The Scottish Borders is already proud of what it has to offer to cyclists.

Its roads have hosted the Tour of Britain on a number of occasions while its forest trails are recognised as some of the best in the country.
Events including TweedLove, the Tour o' the Borders and the Enduro World Series have also boosted its profile.
Now the local authority has endorsed a five-year strategy which it hopes will ensure it is recognised as one of the UK's premier cycling destinations.
But how do they hope to achieve that goal?
A look at existing infrastructure throughout the region will aim to identify key areas for improvement.
This could include better signage and upgrades to routes in the area.
Market research is also to be undertaken to identify target markets and economic value specific to the Scottish Borders.
At present there are no accurate figures on what share the region takes of the tens of millions of pounds coming to Scotland through cycling tourism.
A clear figure would allow targets to become "meaningful and measurable".
"Little or no data exists specifically for the Scottish Borders, and this has been identified as a key issue going forward," concluded the strategy.
"Small pockets of data exist from a range of stakeholders but not enough to provide a complete picture."
The Scottish Borders is already home to a number of major events but it hopes to bring in even more.
A budget of Â£50,000 has been set aside to help promote it as a host for new international and national competitions.
The possibility of working with the Borders Railway to help support any events is also being explored.
"The growth in the number of cycling events continues to help raise the profile and provide plenty of content for social media," reported the strategy.
"In short, the area has a wealth of cycle tourism assets, albeit there are superior trails, events, road surfaces and infrastructure to be found elsewhere."
A dedicated marketing campaign hopes to increase awareness of the Borders as a cycling tourism destination.
Work to regularly update a website for cycling in the region is also highlighted as being an important element alongside related social media promotion.
Updated photography to show the region in its best light is also planned.
"This strategy has identified that the region has very good cycling assets in the shape of routes, trails, services and of course events, but they are currently under-promoted in what is an increasingly competitive environment," the report found.
"There is a need for the development of a brand to cover all of the cycling assets in the region."
There are hundreds of miles of cycling routes on mainly quiet roads across the Borders, including a good range of long distance routes.
They include:
It also has a wide range of shorter trails as well as world-class mountain biking with the 7stanes at Glentress, Innerleithen and Newcastleton.


A Birmingham man has been arrested on suspicion of the "commission, preparation or instigation" of acts of terrorism.

The man, 27, was detained on Sunday after "suspicious items" were found at his home in Naseby Road, police said.
Houses in the street were temporarily evacuated while West Midlands Police, the fire service and army officers conducted safety checks on the items.
Police said there was no immediate risk to the public.
The house, in the Alum Rock area of the city, will remain cordoned off until Monday while searches are under way.
Officers had originally arrested the man on suspicion of "going equipped" and possession of an offensive weapon at 01:20 BST.
He was then arrested of suspicion of terror offences on Sunday afternoon following the house search.
Detectives from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit have until Tuesday morning to question the man.


Wakefield converted a late try to beat Widnes in a bad-tempered Super League game which saw three players sin-binned and both teams have a man sent off.

The hosts had Patrick Ah Van sin-binned early on before Widnes' Aaron Heremaia and Wakefield's Scott Moore saw red.
Anthony Tupou crossed as Wakefield led at the break, but Charly Runciman and Eamon O'Carroll touched down to bring the Vikings level at 10-10.
Widnes led with Rhys Hanbury's try but Craig Hall's last-gasp score won it.
The victory was Wakefield's sixth in Super League this season and moved them up to seventh in the table, level on points with sixth-placed Widnes, who are winless in six league games.
In a tense opening 40 minutes, Ah Van was yellow-carded early on for a fierce tackle which dislocated the shoulder of Wakefield's Ashley Gibson.
Moore was sent off for a high tackle on Ah Van following his return to the field, while Heremaia was dismissed for his reaction in the brawl that followed.
Widnes also had Lloyd White sent to the sin bin, while Stefan Marsh saw yellow for a trip on Jacob Miller before Hall's match-winning score and Liam Finn's fifth successful kick at goal.
Widnes head coach Denis Betts: "It was the worst refereeing performance I've seen in 30 years. We had a legitimate try from Chris Houston from a bomb disallowed near the end and there was nothing wrong with it.
"We did enough to win the game because we were in control but I'm really disappointed for my players.
"I can understand Wakefield's elation but thought we deserved something out of the game."
Wakefield head coach Chris Chester: "It was a crazy game and I've not been in one before like it with two sent off and three sin-binned.
"But we had a real never-say-die-attitude despite being shot to bits in terms of interchanges.
"It was a real back to the wall effort and we won it with a special play from Craig Hall in the end and a great conversion from Liam Finn. It was a fantastic performance by our guys."
Widnes: Hanbury; Thompson, Ah Van, Runciman, Marsh; Mellor, Heremaia; Dudson, White, O'Carroll, Dean, Houston, Cahill.
Replacements: Sa, Manuokafoa, Leuluai, Whitley.
Wakefield: Jowitt; Jones-Bishop, Gibson, Hall, Johnstone; Miller, Finn; Scruton, Moore, Arona, Kirmond, Ashurst, Topou.
Replacements: Annakin, Simon, Howarth, Yates.
Attendance: 4,398
Referee: Joe Cobb


Fly-half James Hook has vowed to carry on battling for a place in Wales coach Warren Gatland's plans.

Gloucester's Hook, 30, has 81 Wales caps and toured South Africa with the 2009 British and Irish Lions.
But he was initially omitted from Wales' 2015 World Cup plans before being called in as a replacement.
"I am under no illusion it's getting tougher and tougher every year for me. But I will keep on battling on and am always available," said Hook.
He helped Wales win Grand Slams under Warren Gatland in 2008 and 2012, also contributing to the 2013 Six Nations title win.
However, Hook has seen former Ospreys rival and team-mate Dan Biggar become established as Wales' first-choice fly-half.
Rhys Priestland was also preferred to Hook at the 2015 World Cup only for a glut of back division injuries to prompt Wales to call for Hook.
Wales also picked Bristol fly-half Matthew Morgan for the tournament and called in Cardiff Blues' New Zealand-born player Gareth Anscombe as it went on.
Former Scarlet Priestland is now on an 18-month sabbatical from international duty after joining Bath.
BBC Radio Wales asked Hook if he felt Priestland's decision could boost his hopes of playing in the 2016 Six Nations.
Ex-Neath fly-half Hook replied: "I don't know what the coaches are thinking, but there's obviously a lot of young boys coming through as well.
"So I haven't had a lot of feedback from the coaches in that respect, but like I say, I'm always available."


Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has vowed that Israel will be held to account for the killing of one of its leading figures in an air strike in Syria.

Speaking at the funeral of Samir Qantar in Beirut, executive council chief Hashem Safieddine warned Israel that it would "pay the price of its crime".
Israel has welcomed his death, but not confirmed it was responsible.
Qantar spent almost 30 years in prison in Israel for murder, but was released in 2008 in an exchange with Hezbollah.
Hezbollah sources say he died along with eight others when missiles fired by Israeli jets hit a block of flats in the Jaramana district of Damascus on Saturday night.
Thousands of mourners chanted "Death to Israel" as they carried Qantar's coffin, which was draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag, through the streets of the southern Beirut suburb of Ghobeiry on Monday.
In an address at the funeral, Mr Safieddine vowed to avenge Qantar's death.
"If the Israelis imagine that by targeting Samir Qantar they have closed an account, they are very wrong because they know and will know that they have opened accounts that are not closed with a treacherous missile," he said.
On Sunday, Israeli cabinet minister Yuval Steinitz said he was not sorry about Qantar's death, but could not comment on allegations of Israeli involvement.
Qantar, a Lebanese Druze, was 16 years old when he participated in a notorious attack in the Israeli coastal town of Nahariya in 1979 along with three other members of a Palestinian militant group, the Palestine Liberation Front.
Two policemen, another man and his four-year-old daughter were killed in the raid. A two-year-old girl was also accidentally smothered by her mother as she tried to quieten her while hiding in a cupboard.
Almost three decades later, Hezbollah negotiated Qantar's release in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers it captured in 2006. He is believed to have joined the Shia Islamist movement's armed wing upon his return to Lebanon.
Hezbollah has not said what role Qantar was playing in Syria, where thousands of Hezbollah fighters have been supporting government forces.
But Qantar's brother wrote in the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar that since his release he had been involved in "resistance" against Israel's occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights, and that Israel had tried to kill him six times.
The US said Qantar had become one of Hezbollah's "most visible and popular spokesmen" and had "played an operational role, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, in building up Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in the Golan Heights".
Israel is believed to have conducted several air strikes inside Syria since 2011.
In January, a suspected Israeli air strike in the Syrian Golan Heights killed six Hezbollah fighters, including the son of its late military chief Imad Mughniyeh, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guards general.


A woman who was found guilty of trafficking two women from Nigeria to the UK to work in the sex trade has been jailed for eight years.

