Dunbar Cycle Links

A1 Bridge Steering Group Inaugural Meeting

Posted on 17 September 2014 by morag

A meeting between East Lothian Council, Transport Scotland, Sustrans and Sustaining Dunbar was held last night to discuss how best to progress a connecting path from Innerwick to Dunbar and the coast. A bridge over the A1 at the Innerwick Road end looks like the only practical way forward and, as it will be expensive, it will take some time to make it happen.

The next stage in the project will be to commission a full STAG (Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidelines – a formal assessment required by the Scottish Government for major transport projects) report which will weigh up the environmental, social and economic costs and benefits. In the meantime, East Lothian Council is working on upgrading the existing N76; the Broxburn-Whitesands section should be complete before April.

Sustaining Dunbar intends to carry out a bit more work in the near future to try to put together a funding package for the STAG appraisal which will need to be professionally written.

Posted in A1 Bridge | Comments Off

Brandsmill update

Posted on 11 March 2014 by morag

Water up to 30cm deep regularly floods the underpass at Brandsmill

The Brandsmill underpass is part of the East Lothian core path walking network. However, it is impassable for a large part of the year due to the culvert flooding.

Trash screens on the upstream side are supposed to prevent debris from blocking the culverts, but they are not cleared regularly so are often clogged up themselves. They have been ineffective for several years, and were fatally damaged in storms in 2013.

Transport Scotland (who are responsible for the trunk road network, and hence the structure of the underpass) have agreed to replace the screens with a improved system with safer access for cleaning.

Their contractors, BEAR Scotland, removed material from the area in January 2014, and experts have been reviewing the situation.

The damaged trash screens at Brandsmill (the orange markings show where they should be)

In the meantime BEAR Scotland have committed to checking the area and carrying out carry out works to remove debris as and when required.

Posted in Brandsmill, News | Comments Off

Bridge Design Specification

Posted on 18 February 2014 by morag

The next stage in our campaign to improve pedestrian and cycle access to Dunbar from the south will be to produce a ‘Bridge Design Specification’ for a crossing of the A1, which is likely to be a significant expense, but is necessary to pin down the full cost of the bridge. It will cover things such as what the bridge is made of, but also look at the land where it is to touch down to check if there is enough room for access ramps etc.

The next application deadline is 25 March.

Posted in A1 Bridge, News | Comments Off

Transport Scotland expresses support

Posted on 23 January 2014 by morag

In a letter to East Lothian Council dated 13th January, Transport Scotland expresses support for the improvement of cycle and walking routes in the Dunbar area. They state they are not in a position to contribute funding but offer technical support for a new crossing of the A1.

They state that BEAR Scotland (responsible for trunk road maintenance) are looking at improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists at the Spott Roundabout and that the trash screens at the Brandsmill underpass will be repaired shortly.

Sustaining Dunbar is seeking a meeting with Transport Scotland and East Lothian Council to discuss the Spott Roundabout proposals and to consider how to take forward a Bridge Design Specification.

In the meantime we will continue to seek funding for improvements to the path in stages:

Dunbar -Broxburn
Broxburn – Whitesands
Whitesands – Oxwellmains
Oxwellmains – Lafarge
Larfarge – Torness

Posted in A1 Bridge, News | Comments Off

Prioritising paths for improvement

Posted on 10 December 2013 by morag

Andrea Partridge, from P4 Projects in Fife has recently been commissioned by East Lothian Council to carry out a feasibility study on the upgrading of a number of paths in the county.

There will be a particular focus on:

Pencaitland Railway Path (resurfacing);
Longniddry to Haddington Railway path (resurfacing);
Prestonpans to Cockenzie by Cockenzie Power Station, for safer routes to school (identified in the Core Paths Plan);
Wallyford to Pinkie Path (The Drift) and the link to the station (safer routes to school);
New path linking car parks 1 and 2 at Longniddry Bents (part of the John Muir Way, North Sea Cycle Route);
Options for the Pinkie St Peter’s Path, Musselburgh.

The Feasibility Study will also seek suitable funding sources for work that is deemed to be appropriate. This may include the Commonwealth Games Legacy Funding as a key part of the study is to increase the number of people walking and cycling.

The routes that are being considered are strategically important and have the objective of encouraging new users to walk, cycle and ride in a safe and traffic free environment.

