Pop-up project to promote shared and active travel
Residents in the north of Edinburgh have been enjoying active travel after a new pop-up mobility hub was installed in the area.
The temporary hub on Pennywell Road was opened by national shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) at the end of July and closed in mid-September.
Over the course of seven weeks, it acted as a base for a series of active travel activities to encourage local residents to walk, wheel or cycle more for local journeys.
The hub has since been relocated to the town of Hawick in the Scottish Borders, where it will serve the community until mid-November. Four further pop-up hubs are due to open in other parts of Scotland soon, including in Ayrshire, Stirling and Glasgow.
Mobility hubs bring together a range of transport options and community services in a single, attractive place, making it easier for people to travel without using private cars.
Placed strategically in key travel corridors, they can seamlessly connect schemes such as shared bikes and car clubs with public transport and other active travel options. The mobility hub concept is already widely applied in many European and North American cities and is growing in popularity in the UK.
The Pennywell Road hub was a small, moveable, modular parklet with space for planting, seating, bike parking and a bike repair stand. While it was in place, five successful active travel activities were held, with more than 50 people attending from the local community.
These included guided cycle rides and Dr Bike maintenance sessions in collaboration with North Edinburgh Arts.
There was also a guided community walk organised in collaboration with Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre and Midlothian Wildflowers, where participants learned about the importance of urban green spaces.
The hub was received positively by the local community, being described by attendees as an “excellent initiative”, with many asking about the possibility of future permanent mobility hubs in the area.
The project was made possible through a People and Place grant, which was funded by the Scottish Government and administered and supported by South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran).
Laura Wright, Scotland director at CoMoUK, said: “It was brilliant to see that the pop-up mobility hub installed in north Edinburgh over the summer was so popular with residents. These small, simple and flexible pieces of transport infrastructure are really good at getting people to try active travel options, and they also have a lovely community feel to them.
“They reclaim space for sustainable, green and convenient modes of transport that is usually taken up by private cars, helping to cut traffic congestion and carbon emissions in the process.
“Permanent hubs which give people easy access to shared bikes, e-scooters, and car clubs can also create seamless links with public transport. More pop-up mobility hubs will be opening soon in locations across Scotland, and we look forward to hearing how they are received by local residents.”
Rebecca Smith, SEStran project officer, said: “The CoMoUK pop-up hubs in the SEStran region offer local authorities the opportunity to have a temporary physical site in a community to begin conversations on active and sustainable travel.
“The Granton hub highlights great collaboration between CoMoUK and local community-led groups in creating activities that are accessible and well-attended. It is fantastic to hear the positive feedback from the north Edinburgh hub, and we look forward to seeing the hubs ‘pop up’ in other communities in the region.”
