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spokes.org.uk
SpokesLothian
@spokes.org.uk
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Spokes, the Lothian Cycle Campaign:
fights for better conditions for everyday journeys by bike, particularly Edinburgh & Lothian. Also lobby Scot Gov.
We also encourage more councils, govt depts, politicians, professionals etc to move to bsky!
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spokes.org.uk
SpokesLothian @spokes.org.uk · 10d
#Tram consultation - Spokes submission

--> www.spokes.org.uk/wp-content/u...

🙋 You have till midnight Monday for your own response!
HERE--> consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/tram-nor...

@edi.bike @edinreporter.bsky.social @edinburghminute.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social @edfoc.bsky.social
Intro... Tram, Granton to Bioquarter consultation Spokes Planning Group response, November 2025 1. Introduction Spokes has the objective of promoting cycling as part of an overall sustainable transport and access strategy. As such, we support a growing tram system for Edinburgh, provided cycling is well catered for in the project design and operation. The aim of the tram is to reduce car traffic, and to head off potential traffic growth in development areas such as Granton and the Bioquarter. If successful, this is a huge benefit to walking and cycling, as well as its benefits in terms of congestion, public health and climate. However, the project should be accompanied by complementary measures to further encourage use of public transport and active travel, for example bus gates, traffic filters, and, notably, congestion charging. It is well established that traffic reduction is best achieved by a carrot/stick combination. The tram project must support and promote active travel as a whole, and cycling in particular, and must not introduce additional dangers without effective mitigation. The Council has ambitious targets to increase cycle use, much of which must come from novice and inexperienced cyclists, as well as visitors and locals using an expanding bike hire scheme. As such it is essential that there is a safe, comprehensive and connected bike network of segregated bike lanes and low-traffic areas, easy and safe to use by anybody, and with any kind of cycles - including cargobikes, adapted bikes, hire bikes, etc. Introducing the tram should be seen and planned from the outset as an integrated sustainable transport place making project, not a tram-only project into which cycling and walking have to be slotted in once all the tramline decisions are taken as happened with tramline 1 and to a considerable (though lesser) extent in the Newhaven extension. The Bridges corridor is hugely problematic.. 8. City Centre to Bioquarter Top issues ● The section through North and South Bridges is of extreme concern to Spokes, with no cycle provision, new tramlines and continued through traffic on a road where width is at a premium. This is making cycling provision far worse than in the current bus lanes. The project should include a bus gate / modal filter (as was planned, though never implemented, as part of the Spaces for People proposals ) potentially single track sections (like at Roseburn) and fully segregated cycle provision, or consideration to tram tracks on one side of the road and a bidirectional bike path on the other. For the reasons in the following two bullet points, many cyclists will continue to use this corridor - our above section on Bikes and Tramlines notes that Princes Street as a good example of this, with many choosing not to use the quieter George Street when it is less direct or lacks desired destinations. Thus cycling conditions must be safe. ● Whilst alternative north-south routes for cycles are proposed in the consultation, these would not suit all journeys, with many cyclists using the Bridges to travel between South Edinburgh and Leith given the more suitable gradient and directness than the Mound. And whilst there is a brief reference to the proposed Meadows to George Street route on the west side of the Bridges, there is no reference to the east side, where the Mobility Plan suggests a new active travel bridge connecting from the Old Town to Leith Walk. Such projects must be an integral part of the tram project provision including during the construction phase, also providing a permanent legacy of improved provision once finished. ● The Bridges corridor is a major residential, shopping and destinations location, and many cyclists use it for that reason; indeed many live along or just off the corridor. Routes via the Mound or Pleasance are irrelevant as alternatives for these categories of user.… linking the North Ed Network to the new canal path without descending and re-ascending - a transformative opportunity - diagram. ● Connecting Roseburn to the new Canal link path - The sketch below shows a possible layout for this crucial linkage. The yellow dotted line shows a ramp down to Russell Road, but this is possibly optional if it would cause engineering difficulties, given that most people will stay at high level, whilst those needing to descend or ascend could do so at Roseburn or at the nearby ramp to the new canal path. Finally, we understand that earlier discussions with Network Rail did not meet objections to a bridge provided that all necessary clearances are achieved. Picture of single-track shopping-street tram in Amsterdam
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
#BudgetUK

👍 New #EV #PayPerMile

How & why, via @transportxtra.bsky.social
-> www.transportxtra.com/publications...

