Further damage caused to Corstorphine bus gate camera

Further damage has been caused to the elevated camera on Manse Road in Corstorphine only a matter of weeks since the first damage when the pole on which the camera is mounted was hacked down.

The measure is part of Corstorphine Connections which the council says will rid the area of through traffic and make it safer for all residents, particularly children attending schools nearby.

This is the scene today – and the Transport Convener said on social media: “The police have footage of this criminality taking place which targets a scheme which makes it safer for kids to walk to school.”

The council continues to consult on the measures until November 2023 (the link to the consultation is here) and there has been an amount of local opposition including from ACE Corstorphine a campaign group which wants the area to be accessible for everyone but state that: “Roads and junctions have been closed, making our journeys longer and forcing traffic onto roads that are already over capacity.” Previously they condemned the criminal behaviour resulting in tens of thousands of pounds of damage to the Manse Road bus gate camera.

The Transport Convener told The Edinburgh Reporter that he is due to meet the group later this month along with the Council Leader, and that he has always said he would be happy to meet with them to discuss their complaints about the Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

New data about traffic levels was published last week but the Transport Convener says it is too early to rely on this alone – it is the first round of traffic counts.

The local streets within the Corstorphine Connections area have seen an overall decrease in traffic volumes during the hours of the bus gate operating, when comparing the one month post-implementation data to the baseline data.

The overall findings of the traffic count surveys suggest that the greatest increase in traffic volumes is found on main routes in and out of the Corstorphine Connections area, excluding St John’s Road and Corstorphine High Street where traffic levels have slightly decreased. 

Key theme from 1 month survey	How the council is responding
Overall reduced traffic levels around Corstorphine Primary school.	Overall, this is an expected positive result from the scheme changes. The increased traffic levels on Featherhall Avenue are likely to be mainly the result of re-routed traffic from Manse Road, in particular from school drop offs. Despite this increase, Featherhall Avenue is within the criteria of a ‘Low Trafficked Street’. The council will continue to monitor this and work on further encouraging school drop off by walking, wheeling and cycling.
An increase in traffic on Station Road.	The proportion of vehicles has increased. However, the numbers are still relatively low and the street is still within the criteria of a ‘Low Trafficked Street’.  The council will continue to monitor this alongside resident feedback.
A decrease in traffic on St John’s Rd.	Whilst this is very good news as the street suffers from poor air quality, the council are cautious about drawing firm conclusions about whether this relates directly to the project or to other changes in the city.  The council will continue to monitor this.
An increase in traffic on Broomhouse Drive and Balgreen Road.	The council are cautious about drawing firm conclusions about whether this relates directly to the project or to other changes in the city causing traffic to divert. We will continue to monitor this.
Changes in total volumes of traffic	Overall volumes of traffic across the area have seen a slight increase, however this becomes a decrease during the hours when the bus gate is operating.

Cllr Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “Throughout the Corstorphine Connections trial the Council will be undertaking monitoring and research in the area to understand more about how well the road safety measures are working. I am pleased to see it deliver on its commitment to place all of this data in the public domain.

This data from June is the first round of traffic monitoring undertaken to help understand how drivers have reacted to the changes.  I appreciate that June was rather early in the life of the scheme and traffic patterns will have adjusted since then, so further monitoring will take place in the Autumn. I’m pleased to see, however, that the higher traffic levels outside the school which many people predicted have not materialised.

“Of course, we’re still at a very early stage and this is only an initial indication – we would expect it to take some time before consistent traffic patterns are established. There are no plans to draw any firm conclusions right now and we’ll be carrying out further traffic counts in a few months’ time, as well as monitoring pedestrian and cycling numbers, school travel patterns, air quality data and feedback surveys.

“Throughout this process we have worked with the Community Council and consulted residents – as part of the development of the designs for this project the Council carried out a significant amount of engagement with the local community, many of whom highlighted concerns about the volume and speed of traffic cutting through the area. We’ve also modified the measures and proposals that residents were most concerned about, for example removing a proposed ‘bus gate’ on Corstorphine High Street. We want to continue this dialogue as the project progresses.

“It’s worth remembering that all of these road safety improvements have been introduced on a trial basis, meaning they are not necessarily permanent. I still want to hear residents’ views and I look forward to receiving feedback as part of the ETRO process. This, and the wealth of data officers are collecting through traffic monitoring and other surveys, will eventually help inform the future of the scheme, once the trial has ended.”

Corstorphine Connections comprises of a variety of traffic interventions across the area aimed at reducing through traffic movements and reducing speeds, whilst permitting access for local residents.

The phase one measures include:

• Traffic restrictions – restricted access 

• Timed bus gate (incl. access for taxis and cycles) 

• Traffic calming – including priority give-go operation and speed cushions

• Footway widening and crossing improvements 

• Placemaking – more seating, greening and artwork.