Five things you need to know today
Transport and Environment Committee
The council’s Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) will discuss three possible options for resolving the Meadows to Greenbank Quiet Route – particularly through the Braid Estate where the previous Spaces for People measures have become controversial.
The three options have given rise to much comment online during this last week and several deputations will present their views at the meeting when it convenes at 10am this morning – Blackford Safe Routes (verbal submission), Residents of Braid Avenue (verbal submission), The Whitehouse Loan Group (written submission) and Spokes South Edinburgh (written submission).
The two written submissions are available to read in full here but The Whitehouse Loan Group say they did not have any advance notice of the report on the consultation last October coming to this TEC, and Spokes the Lothians cycling campaign group is most worried about the effect that any expenditure in this area (Option 3 comes with a £400,000 price tag) will have on other active travel plans.
The Whitehouse Loan Group say that the Revised Option 2 plan is a “plan with obvious flaws” and that local residents will be inconvenienced and so more consultation is needed.
The Transport and Environment Committee will also open a discussion about the death of 11-year-old Thomas Wong on Whitehouse Road last week. This may seem premature but it is an essential step for the council. Transport Convener Cllr Scott Arthur said: “What happened on Friday was awful, and I can’t stop thinking about it. In such a small city we all feel the impact of this tragic death, and must now work to ensure it is not repeated. We all share the desire for children to be able to walk or cycle safely to school and must work together to achieve that.
“The Council is still awaiting information on what happened, and at the Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday we will put a process in place which means we can respond quicky and robustly to the incident report. I will work to ensure budget is not a barrier to addressing any actions arising from this process. In the meantime, I am happy to work with local the local community and Ward councillors on interim measures.”
The Briggers
To mark the anniversary of the opening of the Forth Bridge on 4 March 1890, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh published a book online listing all the accidents that took place during the early phase of construction of the Bridge in the 1880s.
The book is an account not only of the lives of the men, known locally as the ‘Briggers’, working on the bridge and the dangers they faced, but also how they were treated by the earliest ambulance services in Scotland. It records 197 accidents, including nine fatalities, over a 32-month period from 1883 to 1886.
Review of Community Right to Buy
Many of our city buildings have been acquired by community groups using the Community Right to Buy process, which the Government is now going to review.
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Mairi Gougeon visited Heart of Newhaven where the community bought the building from the council using statutory powers. Read more about Heart of Newhaven here. It is open every Wednesday and Saturday for knit and knatter (the group is busy making a huge Christmas tree with knitted squares at present) or just a cup of tea and a chat.
Family bike ride
The Bike Station in conjunction with the council is organising a cycle on Saturday which begins at 10am and is intended as a social family ride in celebration of International Women’s Day.
The route will follow some of the newest well lit cycling infrastructure in the city which can be used as an alternative to the off road network. The ride begins from The Bike Station – Edinburgh, 250 Causewayside, Edinburgh, EH9 1UU and booking is essential although places are free.
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This month’s paper celebrates the 100th anniversary of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi’s birth in 1924.