🙋 Consultn (on 'how')
-> www.gov.uk/government/c...

@edi.bike @sw20.info @edinburghbug.bsky.social @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social @keithirving.bsky.social @nigelbagshaw.bsky.social
ARticle about the EV charge-per-mile, from Local Transport Today, with graph of declining petrol duty Intro... Electric car drivers will pay a mileage charge from 2028 Budget 2026: HM Treasury sets out plans for Electric Fuel Duty Mark Moran 27 November 2025 The government is to introduce a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed in her Budget. The Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) will take effect from April 2028. Government consultation page on *how* the charge will work (how, not if!) Open consultation Consultation on the Introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) From: HM Treasury Published 26 November 2025 Summary A consultation setting out further detail on how eVED will work. This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 18 March 2026 Consultation description At Budget 2025, the government announced electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED): a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, which will take effect from April 2028. This consultation sets out further detail on how eVED will work and seeks views its design and implementation. How to respond This consultation is hosted on an online survey platform called SmartSurvey. To respond to the consultation, please use the following weblink: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/eVEDconsultation/
November 27, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
Sat 29 Nov, 3-4pm #TheCausey

Free ☕ + check your 🚲 by @weespokehub.bsky.social

Also @edcriticalmass.bsky.social ride ends there (meet 2pm Middle Meadow Walk)

@edi.bike @edfoc.bsky.social @steveamburgess.bsky.social @simitakumar.bsky.social @edoldtowncoco.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social
Poster by The Causey about free bike maintenance Sat 29 Nov, 3-4pm Map of Critical Mass ride, Meadows to The Causey via city centre Map showing the Causey location, West Crosscauseway
November 27, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spurtle.bsky.social
St MARK'S PATH.—Latest news on closure: www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/st-mark...
#Edinburgh #hyperlocal #news #traffic #activetravel
Broughton Rd end of the Path, with police-box coffee kiosk adjacent.
November 27, 2025 at 8:41 AM
spokes.org.uk
Sat 29 Nov, 3-4pm #TheCausey

Free ☕ + check your 🚲 by @weespokehub.bsky.social

Also @edcriticalmass.bsky.social ride ends there (meet 2pm Middle Meadow Walk)

@edi.bike @edfoc.bsky.social @steveamburgess.bsky.social @simitakumar.bsky.social @edoldtowncoco.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social
Poster by The Causey about free bike maintenance Sat 29 Nov, 3-4pm Map of Critical Mass ride, Meadows to The Causey via city centre Map showing the Causey location, West Crosscauseway
November 27, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
#BudgetUK

👍 Two significant structural changes

1. Road-user charging principle accepted, #PerMile for EVs (FVs pay #FuelDuty)
2. Fuel duty inflation-link to restart after previous govt's freeze [EV charge also inflation-linked]

🤔 We'd have also liked..
1. #SUV charging
2. Tax/vat on #AviationFuel
Transform Scotland budget response... Transform Scotland‬ ‪@transform.scot‬ · 41m 🚗 UK Budget Response from Transform Scotland Transform Scotland spokesperson, Emilia Lauder, welcomes the Chancellor’s baby steps toward fairer motoring taxes. The new mileage-based charge for EVs and long-overdue changes to fuel duty finally move us closer to a 'polluter pays' system. ‪Transform Scotland‬ ‪@transform.scot‬ · 41m Replied to Transform Scotland But, Emilia says the Chancellor missed a major opportunity. SUVs - the UK’s heaviest, most polluting vehicles - remain untouched by tax reform. A Large Vehicle Levy could raise nearly £2bn a year to reinvest in public transport and address the damage these vehicles cause. Campaign for Better Transport response... Welcomes fuel duty inflation-link and rail fare freeze but wants tax on aviation fuel Road.cc welcomes Cycle to Work scheme will continue unchanged No change to Cycle to Work Scheme in Budget, Treasury confirms — despite reports spending cap would be introduced Reports hinted a spending cap would be re-introduced to the tax-relief scheme, but Cycle to Work Alliance "happy to confirm no changes" to scheme... by Callum Devereux UPDATED Wed, Nov 26, 2025 15:38 2 The Cycle to Work scheme has been left unaffected by the Chancellor's Budget despite reports suggesting a spending cap would be introduced, as confirmed by a Treasury spokesperson in an email to road.cc. Government sources had briefed the Financial Times leading up to the announcement that there would be a clampdown on “tax breaks for high earners riding £4,000 e-bikes in the Surrey Hills”. But no mention of the scheme was made in either the chancellor's speech, or the report from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), a Treasury-funded fiscal watchdog that leaked details of the Budget before Reeves made her announcement. It later apologised and said the report was released early due to "a technical error".
November 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
#EdinburghTram

