Bike racks removed from Edinburgh shopping centre will be put back, council says

Council transport staff contacted the Leith community council this week to ask if they could shed light on what had happened to bike racks at the Kirkgate shopping centre, leaving residents in the dark over their disappearance.

It emerged yesterday that the same team that lost track of the racks had already removed them.

The council has since confirmed that the racks were removed to make space for the Christmas tree which was blocking CCTV and will be put back in a location nearby after new year.

In a post on the i love Leith page on Facebook a member of Leith community council branded the council’s inquiry ‘bizarre’.

“Does anyone know when the bike racks were removed from the foot of the Walk? And by whom? (bizarrely it’s the council that is enquiring…)

‘I know it sounds like a joke, but seriously, did anyone observe this, and can you remember when?’

A spokesperson for Leith Community Council said: “A couple of days ago we were contacted by the active travel team, asking if we knew what had happened to the bike racks and if we knew when they had been removed. It’s not a community council matter.

“There’s nothing we could really do about it, but we did let the Leith Harbour and Newhaven community council know as well, as the foot of the Walk is on the borderline between the two areas.”

Just Eat bike racks that were previously located at the foot of the Walk were removed, after they were hit regularly by vandals.

One resident who witnessed the racks being removed said: “I saw them being removed last week but it wasn’t clear who the people were. It’s ridiculous that the council don’t seem to know what their own people are doing.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh city council said: “The bike racks have been temporarily removed to allow for the Kirkgate Christmas tree to be put up. These will be replaced in a nearby location once the tree has been taken down in the New Year.”

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