All change at Transport & Environment ...

Was sorry to see my SNP coalition-colleague, Jim Orr, resign the whip a couple of weeks ago ... at a personal level, I wish him all the best for the future.

It does, of course, mean there's been a vacancy for the post of "Vice-Convener of the Transport and the Environment Committee", and this week's Full Council Meeting confirmed that Adam McVey will be taking on the job. I look forward to working with Adam over the coming months.

And by one of those strange coincidences-of-fate, who did I jog past on the canal yesterday ... the last-but-one, Transport and Environment Committee Convener: Gordon Mackenzie (on his bike!).

Despite our political differences, I really do think Gordon deserves enormous credit for spearheading the initial "5% of transport revenue and capital" commitment, to be spent on cycling in Edinburgh ... and our own second budget, passed just last month, saw that rise to 7% (see paragraph 1.5).

As a daily cyclist, I can see it making a real difference across the city ... I know there's a long way to go, but just imagine city-cycling without that commitment?