CYCLISTS are to get dedicated lanes on the Edinburgh Tram extension under the latest plans for the new line.

Edinburgh City Council said in a report to go before councillors next month that it would "offer dedicated cycle provision in the area".

READ MORE: Edinburgh Trams - 18 months of works on Leith Walk

The latest plans identify a separate lane along Leith Walk for cyclists.

The Herald:

The designs are part of a the first business case for the £165.2 million development, under which trams will run from York Place Picardy Place to Newhaven by 2022.

The proposals also include the addition of a bus interchange at Picardy Place, an increase in scope of public realm works in Elm Row, and the introduction of the segregated cycleway on Leith Walk.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Trams - 18 months of works on Leith Walk

It comes after the death of Zhi Min Soh, an Edinburgh University medical student who was killed in a collision with a minibus after her wheel reportedly became caught in tram tracks on Princes Street.

Campaigners claimed tram tracks as "an accident waiting to happen from the moment they were unveiled".

The Herald:

The council said earlier that it had carried out extensive awareness-raising activity both online and on-street.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Trams - 18 months of works on Leith Walk

Where bottlenecks exist, such as the stop at Constitution Street, alternatives would be planned.

The Herald:

Timed traffic lights that give cyclists a head start are already being trialled in the city.

Lobby group Spokes Lothian has been pushing for a public consultation on the future of Picardy Place and a report is planned on the area at the top of Leith Walk.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Trams - 18 months of works on Leith Walk

The group said that "Picardy Place has long been recognised as a top blackspot for cycling and it is also far below its potential as a central Edinburgh pedestrian place".

The Herald: The motion was tabled by the Green Party’s Chas Booth

Chas Booth, Edinburgh Greens' transport spokesman, above, said the plans for a cycle route were positive but that the lane would have to be a "high quality, segregated" pathway.

He said: "The case has been made for the extension of the tram to Newhaven but a lot of the detail still needs to be sorted out, in particular, how we learn lessons of the previous scheme and from a s cyclist's perspective that means they have to have the design right.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Trams - 18 months of works on Leith Walk

"There are lots of good council officers working on the proposals but I will be keeping a very close eye on the proposals as they are brought forward."

Firms face 18 months of disruption on Leith Walk, and plans include a compensation package for businesses likely to be affected by roadworks.

The council said customer and service access to local businesses maintained at all times and crossing points would be put in place.

The Herald:

The plans will now be considered at a special meeting of the transport and environment committee before going to full council next month.

The report moves towards identifying a potential contractor for the project, with a decision on whether to go ahead with taking the 2.8-mile extension, and with which contractor, to follow in autumn 2018.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Trams - 18 months of works on Leith Walk

There is an estimated three-year construction period, including the Leith Walk development, followed by about four months of testing and commissioning on new line.

The Herald: Edinburgh Trams fiasco will not be repeated with new line, pledges leader

The proposal also also recommends that a "gateway approval process" is put in place so any recommendations from the ongoing Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, which resumes next week, will be incorporated into the project plans and governance arrangements before contracts for the main construction works are signed.

The first trams, from the airport to York Place, started running in 2014 three years late, with the project eventually costing £776m, well above the earlier practical estimate of £545m.