@vickyallan.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social
interviews us

-> www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/2564...

@edi.bike @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social @chasbooth.bsky.social @davidfkey.bsky.social @sannedd.bsky.social @edinburghtrams.bsky.social @edinpl.bsky.social @edfoc.bsky.social
Herald article headline & picture of bike & tram Winds of change ♻️ Why cyclists fear dangers of new Edinburgh tram route 25th November Start of article When it comes to Edinburgh trams and cycling, I’m probably guilty myself of having focussed all too much on the matter of what the preferred route will mean for the leafy Roseburn Path. It was one of the headline stories in our recent Future of Edinburgh Trams series – and, after cycling up and down its verdant avenue a few times, I wrote about what cyclists were saying about their much-loved route. Some were vehemently against the plan. One described it as "the best commute you can imagine in a city". But Spokes, the Edinburgh cycling campaign, was broadly supportive of the compromise of a single track tram down the path, with cycle and walkway running alongside. What was striking, though, was that, for Spokes, this wasn’t all about the Roseburn Path. They have a wider, more holistic view, and there were other issues that the cyclists involved in this campaign brought up - not least some of the dangers a new tram route might bring for cyclists. Their response to the tram consultation reflects that wider view. Spokes member, Ian Maxwell explains this as informed by the campaign's "previous experience during the planning and construction of Edinburgh’s existing tram routes". "In 2007," he says, "we invited a Dutch planner with extensive knowledge of tram design to visit Edinburgh and review the proposals for Princes Street and Leith Walk. “In his report Hans van der Stok from Goudappel mobility consultants commented that: 'The introduction of a tram system is a chance to emphasise other means of urban transport than private cars.' This would of course always include safe travel by bike” We know that one of the aims of the tram extension is to reduce car traffic and to head off potential traffic growth in development areas such as Granton and the Bioquarter, and, if that is the goal, Spokes suggests that Edinburgh needs to follow the Dutch lead. “The project,” Maxwell says, “should also be accompanied by complementary measures to further e… part 2 For Spokes, tram introduction should be about creating “an integrated sustainable transport place-making project”. “It shouldn’t be a tram-only project into which cycling and walking have to be slotted in once all the tramline decisions are taken, as happened with tramline 1 and to a considerable (though lesser) extent in the Newhaven extension.” READ MORE: The future of Edinburgh trams Is Edinburgh tram consultation a ‘false choice’? Here’s what the evidence says I cycled the Roseburn Path - here’s why so many cyclists love and defend it Most strikingly, the campaign note that the proposals could bring new dangers for cyclists, and advocates that it should avoid introducing “any major new risks to cyclists”. Spokes, for instance, highlights the fact that “the kerb-adjacent tram stops proposed at North Bridge and Newington would be intolerably dangerous, forcing on-road cyclists to cross tram tracks at an extremely dangerous angle”. Maxwell