Scottish Transport Awards – Edinburgh's newest active travel link declared a winner
The City of Edinburgh Council has been awarded Excellence in Transport Design at the Scottish Transport Awards 2025 for the Roseburn to Union Canal Active Travel Route which opened recently.
This corridor has transformed local connectivity, public space and access to nature with an off road path for walking wheeling and cycling.
Lothian Buses and Police Scotland were also recognised for Excellence in Social and Community Value for Operation Crackle, a joint initiative tackling antisocial behaviour and promoting safer public transport.
The 22nd annual awards ceremony was held on Thursday evening at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow. The ceremony celebrated the best of transport operators, infrastructure specialists, frontline workers and local authorities in Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop MSP delivered the keynote address and presented the Transport Team / Partnership of the Year award. The Minister said: 'It was an honour to speak at the Scottish Transport Awards tonight (June 19th) and to meet so many of the sector's major players and unsung heroes.
'I particularly enjoyed handing out the 'Team of the Year' award, and speaking to people who are working so hard behind the scenes, day in, day out, to keep Scotland moving.
'This was my third Scottish Transport Awards, and I was able to reflect on the progress being made across the nation on so many impressive projects and initiatives.
'However, there is still so much to do. I want us to build on that momentum to deliver lasting change by working together on our key ambitions and priorities.
'Well done everyone on such a fitting occasion to celebrate your success.'
Other category winners included:
Best Bus Service: Lothian Buses – Lothian Country Service 43
Rail Supplier of the Year: Story Scotland
Excellence in Travel Information and Marketing: Caledonian MacBrayne – 'Every Journey Starts a Story'
Contribution to Sustainable Transport: Royal Highland Show Traffic Management Working Group
Best Practice in Transport Planning: The Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal – Workforce Mobility Project
Outstanding Contribution to Transport: Roy Brannen CBE
Lifetime Contribution to Transport: Gillian Murray
www.transporttimes.co.uk
Graffiti Roseburn to Union Canal
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Plans to promote sustainable travel in Glasgow given funding
This cash injection will be used to improve active travel infrastructure and make public spaces safer and more accessible for pedestrians. It will also support initiatives that encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling, especially for school commutes, and provide upgrades to bus stops and employer schemes to create cycle-friendly workplaces. It will also support initiatives that encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling (Image: Supplied) The fund draws from four Scottish Government-backed schemes through Transport Scotland - the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF), the People and Place Programme (PPP), Local Authority Direct Award (LADA), and SPT's Capital Grant Fund. Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for transport, said: "These funding awards are really great news for active travel in Glasgow. Read more: Plans for one of UK's biggest green AI data centres in Ravenscraig revealed Man dies after police rush to Glasgow property amid incident "We want to create a roads network that encourages walking, wheeling and cycling across the city and it's great to see our vision being backed by the Scottish Government in this way. "Some of these funding streams focus on construction-ready projects and I am delighted that the efforts we have made to develop designs for potential new infrastructure are being recognised. "The funding will also enable us to invest further in organisations and activities that give people the knowledge, skills and confidence to use our growing infrastructure network, supporting them to walk, wheel and cycle more often. "Major infrastructure projects such as Connecting Woodside, the East City Way and Dumbreck Road Active Travel Link will all make vital connections to other routes that make it easier to move around the city by bike. "We know that as more and more safe, segregated routes begin to knit together across Glasgow, people will be more minded to choose active travel instead of having to depend on the car for local journeys." Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, said: 'I'm pleased that this £10.6 million award from the Scottish Government to Glasgow City Council will help realise their ambitions for better walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, alongside projects which encourage more active travel. "Through this investment we will make it easier for more people to choose sustainable transport. 'To support the continued ambitions of our local authorities – and to keep making walking, wheeling and cycling easier for shorter everyday journeys – in 2025-26 the Scottish Government will invest over £188 million in active and sustainable transport.'
