Welcome to the online home of Spokes, the Lothian Cycle Campaign… Continue reading Welcome To Spokes
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Spokes has therefore written to Transport and Environment convener Cllr Stephen Jenkinson suggesting various options which would provide wider footways and safe and attractive cycling conditions in both these world-renowned streets. For George Street, low cost interim options are suggested if funding for the full scheme is not likely for the forseeable future. Continue reading Princes Street & George Street – the futureSpokes and Cycling UK are holding a joint election hustings, on Monday 16 March, for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, to hear from Holyrood candidates on cycling and related policies. Rather than the usual hustings approach, which can be rather boring, our meeting will comprise several sections, with speakers undertaking Initiation, Interrogation, Combination, Clarification and Education, as in the agenda below. Continue reading Spokes/CUK Election Hustings #Holyrood2026The ‘Level 4 spreadsheet’ accompanying the Scottish Government’s draft budget shows Support for Active and Sustainable Travel rising by an incredible 66.3%, from £135.8m in 25/26 to £226m in 26/27. This has been widely commended. However, when the smoke and mirrors are removed, it seems likely that total funding for active travel will actually fall slightly in cash terms, and, as a % of total transport, from 4.3% in 25/26 to less than 4% in 26/27. Continue reading ScotGov draft budget 26/27: Active Travel obfuscationWill 2026 see Edinburgh City‘s new ‘Primary Cycle Network’ definition start to turn from policy into reality? And what of the City’s hugely ambitious 30% by 2030 traffic-reduction aims? What other decisions or actions may we see in the coming year? Continue reading 2025–>2026 : What for Edinburgh Cycling Policy & Action?In the last ten years there have been three separate pedestrian-injury crashes reported in Rose Street, with seven persons injured in total, several seriously, all due to drivers of motor vehicles. There have been even more pedestrian injuries at the intersections of Rose Street with north-south streets such as Hanover Street. Meanwhile, despite east to west cycling having been legal for many years, there were no Rose Street pedestrian injuries involving cyclists. Yet members of the Council’s notorious TRO Subcommittee decided (on a casting vote) that the comprehensive safety audit already undertaken to allow two-way cycle use was insufficient to pass the necessary Order without “further investigation.” Continue reading The Dangers of Rose StreetSpokes Planning Group has put considerable time and effort into preparing a thorough and thoughtful 15-page response to the tram consultation. We have received several plaudits, such as “fantastically detailed and comprehensive” from Edi.Bike. In summary, Spokes supports the tram in principle, but our response has identified some serious issues over cyclist safety, as well as one new major opportunity. We urge the Council to take our comments very seriously in the detailed design, should the Transport Committee decide next year to move to that stage. Continue reading Tram Granton to Bioquarter: Spokes responseOur biannual city-centre traffic count*, on Tuesday 11 November, unusually fell on a day with significant rain forecast. The morning hour (8-9am) did stay dry, though cold, and, despite the forecast, cyclists formed 14.2% of all vehicles, almost unchanged from the 14.4% in last November’s bright and sunny count day. However at lunchtime, when, admittedly, many bike trips are optional, there was not just rain, but a major downpour: bike numbers plummeted and car and taxi numbers rose, resulting in bikes falling from 10.2% of all vehicles last year to 5.6% in 2025. Continue reading Nov 2025: Rainy Day Traffic CountAt long last the detailed allocation of the Scottish Government’s Active and Sustainable Travel budget (formerly called Active Travel) for 25/26 financial year has been revealed. It shows total Scottish Government active travel investment now down to just 4.2% of total transport spending – back to below the level of 22/23, and even lower than the 4.6% we had predicted. Continue reading Active Travel cut confirmedFor many people, a favourite ride is a weekend cycle to and through places of great natural beauty or historic interest. But our entries showed that it can also be your daily commute, taking your mind off work; or a school bike bus with its amazing enthusiasm and hope for the future. Our lovely entrants showed just how much cycling can mean to people in so many different ways. We were also delighted to get a good range of entries from the Lothians, with West and East Lothian entries winning 3rd and 4th positions. Continue reading My Favourite Bike Ride: #SpokesComp results[special offer ends 31 October – see below] The 5th edition of our highly praised West Lothian Cycle Map was launched on 11 October by Kirsteen Sullivan, MP for Bathgate and Linlithgow and Cllr Peter Heggie, Council Deputy Provost, at West Lothian Bike Library / Crofthead Community Centre. The whole county was surveyed in detail by Spokes volunteers, together with a new area covering Falkirk, Bo’ness and the Kelpies. The map was then completely redrawn and revised by our maps group’s skilled volunteer cartographer, using new software which enables simpler future updating. Continue reading West Lothian #SpokesMap – 5th edition! |
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