Street transformation projects win funding

Edinburgh council projects aimed at transforming streets across the capital to make walking and cycling easier have been given a major cash boost.

More than £3 million is set to be given to schemes including the creation of a boulevard on Lothian Road, measures to reduce traffic in the Old Town and the further development of ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ throughout the city.
The money, from active travel charity Sustrans, will go towards strategic planning, designs and other pre-construction costs.
The city council’s transport committee will meet on Thursday (April 20) to agree the funding allocations.
Officials have put forward 12 schemes to benefit from the £3.65m from Sustrans’ Places for Everyone fund.
They have proposed £1.75m for projects contained within the 10-year City Centre Transformation unveiled back in 2019 to make central Edinburgh more pedestrian friendly.
This includes £850k for the creation of a boulevard on Lothian Road with widened pavements, segregated cycle lanes connecting up with the Meadows and Union Canal and reorganisation of traffic lanes to “benefit pedestrians and cyclists”.
Concept designs for the continued pedestrianisation of some of the capital’s most iconic and busiest streets around the Old Town will be drawn up using £650k if plans are approved by councillors. These would look at the re-allocation of parking spaces to provide “safer space for walking, wheeling and cycling” and reducing traffic to essential vehicles only and increased use of cargo bikes for deliveries to businesses.
The city’s regeneration of Granton is also set to receive funding from the latest tranche to explore options to develop the ‘missing section’ of Edinburgh’s waterfront promenade between Granton Harbour and West Shore Road.
A council report said: “An already highly used section of an active travel route, this section will link the major ongoing development at Granton Harbour to the Granton Waterfront Development and with 20 West Shore Road which is currently being converted to a cultural and event space that will support small and local businesses.”
In addition, £392k will be utilised to explore possible improvements to active travel infrastructure around Granton’s Forthquarter Park and an east-west cycle route linking Marine Drive and West Harbour Road through the central development area.
Plans for 20-minute neighbourhoods across Edinburgh which aim to create places where key services and amenities can all be accessed locally will be allocated nearly £600k. These will explore options for improved walking and cycling facilities and other public realm improvements in Dalry and Portobello town centres and Niddrie Mains Road and High Street.
Using the new funds, the council will seek support from specialists in urban design, engineering, traffic modelling and architecture to progress the various schemes.
Subsequently, delivery plans for each project will be developed mapping out consultations and engagement with the public before moving forwards.

by Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.