Welcome to the latest EBUG Bulletin.
A further consultation on CEC’s ‘Active Travel’ project Leith Connections (Hawthornvale to Seafield) closed in November, with the objectives of ‘delivering a more liveable neighbourhood, active travel and public realm improvements, and bringing Lindsay Road Bridge back into use for walking, wheeling and cycling’.
However, it looks like an exemplar of issues raised by many such projects which, while branded as ‘Active Travel’, are actually cycling-led with little or no attention to walking. EBUG’s robust response criticised the removal of bus priority measures, the removal or relocation of bus stops, and the deployment of floating bus stops as a default measure.
After submitting a Freedom of Information request, we obtained an update on the total length of bus lanes in Edinburgh. The Council now estimates them at 66.7km. This is broadly the same as in the mid 2010s, after a 4km drop in recent years. However, the Council is not sure of the exact length, having not carried out an audit in recent years.
A report setting out five key areas for improvement to London’s buses was published by Travelwatch in November. It’s striking just how much of it could be applied to bus networks in and around Edinburgh. However, some observers note that London’s bus network has shrunk in recent years. Whereas in Edinburgh it has plateaued, insofar as it’s possible to exclude the effects of the Covid pandemic.
https://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/The-next-stop-Making-Londons-buses-better.pdf
The political landscape at the Council is in flux. After the Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election resulting from Cllr Scott Arthur’s elevation to Westminster which was won by the Lib Dems, the SNP Councillor Biagi in the same ward resigned for unrelated reasons. The winning Lib Dem candidate then also resigned within a week! We hope that this doesn’t distract from public transport matters that should remain a key focus for any political party that is serious about Edinburgh’s well-being as a busy and dynamic city.
Transform Scotland’s bus priority campaign Life in the Bus Lane is officially underway, across much of Scotland. Unfortunately, it appears, it will mostly miss Edinburgh, because, as far as we know, no funding was forthcoming from any Edinburgh sources.
Making buses better: Our new campaign takes off across Scotland
EBUG has opened an account on the social media platform Bluesky. The meteoric growth of the platform in November has been well-covered in the media, and is matched by the rise in EBUG followers since we opened our account. Follow us there at @edinburghbug.bsky.social if you use the platform.
And finally…A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our members!
David Begg (right) with Edinburgh Bus Users Group chair Harald Tobermann and his dog Buster