roads & transportation Not only will the project impact on the surrounding environment, reducing traffic, air pollution and noise, but it will help benefit people’s health and wellbeing through active travel and relaxed surroundings to spend time in. Minister for Active Travel Patrick Harvie explained, “I’m pleased to see Scottish Government funding enable the construction of the City Centre West to East Link. It’s a vital connection which will help people to walk, wheel and cycle in Edinburgh as the natural choice, leading to better health, less congestion and a better environment. I want to see many more schemes similar to this in communities across Scotland. That’s why we’re nearly tripling what Scotland invests in active travel over the next three years to at least £320 million a year. I’m committed to making sure those record levels of investment lead to real change in our cities, towns and neighbourhoods, delivering safe, attractive places for many more people to walk, wheel and cycle.” Portfolio Director for Sustrans, Karen McGregor, was particularly satisfied with the wider picture, of which the project was now an integral part, “The City Centre West to East Link is a major breakthrough for active travel in Edinburgh. Not only will this deliver safe and accessible walking, wheeling and cycling routes for anyone travelling through the heart of our Scottish capital, it will play an important part in connecting communities in the city’s western and northern suburbs to make their everyday lives healthier and easier. The route will also link to several other ambitious projects Sustrans is working on with City of Edinburgh Council. These include the George Street and First New Town project and the Meadows to George Street scheme, which we believe will set the standard for active travel in Scotland going forward.” Scott Ritchie, Senior Project Manager, Balfour Beatty,
July 2022
added, “We are pleased to be working with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver this incredibly important scheme which will transform the way people travel, moving from a reliance on cars to active travel.” The City Centre West to East Link route will reimagine our public spaces in Edinburgh; positively impacting local communities and residents by reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in the city centre and driving down carbon emissions. The route, which will be delivered in three sections, will include two-way segregated cycleways from Roseburn to Haymarket connecting via quiet streets to one-way segregated cycleways on each side of Melville Street. Twoway cycleways connecting George Street with Picardy Place via St David Street, Queen Street and York Place will also be introduced. There will be significant improvements to public spaces along the route, as well as new pedestrian crossings, enhanced pavements and street trees. By supporting people to travel by foot, bike and wheel, the CCWEL project aligns with our City Mobility Plan 2030, which envisions a clean, connected and net zero carbon future. It links into several other schemes to overhaul travel to and through the city centre, including the George Street and First New Town project and Meadows to George Street, both to be delivered as part of Edinburgh City Centre Transformation. The £19.4m CCWEL project, which includes a £13m construction contract with Balfour Beatty, will be principally funded by Transport Scotland through Sustrans’ Places for Everyone programme, with additional funding from the Scottish Government and the Council’s transport budget. To minimise disruption, the programmed resurfacing of the A8 will be carried out alongside CCWEL construction, funded separately by the Council.
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