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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 14/09/2026

Keep suggesting locations - ideas coming from the community would be ideal. We’ll write with some suggestions (thoughts below) 👇 Thanks for flagging this!

The ideal would be to have dedicated parking spaces in road/carriageway (like the Enterprise club car spaces), but that’s not the approach Edinburgh has taken. To help, here are some thoughts on local spaces:
Craiglockhart Terrace/Colinton Road corner - above the railway on large pavement (also near Enterprise cars)
Outside Meggetland (at the Sports Club) or near St Andrews Rowing club or on the pedestrian bridge over the canal (something ideally near Tesco, but it has tight pavements outside the shop)
Happy Valley: at the pharmacy or at the tennis centre.
On the street/cycle filter at Craiglockhart Road
Craiglockhart Drive South (at the Barbers)
Napier University (multiple / big spaces needed as demand will big - probably Napier can host as site owner).

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 11/09/2026

Interesting to hear in yesterday’s tram debate an argument that trams would harm Edinburgh’s historic streetscapes - yet the status quo of parked cars, pavement parking, pollution and noise is so little objected to. Here’s a tram within 20m of the Cathédrale-Primatiale Saint-André de Bordeaux.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 07/09/2026

Useful word to mute this week in #Edinburgh 😆 🚋 🚊

Add muted words or tags screen with the word ‘tram’ typed in it

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 07/09/2026

This article contains that rail/metro proposal for Edinburgh from 1989. What might have been!

A public strategy of Edinburgh - a proposed network of rail & metro across existing rail lines, a new East-West line between Wester Hailes & Leith (with a North Edinburgh spur) and a North-South metro axis, now c35 years old.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 05/09/2026

Thankfully the coach parking strategy is not at this meeting but in November. Well overdue. As evidenced by rogue coach parking throughout the festival. So rogue they realised it in their bus naming…. Everyone is a comedian during the Fringe….

Bus parked illegally on George IV Bridge during peak festival season - LED display saying “another load of trouble” on the front of the bus.

Buses parked in bus lanes during no parking periods. Pavement hugely busy at this time.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 05/09/2026

Tram papers galore. Everyone will have views. But it’s pretty good news on the recent extension - just look at the research below. Add this to the 30-50% turnover upflit they deliver (as evidenced by the recent fire disruption).

Tram extension market research
Increased property development near the tram
1/3 of new Edinburgh developments within 750 of tram
Satisfaction with journey time, reliability & frequency is high
travel times reduced and enhanced access to employment
Visible regeneration and rise in footfall
34% of respondents now drive less
92% say Leith & Newhaven now more attractive to live, work and do business

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 05/09/2026

Needs reallocation of space for more bus priority & a safer route for bikes & pedestrians access Hillend ⛷️ /Pentlands. Also needs consideration of permanent no left turn or camera enforcement of the current timed not left turns into Swanston Ave/Drive to protect residential streets from rat runs.

Timed no left turn - largely ineffective as not camera enforced and relies on already stretched Police resources. Also, outside of peak times, why is the rat run needed?

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 30/08/2026

20mph results in 25%-30% fewer casualties and reduces their severity.

Crash map view of traffic crashes in Currie, Edinburgh - 79 separate incidents in recent years.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 23/08/2026

Also the number 98 bus goes to Biffy Clyro, a small village near Edinburgh….

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 19/08/2026

20 minute neighbourhoods need a good bramble bush.

Bramble bush with several ripe brambles. Many have been ripe much earlier this year though.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 17/08/2026

20 minute neighbourhoods need public art

Colinton Tunnel mural: piper surrounded by poppies

Colinton Tunnel mural: thistles with purple flowers

Colinton Tunnel mural: a frog sitting on a lilly leaf

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 15/08/2026

The constant pictures from London showing rain gardens, new street trees, places to sit, bike lanes and filtered streets show what could be achieved locally in South West #Edinburgh and across the city*.

Rain garden in front of a cobbled street that has been filtered to remove traffic. A new business has started as it’s now a pleasant place to be rather than a rat run. Is it London? No, it’s Leith.

Widened pavement with new trees, plants and places to sit, with a new setted cycle lane. In the background is a bus gate to help prioritise public transport and cut rat running. London? No, it Leith.