Lizzy Idahosa, 24, arranged for the women to be put through a ritualistic "juju" ceremony in Nigeria to make them afraid of disobeying her.
The judge at Cardiff Crown Court said she she kept them in "a kind of hell".
Her partner Jackson Omoruyi, 41, found guilty of money laundering offences, was jailed for two years.
Idahosa - who is heavily pregnant with Omoruyi's baby, and already has a young child with him -  was found guilty of trafficking women to and around the UK after a trial last month.
A jury also found her guilty of inciting prostitution and money laundering.
During the trial, the jury heard the trafficked women worked in brothels to repay Idahosa Â£50,000 for travel from Nigeria and false documents.
Both victims said that before travelling to London on the promise of a better life, they had been subjected to 'juju' rituals in which they ate snails and snakes, had their hair shaved, drank dirty water and were cut with a razor.
The victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the rituals - sometimes known as voodoo or magic - left them fearing illness, madness, infertility and death.
Once in the UK, they were moved around a number of brothels in Croydon, Stevenage, Brighton, Swansea and Cardiff and had sex with up to seven or eight men a day to pay off their "debts".
Home Office officials and police eventually found one of the women working at a brothel in Cardiff in June 2013, and they quickly discovered she was a victim of trafficking.
The other woman was later persuaded to talk about her experiences.
Officers from the Home Office criminal investigation team arrested Idahosa and Omoruyi in a property in Lewisham, south London, in April this year.
As he sentenced Idahosa, Judge Tom Crowther QC told her: "You were the prime mover in this scheme.
"You targeted vulnerable young women and kept them in a kind of hell.
"You forced them to pay an arbitrary debt with their bodies day in day out. And you made significant sums from them."
He added: "They lived under mortal terror of breaking these promises."
In total, Idahosa was given sentences of eight years, five years, seven years and two and a half years for her crimes - all to run concurrently.
Omoruyi was sentenced to two years and 18 months, also to run concurrently.
Judge Crowther said both defendants will serve half their jail sentences.
Speaking after the court case, Nicola Rees, senior crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service Wales complex casework unit, said the sentencing "brings to a close a disturbing case involving the exploitation of two vulnerable victims".
"We know that traffickers specifically target those in positions of vulnerability," she said.
"I applaud the resolve of the two victims in this case, who were able to take active steps to break free from the abusive situation they were in."


The Maldives parliament has voted to remove Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb from office - the second time someone has been removed from the position in six months.

The impeachment motion was rushed through under a state of emergency declared on Wednesday.
Mr Adeeb was charged with treason last month in connection with an explosion aboard President Abdulla Yameen's boat.
He denies trying to kill the president and has not yet faced trial.
Mr Yameen was not hurt in the blast but his wife was injured.
The FBI in the US investigated the blast and said it found no evidence that it was caused by a bomb.
A motion to remove Mr Adeeb was backed by every member of parliament present in the chamber.
The main opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), abstained.
The president declared a 30-day state of emergency after the military said it found a bomb in a vehicle near the presidential palace earlier this week.
Authorities said they had also recently discovered a cache of firearms and explosives, as well as plots to use dangerous weapons.
The state of emergency, which was declared two days before a planned protest by the opposition MDP, gives security forces sweeping powers to arrest suspects.
Party leader Mohamed Nasheed was jailed in March after a widely criticised conviction under anti-terror laws.
The US, UK and human rights group Amnesty say they are concerned the state of emergency will be used to restrict civil liberties.


Paul Hanlon's header earned Hibernian a draw which moved them a point clear at the top of the Championship after finally breaking down 10-man Falkirk.

The visitors seemed on course for an unlikely victory when John Baird's excellent finish stunned Easter Road.
Former Hibs midfielder Tom Taiwo had been dismissed for a crunching first-half challenge on John McGinn.
The Bairns held firm until Hanlon connected with a floated McGinn delivery in the closing stages.
Hibs had further chances through McGinn and Grant Holt but were left frustrated at failing to overcome their depleted opponents.
Earlier, Craig Sibbald volleyed off target after Myles Hippolyte's pass came over his shoulder with only Ross Laidlaw to beat.
However, the tone of the match changed when Taiwo and McGinn went in for a robust challenge.
Taiwo appeared to dive in recklessly in catching his opposing midfielder and referee John Beaton produced a red card.
It became a contest of the irresistible force versus the immovable object as Hibs dominated possession and territory.
McGinn, Holt and Andrew Shinnie all went close but Falkirk frustrated their hosts.
Martin Boyle did find the net but was deemed offside and Hibs team-mate Fraser Fyvie was inches away with a shot across goalkeeper Danny Rogers.
Liam Fontaine had a glorious chance after Aaron Muirhead had denied him a clear header. But with the ball falling kindly just four yards out, the Hibs defender lacked composure and thrashing wide.
Falkirk's desire and organisation was impressive, as was the sucker punch of their goal.
Baird showed tremendous industry and guile to win a corner, then hooked home superbly to hand his side the chance of a sensational win.
Hibs' pressure was eventually rewarded when Hanlon rose to nod home but they could not find a winner, despite the best efforts of McGinn, who was twice denied by Rogers, and Holt, who came very close.
Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon: "We had total domination as you'd expect with 10 men. We should've won the game and they've scored from one corner.
"That's my frustration really, not the amount of goals we haven't scored, but the fact we conceded from a corner where we just lose our discipline. Three players going for the one ball; you don't defend like that.
"We showed enough character to get back into the game and on another day we'd have won the game comfortably. It's frustrating, but we're a point clear at the top of the league.
"I think it was a sending off; it's a two-foot challenge, his studs were up and he was late. I maybe need to see it again, but I wasn't surprised to see a red card."
Falkirk manager Peter Houston: "We saw footage of the sending off at half-time and I've asked referee John Beaton to look at it again.
"My opinion - and I wouldn't tell lies - is that John McGinn sort of goes in with two feet, and Tom goes in, and it was just a coming together. Tom wasn't off the ground and I think it was a very, very harsh sending off.
"I thought we'd started the match quite well, it was quite open and I think it changed the whole focus of the game. We then had to try to defend and sneak something.
"We're disappointed in some ways that we never took three points but, if I'm honest, I'm happy to take a point."
Match ends, Hibernian 1, Falkirk 1.
Second Half ends, Hibernian 1, Falkirk 1.
Attempt missed. Paul Hanlon (Hibernian) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Aaron Muirhead.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Danny Rogers.
Attempt saved. Alex Harris (Hibernian) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Aaron Muirhead (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lewis Stevenson (Hibernian).
Dylan McGeouch (Hibernian) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by John Rankin (Falkirk).
Foul by Dylan McGeouch (Hibernian).
John Rankin (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Falkirk. Peter Grant replaces Myles Hippolyte.
Substitution, Falkirk. Robert McHugh replaces Lee Miller.
Attempt missed. Grant Holt (Hibernian) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Danny Rogers.
John McGinn (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk).
Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) is shown the yellow card.
Fraser Fyvie (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk).
Goal!  Hibernian 1, Falkirk 1. Paul Hanlon (Hibernian) header from the right side of the six yard box to the top left corner. Assisted by John McGinn.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Aaron Muirhead.
Foul by Jason Cummings (Hibernian).
Aaron Muirhead (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Paul Hanlon (Hibernian) header from the right side of the six yard box is just a bit too high.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Luca Gasparotto.
Substitution, Hibernian. Dylan McGeouch replaces Andrew Shinnie.
Goal!  Hibernian 0, Falkirk 1. John Baird (Falkirk) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
Corner,  Falkirk. Conceded by John McGinn.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by David McCracken.
Attempt blocked. Martin Boyle (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Alex Harris (Hibernian).
Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Myles Hippolyte.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Aaron Muirhead.
Substitution, Hibernian. Alex Harris replaces Liam Fontaine.
Substitution, Hibernian. Jason Cummings replaces David Gray.
Attempt missed. John McGinn (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Corner,  Hibernian. Conceded by Luke Leahy.


Paul O'Connell's international career is over after the Ireland captain tore his hamstring during Sunday's World Cup victory over France.

The 35-year-old is moving to French side Toulon after the tournament having being released early from his dual Munster and Ireland contract.
Iain Henderson, who replaced O'Connell, is likely to start Sunday's quarter-final game with Argentina in Cardiff.
Number eight Jamie Heaslip will lead the team in O'Connell's absence.
"Paul O'Connell suffered a significant hamstring injury and will undergo surgery this week," said an Irish Rugby statement.
"Paul will not play again at Rugby World Cup 2015 and his time out of the game will depend on the outcome of the surgery."
The end of O'Connell's involvement in the campaign follows Peter O'Mahony  while fly-half Johnny Sexton is a doubt for the quarter-final because of a groin injury.
Flanker Sean O'Brien may also be missing for the match against the Pumas after he was cited for an apparent punch on France second row Pascal Pape.
Leinster's Mike McCarthy has been called into the Ireland squad as O'Connell's replacement.
Media playback is not supported on this device
O'Connell began his international career with a try-scoring debut against Wales in 2002 and has been a key member of the Ireland side since.
After playing a leadership role alongside captain Brian O'Driscoll in Ireland's Six Nations Grand Slam in 2009, O'Connell captained the British and Irish Lions in their 2-1 Test series defeat by South Africa later that year.
England 2015 was O'Connell's fourth World Cup campaign with Ireland. He has never been beyond the quarter-finals in the tournament.
He finishes his international career with 108 Ireland caps and another seven for the British and Irish Lions.
Former Ireland team-mate Peter Stringer paid tribute to O'Connell, describing him as an "inspirational leader".
"What a captain he has been. He is the first second row I have played with who has been the complete player," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"I have never met anybody like him. He demands the highest of standards from everyone within an organisation to make sure the team succeeds.
"It is devastating for him to end his career like he has with this injury."
Wales assistant Rob Howley, who coached O'Connell on the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour, described him as a "world icon", adding: "Irish rugby will miss him and even more so world rugby."


Scallop fishermen have been banned from a highland loch after a rare reef was damaged by dredging, BBC Scotland has learned.

