HAPPY NEW YEAR!
SPOKES 2019 PREDICTIONS
2018 was a hiatus year with very little significant infrastructure being built.
2019 looks set to be either the most momentous – or the most disappointing – of recent years. At Scottish level, the welcome doubling of active travel cash from 2018/19 onwards will start to be reflected on the ground in many towns and cities – but still in a transport context where the government’s top priority is ‘big transport,’ notably climate-damaging trunk road and air travel expansion.
EDINBURGH
City Centre Transformation – will the Council follow radical action recommended or lose its nerve?
City Centre West East Link
Delays with Roseburn to Randolph Place in hearings.
George St section in consultation.
2019 may see work on Dublin St – Elder St, Bishops Walk, Melville Crescent to Rutland Square
Canal to Meadows –possible implementation in 2019
WEATN, West Edinburgh AT Network some initial stages in 2019.
Picardy Place – the cycleroute network here is now under construction
Lower Granton Road – construction expected in early 2019.
Tramline Safety measures, phase 3 – Implementation is expected in early 2019 at South St Andrew Street, Haymarket station and junctions.
Secure overnight onstreet bike storage has restarted.
Edinburgh Bike Hire – Just Eat Cycles should continue to expand, and we should see the first e-bikes for hire.
SCOTLAND
Active travel funding has been doubled from £40m a year to £80m, roughly £14 per person, starting this financial year, 18/19. Early results are just beginning to be seen on the ground in some Scottish towns and cities.
The June 2018 Active Travel Task Force report makes strong recommendations – we await the government’s response with interest.
The first ever Active Nation Commissioner, Lee Craigie, was appointed in December 2018. We have great hopes for her ability to inspire individuals and to encourage councils, but her brief and her experience are less clear on challenging government – another vital need.
The UK’s first bike/rail carriages (with 20 bike spaces, plus 6 in the main train) are agreed, hopefully on the Oban line in 2019 and other northern rural lines in 2020.
All these bold initiatives are a legacy from former Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, who was one of the very rare Transport Ministers to accompany supportive words with action, innovation and determination – including taking on his own colleagues when necessary.
Mr Yousaf was replaced by Michael Matheson MSP in August 2018 – so far he has followed through on the above actions, but is still on probation as regards greater pro-activity.
http://www.spokes.org.uk/2018/12/outlook-for-%F0%9F%9A%B2-in-2019-edinburgh-scotland/
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