P4 Projects is seeking views from a range of stakeholders and would be grateful for any thoughts that you may have on the upgrading of these paths or any other improvements that could be made: call 01333 320701 or 07787 536575.

Posted in A1 Bridge, Brandsmill, Broxburn, News, Spott | Comments Off

Meeting with ELC

Posted on 16 September 2013 by morag

Sustaining Dunbar met with East Lothian Council last month to take a closer look at the options for upgrading the N76, the main cycle route South from Dunbar, and creating a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the A1. The discussions were positive, with ELC giving their backing for the project and agreeing to support it where they can.

The route has been divided into sections which may be progressed separately depending on budgets and priorities.

Section A: Dunbar to Broxburn – By designating the pavement as shared use, and widening it where necessary, this section will be relatively straightforward to implement
Section B: Broxburn to the roundabout at Oxwellmains – Again, a route can be devised by using the pavement for much of the way, but various additional works such as raising a bridge parapet will be necessary
Section C: Oxwellmains roundabout to Lafarge car park – Some sections need resurfacing, particularly the section through/past the Lafarge car park, and vegetation needs to be cut back
Section D: Lafarge to Torness Road – Arguably the section of the path in the poorest condition. This needs to be re-surfacd along the whole route.
Section E: The Bridge – We require a detailed Bridge Design Report for this before taking it further, which will need advice from a range of engineers, and the involvement of Transport Scotland, the government body responsible for the A1 corridor.

The next stage will be to approach the various funding bodies for their advice and put together a detailed programme of works.

Further positive news:

While investigating the alternative route through Brandsmill we noticed that the culvert screens (which are supposed to prevent the underpass from flooding so often) were damaged. We alerted Transport Scotland who is responsible for these, and they have agreed to repair them. Even although we are no longer pursuing this option as a cycle path from Dunbar to Innerwick, it is nevertheless a popular walking route and this will benefit local people.

Posted in A1 Bridge, Brandsmill, Broxburn, News | Comments Off

The story so far…

Posted on 8 August 2013 by morag

Since January, Sustaining Dunbar has been looking at options for attracting funding to create a safe walking/cycle route between Dunbar and the surrounding villages. We appointed a contractor, Crispin Hayes, who has researched viable routes and started negotiations with landowners. Crispin and I presented these results to East Lammermuir Community Council (ELCC) at their meeting in June.

Since the report was produced, further discussions have uncovered reluctance on the part of the landowners to take this further at 2 key points on what was starting to look like the preferred route: Dunbar – Broxburn – Pinkertons – Innerwick. Also, the preference expressed by the Community Council for a tarmac path would double the estimated cost.

As a result, we now intend to look more seriously at one of the other options – a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the A1 at a point near the Innerwick road end. We hope to have an outline cost estimate and feasibility study to take forward by the end of the summer.

The bridge option has several drawbacks over the less ambitious earlier plans:

it is likely to be much more expensive
it would require upgrading to N76 (the path which runs behind Lafarge to Dunbar) and other linking paths
it would not benefit local communities to the same extent e.g. no Pinkertons to Innerwick path for school children

On the other hand:

It would be a very visible presence promoting cycling to everyone who passes under it on the A1
It would be part of the National Cycle Network and as such will possibly benefit more people
It would provide a safe direct link for cyclists in Innerwick to employment in Dunbar, Lafarge, Viridor and Torness
It would require negotiation with fewer landowers as most of the route is already in place
It would not require cyclists/pedestrians to follow the A1 corridor for so much of their journey, resulting in a more pleasant recreational route perhaps.

Posted in News | Comments Off

Feasibility of Improving Access to Dunbar without a Car

Posted on 29 June 2013 by morag

Crispin Hayes, the consultant commissioned by Sustaining Dunbar to look into the of practicalities building a walking/cycling path between the Lammermuir villages and Dunbar presented the results to East Lammermuir Community Council (ELCC) last week. The feeling from ELCC was mainly supportive, though they lean towards a more hard-wearing surface which is likely to double to cost estimates.

East Lothian Council (ELC) have stated that they would prefer a bridge over the A1, possibly at the Innerwick road end, connecting up to the National Cycle Route 76 which passes to the East of Lafarge, Viridor etc. This is the feeling of some local residents too.

Posted in A1 Bridge, Brandsmill, Broxburn, News, Spott | Comments Off