The emergency move by the environment secretary follows an investigation into damage caused to the flame shell reef in Loch Carron near Plockton.
An environmental group has described it as "too little, too late".
The inquiry confirmed that the damage was consistent with the impact of scallop dredging.
But Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which conducted the investigation, said there was a "viable prospect of recovery" because part of the bed had survived.
The Loch Carron reef was dredged twice by scallop fisherman in April.
Marine conservationists said the reef was "devastated" by the dredging and could take decades to recover.
SNH sent divers down to the reef to assess and photograph the damage.
The site has now been designated as a Marine Protected Area which prevents further dredging.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: "We take our duty to protect Scotland's rich marine environment extremely seriously and recognise the importance of safeguarding vulnerable habitats like flame shell beds.
"By introducing a Marine Protected Area and putting in place a ban on dredging we hope to ensure the recovery of the flame shell beds in Loch Carron.
"While we recognise there are concerns around scallop dredging in coastal waters, we must balance environmental concerns with the need for legitimate and sustainable fishing."
The dredger which caused the damage was operating legally when the damage was caused.
But conservationists said it represented a "complete failure" of inshore fishery management.
Nick Underdown, from the campaign group Open Seas, said: "Whilst we welcome the move to protect the parts of flame shell reef that remain in Loch Carron, this is clearly too little, too late.
"The Scottish government are glossing over a much broader problem of scallop dredging impact throughout our coastal waters. They haven't even taken steps to protect flame shells in other areas where they remain intact.
"Incredibly this includes places where they exist in the Small Isles Marine Protected Area - the waters around Rum which still have no protection at all.
"The Scottish government's management of our inshore waters is prehistoric, piecemeal and it's hurting our rural economy too."
The group said there were now growing calls for a ban on scallop dredging less than three miles from the shore.
The Scottish government said it would now look at whether other sensitive areas required additional protection.


A road bridge closed since flooding in December 2015 is to reopen in September after repairs costing £5.1m.

Linton bridge, between Linton and Collingham, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, shut on 27 December 2015 as the flooded River Wharfe made it unsafe.
The Grade II-listed structure suffered major damage to its foundations
Leeds City Council said the repair bill had been funded by the Department for Transport.
Read more about this and other stories from across Yorkshire
The structure over the River Wharfe, which links the communities of Linton and Collingham, will reopen to all users on 2 September.
More than 100 bridges were damaged by floods in West Yorkshire following Storm Eva


Marcus Bignot, the manager with no contract at National League part-timers Solihull Moors, says he is now ready to sign his first deal at Damson Park.

The ex-Crewe, Bristol Rovers and QPR right-back, who led the Moors into the fifth tier of English football for the first time in April, has worked without a contract in six years at Damson Park.
But he is now finally ready to put his loyalty to the club in writing.
"I've always done it the old school way," Bignot told BBC Sport.
"The first agent I had was a big agency. The second was Eric Hall and that was all done on a handshake. I never signed anything. A handshake was as good as anything written down.
"I've never had a contract here. But they now know I'm loyal. I want to manage higher up one day, but I want to do it the right way."
Now, with the appointment of former Swindon Town chairman Jed McCrory to the Solihull board and the club's plans to further expand their off-field operation, Bignot feels the time is right to secure his immediate future.
"I must be the only manager in this league that's not got a contract," he added. "It's unsettling. The way the club is changing off the pitch I feel it's only right I have some security."
Ahead of Saturday's trip to Maidstone, Solihull are currently 17th in their first season in the National League, three points clear of the relegation places.
After winning three of their first five games, the Moors then shipped 14 goals in losing their next four matches.
Three successive draws have steadied the ship, but last week's early second-half strike by Jamie Osborne in the 1-1 home draw with Boreham Wood was their first goal in three games.


Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says he has been asked to stay on for three years, on the day a takeover of the sport was agreed by Liberty Media.

The US-based company has agreed a deal to take control of F1 from private equity group CVC Capital Partners.
It said Ecclestone will remain as chief executive but Chase Carey, vice-chairman of 21st Century Fox, will become the new chairman.
F1 commercial supremo Ecclestone, 85, has run the sport for 40 years.
"They want me to be here for three years," he told Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
Ecclestone said he will now miss the Singapore Grand Prix on 18 September as he needs to be in London for negotiations.
"Because all this is going through, they (CVC) want me to be there to help them with all sorts of things. I can't afford to be away for five to six days," Ecclestone added.
An F1 board meeting is scheduled for 13 September.
Andrew Benson, BBC Sport chief F1 writer:
So Bernie Ecclestone says the new owners of Formula 1 want him to stay involved for three more years. But what does this mean?
It's a classic Ecclestone quote - it says something, but only raises further questions. Which he doesn't answer.
Will he accept? What role will he have? How will things operate in the future? Perhaps in this case that's because he can't. At least not yet.
Ecclestone said he would be happy to work with the new chairman, US businessman Chase Carey. But he has operated as pretty much a one-man band for 40-odd years.
And what if he does not like what Liberty propose? After all, he told the Times only on Tuesday that he would "say adios" if the new owners stuck their noses in and he did not like it.
Much has yet to be decided in this saga before the future of F1 becomes clear.


One of Britain's most influential World War II spies was arrested in Madrid for cross-dressing, files released by the National Archives show.

Lieutenant Colonel Dudley Clarke was undercover as a correspondent for the Times when detained in the Spanish capital in 1941.
He was "dressed, down to a brassiere, as a woman", reports a letter from the British Embassy to the Foreign Office.
In 1940, he had been instrumental in establishing the British Commandos.
He is also credited with defining the Allies' deception strategy during World War II.
Field Marshall Harold Alexander, who led ground forces at D-Day as well as the Allied forces in Italy, said that "he did as much to win the war as any other single officer".
Lt Col Clarke had stopped off in Madrid in October 1941 on his way to Cairo to deliver important intelligence information to General Auchinleck, who was commander-in-chief of the Middle East command at the time.
The letter about his arrest reaveals he told Spanish police "that he was a novelist and wanted to study the reactions of men to women in the street".
As well as another outfit of women's clothes and a war correspondent's uniform, Lt Col Clarke's luggage contained "a roll of super-fine toilet paper which particularly excited the police who are submitting each sheet to chemical tests", the letter says.
The morning after his arrest, Lt Col Clarke's new explanation to British officials was that he had been "taking the feminine garments to a lady in Gibraltar and thought that he would try them on for a prank".
"This hardly squares with the fact that the garments and shoes fitted him."
The police considered the incident a "homosexual affair" punishable by a fine, but the letter warned that the Germans "apparently think they have got on to a first class espionage incident and will certainly make the most of it".
"Jokes have already begun about 'the editor' of the 'Times' masquerading as woman."
Prime Minister Winston Churchill was informed of the incident and orders were given to get Lt Col Clarke to Gibraltar as quickly as possible, indicating both his importance to the War Office and the potential embarrassment that could have been caused.
War Office messages express hope that Lt Col Clarke's military role remains secret and his mission can be continued, because the intelligence information he possesses can only be delivered by him.
But the War Office said: "If he shows signs of mental derangement he should however be sent home by first ship."
Lt Col Clarke was released and ordered to leave Spain within 48 hours.


Police investigating Hatton Garden jewellery raid arrest a tenth man, aged 42

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A penguin in New Zealand that had its leg amputated after it got stuck in a fishing line has received a custom-made 3D printed foot.

Bagpipes the Little Blue penguin lost his left leg in 2007 and since then has hopped and wriggled his way around his new home at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch.
On Wednesday Bagpipes took his first tentative steps using his new limb.
His digital foot will help him swim, stand and waddle like a penguin should.
Officials say that Bagpipes's new prosthetic foot is a first for New Zealand, using the latest 3D technology.
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After nine years of hobbling, Bagpipes is now able to stand tall and enjoy having his body weight distributed evenly.
Penguin keeper Mal Hackett told Stuff.co.nz that Bagpipes had spent almost 10 years of his life using different kinds of foam beer bottle holders cut to size and wrapped around his stump to give him some support.
"When he got out of the pool he was using parts of his body that he shouldn't, like his beak and flippers, so hopefully this prosthetic will help with that," he said.
The biggest difficulty was getting Bagpipes to stand still to have his good foot scanned and his new foot fitted. Initially he fell flat on his beak a few times before he got used to his new limb.
It was made by University of Canterbury senior lecturer Don Clucasâ€‹ who came up with a computer design, refined the model and printed the prosthetic.
"The hardest part was scanning his foot because he is quite wriggly," he said. "The fitting has gone better than expected."
"We still need to make a few adjustments like making it easier to clip on the prosthetic and keep it in place on his legs."
The prosthetic is made from plastic but the final fitting will include a rubber material to help Bagpipes with his grip.


Former Labour leadership contender Owen Smith has urged the party to unite to fight the Conservatives - but is still refusing to join the shadow cabinet.

