Edinburgh’s cyclists have been enjoying the completion of a new 3km bike route.

The Quality Bike Corridor was upgraded this year, making the route even more popular with the students and commuters who use it daily.

Edinburgh City Council has refurbished the Corridor, providing new bus and cycle lanes, changes to the parking and loading restrictions and route signage.

The route was launched by Cllr Jim Orr, Matt Davis of Sustrans and Emma Crowther of the University of Edinburgh.

It runs from the King's Buildings Campus in South Edinburgh to George IV Bridge in the city centre.

The total cost of the development was £650,000. £250,000 of the funding was provided by the Scottish Government's Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) initiative.

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A further £100,000 contribution came from Sustrans.

The Council says the aims of the project were to improve the safety and attractiveness of the corridor for cyclists, improve bus priority and address demand for kerbside parking and loading

Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener for the City of Edinburgh, said: "Today is an important milestone in our shared ambition through the Active Travel Action Plan of making cycling as safe and appealing as we can to commuters and cyclists of all ages.

"We know that Southside and Newington already has an above average number of journeys made by bike (some 12%), and this new corridor will no doubt encourage even more people to take to two wheels. The work to improve the bus lanes will also be welcomed by commuters as this will increase the reliability of local bus services."

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "I've been working closely with the cycling community in recent months to find out their views on how we can encourage more people in Scotland to experience the benefits of cycling. What has been clear is that all the partners, including the Scottish Government, want to continue to show joint leadership in doing all we can to improve the cycling infrastructure.

"That's why the Scottish Government was keen to inject the £250,000 funding into this project and I am delighted to see it opening now."

(IT)