also points out that on the route through North and South Bridge, cyclists are “immediately adjacent to tramlines” and observes that this had been “a cause of ongoing crashes, injuries and compensation claims at Haymarket and Princes Street”. He writes: “Given very limited space on the road and for pedestrians, Spokes has suggested a range of alternatives, including single-track tram southbound and Market Street/ Pleasance northbound - there are many similar examples in Nottingham, Dublin and Amsterdam. Another alternative is the Mobility Plan’s long-term ambition of a tramline in Morrison Street and the Meadows, an option also favoured by Edinburgh World Heritage.” Spokes also suggests that the proposed North Bridge tram stop should be replaced by stops at Waverley Steps and at North Bridge arcade. “This would serve,” Maxwell says, “Princes Street, Waverley Station and the Old Town more effectively than tram users having to walk from a congested tramstop in the middle of North Bridge.” “Further sout… end of article.. Other issues they raise include how, staff and patients at the Royal Infirmary will reach the tram stop. And what of the Roseburn Path? Spokes has pointed out “plusses and minuses to both the Roseburn and the Orchard Brae route options”. “On Roseburn," the campaign says, "the now planned single track running, with battery powered trams, certainly lessens the negatives there, but ecology and ambience suffer a loss even with mitigation measures. "However, since it was Spokes who, years ago, argued to install tarmacked paths on disused railways which were entirely occupied by nature, including draining wetland cuttings, perhaps we cannot complain too much! The Orchard Brae option introduces new onroad tramline dangers, but of course leaves Roseburn untouched.” Sign up for the Winds of Change newsletter and get a weekly update on all things climate and energy. Finally, if Roseburn is the Council’s chosen option, Spokes urges that the plans include a cycle and pedestrian bridge over the tram and mainline railway, linking Roseburn path to the "fantastic new path to the canal", avoiding the long ramps down to road level and up again. "This bridge," Maxwell says, "is already an aspiration in the Council’s Mobility Plan and would be a truly transformative improvement in the city’s offroad network." Roseburn has, of course, its other issues. It’s a wildlife corridor, home to badgers, foxes, rabbits, bats, and arguments about what happens there are much about green space and biodiversity as they are about bikes. I am a fairly nervous cyclist. The virtue, for me, of the Roseburn Path, when I have used it, is partly that it feels safe, and away from the traffic - away from worrying about cars, buses or getting caught in tramlines. But Roseburn is just one path, down a route I take infrequently, and, in reality, what would actually make me into a more regular cyclist is the feeling that all routes are safe, whatever part of town. Nothing comes without d…
November 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
keithirving.bsky.social
🦓 Side road zebras used in Cardiff popular and still in place following trial.
🦓 Trials found no evidence that using a side road zebra crossing would have a significantly greater risk
🦓 Trial showed a significant increase in drivers giving way to pedestrians, in line with new Highway Code
👏👏👏
November 26, 2025 at 7:39 PM
spokes.org.uk
#EdinburghTram