Newly planted rain garden and unidirectional cycle lane on a formerly four lane street that has been reduced to only one lane each way giving more space to pedestrians and cyclists and significantly reducing the speed of traffic for safety and reduced noise. Paris? Not, it’s Glasgow.

A bus stop and cycle lane. There is fixed permanent seating next to the bus stop on this formerly four lane carriageway.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 08/08/2026

VoI bikes have quietly turned #Edinburgh into a 15-20 minute neighbourhood. It proves the latent demand for cycling is strong - despite the poorly connected infrastructure, there are thousands of journeys a day. 🧵

Map of the available VoI bikes in Edinburgh.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 03/08/2026

Edinburgh festival weather ☂️ ☔️ 🌧️

Weather forecast for Edinburgh - showing rain clouds for most of this week!

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 02/08/2026

After lengthy repair, the 172m Porto’s Dom Luís I Bridge reopened to public transport, taxis, cyclists & pedestrians only. After lengthy repair, #Edinburgh’s 160m North Bridge reopened with a lane of hatching, no cycling provisions, without widening busy pavements and no traffic reduction measures.

Dom Luís I Bridge is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the river Douro between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal.

On 27 June 2003, the upper deck was closed to motor traffic in order to adapt the structure for the metro system. The new "D Line" was inaugurated on 18 September 2005, and opened to the metro trams and pedestrian traffic.

The lower deck remained open to general traffic until October 2021, when it closed temporarily to all traffic for the start of repairs and renovation work predicted to last about one year. When it reopened, in April 2023, the lower deck was restricted to public transport, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians.

Photo shows North Bridge, four lanes for vehicles (x2 bus lanes, x2 vehicle area) and a fifth for hatching - space that could have been used for wider pavements.

North Bridge is a bridge in Edinburgh linking the High Street with Princes Street, and the Old Town with the New Town. The current bridge was built between 1894 and 1897.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 27/07/2026

* it’s not funny if your pushing a pram or partially sighted though. It’s just standard #Edinburgh #Motornormativity - parking or road space cannot sacrificed nor a motorist inconvenienced - but let’s block really tight pavements (even if passing cars can’t see the signs).

Road works sign block pavement despite being next to carriageway where parked cars are allowed.

Diversion Ends sign and Road closure sign block pavements on a street so wide five cars each other.

Road closed sign takes up at least half a pavement rather than any space on a very wide residential carriageway.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 27/07/2026

The #EdFringe starts early with car brain comedy* signs: 1. Single file traffic: so let’s make the pavement single file too 2. Road ahead closed: so we’ve blocked the pavement too 3. Road ahead closed: sign blocking pavement obscured by cars anyway 4. Diversion: so pedestrians are diverted too

single file traffic sign adjacent to three open lanes for cars blocks the already tight busy high street pavement

Road ahead closed sign for carriageway (not pavement) closure 100m away covers 80% of pavement

Road closed ahead sign that blocks pavement is largely obscured behind parked cars

Diverted traffic sign blocks 75% of pavement and is hidden behind a parked SUV that obscures the diversionary route for traffic

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 26/07/2026

Here’s an example trip with our community eCargobike - easy day trip to Linlithgow and back! You can hire it for free too - just get in contact!

Map of SW Edinburgh and West Lothian showing the route of the SW20 community eCargobike.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 15/07/2026

Lots of social media comments indicate just how well trams give rapid access to employment and city destinations that the bus network can’t serve so quickly - exactly why extensions are proposed.

Comment on Reddit: Live in Leith and work at the Gyle and I'm expected to be in office 2 days a week. I genuinely don't think it's viable to get the 21 with the congestion at Dvidsons mains. Could potentially take me around 2 hours to get to work

Comment on Reddit: Yep I'm in the same position and it's ridiculously inconvenient. I'm going to celebrate when it's back up and running the full route again

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 16/06/2026

On Tuesdays this bike transports food around locally. On Thursdays it transports Tool library stock across #Edinburgh. The rest of the week it’s free for the community to hire from sw20.info

Sw20 Urban Arrow eCargobike under pink blossom trees

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 10/06/2026

Sorry meant here on Calton Road - heaps of space usually despite the App saying it’s “full”. On Waverley Bridge and other high usage parking spots the solution is to covert parking spaces, but that requires traffic orders.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 27/05/2026

Need more public transport. It’s green.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 23/05/2026

