Last year the council banned A boards from our streets and although a few rogue boards remain (along with the odd advertising bike here and there) the streets have largely been cleared.
The Living Streets Edinburgh Group carried out a project to tackle even more of the stuff we have to walk around earlier this summer.
They set out to identify at least 100 objects on the city streets which get in the way of walking. And showing that they are actually doing something positive they aim to have at least some of these removed.
They began by emailing community councils asking for suggestions in their neighbourhoods. They then walked the streets and were joined by some community councillors and elected members of the City of Edinburgh Council. They covered specific areas across the whole city.
The group found 290 items of clutter – signage poles, guard rails, large rubbish bins, phone kiosks and roadworks signs. They have reported all of these to the council and are awaiting a response.
In the Council’s Street Design Guidance there is provision to minimise street clutter, but Living Streets feel that the council’s action in relation to this is limited in practice. They plan to produce a report and video when they have more funding to do so.
One piece of clutter which can apparently be removed as it is no longer of effect is the vertical pole with a No Loading sign on it. Do you have any of those on your street?
Do tweet a photo to us if you do!
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
