Pensioner fighting for life after being knocked down

The junction at the Cowgate and the Pleasance. Picture: TSPL

The 72-year-old woman was crossing Cowgate at the junction with The Pleasance at 10.40pm on Tuesday when she was involved in a collision with a Mercedes B Class car.

The incident happened as the road filled with revellers from multiple Fringe venues and just yards from a nightly traffic exclusion zone.

City Greens’ transport spokesman, Councillor Chas Booth, said: “I’m very sorry to hear about this serious incident and I wish the victim a speedy recovery.

“We should certainly be looking to expand pedestrian streets during festival time, but our streets should be safe outside of festival period too and I hope the city centre transformation project can help deliver that.”

The woman sustained numerous serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where she remained in a critical condition last night.

Cllr Booth encouraged anyone who witnessed Tuesday’s collision to contact the police as soon as possible.

He said: “Whether this specific incident was a result of the increased volume of pedestrian traffic during the festival period or not, the general point is that it should be safe and convenient for everyone to walk around the city centre all year round and the council must do much more to make this a reality.”

The road was cordoned off for hours as police immediately launched an investigation, with the grey Mercedes still stationary at the scene.

Sergeant John Easton said: “At this time we are working to establish exactly what has happened during this incident and we would urge motorists or members of the public, who were in the area at the time and witnessed the collision, to come forward.

“The Pleasance area would have been quite busy due to ongoing festival events and so anyone with information is urged to contact police immediately.

“In addition, vehicles with dash-cam footage, which may be able to assist with this inquiry, should also get in touch.”

The Cowgate is closed to traffic every night from 10pm to 5am from Candlemaker Row to High School Wynd.

City transport and environment convener, Lesley Macinnes, said: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the woman involved in this incident and I wish her a speedy recovery. Road safety is extremely important to the council and the police are carrying out a thorough investigation into what happened in this instance. Our ambition for the city as a whole is to create a safer, more welcoming atmosphere for those travelling on foot or by bike and, under the city centre transformation, we are investigating a range of ambitious solutions to achieve this.”

Anyone with information can contact police on 101.

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