@vickyallan.bsky.social @heraldscotland.bsky.social
interviews us

-> www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/2564...

@edi.bike @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social @chasbooth.bsky.social @davidfkey.bsky.social @sannedd.bsky.social @edinburghtrams.bsky.social @edinpl.bsky.social @edfoc.bsky.social
Herald article headline & picture of bike & tram Winds of change ♻️ Why cyclists fear dangers of new Edinburgh tram route 25th November Start of article When it comes to Edinburgh trams and cycling, I’m probably guilty myself of having focussed all too much on the matter of what the preferred route will mean for the leafy Roseburn Path. It was one of the headline stories in our recent Future of Edinburgh Trams series – and, after cycling up and down its verdant avenue a few times, I wrote about what cyclists were saying about their much-loved route. Some were vehemently against the plan. One described it as "the best commute you can imagine in a city". But Spokes, the Edinburgh cycling campaign, was broadly supportive of the compromise of a single track tram down the path, with cycle and walkway running alongside. What was striking, though, was that, for Spokes, this wasn’t all about the Roseburn Path. They have a wider, more holistic view, and there were other issues that the cyclists involved in this campaign brought up - not least some of the dangers a new tram route might bring for cyclists. Their response to the tram consultation reflects that wider view. Spokes member, Ian Maxwell explains this as informed by the campaign's "previous experience during the planning and construction of Edinburgh’s existing tram routes". "In 2007," he says, "we invited a Dutch planner with extensive knowledge of tram design to visit Edinburgh and review the proposals for Princes Street and Leith Walk. “In his report Hans van der Stok from Goudappel mobility consultants commented that: 'The introduction of a tram system is a chance to emphasise other means of urban transport than private cars.' This would of course always include safe travel by bike” We know that one of the aims of the tram extension is to reduce car traffic and to head off potential traffic growth in development areas such as Granton and the Bioquarter, and, if that is the goal, Spokes suggests that Edinburgh needs to follow the Dutch lead. “The project,” Maxwell says, “should also be accompanied by complementary measures to further e… part 2 For Spokes, tram introduction should be about creating “an integrated sustainable transport place-making project”. “It shouldn’t be a tram-only project into which cycling and walking have to be slotted in once all the tramline decisions are taken, as happened with tramline 1 and to a considerable (though lesser) extent in the Newhaven extension.” READ MORE: The future of Edinburgh trams Is Edinburgh tram consultation a ‘false choice’? Here’s what the evidence says I cycled the Roseburn Path - here’s why so many cyclists love and defend it Most strikingly, the campaign note that the proposals could bring new dangers for cyclists, and advocates that it should avoid introducing “any major new risks to cyclists”. Spokes, for instance, highlights the fact that “the kerb-adjacent tram stops proposed at North Bridge and Newington would be intolerably dangerous, forcing on-road cyclists to cross tram tracks at an extremely dangerous angle”. Maxwell also points out that on the route through North and South Bridge, cyclists are “immediately adjacent to tramlines” and observes that this had been “a cause of ongoing crashes, injuries and compensation claims at Haymarket and Princes Street”. He writes: “Given very limited space on the road and for pedestrians, Spokes has suggested a range of alternatives, including single-track tram southbound and Market Street/ Pleasance northbound - there are many similar examples in Nottingham, Dublin and Amsterdam. Another alternative is the Mobility Plan’s long-term ambition of a tramline in Morrison Street and the Meadows, an option also favoured by Edinburgh World Heritage.” Spokes also suggests that the proposed North Bridge tram stop should be replaced by stops at Waverley Steps and at North Bridge arcade. “This would serve,” Maxwell says, “Princes Street, Waverley Station and the Old Town more effectively than tram users having to walk from a congested tramstop in the middle of North Bridge.” “Further sout… end of article.. Other issues they raise include how, staff and patients at the Royal Infirmary will reach the tram stop. And what of the Roseburn Path? Spokes has pointed out “plusses and minuses to both the Roseburn and the Orchard Brae route options”. “On Roseburn," the campaign says, "the now planned single track running, with battery powered trams, certainly lessens the negatives there, but ecology and ambience suffer a loss even with mitigation measures. "However, since it was Spokes who, years ago, argued to install tarmacked paths on disused railways which were entirely occupied by nature, including draining wetland cuttings, perhaps we cannot complain too much! The Orchard Brae option introduces new onroad tramline dangers, but of course leaves Roseburn untouched.” Sign up for the Winds of Change newsletter and get a weekly update on all things climate and energy. Finally, if Roseburn is the Council’s chosen option, Spokes urges that the plans include a cycle and pedestrian bridge over the tram and mainline railway, linking Roseburn path to the "fantastic new path to the canal", avoiding the long ramps down to road level and up again. "This bridge," Maxwell says, "is already an aspiration in the Council’s Mobility Plan and would be a truly transformative improvement in the city’s offroad network." Roseburn has, of course, its other issues. It’s a wildlife corridor, home to badgers, foxes, rabbits, bats, and arguments about what happens there are much about green space and biodiversity as they are about bikes. I am a fairly nervous cyclist. The virtue, for me, of the Roseburn Path, when I have used it, is partly that it feels safe, and away from the traffic - away from worrying about cars, buses or getting caught in tramlines. But Roseburn is just one path, down a route I take infrequently, and, in reality, what would actually make me into a more regular cyclist is the feeling that all routes are safe, whatever part of town. Nothing comes without d…
November 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
spokes.org.uk
#BudgetUK

👍 Two significant structural changes

1. Road-user charging principle accepted, #PerMile for EVs (FVs pay #FuelDuty)
2. Fuel duty inflation-link to restart after previous govt's freeze [EV charge also inflation-linked]

