrastination and eventual cuts.

Meanwhile, both […]

Roseburn to (almost) Canal opens

A fantastic new offroad route linking the North Edinburgh path network to Dalry, with bridges over Dalry Road and the Midcalder electrified railway, opened on 9 December 2024 after a 10-year gestation. It will later be extended to join the canal towpath at its wider inner-city section near Boroughmuir School.

[…]

Nov Traffic Count: bikes up, but more if new infra

The biannual Spokes city-centre and Porty traffic counts, on Tuesday 11 November found bikes up almost everywhere compared to November 2023 – though mostly not by large amounts. In the city centre morning rush hour bikes were up 4% from 365 to 381, and at lunchtime up 17% from 156 to 183. In Porty, […]

Conveners Transported

Edinburgh’s transport convenership has moved from Cllr Scott Arthur – now Scott Arthur MP – to Stephen Jenkinson, councillor for Pentland Hills ward. Cllr Jenkinson intends to continue chairing the Transport & Environment Committee [TEC] in the consensual way developed by his predecessor, but with greater emphasis on delivery – intentions which we very […]

Granton Tramline: #SpokesMtg Report

Our Spokes public meeting on the proposed Granton tramline extension was jammed, with the hall at capacity, the gallery opened, and 20 or more latecomers still having to be turned away – over 200 in total! Whilst many issues were raised, the future of the Roseburn walking/cycling path was the top issue raised in […]

#SpokesMtg: The Granton Tramline

Controversy rages over whether the tram should use the Roseburn path or an onroad route via Orchard Brae and Dean Bridge. The four speakers at our June 5th public meeting will present the two cases, then the pros and cons of each option for cycling and walking, and for wider public health. Followed by […]

May Traffic Count : the power of separation .. and connection?

The biannual Spokes city-centre traffic count, on Tuesday May 14, found bikes forming 16.3% of all 8-9a.m. vehicles – exactly the same % as in our May 2023 count. However, this disguised a 10% decline in bike numbers and a 12% fall in private cars, although bike numbers were marginally up on our November […]

CCWEL opens! – and what comes next?

After a 10-year gestation, the City Centre West East Link, Edinburgh’s first substantial main road protected cycleroute, was officially opened on 20 March 2024 by Active Travel Minister Patrick Harvie MSP and Edinburgh Council Transport & Environment Convener Cllr Scott Arthur. There are many lessons, but let’s celebrate: then extend to Gogar, as in […]

Future Streets: Edinburgh is “on the way”

Speaking at our public meeting on Edinburgh’s new transport policies, London-based environment and cycling journalist Laura Laker said that Edinburgh now appeared to be on the way to a less car-dominated city and a more coherent approach to transport policy, with public transport, walking and cycling at its heart. On cycling in particular, on […]

Public Meeting, 29 Feb: Edinburgh’s ‘Future Streets’ policy, and the place of cycling

On February 1st the Transport Committee approved the ‘Future Streets’ policy, which incorporates the Circulation Plan (deciding which transport modes will have priority on which roads), the Active Travel Action Plan (ATAP), and the City Centre Transformation (to free the City Centre from through motor traffic). Although much detail is still to come, and […]