He said he had not spoken to Jeremy Corbyn since their bitter leadership contest, but had exchanged one text.
There are "lots of people" who could help form a frontbench team, he said.
He also dismissed PM Theresa May's "nasty party" jibe about Labour, calling her pitch for the centre ground of politics "synthetic".
He said Mrs May had used her end of conference speech to echo some of the arguments he made during the summer, including the need to borrow to invest in infrastructure, although he added: "I don't think she will do it."
In his first interview since Mr Corbyn defeated him as Labour leader last month, Mr Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The truth is that politics is fought and won in the centre-ground and Labour needs to be a centre-left party and I don't think at the moment we're being perceived as that in the country - and that was the core argument I made throughout this summer."
Asked if he had been in contact with the Labour leader since they went head-to-head, he said: "I haven't spoken to Jeremy since, no, other than to congratulate him on what was obviously a very decisive win. I have exchanged one text with him and I'm sure I'll see him on Monday."
Pressed on whether he had reconsidered his position about not taking a shadow cabinet job, he insisted: "No... Given what I've said about where we have gone with Jeremy, and we're not making the inroads into the Tories and into the public popularity that we need to in order to form a Labour government and have a prosperous progressive government in this country, then I can't serve alongside him.
"I've always said that we're a movement of many, not just individuals, and there are lots of people who can serve on the front bench with distinction for the Labour party and I'm sure they will do that.
"I think it's now time for us to unite and get back to fighting the Tories and presenting a real, sincere version of the synthetic rhetoric-filled vision we heard from Theresa May yesterday."
'Heard it all before'
In her speech, Mrs May claimed the Conservatives would use the power of government to "restore fairness" in Britain and spread prosperity more widely.
She also said Labour was now seen as the "nasty party" and only the Tories would "stand up for the weak... up to the powerful".
While Mr Smith conceded that Labour members "have been nasty to each other a lot recently", he accused Mrs May of having served in a Cabinet "which has been nasty to the British public" with cuts to universal credits that will leave working people thousands of pounds out of pocket.
"Truthfully, we have heard it all before," he added.


Members of the SSTA teaching union are taking part in industrial action in a dispute over workloads.

The union welcomed moves by the Scottish government to reduce workloads but said it was unlikely to have an impact this session.
It argued that a "very large" number of its members had voted in favour of action short of a strike.
Education Secretary John Swinney said there was "no justification whatsoever" for the move.
A total of 40.8% of SSTA (Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association) members voted in the ballot, 91% of whom voted in favour of taking industrial action.
Mr Swinney has urged SSTA members not to participate in the industrial action.
Earlier in the month, he said: "I have taken swift action in response to feedback from teachers and others, to de-clutter the curriculum guidance and review the workload demands placed on teachers by local authorities.
"As these measures bed in, I ask teachers to continue to work with us to ensure that together we can create more time to teach our young people, and help contribute to closing the attainment gap."
But the SSTA's general secretary Seamus Searson said the union had "no option" but to take part in industrial action.


Police are continuing to question two people on suspicion of murder following the death of a 46-year-old man in Pyle, Bridgend county.

The 41-year-old woman, from Pyle, and the 52-year-old man, from Porthcawl, were arrested on Sunday.
South Wales Police is treating the death at Monks Close as suspicious and has appealed for anyone with information to call 101.
Officers were called to the scene shortly after 06:00 GMT.


In the wake of the Manchester suicide bomb attack a former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has called for the reintroduction of internment camps.

With security services revealing there are 3,000 people engaged in plots in the UK and as many as 23,000 who have appeared on the radar of counter-terror agencies, Tarique Ghaffur - in charge during the 7/7 bombings - wrote in the Mail on Sunday that "a proper national debate" should take place.
But what would such a policy entail?
Internment is when people are imprisoned without trial.
It is often associated with wartime situations, or when foreign nationals or people with strong political stances are detained.
The most famous use of it in the UK was during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The British Army began Operation Demetrius in 1971, which involved the mass arrest and internment of 342 people suspected of carrying out tasks for the IRA.
The government-approved policy was in place until 1975, during which time 1,981 people were interned.
Internment was also used during both World War One and World War Two. Both sides set up internment camps to detain civilians with sympathies to the enemy cause.
For the first two years of the Second World War, around 8,000 people deemed enemy aliens were temporarily interned in British camps before being deported to the colonies.
A more modern example of an internment camp is Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, used by the US to detain terror suspects after the attacks on 9/11.
Mr Ghaffur proposed setting up specialist centres to detain the 3,000 extremists.
He said they would be community-based centres where the internees would be "risk-assessed and theologically examined".
Once this step was taken, they would then be made to go through a deradicalisation programme, using the expertise of imams, charity workers and counter-terrorism officers.
Those who could be deradicalised should then be "carefully allowed back into the community," said Mr Ghaffur, but those "deemed too dangerous should be locked up".
He said the centres would need to have oversight from vetted Muslim and other community leaders.
Some people backed Mr Ghaffur's stance, including a former head of the government's emergency council Cobra, Colonel Richard Kemp, who said the UK's police and intelligence services simply could not monitor everyone they needed to.
But there is fierce opposition to his plan as well, with figures such as ex-Scotland Yard chief Lord Blair rejecting the idea as counter-productive.
Martha Spurrier, director of rights group Liberty, said: "We're a civilised country. We believe in the rule of law - suspects knowing the case against them, standing trial and, if found guilty, being sent to prison by a judge.
"This is the foundation of our free, democratic society - the exact thing terrorists want to destroy.
"Countering the scourge of extremism will clearly be a priority for the next government - but they can and must do so while protecting our values more vigorously than ever."
The police can hold a person for up to 24 hours before they have to charge them with a crime or release them.
They can apply to a court to hold a person for up to 36 or 96 hours they are suspected of a serious crime, such as murder.
But if a person is arrested under the Terrorism Act, they can be held without charge for up to 14 days. Police would then have to return to the courts for any extension.


A man has died after what police described as a "violent and dreadful" attack in his Northampton home.

The death of David Brickwood, 74, is being treated as murder, following the assault at the house in Lindsay Avenue in the Abington area of the town.
Mr Brickwood, who was attacked just after 02:00 BST on Saturday, died at Northampton General Hospital, police said.
A major incident room has been set up to investigate Mr Brickwood's murder.
Dozens of people have paid tribute to Mr Brickwood on social media, describing him as "a caring and lovable chatty guy", a "true hardworking gent" and a "legend of Abington".
Det Ch Insp Mick Graham, of Northamptonshire Police, said: "Fortunately, incidents of this nature are incredibly rare, and I would appeal to the public to contact us if they know anything about Mr Brickwood's death, or what may have happened in the hours leading up to this incident."


Legislators in Hong Kong have rejected a controversial Beijing-backed election reform package that sparked mass protests last year.

The reforms would have given Hong Kong voters the right to choose their leader for the first time in 2017.
But candidates would be vetted by a pro-Beijing committee and pro-democracy activists said the reforms only offered "fake democracy".
Beijing said it would not change its position on democratic reforms.
Some in Hong Kong had hoped that if the proposals were rejected, China would be forced to offer more far-reaching reforms.
The Chinese government issued a ruling on 31 August last year, saying that Hong Kong's leader could be chosen by direct elections by 2017.
However, the ruling also said that only those nominated by a pro-Beijing committee could stand for election.
Beijing's decision sparked protests that drew crowds of more than 100,000 people to the streets.
The Beijing-backed electoral reforms had to be approved by Hong Kong's legislature before they could be enacted - but pro-democracy lawmakers, who have enough seats to veto the move, voted down the reform package.
Without approval from Hong Kong lawmakers, the territory's next chief executive will be selected, as before, by a 1,200-member committee currently stacked with Beijing loyalists.
Moments before the vote took place, pro-Beijing lawmakers, who were expected to support the package, walked out of the council chamber.
This led to confusion ahead of the vote, with some lawmakers unsure as to why others had walked out.
The 37 remaining lawmakers voted and the motion was rejected with 28 opposing it and eight supporting it. It needed at least 47 votes to pass.
Pro-Beijing lawmakers later blamed miscommunication for the walk-out, after their request for a 15-minute suspension was rejected by the Speaker.
The outcome was expected, but the circumstances surprisingly dramatic.
When government officials gave their final speeches, it was hours ahead of schedule. Journalists scrambled to retake their seats in the main chamber at the Legislative Council.
Then a bell rang, reminding lawmakers to gather to vote. The cavernous room echoed with tension. A voiced called out, asking to halt the proceedings with just minutes to spare. The head of the council declined. Pro-government legislators walked out in protest.
One of them, Regina Ip of the New People's Party, looked stunned after failing to vote. She said the collective action was unplanned. They had suddenly decided to wait for Lau Wong-fat, an elderly lawmaker who was said to be ill.
As a result, the controversial government reform plan failed by a wide margin.
Tardy lawmaker draws online quips
Maggoty apples and Hamlet: How Hong Kong's passionate debate unfolded
A statement from China's legislature released to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, said: "Although the universal suffrage motion was not passed, the direction towards universal suffrage and the legal principles laid down must continue to be upheld in future efforts."
It said the 31 August decision will "continue to serve as the constitutional ground for Hong Kong in the future" and "its legal force is unquestionable".
Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said legislators had voted against the wishes of the majority of Hong Kong's people and he was "naturally disappointed".
The bill's defeat comes after what has been a tense year of political debate in the former British colony that was handed over to Beijing in 1997.
In September last year, activists occupied major parts of the city and demanding universal suffrage. Protests paralysed the city centre after clashes between police and activists saw tear gas deployed.
After more than two months and with no concessions from CY Leung, the protest camps were ultimately dismantled by police.


Liverpool is to host the Labour Party conference in both 2016 and 2018, the party has announced.

It is returning to the city, having first used its conference centre for the event in 2011.
Liverpool has become an established conference location in recent years and will also host the Lib Dems in 2014.
Competition for autumn conferences, attended by thousands of party workers, lobbyists and the media, is fierce among the UK's largest cities.
The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said Labour's decision to return twice in the next five years was a "huge vote of confidence".
Labour is to hold its 2013 conference in Brighton, with the Lib Dems and the Conservatives visiting Glasgow and Manchester respectively.


Former US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is one of the big names lined up for the 30th Hay Festival.