🤔 We'd have also liked..
1. #SUV charging
2. Tax/vat on #AviationFuel
Transform Scotland budget response... Transform Scotland‬ ‪@transform.scot‬ · 41m 🚗 UK Budget Response from Transform Scotland Transform Scotland spokesperson, Emilia Lauder, welcomes the Chancellor’s baby steps toward fairer motoring taxes. The new mileage-based charge for EVs and long-overdue changes to fuel duty finally move us closer to a 'polluter pays' system. ‪Transform Scotland‬ ‪@transform.scot‬ · 41m Replied to Transform Scotland But, Emilia says the Chancellor missed a major opportunity. SUVs - the UK’s heaviest, most polluting vehicles - remain untouched by tax reform. A Large Vehicle Levy could raise nearly £2bn a year to reinvest in public transport and address the damage these vehicles cause. Campaign for Better Transport response... Welcomes fuel duty inflation-link and rail fare freeze but wants tax on aviation fuel Road.cc welcomes Cycle to Work scheme will continue unchanged No change to Cycle to Work Scheme in Budget, Treasury confirms — despite reports spending cap would be introduced Reports hinted a spending cap would be re-introduced to the tax-relief scheme, but Cycle to Work Alliance "happy to confirm no changes" to scheme... by Callum Devereux UPDATED Wed, Nov 26, 2025 15:38 2 The Cycle to Work scheme has been left unaffected by the Chancellor's Budget despite reports suggesting a spending cap would be introduced, as confirmed by a Treasury spokesperson in an email to road.cc. Government sources had briefed the Financial Times leading up to the announcement that there would be a clampdown on “tax breaks for high earners riding £4,000 e-bikes in the Surrey Hills”. But no mention of the scheme was made in either the chancellor's speech, or the report from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), a Treasury-funded fiscal watchdog that leaked details of the Budget before Reeves made her announcement. It later apologised and said the report was released early due to "a technical error".
November 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
edinreporter.bsky.social
Cyclists invited to The Causey for some bike TLC

Causey Development Trust invites cyclists to drop by on Saturday afternoon to celebrate active travel with them. The campaign group meet at West Crosscauseway each Saturday for coffee and a chat, but this weekend from 3pm on Saturday cyclists can…
Cyclists invited to The Causey for some bike TLC
Causey Development Trust invites cyclists to drop by on Saturday afternoon to celebrate active travel with them. The campaign group meet at West Crosscauseway each Saturday for coffee and a chat, but this weekend from 3pm on Saturday cyclists can also get some free cycle care. The Trust is the group behind the desire to realign the street at West Crosscauseway to reduce vehicular traffic and reclaim the area for people to linger, walk or cycle.
theedinburghreporter.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
livingstreetsedi.bsky.social
Interesting article on Cockburn Association web site about "floating bus stops".
Click on the link to read more:- bit.ly/4oceqek and tell us your views.
Floating Bus Stops in Edinburgh: Trust, Access and the Street of the Future - The Cockburn Association
Floating bus stops need careful, inclusive design to build public confidence
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
london.gov.uk
London is becoming a cycling city.

As we continue to expand London’s cycle network, the number of daily bike trips is soaring. Cycling has risen by more than 40% since 2019 to 1,500,000 trips every day.
November 25, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
🌲 ... or, for DIY #ChristmasTree collection, here are a few (!) suggestions from @modacitylife.com

#cargobike #biketrailer #xmastree
@edi.bike @edfoc.bsky.social @sw20.info @helenrambler.bsky.social @threadinburgh.scot @keithirving.bsky.social @davidfkey.bsky.social @jarlathflynn.bsky.social
81 pictures showing christmas tree delivery by bike!
November 24, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
hackneycyclist.bsky.social
In the Netherlands, over 40% of rail passengers arrive by bike. Since 2012 the country has invested €400m+ to add 200,000 new bike parking spaces at stations. The result? More rail use, fewer car trips, lower congestion and emissions, better public health - and far more efficient use of urban space.
November 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
geocycle.bsky.social
Two things really stand out here to me:

1. The mega-high front end would’ve impacted ability to see that there was a bollard there. Front sensors not enough to stop vision with small object.

2. Electric vehicle with considerable mass. No wonder the bollard was fully pulled from the ground.
November 24, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
🌲 If buying a #ChristmasTree
get it delivered by #CyclingGardeners 🚲 #CargoBike

--> www.tollcrosstreeworks.com

@edi.bike @edfoc.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social @tollcross-cc-edin.bsky.social @finlaymcf.bsky.social @cllrcmiller.bsky.social @cllrbenparker.bsky.social @bjpaddy.bsky.social
Picture of xmas tree in Cycling Gardeners of Edinburgh Local Bike delivery £5.00 Description This service cost £5 and is available to anyone within 10 minutes cycle from our yard in Tollcross (Cycle time taken from google maps)
November 24, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
#FerryRoad path

👍 In 2010, council said path must stay open when fence built

🙄 In 2025, why did it need intervention by Spokes, cllrs & others?

