Overview

I think it's fair to say that Edinburgh is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to cycling - a mixture of cycle paths with no traffic (although often covered with shards of glass), roads with cycle lanes and roads with little or no protection for cyclists where some degree of bravery is required. There are also some roads such as the Western Approach Road and of course the Bypass (A720) where no bikes are allowed.

A number of national cycle routes pass through or near the city. Again the quality of these varies a bit in terms of surface and signage - and a number of them make use of the arementioned cycle paths - but they are growing in popularity and in my mind at least are to be recommended.

There are a good series of maps available - created by the local Cycling Organisation, Spokes, which show the locations of the various paths. These are titled Edinburgh, Midlothian, West Lothian and East Lothian. There is a bit of overlap between them, but I would recommend them. They also do one for Glasgow.

Staying Alive

Edinburgh drivers are for the most part understanding of cyclists, but as with many places in the UK, you get all types - some of whom either through ignorance or incompetence cause danger to cyclists (and other road users).

Many of us have experienced incidents of being overtaken only for a car to turn left immediately in front of us for example - or car doors being opened without the occupant looking first. Stay calm - cars are tougher than bikes and people.

The same principles apply here as in other places - cycle courteously (don't ride on pavements or jump red lights) and defensively, but be assertive and take your piece of road when you need it - e.g. when going past traffic islands where the road narrows, make it impossible to be overtaken at that point by moving out a foot or two.

Think ahead - plan your lane changes in plenty of time - signal your intent - always remember to look behind you before moving across the road - and avoid sudden changes.