Rail line on track to be a bike path

A DISUSED railway line is set to be turned into a cycle path as part of a project to create a new link between the Capital and Midlothian.

Under plans by sustainable transport charity Sustrans Scotland, the old line between Millerhill and Loanhead is to be dismantled and transformed into a walking and cycling route.

City councillors are to consider plans for a stretch of the route – parallel to Gilmerton Station Road, between Lasswade junction and Old Dalkeith Road – at a meeting next week.

But while the move has been welcomed by cycle campaigners, concerns have been raised that transforming the rail line – unused since the 1970s – would mean that it could not be brought back into use in the future.

John Lauder, Sustrans national director for Scotland, said the project would provide a "fabulous walking and cycling" route.

He said: "It would also become one of the only traffic-free routes out of the city and under the bypass, giving people an attractive and healthy option for getting around."

In a report to councillors, the city's head of planning and strategy Alan Henderson recommended councillors back the scheme and said proposals to run public transport on the route would be "unlikely within the near future".

He said: "The provision of a cycleway will not jeopardise the potential use of the site as a public transport corridor – any proposals for which are unlikely within the short to medium term.

"The cycleway in this location will also enhance the recreational benefits of the greenbelt on the south side of Edinburgh."

A move to open up the rail line as a cycle path was first suggested in 2006, when a huge cycle network was outlined for the south-east of Edinburgh.

Cycling campaign group Spokes said it would be a "great addition" to the Capital's network of bike routes.

Spokesman Ian Maxwell said: "We would be very pleased to see a significant addition like this built into Edinburgh's network of cycle paths.

"It will be created in a part of Edinburgh that has very few of these routes, so it would be a great addition for the city.

"We are always happy to see extra provisions for cyclists and I am sure this would be a well-used and attractive cycle path if it goes ahead."

Councillors are expected to approve the plans at a meeting of the city's planning committee next week.

• www.sustrans.org.uk
• www.edinburgh.gov.uk
• www.spokes.org.uk