Hello, Last week the cycle track came up at the Council Question time. You can see it at http://edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/245503 The webcast all kicks off about 1 hr and 12 minutes in, with what was obviously a Spokes question planted to get the Council leaders to say how much they wanted the cycle track. Then over half of those present in the audience said they wanted more cycle lanes. It backfired a bit when one speaker indicated that Edinburgh needed to be a working city and another protested that Cllrs were prioritising cycle tracks over community centres. There was a bit of a rumpus over priorities. Council leaders then reiterated their aims for cycling and air quality and planning for future growth. But my concern is that the track will reduce air quality with greater congestion and future growth can’t work by removing a bus lane. What was interesting in the video at the end was that the producers repeated twice the phrase about wanting “a car-free city”. You can see where the Council Administration wants to take us. I suggest you contribute something to the 2050 City Vision survey Cllr Burns talked about at the end. I have made a posting calling for no protected cycle tracks at congested pinch points- I urge you to comment and vote on this suggestion here: https://edinburgh2050.dialogue-app.com/transport/smooth-running-clean-city-with-local-shops/idea-view This is the Council consultation website and future Council policy and priorities will be guided by this. Please log in (you’ll need to register) and add your view. Survey update- we have 770 responses so far. Of these, 70 who do not cycle say the track would get them onto two wheels. It’s hard to see how the Council can justify a £6.5M spend in times of austerity for so few beneficiaries. ( I should mention that 104 that already cycle have said they will use it. It seems that Spokes have been getting cycling campaigners to load the results.) Please keep getting people to fill it in- we’ve extended the deadline to mid-December and hope to get 1,000 replies- it’s at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/whybike Volunteers Julia, Liz and Kim have been helping me deliver flyers round the houses- please let me know if you can help. I have visited 100 traders on George Street and spoke to their Association on Tuesday. Just a few days before, the Council cycling officers emerged to claim they’d made a mistake when they said it would be getting a protected cycle track, but a Spokes rep turned up and spoke in favour of it anyway, so I think the traders guessed the way the wind was blowing. They were not keen on the idea; their fate will be settled after ours. A group of us are visiting Roseburn SNP Cllr Frank Ross on the 21st Nov to lobby him to get the coning-off trial before the “Future Transport Working Group” makes its decision. Also, the Murrayfield Community Council is on the 29th November at the Dove Café in the Murrayfield Church Hall- please help us convince the Councillors there that no decision should be taken until the scheme has been tested. Kim has sent in a photo of the bus stop “island” on the Bearsway in Milngavie (she seldom sees a cyclist on it, saying they prefer the main road). See below for what bus users can expect in Edinburgh. Best wishes Pete Gregson The Roseburn Vision Group