Top road safety experts will join capital summit on speeding

Some of the country’s leading transport experts will be taking part on Saturday, 23 October 2021, in the “Edinburgh Summit on Speeding”.

Organised by the Edinburgh branch of the “Living Streets” charity, the summit is a free, online event, which will be looking at the problem of speeding on city streets, and what can be done to control it.

The list of final speakers includes:  

  • Steven Feeney, Head of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme, for Transport Scotland, who will talk about the current speed camera programme, and future plans for the programme.
  • Professor John Whitelegg, Visiting Professor, School of the Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, and a leading world expert on sustainable transport and road safety. He will talk about how slower speeds and safer streets can benefit public health, fairness, social justice, and help tackle climate change.
  • Dr Jeremy Leach, Action Vision Zero. Action Vision Zero helps communities campaign for safe roads and streets where people want to walk, cycle and spend time. He will look at policy development in deterring speeding; enforcement and compliance; and empowering individual and community groups with data for campaigners to make use of in lobbying on the issue.

Along with these transport experts, the city council’s transport boss, Transport Convener Cllr Lesley Macinnes will be talking about what Edinburgh council has been doing about speeding, and its future plans.

She will also be taking part in a panel discussion with other local political representatives:  Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, Chas Booth, Green councillor for Leith and Professor Scott Arthur, Labour Councillor for Colinton, Oxgangs & Fairmilehead ward on Edinburgh City Council.

Chairing the event will be Living Streets member, Mark Lazarowicz, the former MP for Edinburgh North & Leith, who was himself Edinburgh City Council Transport Convener some years ago.

Mark said: “I am glad that Living Streets has decided to organise this major event to tackle a problem which still affects too many of our city’s streets and communities. We should not take the approach that there is an “acceptable level” of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. Of course, some will happen – but our target should be aiming for ‘vision Zero’: that is, zero deaths and injuries – and it is a target we should aim to reach in the near future, not at some distant target date.”

Members of the public, particularly those involved in local community groups such as community councils, parents and youth groups, and those working with disabled groups or older people, are welcome to attend.

The event takes place from 1000 to 1245 on Saturday 23 October.

Website | + posts

Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.