Edinburgh roads: Fall in traffic volumes shows council measures are working, says transport convener
Cycling figures up and bus passenger numbers return to pre-Covid levels
New figures showing a dramatic fall in traffic in Edinburgh is evidence that council measures promoting walking, cycling and public transport are working, transport convener Stephen Jenkinson has claimed.
Latest data from 117 traffic counts across the Capital shows overall volumes have fallen by 17 per cent since 2019 and the number of cars is down by 16 per cent.
A report to the transport committee says the figures are in line with achieving the council's target of a 30 per cent reduction in car traffic by 2030 or shortly after.
Meanwhile the volume of cycles has increased by three per cent and the number of bus journeys has returned to pre-Covid levels.
Cllr Jenkinson said: "It does show that the measures we are taking, encouraging more active travel and public transport, have taken significant effect. The report shows that people are now more likely to walk and cycle for day-to-day journeys and less likely to drive.
“And the perception of walking and cycling and the safety around it has also significantly improved compared to 2019. The changes that have been made incrementally are starting to have an effect on the consciousness of the people travelling round our city, so that's really positive.”
Cllr Jenkinson said the figures for cycles did not fully capture the impact of the city’s cycle hire scheme and that as it developed he expected to see a bigger increase in cycling.
The report also details the change in traffic volumes in and around the Low Emission Zone and says the figures show the LEZ and other restrictions around the city centre has not had the displacement effect predicted.
Inside the LEZ car volumes are down by 19 per cent and all motor vehicles by 23 per cent, while the surrounding areas have also seen an above-average fall, with car traffic down by 18 per cent and overall motor vehicles by 20 per cent.
The council’s target for a 30 per cent reduction in total car kilometres across the city by 2030 is being adjusted to aim instead for a 30 per cent reduction in car volumes at the count sites.
The report notes that public transport use in Edinburgh has not increased compared to 2019, but it has now returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Cllr Jenkinson said: “Public transport use in Edinburgh is consistently high. And we shouldn’t take that for granted because elsewhere in the country it's a completely different story and the trajectory for public transport is going in the opposite direction.
“A total of 36 per cent of all bus journeys in the whole of Scotland are taken on Lothian Buses, which is quite phenomenal.
“I will do all I can to encourage those numbers, encourage more people to see public transport as their first choice for moving around the city.”
He said the City Centre West to East Link cycle route had had a significant effect on travel behaviour, as had the cycle infrastructure on Leith Walk and the expansion of Controlled Parking Zones had helped to reduce car volumes.
He acknowledged Edinburgh’s growing population would put more pressure on the traffic network. But he said: “I think we're doing a really good job. The policy is right, the implementation is challenging but I'm confident in what we're doing. It is ambitious, but I think there is a mass of people behind trying to do the right thing and make the experience of moving around the city more positive.”
Cllr Jenkinson said work patterns had changed since Covid, with fewer people commuting to offices, but there was now a trend towards more office working again, with large employers in the city encouraging staff to return to their desks.
“I do think that more people will start going back to the office over the next three to five years and I hope they will see public transport as the option.”