Another successful hire of the SW20 free-to-use community ebikes. Have a shot. You’ll get the ebike smile. #Edinburgh #bikelife #streetsNOTroads

SW20 step through ebike balanced on its stand.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 03/05/2026

It feels like blossom season is ending - the rain spilling blossom onto #Edinburgh’s streets

Pink Blossom covered pavement in Edinburgh

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 26/04/2026

Street trees make everything better. Even parking. #Edinburgh

Woodburn Terrace - Braid Avenue pink and white blossoms

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 25/04/2026

Top drawer view from the top (bus) deck

Cherry blossom tree in Oxgangs from the top deck of a bus

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 21/04/2026

New disco golf course open locally⛳️! Hailes Quarry Park, the site of the junior park run, now has this great local facility! @longstonecc.bsky.social. The kind of news you get from the @edinburghminute.com! www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article...

Crown and flags at the opening of the new Disc Golf Course, at Hailes Quarry Park

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 20/04/2026

#Edinburgh street trees 😍: helping biodiversity, reducing flooding and pollution, cooling in summer and promoting wellbeing all year round. Municipal greenery isn’t an added extra: it’s part of making us all healthier.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 04/04/2026

What’s certain in #Edinburgh is that this spring and summer, there’s going to be an explosion in Voi bike use. It’s simple, easy and often the quickest way to get around. But the ideal would be to have it integrated with buses and trams capped fares. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 02/04/2026

Frost and blossom in #Edinburgh this morning.

Large blossoming tree with a clear blue morning sky.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 29/03/2026

Progress (from above) on the Colinton Village Hub in Spylaw Park.

Construction site from above - the old stables of Spylaw House being turned into the Colinton Community Hub.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 28/03/2026

20 minute neighbourhoods need more bike-based goods vehicles. One less van 👍

The Cycling Gardener’s black cargobike with a large bucket on the front.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 26/03/2026

Yeah. Lots of everyday clutter than only when contrasted to this does it show how much there is. Worst thing the UK did was allow parking everywhere there wasn’t yellow lines - rather than in Europe where parking spaces have to be specified.

St Stephen Street, Edinburgh - screenshot from Google StreetView.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 01/03/2026

20 minute neighbourhoods need municipal crocuses. Public beauty.

Purple and white crocus with a orange centre in some grass.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 28/02/2026

It’s curious because it’s not just a monument to the Covenanters, but also to the Jacobite rising of 1745 and Oliver Crowmwell too. And it is made from columns from the old Royal Infirmary in Infirmary Street (pre-the hospitals move to Lauriston Place which is now QuarterMile!). Very random!

Up close and looking up the main monument.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 28/02/2026

On this day, in 1638, 388 years ago, the National Covenant was signed in #Edinburgh. c250 years later, a local MP and owner of Dreghorn Castle (sadly no longer there) erected the curious Covenanters’ Monument. c140 years after, it still stands! Details: scriever.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/m...

The Covenanters’ Monument, Dreghorn.

A large granite column with a wind vane on the top.

On of the four faces of the top of the monument - the one from which it gets it name.

Covenanters 1666.

The accompanying and faded granite inscription next to the large column.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 23/02/2026

Customer feedback on the SW20 free-to-hire community ebike: “The bike is awesome! Like a magic carpet on wheels.” You can hire a magic carpet too!

Raleigh Motus electric hybrid bike: The bike comes with lock, panniers and integrated lights.

This is an 18" frame which Raleigh states is for 5' upwards.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 21/02/2026

20 minute neighbourhoods need #curling ponds. And they used to! look at this list! blogs.ed.ac.uk/roythompson/...

Curling pond from the 1880s - black and white photo.

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SW20ed #Edinburgh @sw20.info · 18/02/2026

The below was sent to various councillors and stakeholders (too large for a post, so see photo and alt text below). Looks like no signed diversions? As you say West Mill very steep! Lots of sadly very hilly alternatives for folks walking and cycling.

“During this time Spylaw Car Park will be closed to the public, and there will be path closures on the Water of Leith Walkway/National Cycle Network 75 between West Mill Road and Spylaw Car Park as necessary to allow works to be undertaken and the new path surface to set. We apologise for the inconvenience caused during these essential works and ask that everyone respects the closures and uses an alternative route”

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