Cycleway, quiet route and better crossings for Fountainbridge

Proposal includes 'floating' bus stops and narrow pavements

- Ian Swanson

A new cycleway, better crossings and a quiet route are being proposed for Edinburgh's Fountainbridge area as part of a new scheme to make it easier for walking and cycling.

But the Edinburgh council proposals also include some potentially more controversial features, such as nine “floating” bus stops — where passengers have to cross a cycle lane - and some narrow pavements.

A public consultation is under way. And pedestrian campaign group Living Streets Edinburgh is organising a Zoom meeting next week which people can join to hear more about the plans and ask questions.

The scheme - known as the Dundee Street / Fountainbridge Active Travel Project - aims to improve provision for walking, wheeling and cycling along Dundee Street and in the wider Fountainbridge area.

The two key parts of the plan are a continuous cycleway on both sides of the road along Dundee Street and Fountainbridge from Ardmillan Place in the west to Ponton Street in the east; and a quiet route on Ashley Drive, Ogilvie Terrace, Harrison Gardens, West Bryson Road, Bryson Road and Fowler Terrace.

The idea is to offer an alternative route for cyclists who currently use the increasingly congested Union Canal towpath.