Spokes operates through working groups of dedicated volunteers, not by referendum. However, in the rare case of major controversy or the need for further evidence we may conduct a survey to gauge the views of the wider membership, and whether our central decisions are reasonably compatible.
In this survey we sought member feedback on route options for the proposed northern tramline extension (Granton to City Centre) and on the relative roles of Princes Street and George Street for cycling.
The full survey report is here, with appendices on the data and full listings of comments. With over 1000 members, we received 233 valid responses, many of which included comments. Our big thanks to Resources Group member David Monaghan for organising the survey and the analysis, including checks that responses were from Spokes members only. And thank you if you are a Spokes member and took part.
Northern Tramline Extension
On the northern tramline extension, there is very strong agreement (over 80%) on an extension. However marginally over a quarter of members (27%) say this must be via Orchard Brae, whilst marginally under a quarter (23%) say it must be via Roseburn; whilst 30% find both options acceptable. Thus, in total, 57% find the Orchard Brae route acceptable, and 53% the Roseburn route, a difference well within 95% confidence levels, as in the graph below from the above full report.
Importantly, comments suggest that support for either route is conditional on the preservation of safe, segregated active travel corridors on both.
Spokes Planning Group has always taken the position that there are strong pros and cons for both options, and it is too invidious for Spokes to fully endorse one or the other. But that, whichever is chosen by the Council, conditions for cycling and walking must be as safe and pleasant as possible on both routes. It is great to see that this position strongly reflects the views of our membership.
It is also worth noting that the views of the Spokes membership appear closely aligned with that of the general public, according to the Council’s own independently-run representative sample survey. This found almost identical levels of support for the Roseburn and the Orchard Brae options, although the self-selected consultation results found significantly higher opposition to using Roseburn (a comparative table appeared in the Edinburgh Reporter). On the overall question of a northern tram extension, Spokes members appear, if anything, even more positive than the general public.
Finally, the comments in our survey suggest that many of our members, on whichever side of the argument, hold their views very strongly!
References
- Spokes response to the 2025 tramline consultation
- Spokes response to the June 2026 consultation outcome
Princes Street / George Street
The Council is shortly taking decisions on the future of Princes Street – although whether that will finally settle anything, given the years of prevarication and changing of minds, remains to be seen! Whatever is decided for Princes Street will also have major implications for George Street, where the long-debated proposals remain in limbo due to the massive costs of the current design.
Spokes has always argued that high quality conditions for cycling (and certainly for walking) are essential in both streets. For many journeys, they are not alternatives, and indeed to use George Street as a Princes Street bypass, as parts of the Council sometimes suggest, would on some journeys entail crossing tramlines twice and/or turning across major traffic flows on and off the linking streets.
Our survey found that somewhat more members currently use George Street than Princes Street, but that there is huge suppressed demand for Princes Street. If in future cycle facilities on each street were equally good, around 30% would find Princes Street most useful for their journeys compared to 15% for George Street (30% would find both equally useful).
Princes Street is seen by many as a direct, scenic route with fewer junctions, but plagued by hazards, while George Street feels safer but is often an inconvenient detour. Comments suggest that concerns about safety on Princes Street cause many respondents to avoid it entirely – and indeeed 36% of respondents say they never cycle along Princes Street compared to 26% who never cycle along George Street.
AI (Gemini) analysis of the 98 comments elicited these two top concerns…
- Anxiety caused by tramlines – Dread of physical injury, skidding on metal tracks, and active avoidance of Princes Street. Commenters repeatedly describe the physical dangers of sharing road space with tram tracks on Princes Street, noting they find the metal rails nerve-racking or have personally experienced skidding accidents
- The Directness vs. Detour Dilemma and the call for continuous segregation – The trade-off between Princes Street’s directness and George Street’s safety; demands for full segregation. Respondents describe a constant trade-off where Princes Street offers a direct, scenic route with fewer junctions but is plagued by tram and bus hazards, while George Street feels safer but can represent an inconvenient detour.
References
- Princes Street & George Street – Feb 2026 Spokes position
- Update June 2026, following consultation workshop
- Spokes deputation to 9.3.26 Planning Committee [to follow]
What you can do
- Contact your councillors if any of the above concerns you or you have ideas to put forward
- Repost our bluesky of this article