It's that time again! The City of Edinburgh Council's Transport and Environment Committee will meet on Thursday, 13th November 2025, and as usual we have a look ahead at their agenda for all things cycling or cycling-adjacent, and will round up the discussions and decisions in next week's issue of our weekly email digest.
🌐 Meeting Page & Agenda [PDF] »
📺 Webcast Page »
📑 Full Agenda Reports Pack [PDF] »
💼 Business Bulletin [PDF] »
📋 Work Programme [PDF] »
📄 PDF »
The Business Bulletin is home to more minor items that don't warrant a full report, or further updates on more significant past reports.
This update on LTIP projects includes:
Council officers continuing to liaise with Historic & Environment Scotland (HES) regarding various aspects of Holyrood park, including 'Movement Strategies' relating to traffic and active travel; Duddingston Low Rd continues to be geotechnically assessed for rockfall risk and no decision has been made yet on whether or not vehicle access will persist, and there will be works required for around 12-18 months once investigations conclude.
This includes an alarming statement about loading at Stead's place, where "it is accepted that delivery vehicles regularly park on the pavement and cycleway when servicing adjacent businesses." One would hope this means 'we accept that this is a current issue' and not somehow condoning the blocking of either mode because Jim the transit can't hack a 60m walk with a hand-trolley.
When it comes to "the provision of bollards on the Leith Walk footpath is not considered appropriate or a solution to loading and servicing arrangements", you have to wonder what would be considered an appropriate 'solution'.
🔮 It is the year 2036. There is still a big list of remaining unsolved defects on the Trams to Newhaven project.
📄 Report [PDF] »
The introduction of the many thousands of private hire cars across the city into bus lanes would be an utterly foolish manouevre, though one can see that the discussion of this coming around again is clearly to show the Council are listening after protests from drivers on this issue; fortunately, last time around many in the committee were against it, and the Convener has posted this week that:
"I’ve been consistent in my opposition to allowing PHVs into bus lanes. I do however think it is worth exploring allowing PHVs and Black Cabs access through certain bus gates if the data and evidence proves it can aid city mobility." — Cllr Stephen Jenkinson on Bluesky »
In terms of bus gates, if this is approached very strategically and with 'no access' as the default, we could see some circumstances where it might be used as a choice for access to e.g. Market street and Waverley Station after the Meadows to George Street project introduces a bus gate at the mound and under North Bridge.
The impact for cycling on this is clear - if we get more (proper, 7-7-7) bus lanes - and these are only for use by buses, black cabs and cycles, then on-road cycling on those routes is made far safer and shares space with far fewer vehicles. Conversely, the utility of bus lanes in the city could be made even worse with significant impacts on public transport and congestion if private hires are allowed to saturate what are supposed to be clear and prioritised routes for mass transit.
📄 Report [PDF] »
Safer roads are a more general topic, but it was good to see not only that encourage active modes such as walking, wheeling and cycling are in place at a strategic level, but also news that the Proposed New Pedestrian Crossing Assessment Framework includes not only a formulaic approach to where pedestrian crossings are needed, but that:
"The new process will allow for consideration of a crossing provision where demand exists but where the previous PV² count would not have supported action... and will give Officers the flexibility to provide improved crossing facilities on priority walking, wheeling and cycling routes"
These items may or may not be discussed at the meeting, depending on whether there are questions or points raised by Councillors on the day.
📄 Report PDF »
As the overall recommendation of this review is to retain the 'TRO Sub' — which we saw successfully course-correcting earlier in the year in the face of losing much of Edinburgh's Covid-era segregated cycleways after our open letter with Spokes and others about their remit — it is heartening to see a number of points in this report putting structures and processes in place to ensure the quasi-judicial committee remains focused on the statutory role of making Traffic Regulation Orders, and ensures that the oversight for projects and schemes rests with the Transport & Environment Committee rather than getting a 'second hearing' when it comes time to make permanent.
📄 Report PDF »
Details of the sinkhole issue on this key link in Longstone - the land ownership, results of investigations and details of works underway to repair. The Council will not adopt nor widen the route, but it's good to see it being reinstated and made safe.
📄 Report PDF »
This appears to have been referred to TEC in order to ask that the Convener escalates issues of single year vs. multi-year funding to the First Minister; the referral decision from the Policy and Sustainability Committee includes:
“To note the importance of the delivery of the City Mobility Plan and the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy in tackling key emissions sectors in the city and that implementation of these strategies would continue to drive forward citywide emissions reduction over the next two years.”
It also lays out barriers and next actions:
“…the lack of multi-year funding continued to be significant barriers to delivering the investment needed to decarbonise buildings and transport; to note that the Transport and Environment Convener wrote to the Scottish Government about multi-year funding on 14 July 2025 and received a reply on 11 August 2025; to note the reply gave no commitment to transition to multi year funding, and therefore to agree that the Council Leader would write to the First Minister raising the lack of multi-year funding...“
A long report follows this, but includes some interesting stats:
At time of publication, the Motions & Amendments pack has not yet been published, but here are the cycling-adjacent motions already filed:
“Committee
Notes the exchange between Cllr Lang and Cllr Jenkinson at the Council meeting of 28 August 2025 in relation to item 10.8 on faded road markings.
Notes that road markings are currently assessed using the carriageway defect risk assessment criteria set out in the Risk Based Approach to Safety Inspections.
Expresses concern that this current approach can lead to important markings at crossings and junctions not being prioritised for repainting, potentially creating safety issues.
Therefore, seeks a short report to the next committee meeting setting out the current approach to the repainting of faded road markings, the basis for this system or prioritisation, an assessment of what safety issues this can present, and what opportunities exist to change the approach to ensure faded markings are repainted more quickly to address road safety concerns”
There are a huge number of faded-out advanced stop zones (bike boxes at traffic lights), painted cycle lanes, and other such markings that create safety concerns and conflict when not properly maintained. It's good to see this raised as a safety issue, rather than purely maintenance.
Conservative councillors in 'support for road building' shocker. (Full motion available on the meeting page »)
The Transport & Enviroment Committee will meet on Thursday, 13th November 2025, and we'll have a round-up in Issue 118.