Have your say: Haymarket ‘active travel hub’?

The City of Edinburgh Council has secured funding from Transport Scotland to explore the potential for an ‘active travel hub’ at the Capital’s Haymarket Station, a major transport interchange at the west end of the city centre.

One of Scotland’s busiest transport hubs, with thousands of people accessing all means of transport, from trains and buses to bikes and taxis every day, Haymarket Station is also a key milestone along the planned City Centre West to East Link, for which a final route was agreed last week.

Now a £10,000 feasibility study, 100% funded by Transport Scotland and being carried out on the Council’s behalf by consultants Capita Symonds, will examine the potential for Haymarket to become a ‘hub’ for active travel.

The Council has been in discussion with a number of stakeholders, including Abellio ScotRail, Sustrans and Cycling Scotland, about the proposals and a survey is now live seeking people’s views – and especially users of Haymarket Station – on what features they would want to see in such a ‘hub’.

Facilities might include cycling and walking route-mapping information and advice, bike maintenance and/or bike/e-bike hire, depending on demand and the physical space potentially available within the station area for the service.

Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Hinds said: “The City Centre West to East Link and opportunities to create an active travel hub at Haymarket Station represent a step-change in conditions for travelling by two wheels into, from and right through the city centre.

“We want to make walking and cycling as easy and attractive a choice as possible, and for more people to experience the benefits of travelling in an active and sustainable way for everyday journeys, as well as contributing positively to the city’s quality of life and air quality.

“I would encourage station users and anyone with an interest in improving facilities and information services for active travel in Edinburgh to have their say via this survey. The more people who tell us what would most benefit them in an active travel hub, the better we’ll be able to deliver a successful facility for all who’ll one day use it.”

The active travel hub survey is open for comments until Friday 6 January 2017.

Similar active travel hubs are already in place in Stirling, Ayr and Kilmarnock.