Here are some examples of what changes people are making, here in East Linton

“We decided to bite the bullet and buy a second hand electric car. A low range was all we could afford but we love driving it and have discovered there are many more charging points around than we realised.”

- A Happier East Lintoner

“We are trying to use public transport as much as we are able to (although it’s more difficult during these Covid times!).”

- A Happier East Lintoner

Transport

Here are the ideas that came out of the CAEL Transport meet-up on 23 September 2019:

CYCLING

• Would be great to have a support network for adult cyclists (e.g. to build up confidence of those who want to get on their bike) e.g. road safety classes, bike maintenance classes, greater accessibility for reflective clothing.

• Need more room on trains and buses for bikes, or have more bike shelters near bus stops and train stations.

• SusTrans cycle routes good, but need more routes.

CARS

Car Shares : promote existing ‘www.liftshare.com’

BUSES

Overall, the provision is good. However some challenges which can be fed back to East Lothian Council’s bus consultation:

• Need more rural provision, linking up villages across East Lothian better e.g through some minibuses

• Buses are expensive. Look at making them better subsidised and more affordable, and possibly campaign for free bus services (e.g. for 16+ young people)

• Electric buses for shorter routes?

UPDATE ON RAIL STATION (from Allison Cosgrove, member of RAGES)

Officials from Network Rail and Transport Scotland attended Rail Action Group East of Scotland (RAGES) AGM. This group has been campaigning for more than 20 years for re-opened stations at East Linton and Reston in Berwickshire, improved services on the North Berwick line and improvements at Dunbar.

• The officials advised us that planning for the stations was well advanced and included the design of the stations, approach roads and signalling.

• East Linton was likely to have a six car platform which would allow a train the size of the 385s on the North Berwick route to stop there, and the possibility of trains run by other providers in the future, should there be demand.

• TransPennine Express are starting to run from Manchester to Edinburgh at the end of the year. These trains are unlikely to stop at East Linton now but could do so in the future, or other train companies could do so.

• Ground for car parking has already been set aside by the Council, exact provision unknown.

• A Community Liaison Officer is to be appointed. This has already been done at Dunbar to inform local people about the new platform works, and has been very successful in keeping people updated.

• On the funding for the station, this was agreed some time ago, and the Council has maintained their contribution; the balance is being funded by Scottish Government, with Scottish Borders Council making an equal contribution for Reston Station.

• The officials advised that lessons had been learnt from passenger forecasting on the Borders Railway, where three times as many people used the railway as had been expected, and forecasting was now done differently.

• Overall, the meeting was extremely positive, very well attended (50-60 people) and there was a real sense that our stations are now firmly on their way. An exact date could not be given yet, but will become clearer as time goes on

LINKS

Cycle Travel route planner – find the best route on quiet lanes and cycleways 

Liftshare - fill your car up, save money and make friends

Zap Map – a UK wide map of charging points for electric cars

CarWow - a Global map of charging points, and links to electric car sales

Gridserve - EVs and charging infrastructure