🙄 Other closures also poor, e.g. QR8

@edi.bike @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social @helenrambler.bsky.social @sannedd.bsky.social @edcriticalmass.bsky.social
email from spokes to council & councillors Hi Richard and councillors, Spokes welcome the suspension of the Ferry Road Path closure. Thank you for actioning this. We understand a decision is to be made on the arrangements for this work. As public safety was cited as the reasoning previously, we are writing to comment on the works: The fence is proposed to replicate and extend the existing 3m weldmesh fence installed along the path in 2010. We note the existing fence was installed without closure to the Ferry Road Path, with the construction methodology noted on the 2010 planning drawing. Although it may be cheaper to use a different methodology, we would suggest this should be replicated to minimise impact on users. We understand the council owns the whole embankment and has granted Leonardo UK permission to install this fence on their land. Note the embankment is currently without fencing or edge protection, as is common on Edinburgh's offroad paths. During the works vegetation will require to be cut back and 1m deep holes dug at 2.4m centres roughly 0.5m away from the path. It should be possible to conduct these works without a closure of the path and we encourage the council to press the contractor on substantiating their requirements. Kind regards, 2010 instructions for installing the existing section of path, includes keeping the path open throughout. See drawing in next attachment. part of 2010 works drawing, showing cycleway, fence & embankment. See instructions in the previous attachment posts about QR8 ongoing path closure... ‪Jason Rose‬ ‪@mrjasonrose.bsky.social‬ · 25d I don't know who signed off the stopping up order for the cycle path between Edinburgh Park and Hermiston Gait but their idea of an 'alternative route' leaves a lot to be desired! @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social @spokes.org.uk @edi.bike #EdTravCyc ALT ALT ‪SpokesLothian‬ ‪@spokes.org.uk‬ · 24d Private land, path status unclear 🙄 Council signed it as part of Quiet Route 8, BUT doesn't seem to monitor QRs, so didn't know!! 🙋 We've urged them to investigate 🙋 Tell your cllrs!!
November 24, 2025 at 11:46 AM
spokes.org.uk
🌲 If buying a #ChristmasTree
get it delivered by #CyclingGardeners 🚲 #CargoBike

--> www.tollcrosstreeworks.com

@edi.bike @edfoc.bsky.social @thecockburn.bsky.social @tollcross-cc-edin.bsky.social @finlaymcf.bsky.social @cllrcmiller.bsky.social @cllrbenparker.bsky.social @bjpaddy.bsky.social
Picture of xmas tree in Cycling Gardeners of Edinburgh Local Bike delivery £5.00 Description This service cost £5 and is available to anyone within 10 minutes cycle from our yard in Tollcross (Cycle time taken from google maps)
November 24, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
#QuietRoute8 #QR8 ongoing closure

☹️ Another frustrated user!

@edi.bike @robbieainsworth.bsky.social @aleedscyclist.bsky.social @nialla.bsky.social @ehyslop.bsky.social @edthornley.bsky.social @mrjasonrose.bsky.social @groovesgg.bsky.social @aedansmith.bsky.social @rogerha.bsky.social
email to spokes from regular QR8 path user ... Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2025 at 23:41 Subject: Edinburgh park arena -part of cycle path 8 closed To: <spokes@spokes.org.uk> Hi As you probably know, the works for the Edinburgh Park Arena have started which has closed part of cycle route 8. Do you know if this will reopen later? It was my route to work from the station and it's very inconvenient having to carry my bike up 20 steps instead. Thanks Bluesky post from path user, with photo of the steps on the 'alternative route' ‪@mrjasonrose.bsky.social‬ · 23d I don't know who signed off the stopping up order for the cycle path between Edinburgh Park and Hermiston Gait but their idea of an 'alternative route' leaves a lot to be desired!
November 22, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
spokes.org.uk
If #ScotGov introduced #Default20mph (like #Wales) then #bureaucracy like this & signage costs would be reduced

