A key Edinburgh cycle and pedestrian route has now been completed linking Midlothian to the capital following a £1million investment.
QuietRoute 61, which now links Roslin to Portobello has officially opened as of Thursday, as Edinburgh's Transport and Environment Convenor, Scott Arthur, hailed the success of the route which will make travelling across the city a lot safer.
Signage has been extended from its original endpoint at Gilmerton Road to Portobello Promenade, with numerous links into the wider active travel network along the route, including National Cycle Network Routes 1 and 76 at Jewel Park and QuietRoute 10 at Portobello Promenade.
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On Thursday (29 September) a launch event marked the milestone, involving members of the community, key project contributors and wider stakeholder organisations who all played a part in shaping and enabling the successful delivery of the project.
Edinburgh's QuietRoutes are designed to link areas across the capital with safer paths for pedestrians and cyclists to use away from busy main roads. The main destinations along the routes include Roslin, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the BioQuarter and Portobello Higfh School, as well as busy areas in the east of the city such as Niddrie, Portobello, Gilmerton and Moredun.
Amongst the work carried out under the £1million scheme was the creation of a new ‘hybrid’ crossing and section of bi-directional cycle segregation at Gilmerton Road and the city’s first of three new ‘tiger’ crossings in and around the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and BioQuarter, which combines a zebra crossing with a crossing for people cycling.
Improvements have also been made to crossings at Old Dalkeith Road and Niddrie Mains Road, along with other changes that better prioritise people walking, wheeling and cycling.
Councillor Scott Arthur commented: "It was fantastic to join with members of the community and key project contributors to celebrate the completion of the QuietRoute 61 project. This has transformed a key cross-boundary route between Edinburgh and Midlothian, helping people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to walk, wheel and cycle easily and safely.
"It’s clear that we all need to rethink the way we move around the city if we are to cut congestion, air pollution and harmful carbon emissions, as we are reminded during Scotland’s Climate Week. Not only do Edinburgh’s QuietRoutes help people to make more sustainable transport choices, but they provide pleasant and enjoyable spaces, connecting key destinations around the Capital."
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