New Great British Bake Off host Sandi Toksvig will also appear, along with Graham Norton and Eddie Izzard.
The renowned arts and literature festival will host 800 events, including music from Brian May, Will Young and Amy MacDonald.
It runs from 25 May to 4 June in the Powys town of Hay-on-Wye.
The full programme to mark the 30th anniversary of the 10-day festival was announced on Tuesday, two days before tickets go on sale on Thursday.
Sanders, the Vermont Senator who was beaten to the Democratic presidential nomination by Hillary Clinton, will be at Hay along with other names from the political world, including former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
Broadcaster Stephen Fry will be one of those attending to share his philosophy on how to bring about a better world as part of the festival's central 30 Reformations programme.
Actors Sir Tony Robinson, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Sheen and Sheila Hancock will appear, along with director Ken Loach.
Comedy will be provided by Izzard, as well as Mark Watson, Marcus Brigstocke and Shappi Khorsandi.
Meanwhile, artist Tracey Emin and writer Germaine Greer will join discussions investigating the latest topics in art, technology, history and health, and authors will include Helen Fielding and Ian Rankin.
There will also be a range of activities aimed at families and younger visitors, including appearances from acclaimed children's authors Jacqueline Wilson and Julia Donaldson.
Festival director Peter Florence said it would celebrate 30 years of bringing readers and writers together "to share stories and ideas, to imagine the world - to tell our truths and renew our lives".
The border town of Hay-on-Wye, well known for its second hand book shops, has hosted the annual literary event since the spring of 1987.
Its birthday in May is being marked by "crowd sourcing" a list of the world's most essential books.
Thirty schools will also plant trees over 30 acres (12 hectares) in a partnership with conservation charity, The Woodland Trust.


Researchers from Oxford University say they've made a breakthrough in developing smart glasses for people with severe sight loss.

The glasses enhance images of nearby people and objects on to the lenses, providing a much clearer sense of surroundings.
They have allowed some people to see their guide dogs for the first time.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People says they could be "incredibly important".
Lyn Oliver has a progressive eye disease which means she has very limited vision.  Now 70, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in her early twenties. She can spot movement but describes her sight as "smudged and splattered".
Her guide dog Jess helps her find her way around - avoiding most obstacles and hazards - but can't convey other information about her surroundings.
Lyn is one of nearly two million people in the UK with a sight problem which seriously affects their daily lives.
Most though have at least some residual sight.
Researchers at Oxford University have developed a way to enhance this - using smart glasses. They are fitted with a specially adapted 3D camera.
The images are processed by computer and projected in real-time on to the lenses - so people and objects nearby become bright and clearly defined.
Lyn Oliver has tried some of the early prototypes, but the latest model marks a key stage in the project, offering greater clarity and detail than ever before.
Dr Stephen Hicks, from the University of Oxford, who has led the project, says they are now ready to be taken from the research setting to be used in the home.
"If you're walking around you're able to navigate doorways, and see hazards on the floor that might trip you up. So you can become more independent and walk around with greater ease."
He says there has been a great response from people who have worn them.
"People have loved them. They remark how much they can see now. They can see details in faces, they can see their own hands. People have commented how they've seen their guide dog for the first time. It's a real enabler."
We took Lyn Oliver to try the latest glasses in Oxford's covered market, a busy enclosed space with lots of potential obstacles.
Soon she found her surroundings coming into focus. Her first response was to turn to our cameraman and exclaim: "You've been spotted!"
Later, after navigating the passageways, corners and shopfronts she expressed her delight.
"I can see you! So I'm just standing here talking and not thinking. I'm looking!"
She said the glasses could help in many different settings.
"This way I could find my way to a door, around tables and out. Find the stairs and up the stairs."
She was taken aback when the glasses came off.
"Oh you've gone! You're not there any more. You've disappeared!"
The headset is still substantial, and connected by cable to a laptop in a backpack. But the researchers are confident in time they can be made the size of normal glasses.
Eventually, they say, they could be available for the cost of a mobile phone, saving the NHS millions of pounds by preventing falls.
They will start making an initial batch of 100 sets later this year, which will be offered to blind and partially sighted people to use in their daily lives. If that goes well they will start to produce larger numbers over the next couple of years.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People has followed the project closely. John Worsfold from the RNIB says they could make a massive difference to people's lives.
"I think these could be incredibly important. From what we've seen so far they could offer some great independence for blind and partially sighted people to get out and about and carry on normal lives."


Great Britain Royals secured victory in the final Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series event in Poland in the build-up to the Olympics.

Britain had two teams in the Gdynia tournament, with the Royals beating the Great Britain Lions 26-14 in the final.
Tries from Tom Bowen (2), Warwick Lahmert and Luke Treharne helped the Royals to victory.
Team GB coach Simon Amor will announce the 12 players selected for the Rio Games on Tuesday.
It is the Royals' second Grand Prix series win after succeeding at Exeter's Sandy Park last weekend.


Cardiff University's Brain Research Imaging Centre has been named Project of the Year at Wales' annual design awards.

The Â£44m centre received the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors award, which recognises projects with innovation and community benefits.
It was praised for its "precise and beautifully detailed multi-sensory design".
A prison, chapel and a castle visitor centre were also recognised.
Cubric brings together four hi-tech scanners under one roof and is considered a centre of excellence for brain imaging and a world-leader for research in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience.
The centre, which also won the Design Through Innovation category, also houses brain stimulation equipment, sleep laboratories and drug trial facilities.
RICS judges said it "exquisitely embraces a cluster of unique brain imaging scanners, with the surrounding building design harmoniously reflecting the neuroscience work".
They added: "Precise and beautifully detailed multi-sensory design generates an intuitive rhythm throughout. Interconnected functions, from world-class scanning through research, to sleep laboratories intertwine creatively, maximising purpose with invisible user-enhancing design."
Other winners included:
All winners will now compete at the RICS Awards Grand Final on 2 November in London, for the chance to be crowned the overall UK winner in their respective category.


New guidelines on the use of drones offshore have been published by trade body Oil and Gas UK.

The move follows a rise in the number of oil and gas operators using unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to conduct inspections and other offshore tasks.
The guidelines were developed by industry and aviation safety experts and UAS operators.
They cover best practice, procedures and the certification needed to be compliant with UAS regulations.
Oil and Gas UK's health, safety and environment director Mick Borwell said: "A small but increasing number of oil and gas operators are using UAS for inspections predominantly, but also for aerial photography, surveying and security.
"The technology is particularly attractive for its use in improving safety.
"For example, sending unmanned aircraft instead of people into confined spaces to conduct inspections reduces risk, and is also effective and efficient.
"We expect their usage to grow."
Mr Borwell said the new guidelines aimed to be consistent with safety and operating standards already adopted on the UK Continental Shelf for offshore oil and gas production and helicopter flight operations.
He added: "The intention is to encourage offshore operators planning on using this emerging technology to think about the whole operating and safety system offshore and not just the air vehicle."


The UK mainland's first fully intact Viking boat burial site has been uncovered in the west Highlands, archaeologists have said.

The site, at Ardnamurchan, is thought to be more than 1,000 years old.
Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.
Archaeologist Dr Hannah Cobb said the "artefacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain".
Dr Cobb, from the University of Manchester, a co-director of the project, said: "This is a very exciting find."
She has been excavating artefacts in Ardnamurchan for six years.
The universities of Manchester, Leicester, Newcastle and Glasgow worked on, identified, or funded the excavation.
Archaeology Scotland and East Lothian-based CFA Archaeology have also been involved in the project which led to the find.
The term "fully-intact", used to describe the find, means the remains of the body along with objects buried with it and evidence of the boat used were found and recovered.
The Ardnamurchan Viking was found buried with an axe, a sword with a decorated hilt, a spear, a shield boss and a bronze ring pin.
About 200 rivets - the remains of the boat he was laid in - were also found.
Previously, boat burials in such a condition have been excavated at sites on Orkney.
Until now mainland excavations were only partially successful and had been carried out before more careful and accurate methods were introduced.
Other finds in the 5m-long (16ft) grave in Ardnamurchan included a knife, what could be the tip of a bronze drinking horn, a whetstone from Norway, a ring pin from Ireland and Viking pottery.
Dozens of pieces of iron yet to be identified were also found at the site.
The finds were made as part of the Ardnamurchan Transition Project (ATP) which has been examining social change in the area from the first farmers 6,000 years ago to the Highland Clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Viking specialist Dr Colleen Batey, from the University of Glasgow, has said the boat was likely to be from the 10th Century AD.
Dr Oliver Harris, project co-director from the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History, reinforced the importance of the burial site.
He said: "In previous seasons our work has examined evidence of changing beliefs and life styles in the area through a study of burial practices in the Neolithic and Bronze age periods 6,000-4,500 years ago and 4,500 to 2,800 years ago respectively.
"It has also yielded evidence for what will be one of the best-dated Neolithic chambered cairns in Scotland when all of our post-excavation work is complete.
"But the find we reveal today has got to be the icing on the cake."


As the Group of Seven leaders meet in Japan this week to discuss stabilising global growth, one of the key concerns will be whether developed nations are facing an inevitable future of low or no growth.