@edi.bike @markruskell.bsky.social @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social @chasbooth.bsky.social @kevin-lang.bsky.social @edinreporter.bsky.social @20splenty.bsky.social @edfoc.bsky.social #20mph
Traffic order... Dear Sir / Madam WESTERN VILLAGE AND GRANTON STATION VIEW DEVELOPMENTS - EDINBURGH PROPOSED INTRODUCTION OF SPEED LIMITS, WAITING RESTRICTIONS AND PARKING PLACES I refer to our previous letter of 2 May 2025 regarding the above. In accordance with the terms of the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 1999, I write to inform you that the City of Edinburgh Council proposes to advertise the Traffic Regulation Order which will: Introduce 20mph speed limits that operate at any time on Blackwell Rd, Fisher St, Fleet Ter, Granton Station Vw, Herring Rd, Well’s Gait and W Colonsay Vw; Introduce waiting restrictions that operate at any time on Blackwell Rd, Colonsay Vw, Fisher St, Fleet Ter, Granton Station Vw, Herring Rd, Waterfront Pk, Well’s Gait and W Colonsay Vw; Introduce waiting restrictions that operate Mon-Fri, 08.30am to 5.30pm on Blackwell Rd, Colonsay Vw, Fisher St and W Colonsay Vw; Introduce disabled bays that operate at any time on Fisher St, Granton Station Vw, Herring Rd, Waterfront Pk and W Colonsay Vw; Introduce car club bays that operate at any time on Blackwell Rd, Fisher St, Granton Station Vw and W Colonsay Vw; Introduce electric vehicle charging bays that operate at any time on Blackwell Rd, Fisher St, Herring Rd and W Colonsay Vw; and Remove a disabled bay that operates at any time on Waterfront Pk. The proposals relating to this Order can be viewed online at consultation.appyway.com/edinburgh-city, from 21 November 2025 to 19 December 2025 by following the link to “Proposals in consultation” under reference TRO/25/10. Alternatively, you can view the documents free of charge at Waverley Court Reception between 9:30 and 15:30 Monday to Friday during the same period. You can also register for email or text alerts via the Tell Me Scotland portal at www.tellmescotland.gov.uk which also provides details of this proposal. Should you wish to submit an objec…
November 22, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
2760.bsky.social
My Report on SUVs was launched yesterday. transform.scot/2025/11/20/t... Consider Sports Utility in the context of vehicles - utility lies in being able to drive where other vehicles can't go. So that's not true. Urban roads don't need larger vehicles to provide utility. It's a misnomer, & much more
Too big for our streets: the harms of SUV use in Scottish cities - Transform Scotland
Professor of Transport & Health at Napier University, Dr Adrian Davis, writes for Transform Scotland. “SUVs are now one of the biggest emerging threats to road safety in Scottish cities.”...
transform.scot
November 21, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
helenrambler.bsky.social
Yes, can confirm it’s all passable now for walkers & cyclists. Still some rogue signage needing removed though.
#edtravcyc @spokes.org.uk
Off-road path with fencing along the side Off road path partly closed by fencing Signage at the bottom of steps to an off-road path saying”Footpath closed” (it’s not)
November 24, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
willnorman.co.uk
New data shows that since @mayoroflondon.bsky.social
launched the Direct Vision Standard lorry safety scheme in London we've seen:
📉a 50% fall in people killed & seriously injured by HGVs
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️six fewer fatalities every year

tinyurl.com/j3475ua3
November 17, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
transform.scot
🚦 It’s Road Safety Week, and like many of you, we’ve been thinking about what it feels like to move through our cities, whether that's walking kids to school, cycling to work, or just trying to cross the road.
Too big for our streets: the harms of SUV use in Scottish cities - Transform Scotland
Professor of Transport & Health at Napier University, Dr Adrian Davis, writes for Transform Scotland. “SUVs are now one of the biggest emerging threats to road safety in Scottish cities.”...
transform.scot
November 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by SpokesLothian
edi.bike
🚲 edi.bike | issue 120 | 24th Nov '25

Bike Station launch #EverydayHeroes crowdfunder; Article on failings in maintenance & closing paths; more Hire Parking Campaign Photos, + events, infrastructure, route closures & more:

https://buttondown.com/edi.bike/archive/edibike-issue-120-24th-nov-25/

The Pentland hills silhouetted against a setting sun; the sky is a wash of warm orange and crystal blue, we can make out the white mark of the dry ski run on the near slope, and there is a scattering of thin, wispy cloud across the sky. The picture is framed in by a bare tree’s branches in the top right corner.
November 24, 2025 at 8:35 AM