A Spokes traffic count in George Street and Princes Street on 24 September found bikes forming over 30% of all vehicles in the morning peak period, and over 20% at lunchtime. Other findings suggest a major boost to bike travel thanks to the Council’s Voi bike hire scheme.
Our count was conducted to add concrete evidence to current uncertainties over the future of both streets, with Princes Street likely to remain 4 lanes of tarmac for the some years to come and no funding available for the ambitious but extremely costly George Street proposals for a semi-pedestrianised ‘cycle street’ (albeit with significant motor traffic at times!). The money which had been intended for George Street will now go to repaving Princes Street footways with high-cost materials in what Cllr Lang termed a “glorified resurfacing project.”
Thus, whichever east-west route best suits a cyclist’s journey, Princes Street or George Street, cycling conditions in both look set to remain dire, with a major central gap remaining in CCWEL, the Council’s City Centre West-East Link, unless the Council thinks again.
For Princes Street, our recent online survey of Spokes members showed huge suppressed demand for cycling, due in part to fears over the lack of separation from tramlines. Whilst the Council has decided against this at present, instead doing little more than repaving footways with costly materials and retaining 4 traffic lanes, Spokes will continue to fight for segregated cycling in the future. Nothing is fixed in stone for ever – indeed a senior transport officer even said at the Committee that further change could happen in future.
However, with Princes Street decisions now taken, at least for some years, the results of our count highlight the urgency of finding a low cost solution for segregated cycling along George Street, to complete CCWEL. We understand that a report on this may come to the November Transport Committee.
Spokes traffic count
The full results of our count are here. The table below summarises the main bike-related data. The levels of bike use, in relation to other traffic, are hugely impressive, with 34% of all vehicles westbound and 30% eastbound in the morning peak. Only once in many years of traffic counts at Forrest Road and Lothian Road have bikes reached 30% at any location (May this year at Forrest Road), with averages over those two roads nearer 16%-20%. Similarly at lunchtime, bikes averaged over 20% of all vehicles in George and Princes Streets, compared to 10%-12% in our Forrest Road and Lothian Road counts.
It is of course true that, for Princes Street in particular, many more individuals travel by public transport, but the position in George Street is more akin to our traditional counts in terms of the mix of vehicles.
| Westbound | Eastbound | ||||||
| Bikes: total | All traffic inc bikes | Bikes as % of all | Bikes: total | All traffic inc bikes | Bikes as % of all | ||
| George Street | |||||||
| Morning, 8.00-9.00 | 119 | 338 | 35% | 70 | 250 | 28% | |
| Lunchtime, 12.30-13.30 | 58 | 276 | 21% | 51 | 264 | 19% | |
| Princes Street | |||||||
| Morning | 65 | 196 | 33% | 53 | 158 | 34% | |
| Lunchtime | 32 | 165 | 19% | 46 | 166 | 28% | |
| Princes St + George St | |||||||
| Morning | 184 | 534 | 34% | 123 | 408 | 30% | |
| Lunchtime | 90 | 441 | 20% | 97 | 430 | 23% | |
| Morning + lunchtime | 274 | 975 | 28% | 220 | 838 | 26% | |
| Total east- & west- bound | 494 | 1813 | 27% |
Voi Bikes
We counted Voi bikes separately (the totals above include both Voi and non-Voi) – details are in the full data table. Over all 4 count points (i.e. both streets, morning and lunchtime) there were 126 Vois out of a total of 494 bikes, i.e. a remarkable 25%. Whilst we know that many existing cyclists often find it convenient to use Voi, this does add to the evidence that the bike hire scheme is making a major contribution to the City’s ambition to grow bike use.
Voi bikes were much more prominent on George Street (20%-40% of all bikes at the various count points and times) than Princes Street (13%-16%). One possible partial explanation is commuters from Leith, whose route would more naturally lead to George Street (38% of westbound bikes were Voi in the morning and only 20% of eastbound).
However, it also seems likely from the figures that the greater predominance of people who use their own bike in Princes Street means that they are regular and confident cyclists, whereas those without their own bike (including visitors) are particularly nervous of venturing onto Princes Street. This ties in well with the suggestion from our online survey that there is huge suppressed demand for safe cycling in Princes Street.
Visitors to Edinburgh would surely wish to cycle along Scotland’s premier street, with its magnificent setting – but it feels too dangerous to do so. A shocking reflection on Scotland’s capital!
Buses
We counted local buses (defined in the notes under our full data table), since it is important for them to continue to serve the immediate city centre. However, we have suggested that coaches etc could be diverted off Princes Street, and diverted from or strongly restricted on George Street (along with other traffic) and so we included coaches in the count of ‘other traffic.’
Westbound buses were very much concentrated in Princes Street, both morning and lunchtime, with just under 100 buses during each hour, compared to around 15 on George Street. Eastbound numbers diverged less, albeit with Princes Street remaining predominant, with around 80 buses during each hour. It is possible this was partly due to current service patterns and disruptions (see next section).
Restricting Princes Street to local buses only (i.e. around 100 per hour), as we have suggested, could make cycling safer and more appealing for significant numbers, albeit that cycle lanes are essential to cater for all.
The council did in fact consider this restriction some years ago, but ‘U-turned’ in 2016, citing the need for access for private tour coaches. Indeed, had the ban been implemented, the tragic death of Zhi Min Son in 2017 may have been prevented, being caused by a private tour operator exiting Princes Street.
Issues with the count
Although we delayed our count to await the re-opening of Princes Street after the major fire, there were two significant differences from the norm, which may have had some impact on our figures, for both Princes Street.
In Princes Street the footway has been temporarily extended into the roadway outside the site of the fire, leaving a relatively narrow gap between the new temporary kerbline and the tramlines. Indeed, Edinburgh Trams asked us to publicise this potential hazard to our members and on social media.
Secondly, Waterloo Place is completely closed to traffic for almost 3 months, to allow for major sewer replacement. Tour buses are waiting on George Street, and other traffic may also be diverting there at some times of day – certainly, cyclists report to us that cycling along George Street is particularly unpleasant at certain times of day.
Many thanks to Guy, Robert and the whole counting team
Resources
- Full data table from our 24.9.26 Princes Street & George Street traffic count
- Online survey of Spokes members re Princes Street & George Street
- Further discussion of Princes Street & George Street future [in Spokes member circular]
- Our traffic counts page with details of our regular biannual counts
What you can do
- Contact your councillors with your views on what should happen now. Find them here.
- Repost our bluesky of this story.