It's called the "Japanese Disease". A cycle of low growth and low prices for more than two decades.
The Japanese government has tried everything to get growth rates and prices up again: negative interest rates, structural reforms and fiscal stimulus - but nothing appears to be working so far.
It wasn't so long ago that Japan was the poster-child for economic success, and the envy of its neighbours. The 1980s and 90s were characterised by innovation and overseas expansion for Japanese corporates, and a massive real estate boom at home.
So what went wrong? And is this the inevitable future for developed and mature economies?
In many ways, Japan became a victim of its own success, says Yasunori Nishiyama, head of healthcare innovation at Mitsui Chemicals. And he should know. He's in charge of marketing Japanese healthcare products to the US, and it hasn't been easy.
"Companies that have a long history in Japan don't like big changes," he says. "They worry about the size of the risk they're facing. Japan is suffering from the trap of its own success, and our past successes have made us too conservative."
I have heard the same sentiments from pretty much every expert and academic I met while covering the G7 meetings in Japan this week. Monetary policy - even tools as unconventional as negative interest rates - isn't going to revitalise Japan's economy on its own.
Fiscal stimulus - government spending - isn't going to do that either. Corporate Japan must do more - it is sitting on piles of cash and not making enough new investments, creating jobs or raising wages fast enough.
But here's the rub - Japan Inc IS investing - just not at home. Companies have been investing overseas, because it's cheaper, and they feel the domestic economy has peaked. Consumers aren't buying their products at home, which means prices aren't going up.
But it's a vicious cycle. Consumers don't buy because they don't feel confident about the economy, companies don't make profits, they don't invest in new jobs or raise wages, consumers don't spend money - you get the picture.
So what now? Japan has been trying to get out of this vicious cycle for 20 years now and has failed. Boosting economic growth has been the promise of successive governments and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has staked his credibility on turning Japan's economy around. Growth has inched up - but barely, and is likely to grow by just 0.2% next year, according to BNP Paribas' latest forecast.
And yet, most Japanese people will tell you, despite this low growth - things aren't so bad.
Here's why:
Japan enjoys a relatively high standard of living, with an enviable quality of life, as Martin Feldstein of Project Syndicate points out in this piece: Unemployment is low, public transport is efficient and reliable.
And although working hours can be pretty dire, Prime Minister Abe is trying to address that. GDP per capita - basically how much the country produces divided by the number of people in the country - was at $36,000 in 2011-15 in comparison  with the US's $54,000.
Not too shabby.
So perhaps the lesson in all of this, as world leaders gather in Kashikojima, or the aptly named Island of Wisdom as Prime Minister Abe describes it in his latest op-ed in the WSJ is that IF developed countries are facing a future of low or no growth, and shrinking populations, then perhaps governments should focus on improving living standards and not simply chase high economic growth rates.


Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil has requested a suspension in the use of mesh implants by the NHS in Scotland, pending safety investigations.

Some of the women who received the procedure, which is used to ease incontinence, have suffered painful and debilitating complications.
Mr Neil told MSPs he was "deeply troubled" by the issue and was setting up an independent review.
Campaigners said his decision was unexpected, but welcome.
Several of Scotland's 14 regional health boards said they would agree to the health secretary's request, while others explained that they had not used the procedure in some time.
The Scottish government said it would hand a dossier of Scottish cases to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which would have the final say on the use of mesh implants on a UK-wide basis.
A MHRA spokesman said its research showed that while a small number of women had experienced distressing effects, the benefits of these tapes and meshes outweighed the risks and could help in dealing with upsetting conditions such as urinary stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
About 1,850 women have the procedure in Scotland every year.
The health secretary said he had asked Scotland's acting chief medical officer, Dr Frances Elliot, to write to health boards with a request to immediately suspend the procedures until further evidence from both the Scottish government review, and a European Commission investigation into mesh implants, became available next year.
Harrowing evidence
"I believe that is the right thing to do, and that we should base any future decisions on the evidence as presented by these two reports," said Mr Neil.
The health secretary said his suspension request extended to both tension free vaginal tape (TVT) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) procedures.
Mr Neil's decision came after the Scottish Parliament's petitions committee previously heard harrowing evidence about women who suffered life-changing side effects after undergoing the procedure.
Some have been left in constant pain after the implants hardened, and told they could never have sex again.
Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, Mr Neil said: "We should all be very concerned to hear how these implants have affected the lives of some women in Scotland and elsewhere.
"I've personally met with women who've been adversely affected, and I was deeply troubled to hear how women affected have suffered, and they have my full sympathy and support and we'll certainly do everything we can to improve the situation.
"No one should have to experience the level of suffering that some of these women have had."
Transvaginal mesh implants are usually used to treat a prolapsed bladder and relieve incontinence, often as a result of childbirth.
Hundreds of mesh implant-related claims are due before the Scottish courts within the next year, with cases already under way in the US and Canada, where the authorities have issued warnings to hospitals.
The Scottish Mesh Survivors campaign group had previously called for a suspension, pending an inquiry.
Mr Neil said estimates over the success of the procedure indicated that most women, about 1,450, did not appear to suffer complications, but he warned the figure was "not entirely reliable", because of the under and non-reporting of problems.
One Scottish health authority, Dumfries and Galloway, has already suspended the use of mesh implants, saying it had not used them for some time and had no plans to in the foreseeable future.
The health secretary said a series of other measures were being taken, including:
An MHRA spokesman said it had asked the Scottish government to provide any new evidence it had for assessment.
He said: "We have listened to and understand the concerns that many women have about vaginal tapes and meshes.
"That's why we commissioned and published independent research in 2012 that reviewed the available evidence about the safety and adverse effects associated with vaginal tapes and meshes.
"The findings showed that while a small number of women have experienced distressing effects, the benefits of these tapes and meshes outweigh the risks and can help in dealing with upsetting conditions such as urinary stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse."
Campaigner Olive McIlroy, who brought the matter to the attention of the petitions committee after suffering from mesh implant complications, said: "I just didn't expect that decision today.
"It was the decision that we were hoping for and we're very glad that the minister made it, but he could have made it a year ago."
The 57-year-old described MHRA regulations as "completely flawed", adding: "We welcome that there is going to be an independent review and there will be no manufacturers or anyone with a vested interest involved.
"It has been too long. Our alternative evidence has been there for all to see, but nobody has listened."
Mr Neil said he hoped to announce the chair and remit of the Scottish government inquiry before the Holyrood summer recess.
Decision 'delay'
Lindsay Bruce, from Thompsons Solicitors, who represents many of the women who have been harmed by surgical mesh implants, welcomed the government's action, adding: "We hope the Scottish government will make sure that, in future, any surgical implant like mesh is subject to the same kind of rigorous testing that new medicines go through before they're given to the public."
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats welcomed the health secretary's decision.
Labour health spokesman Neil Findlay, added: "My Scottish Labour colleagues and I joined with the many women affected by mesh implants to call for suspension 12 months ago, so why has it taken so long for the cabinet secretary to act?
"His delay means that approximately 1,800 more women have been fitted with a product that many people believe is causing severe injury and life-changing side effects to women in Scotland."


Dundee United have agreed to sell Ryan McGowan to Chinese club Henan Jianye while midfielder Aidan Connolly has been released from Tannadice.

Australia right-back McGowan joined United last January after leaving Shandog Luneng but will return to China's top flight for a £300,000 fee.
McGowan is now on his way to China for a medical after the clubs reached agreement earlier this week.
And United say 20-year-old Connolly has left the club "by mutual consent".
The midfielder joined United from Queen's Park in 2013 and has made 35 appearances for the Terrors.
But most of those came as a substitute - and while Jackie McNamara was manager.
Connolly has made only four substitute appearances since Mixu Paatelainen took over, the most recent of these being a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock in early December.
McGowan first arrived in Scotland to join Hearts in 2008 after leaving Para Hills in his homeland.
Following loan spells with Ayr United and Partick Thistle, he became a regular in the Tynecastle club's first team before being sold to Shandog Luneng for £400,000 in January 2013.
Despite scoring in the Chinese FA Cup final, the club decided not to extend his contract and he joined United almost exactly a year ago.
McGowan has made 41 appearances for United but becomes the latest player to exit United as Paatelainen reshapes a squad that are 14 points adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
Henan Jianye finished in fifth place in the Chinese Super League last season and are preparing for their new campaign.


Dumbarton's Stuart Carswell had to receive treatment after an exchange with team-mate Mark Docherty as Nicky Clark scored four for Dunfermline.