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Scotsman
George Street: 'Elephant in the room' fears over lack of £35m funding as Edinburgh council votes
Full scheme to be progressed despite worries over where money will come from Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The design of a £35 million upgrade of one of Edinburgh's key streets has been approved by city councillors despite misgivings from opposition parties about the cost and lack of funding. A council committee agreed on Thursday to continue work on the scheme to remove parking and most traffic from George Street in the centre of the New Town, with construction scheduled to start in two years' time and finish in 2030. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A visualisation of the full George Street upgrade option | City of Edinburgh Council However, a Conservative councillor said the lack of secured funding for the project was the 'elephant in the room' and called for the existing street layout be properly maintained instead, using parking charge income. The council plans to pay for the scheme using external funding, such as from the city's visitor levy which starts next year, and developers' contributions. Officials said it was unusual for funding for such projects to be in place before they received final approval. The "reduced design" option, costing £20.3 million | City of Edinburgh Council City centre Conservative councillor Joanna Mowat said: 'We have been talking about George Street for nearly 11 years. The elephant in the room is that we still don't have any money and are reliant on applying to third parties and having this money granted to us before we can put a single shovel in the ground. 'Be realistic' 'All we have is a lot of very expensively-sourced designs, which are very pretty on the page, but without that money are no closer to being completed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Everyone is heartily fed up, because those people who live and work on George Street and are running businesses would just like to see something get done.' The "basic design" option, costing £17.4 million | City of Edinburgh Council Ms Mowat proposed instead that the £3.2m annual parking revenue from the street be used to pay for the £10.5m 'maintenance' option in the plans to bring it up to an acceptable standard. She told the transport and environment committee: 'We should be realistic. That's what we can afford.' Liberal Democrat councillor Hal Osler said: 'We are deeply concerned about the level of funding', and questioned whether it was worth spending £35m on the scheme. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad SNP councillor Neil Gardiner said all the upgrade options should be retained until funding was clearer. The "above ground design" option, costing £13.5 million | City of Edinburgh Council But Jamie Robertson, the council's strategic transport planning and delivery manager, said: 'It's quite rare to have funding in advance of obtaining statutory consent, and we are in the development pipeline with George Street. Price tag reduced 'I totally hear the noise around 'you do not have funding for this project', but we are not unique in this. If you ask me the same question in six months' time, I'm pretty sure I'll have much more clarity.' Mr Robertson said progressing the full scheme increased the likelihood of securing external funding. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stephen Jenkinson, tje committee's Labour convener, said: The project is rooted in making the area safer, more sustainable and accessible for all. 'This is a unique opportunity to bring one of Edinburgh's most important streets into the modern world whilst still maintaining its unique history and features. 'The wider potential improvements are vast, from benefits to local residents and businesses to enhancing Edinburgh as a visitor destination. We're on our way to delivering a bold new vision for George Street and our city centre.' Mr Jenkinson said last week he expected the cost of the plans to fall further after 'more detailed and accurate costings' had seen the price tag reduced from £39.5m last September.
Edinburgh Live
4 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
Fraudster duped Edinburgh Balmoral hotel into buying bogus Scottish-grown tea
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A Scottish fraudster who raked in over £500,000 by deceiving luxury hotels into buying 'unique' Scottish-grown tea that had actually been imported has been jailed for three and a half years. Thomas Robinson, 55, was operating under the business name 'The Wee Tea Plantation' when he also defrauded a group of genuine Scottish tea growers, selling them plants under the false pretence that they were a premium, single-origin Scottish variety. He claimed that he cultivated exclusive tea plants at his Perthshire estate but prosecutors proved that, in reality, Robinson bought the tea from wholesalers in Italy before repackaging the plants and then selling them off to retailers for five times the original cost. He was sentenced at Stirling Sheriff Court after a jury found him guilty of two charges of being concerned in a fraudulent scheme. It comes after an investigation into his activities by Food Standards Scotland. Helen Nisbet, Procurator Fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said: 'This was a planned and deliberate fraud. Thomas Robinson misled genuine Scottish tea growers by selling them plants he falsely claimed were a unique, locally grown variety. 'Fraud is not a victimless crime. Individuals, businesses, and genuine Scottish tea growers suffered financial and reputational harm as a consequence of Robinson's deceit. 'But thanks to partnership working between Food Standards Scotland, Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, he has been brought to account for his crimes. We are committed to tackling financial crime of this kind.' Robinson pretended he had used innovative growing techniques, including a biodegradable polymer, to cultivate premium Camellia Sinensis tea plants from an estate in Perthshire. He then fraudulently sold the plants to high-profile clients in the hospitality sector, including Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel and the Dorchester Hotel in London, as well as retailers between January 2014 and February 2019. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. He also told prospective growers, clients and the wider public that he had sold the tea to Kensington Palace and claimed it was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth. But the court heard he was importing the plants for three Euros each – around £2.50 - and collecting them from a mailbox in Glasgow. He was then selling them for £12.50 each while insisting to clients and retailers that they were a sound financial investment. The court heard that the total approximate value of his fraudulent activity was approximately £550,000. Robinson also fabricated his academic status by falsely claiming he had qualifications in agronomy and agriculture and had obtained awards for his tea from industry bodies. He will now be subject to confiscation proceedings under Proceeds of Crime legislation to recover monies illegally obtained. Ron McNaughton, Head of the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit (SFCIU) at Food Standards Scotland, said: 'We welcome today's sentencing as a clear signal that food fraud is a serious crime with serious consequences. 'A three-and-a-half year custodial sentence reflects the scale and impact of Mr Robinson's deception. His actions caused real financial and reputational harm to individuals, businesses and a developing sector of genuine Scottish tea producers. 'This outcome is the result of a complex and painstaking investigation involving a dedicated team at FSS and the cooperation of partner agencies and key witnesses. 'It demonstrates that those who set out to mislead consumers and defraud businesses will be held accountable. 'Food fraud undermines consumer trust and damages the integrity of Scotland's globally respected food and drink sector. We remain committed to detecting and disrupting criminal activity of this nature.'
