Edinburgh pavements: Investment to be prioritised in deprived areas to help create 'a more equal city'

Pavement improvements in Edinburgh's poorer communities are to be given priority as a way of helping to create a more equal city.

Transport convener Scott Arthur said people in deprived areas were less likely to have a car and were therefore more likely to be going about on foot. So when it comes to prioritising footpath investment , a new weighting is to be introduced for those in disadvantaged parts of the Capital. Narrower pavements, which can be more difficult for people with mobility issues, are also being given an extra weighting.

Pavement conditions will still be the key factor in prioritising investment, but pavements in poorer areas will be given extra weighting. Picture: Ian Georgeson

The council has allocated a total of £12.5 million in this year's budget for roads and footpaths and has drawn up a list of 219 roads and pavements to be improved.

Councilor Arthur said:  "All of us agree the condition of roads and footways in the city has to improve, but we do have to prioritise funding given that we've got a limited budget, so we've had a think about exactly which footways we need to give a little bit of extra weight to in this process.

"Where a footway is narrower than we would like, we'll give it extra weighting to make sure it's as safe as possible. And also, reflecting the fact that people in areas of deprivation tend to be less likely to be car owners, so are more likely to be walking to the bus stop and to the shops, it makes sense to add more weighting to those areas as well."

He said the condition of the pavement would still be the main factor, but where two footways had a similar score, the one in area of deprivation was likely to be done first.  Cllr Arthur said: "We believe we're the first local authority in the country to look at it in this way and help create a more equal city."

He said he knew people in Oxgangs, in his own ward, who found it difficult to get about because of the condition of the footpaths. "I think it's right that we tip the balance in favour of those who don't have access to a car and find it difficult.  And I quite often hear from people who worry about their elderly mother or father going out because of the condition of the footpaths.

"It's not about only spending money in areas of deprivation, it's just about reflecting the fact these people are less likely to own cars and so we should make it easier for them to get about, particularly just to get to the local bus stop."

He said when he became transport convener after the 2022 elections, the budget for roads and footpaths was underfunded by £8 million, but the following year it was allocated £11m and that had increased to £12.5 with a pledge of at least the same again for the next two years.

Last year, the council had resurfaced 500,000 sq metres of roads and pavements. This year it would resurface 219 roads and footpaths; £500,000 had been allocated to reinforce bus stops; and the budget for installing dropped kerbs across the city had doubled.

He said the data showed the decline in the overall condition of the city’s roads and pavements had been halted. “The data also suggests it’s starting to improve, but I'm not convinced of that yet because even today I was dodging bumps and lumps on the roads. There's still a long way to go but hopefully the money we spent last year and are going to spend this year will mean we really start to see a difference in the coming year.”