Paul McMullan scored the other as the Pars ended a run of five games without a win to move three points clear of the visitors in the Championship.
The Sons' reply by Daniel Hardie came with only four minutes to go.
Confusion reigned after Dunfermline's second goal as Carswell left the pitch to be treated for a bleeding nose.
Sam Stanton hastily came on as a replacement for the Sons, who had gone into the game unbeaten in their last four games.
Michael Moffat set up the opener for the Pars after only seven minutes with a teasing cross that found Clark unmarked to nod home.
Clark set up McMullan for number two and the winger curled a wonderful right-foot shot into the top corner.
Then came the bizarre incident between Carswell and Docherty.
Clark continued to cause problems for the Sons defence and duly scored goals three and four with headers inside the six-yard box.
The striker's fourth came when he was allowed to turn and fire a shot in from the edge of the penalty box.
Dumbarton's small band of supporters had something to cheer when Harvie fired in from 12 yards.
Match ends, Dunfermline Athletic 5, Dumbarton 1.
Second Half ends, Dunfermline Athletic 5, Dumbarton 1.
Attempt missed. Nicky Clark (Dunfermline Athletic) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Robert Thomson (Dumbarton) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
Attempt blocked. Garry Fleming (Dumbarton) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Kallum Higginbotham (Dunfermline Athletic) right footed shot from more than 40 yards on the right wing is high and wide to the right.
Attempt missed. Daniel Harvie (Dumbarton) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Lee Ashcroft (Dunfermline Athletic).
Robert Thomson (Dumbarton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Kallum Higginbotham (Dunfermline Athletic) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
Attempt missed. David Smith (Dumbarton) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Goal!  Dunfermline Athletic 5, Dumbarton 1. Daniel Harvie (Dumbarton) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Garry Fleming.
Goal!  Dunfermline Athletic 5, Dumbarton 0. Nicky Clark (Dunfermline Athletic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Andrew Geggan.
Foul by Gavin Reilly (Dunfermline Athletic).
Darren Barr (Dumbarton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Garry Fleming (Dumbarton) is shown the yellow card.
Callum Morris (Dunfermline Athletic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Garry Fleming (Dumbarton).
Goal!  Dunfermline Athletic 4, Dumbarton 0. Nicky Clark (Dunfermline Athletic) header from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Lewis Spence.
Substitution, Dunfermline Athletic. Gavin Reilly replaces Michael Moffat.
Substitution, Dumbarton. Garry Fleming replaces Christian Nade.
Substitution, Dunfermline Athletic. Lewis Spence replaces Nathaniel Wedderburn.
Substitution, Dumbarton. Tom Lang replaces Mark Docherty.
Attempt saved. Paul McMullan (Dunfermline Athletic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Kallum Higginbotham (Dunfermline Athletic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Foul by Kallum Higginbotham (Dunfermline Athletic).
Robert Thomson (Dumbarton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Andrew Geggan (Dunfermline Athletic).
Daniel Harvie (Dumbarton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Kallum Higginbotham (Dunfermline Athletic).
Mark Docherty (Dumbarton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal!  Dunfermline Athletic 3, Dumbarton 0. Nicky Clark (Dunfermline Athletic) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Kallum Higginbotham with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Dunfermline Athletic. Conceded by Gregor Buchanan.
Samuel Stanton (Dumbarton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nathaniel Wedderburn (Dunfermline Athletic).
Substitution, Dunfermline Athletic. Rhys McCabe replaces John Herron because of an injury.
Delay in match John Herron (Dunfermline Athletic) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Christian Nade (Dumbarton) header from the centre of the box is too high.
Corner,  Dumbarton. Conceded by Jason Talbot.
Darren Barr (Dumbarton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.


Wales' players are confident they can cope with the loss of defender Ben Davies as they bid to reach the final of the European Championship.

Along with Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, Davies is suspended for the semi-final after being booked in the 3-1 win over Belgium.
"Ben has been our standout performer in the tournament so far, he will be a big miss for us," said James Chester.
"But we have the squad now, we have the strength in depth."
And with BBC columnist John Hartson suggesting Wales may even be favourites against Portugal on Wednesday in the semi-final, Chester added: "Obviously Ben and Aaron have started every game here for us so far.
"Aaron has got the undoubted ability, but how much work he puts in maybe gets overlooked.
"We will obviously miss them, but we have the strength and players playing at the top level so hopefully it won't hamper us too much."
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Chester feels Wales' fringe players at the tournament could now step into the limelight at just the right time as they prepare to face Portugal in Lyon.
"All the lads who haven't played, it has been difficult for them, but they have been great," he told BBC Radio Wales.
"I know myself [from not playing as much as he would like with club side West Brom] how difficult it is to be watching every week so their attitude has been great towards the ones who have been playing.
"They have looked after themselves really well in training so whoever comes in I am sure they will do a good job."
West Ham defender James Collins or Fulham's Jazz Richards is likely to replace Chester with Jonny Williams, Dave Edwards and Premier League winner Andy King vying to replace Ramsey.
Defender Neil Taylor feels both Ramsey and Davies were unfortunate to pick up their second bookings of the tournament, with Portugal midfielder William Carvalho also out of the last-four game.
"It is a difficult one that, when we had the talk prior to the tournament, we believed that bookings would be wiped out by the quarters - the yellow cards - but we found out this week they don't," he said.
"It is so difficult not to pick up yellow cards with referees that like giving them out.
"With a game moving at that sort of pace I think they could have been more lenient, knowing they could possibly be suspended."
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Wales skipper Ashley Williams had his left arm in a sling as he left the ground following the victory over Belgium.
He was a doubt for the game after suffering a shoulder injury in the 1-0 win over Northern Ireland, but he assured reporters he would be fit to face Portugal in the semi-final.
"It's okay, it's fine. I've just got the sling on because it keeps clicking and it's painful, but this just eases it a little bit," he said.
"But i'll fine I think. I have to give a lot of credit to the medical team because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to play tonight and they've done an unbelievable job.
"It's a lot better than it was after the last game."
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Despite beginning the tournament as huge outsiders, Wales are now dreaming of winning the European Championship and that ambition extends beyond the terraces and the pubs and clubs back home.
"Are we thinking of winning it now? Yes, of course. That is the next goal," said Burnley's Sam Vokes.
"Sounds crazy but it is a genuine thing, and we are obviously looking to get into the final."
Defender Neil Taylor added: "It is obvious to say that we have the belief we can beat anybody, we have always said that, we are not lying when we say it."
Wednesday's semi final will see superstar team-mates Christiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale going head-to-head just over a month after they inspired club side Real Madrid to a second Champions League title in three seasons.
Swansea defender Taylor feels Bale can be a match for his club colleague.
"It is good that two of the world's best players can meet at this part of the tournament, which is why we are so happy for Gareth," he explained.
"We have managed to get him to this part of the tournament where he can really affect games and show what he is all about, but I think we showed against Belgium that we are about more than just that [Bale] and we are definitely a team."


A teenager accused of singing a sectarian song on his way to a Scottish Premiership tie has been banned from football matches ahead of his trial.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named, has denied committing the offence before Dundee United's game against Hearts in February.
Prosecutors allege he engaged in behaviour that was likely to incite public disorder.
The alleged offences took place in Dundee's Union Street.
It is alleged the teenager, from Edinburgh, sang a sectarian song and made sectarian remarks.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge at Dundee Sheriff Court.
David Duncan, defending, said the teenager had been released on bail at an earlier hearing and asked that his bail be continued.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael set a trial date for June.
He allowed bail on the condition that the teenager does not attend any regulated football match in the UK ahead of the trial.


World number one Dustin Johnson clawed back a five-shot deficit before beating fellow American Jordan Spieth at the first sudden-death hole to win the Northern Trust Open.

Johnson forced the play-off by sinking a 17-foot putt at the final hole, with both men finishing on 13 under par.
The world number one's ball caught the edge of the hole and did a half-circle around the lip before toppling in.
"I feel the game's back in form like it was leading into he Masters," he said.
"I'm swinging really well, got a lot of control over the golf ball and I'm feeling really good.
"Getting a win here gives me a lot of confidence going into next week and the rest of the play-offs."
The tournament was the first of four lucrative PGA Tour FedEx play-offs and it was Johnson's first win since missing the first major of the season at Augusta in April after falling downstairs.
He carded a closing four-under-par round of 66 at Glen Oaks Country Club, New York, while Spieth - who had led by three shots overnight - shot a 69.
Spieth's two birdies in the first five holes had seen him lead Johnson by five shots, before a double-bogey at the sixth hole after finding the water.
That left him three shots clear - and four holes later the pair were tied.
At the first play-off hole, Johnson knocked his approach to three feet and holed the birdie putt after Spieth had missed from distance.
The pair finished four strokes clear of Spain's Jon Rahm and Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas.
"I didn't lose this tournament. He won it," Spieth said.


Almost every part of our lives can now be conducted online, from catching up with friends to applying for jobs.

The same can be said for books, as official figures show the number borrowed from libraries fell in almost every area of England over two years.
Rising use of e-readers, coupled with funding cuts, library closures and reduced book stocks, have resulted in big changes in the borrowing figures recorded by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
Councils in the North East and North West of England made up nine of the 10 areas showing the biggest fall in lending between 2012 and 2014, along with the London borough of Camden.
Scale of cuts to libraries unveiled
In Doncaster, where just five libraries are still run by the city council and 19 entrusted to community groups, there were 628,709 book "issues" in 2014, compared with 1.2 million two years earlier.
Nick Stopworth, Doncaster's head of libraries and culture, said: "The aim has been to sustain libraries at a time of huge financial challenge, so that they may ultimately thrive.
"Our e-book usage is slowly increasing. Libraries are being used in new and different ways which reflect community need, shaped by the community. And whilst the numbers of books being issued has fallen, the value for money achieved in terms of cost per loan has improved hugely."
It is not just the book borrowing that has changed.
There were 96 areas out of 138 where the number of hours clocked up on library computers fell between 2012 and 2014.
Experts suggest it is down to more people being able to use their own smartphones, tablets and laptops to connect to library wi-fi.
Cliff Dalton, head of CIPFA's local government faculty, said: "Libraries aim to provide the services that local people want. Last year Arts Council England funded a major drive to get wi-fi into libraries. In many cases it's likely that library users connect to the internet through their own devices, meaning reduced demand for terminals.
"Libraries have faced Â£180m cuts in five years. Of course this will reduce services and there are fewer books. However, many councils are testing really innovative ways to run libraries and I'm confident they will remain at the centre of community life for a long time to come."
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham recorded a 51% fall in computer use, the biggest drop in England.
This compared with a 249% rise in Nottinghamshire over the same period.
A spokesman for Barking and Dagenham council said the authority had reduced the number of computers in the wake of Â£100m of cuts to its government funding.
The spokesman said: "The number of hours used by the public has been affected by several factors.
"A computer subscription was introduced in 2012 as demand was very high and there was pressure on use of the computers. However, young people under the age of 19 and those over 60 are able to use the facilities for free."
He said the council had "some issues around printing" in 2014 which played a role in falling computer use, adding: "In July 2014 we introduced a free half hour for all users to increase use of the computers and in March 2015 we installed wi-fi in all of our libraries and have seen an increase in people using this service."
Even though they have had to close libraries, councils still see investing in computer equipment as an important part of the service.
Sefton Council in Merseyside closed seven out of 13 branches since 2010. However, official figures from CIPFA show it went from 6.6 computers per 100,000 people in 2012 to 50.5 by the end of 2014, a rise of more than 665%.
A spokesman for the council explained: "The library service was re-modelled to better suit the needs of our users, including the introduction of free reservations for books, free wi-fi and free access to public computers."
Despite the rise of e-readers and smartphones, libraries have been seen as irreplaceable by those who benefited from them growing up.
Times columnist and author Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline wrote Channel 4 sitcom Raised By Wolves and based it on their time as home-schooled teenagers.
Caroline said: "Without Wolverhampton's libraries I'd never have discovered George Orwell, Diana Wynne-Jones, Janet Frame or any of the other authors who've had a huge influence on my life. Most of my early education came from books my family could never have afforded to buy.
"It makes me very sad to think of a generation of young people who won't know the excitement of walking into their local library armed only with huge curiosity and a desire to see the world through someone else's eyes.
"If we think the internet can replace that, we are wrong. It's good for many things (for those who are lucky enough to have access to it, which isn't everyone) but it can't replicate time spent with an excellent book."


