On Friday, 16 December, City of Edinburgh Council gave approval for the detailed design and construction of the cycle route along Roseburn Terrace, past Haymarket and along to Leith Walk to go ahead. This was reported in the press at the weekend, and it was stated that the views of the opponents to the scheme had been noted.
This is a notable achievement given the removal of the cycle lane on Holmston Road in Ayr and the setback to the Bears Way phase 2, and it augurs well for the Transport Minister’s Active Travel Task Force.
Humza Yousaf, the Transport Minister, has written to GoBike (and probably other active travel groups) and states that he was disappointed by some recent decisions. His letter goes on to say: “ I have written to CoSLA, the Regional Transport Partnerships, the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) and the Active Travel Alliance, asking for a representative from each of their organisations to sit on the Task Force, which will be chaired by Roy Brannen, CEO of Transport Scotland. The first meeting will be on 8 February 2017, where the Task Force will agree its own remit, the scope of the issues it will address and a timeline during 2017 for reporting back to me with recommendations. However, I have asked it to look particularly at the TRO process, how local consultation is carried out and how the benefits of active travel are communicated to decision makers and local communities, and how these could be improved with the help of Scottish Government, Transport Scotland and other key stakeholders.
I anticipate that your organisation will be asked to contribute to the work of the Task Force and therefore wanted to update you with progress with the development of our plans. I do hope you will be forthright and honest if asked to contribute and that this important piece of work will enable us to identify practical steps that we can take to help us achieve our vision for active travel.”
We will report on any contact made.