The City of Edinburgh Council was awarded £5 million from The Scottish Government’s Spaces for People programme.
Now the Transport Convener along with council officers have begun providing more space for people to walk, wheel and cycle, beginning by closing several roads in the city.
The Director of Place, Paul Lawrence, says his department will need to spend £1.5 million of the £5 million award to buy ‘temporary traffic management infrastructure’. This will be purchased without the usual full procurement exercise being carried out, owing to pressure of time. The report for next week’s Policy and Sustainability Committee, where this will be approved, says that the equipment selected will be whatever is the best option for installing immediately.
Silverknowes Road, Links Gardens, Cammo Walk and Braid Road, Warriston Road and Stanley Street have been closed and a one way system has been introduced on Braidburn Terrace.
Segregated cycle lanes are planned for Crewe Road South and Old Dalkeith Road which are routes to access hospitals. Schemes are planned for North Bridge, East Princes Street and Waverley Bridge which will be put in place within the week.
There will be ‘interventions’ on South Bridge, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Bank Street and Forrest Road and the details of these will be notified beginning on Monday 8 June 2020.
The next phases will be to extend pavements, remove guardrails and allow more freedom for pedestrians in the city centre and in the eight town centres across Edinburgh: Morningside, Bruntsfield, Tollcross, Gorgie/Dalry, Newington/Southside, Portobello, Corstorphine High Street and Queensferry High Street.
There may be some measures introduced in Leith but this depends on the outcome of discussions with the Trams to Newhaven team.
It is still open to the public to make suggestions about streets in their own areas, and what the council could do to make them safer. A list of short term, medium term and long term measures and the affected streets was agreed at the council’s meeting on 14 May 2020.
You can read the minutes of the 14 May meeting here in the papers for the subsequent fortnightly meeting of the Policy and Sustainability Committee.
The Transport Secretary increased the monies available to local authorities from an initial £10 million announced in March to £30 million. Edinburgh will be able to apply for more funding in due course.
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