Sam Smith's former school has announced it plans to drop music at GCSE level, due to a lack of interest.

The Grammy Award winner and chart-topper attended St Mary's Catholic School, in Bishop's Stortford.
But, as reported by the Herts and Essex Observer, music will not be a option for year 10 students next year, as only three pupils chose to study it.
Headmaster Andrew Celano said it was a "difficult decision" and the pupils' interest would still be supported.
"We have already committed to support them through curriculum-time music tuition so that their studies can continue and we remain very focused on all the performing arts," he said.
After leaving the school, Smith went on to have number one records around the world, and this year won an Oscar for the Bond theme "Writing's On The Wall".
Singer/songwriter and tutor Joanna Eden gave Smith private singing lessons when he was 10-years-old, and continued until he was 18.
She said it was a shame that only three pupils had opted to take the subject at GCSE level, but perhaps not surprising.
"Sam Smith was very, very lucky because his parents saw him, heard him and were desperate to support him," Ms Eden said.
"If they didn't have the means, we wouldn't have Sam Smith. That's because music in schools has shrunk.
"If they [pupils] haven't got that sense of empowerment and belief that music could ever be something for them, they're just not going to choose it."
The school said it had a "strong tradition" of music learning and would run the course again in the future.
Sam Smith's publicist was asked about the school's decision, but declined to comment.


An 89-year-old woman who was found collapsed at home with her husband's dead body has also died.

Elizabeth Iggulden had been in hospital since being discovered by police officers on 27 September.
The officers forced entry into the flat in Adelphi Place, Portobello, where they found the body of 88-year-old Douglas Iggulden.
An inquiry has been ordered into how police responded to the initial incident.
Supt Alan Porte said:  "Police Scotland can confirm that a woman in her 80s passed away tonight at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
"Our condolences are with her family at this time and we continue to offer support to them as required.
"This death is connection with an incident that occurred within a property on Adelphi Place on Sunday, September 27.  The death is currently being treated as unexplained, however the circumstances are not believed to be suspicious.
"A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal."
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is looking at the initial response by Police Scotland to a report of concern about the couple's welfare.
BBC Scotland understands the investigation concerns the timing of the police response.


The final decision on whether to extend Edinburgh's tram network to Newhaven will be taken in 2018.

Councillors are to examine a fresh report on the case for the three-mile route through Leith, which is currently forecast to cost Â£165.2m.
A vote will be held on the business case for the plan and whether to let officials start a procurement process for a contractor for the project.
A final decision on whether to go ahead would then be made in Autumn 2018.
If approved, the council believes construction would take approximately three years, with the first passengers boarding the new route "in the first half of 2022".
The proposed extension, which was signed off in principle by councillors in 2015, would see trams run from York Place down Leith Walk and along to Ocean Terminal, before terminating at Newhaven.
The business case for the route forecasts passenger numbers to double in the opening year of the service, to 13.7m, while Lothian Buses is projected to continue to perform "strongly".
The existing Â£776m tram route between the city centre and Edinburgh Airport began operation in May 2014, but only after six years of disruption and cost over-runs, and a bitter dispute between the city council and its contractor.
Oral hearings in a public inquiry over the saga will begin in September.
Figures released in December 2016 showed passenger numbers had doubled between 2014 and 2015, but services were still running at an average of 25% capacity.
Council leader Adam McVey said members would study the business case for the new route to make sure it was "as robust as possible", so they can have confidence the project is "delivered on time and on budget".
The Leith ward councillor said: "As the fastest growing city in Scotland, and with our existing system nearing capacity, we have to look at ways of enhancing our public transport system.
"The planned tram extension route takes in Scotland's most densely populated area. And taken with low car ownership, developing high-capacity transport to Newhaven would bring a range of local benefits in terms of boosting economic growth, creating jobs, enhancing accessibility, reducing congestion and improving air quality."
The business case for the extension will be considered first by the transport and environment committee, on 4 September, and then by the full council on 21 September.
Transport convener Lesley Macinnes added: "The outline business case demonstrates good early performance for the tram, with patronage expected to double in the first year.
"We have the opportunity now to study the numbers in more depth before deciding on whether to progress, taking into account the needs of the city's taxpayers, and ensuring we learn lessons from the past."


BT is to shed 4,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years and is stripping the chief executive of his annual bonus.

The telecoms giant said the job cuts would fall on back-office and managerial sectors as it simplifies its Global Services operations.
The shake-up follows an accounting scandal at the Italian part of Global Services that cost BT more than £500m.
BT boss Gavin Patterson and now-departed finance chief Tony Chanmugam will lose bonuses over the scandal.
Both men understood the decision and would not have accepted a bonus if it had been approved, BT said.
According to BT's 2016 annual report, Mr Patterson was paid a basic salary of £969,000 that year and was awarded bonuses worth £4m.
In January, BT was forced to write down the value of its Italian unit after years of overstating profits.
The head of the Global Services division, Luis Alvarez, is being replaced by Bas Burger.
It has already been announced that Corrado Sciolla, head of continental Europe, is stepping down over the affair.
BT said it wanted to "reposition Global Services as a more focused digital business", as technology trends meant it was less dependent on owning physical network assets around the world.
The announcements came as BT disclosed that its annual pre-tax profits fell 19% to £2.35bn in the year to March.
"This has been a challenging year, but BT remains well positioned for the future," the company said.
"Our strong businesses, underlying operational performance and financial returns show BT has the strength and breadth to withstand setbacks."
It added that the results were broadly in line with the revised outlook that it issued in January, and that it intended to continue to increase its dividends to shareholders.
"It's been a pretty torrid time for BT management and shareholders of late and there is not a lot of good news in today's full-year earnings report," said Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital.
"A run of bad news means BT is still cautious and it expects little improvement to earnings and free cash in the coming year.
"Removing boss Gavin Patterson's bonus is aimed at assuaging investor anger, but shareholders won't be that impressed. His pay is down £4m, small fry in the ocean of BT revenues."


A warning to drivers to be wary of icy roads was in force across the whole of Wales after temperatures dipped to below freezing.

The Met Office issued the yellow "be aware" weather warning following the sharp drop in the early hours of Sunday, and snowfall on Friday.
Widespread icy patches were expected on untreated roads.
The weather saw Wrexham FC's game against Forest Green postponed because of a frozen pitch.
The warning expired at midday, and although temperatures were expected to remain just a few degrees above freezing most of Wales was forecast clear skies and sunshine.


The Mormon church has said for the first time that its founder Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives.

In an essay published on its website quoting "careful estimates", the church said the wives included a 14-year-old and others who were already married.
The Mormon church banned polygamy in 1890 and now excommunicates anyone who practises it.
The church has previously sought to portray Smith as loyal to his first wife Emma.
However, this is not the first time that the church has admitted his polygamy, as previously reported here.
The essay, entitled Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, said: "Joseph married many additional wives and authorised other Latter-day Saints to practise plural marriage."
It said "plural marriage was difficult for all involved"; for Emma it was an "excruciating ordeal".
Multiple marriage and the Mormons
Most of the women were aged between 20 and 40 when Smith married them, the essay added.
The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, a daughter of two close friends, who he married "several months before her 15th birthday".
It is likely Joseph Smith - who is considered a prophet - did not have sexual relations with all of his wives, as some were "sealed" to him only for the next life, according to the essay.
The Utah-based Mormon religion, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, boasts more than 15 million members worldwide.
Polygamy was widely practised by men in the church from the mid-to-late 19th Century, but the revelations about Joseph Smith have shocked followers.
Emily Jensen, a blogger and editor in Farmington, Utah, told the New York Times that members had been saying on social media: "This is not the church I grew up with, this is not the Joseph Smith I love."
What do Mormons believe?
While the practice of polygamy was dropped in 1890, the concept remains in the afterlife. A man can be married or "sealed" to more than one woman after death, but not the other way around.
Church leaders reportedly said the essay was part of an attempt to be truthful and transparent with followers.
It is among a series of essays posted on the Mormon church's website in the past year.
They address topics such as the ban on black men from the priesthood, which was lifted in 1978, and accounts of how Smith translated the Book of Mormon, the church's sacred scripture.