Edinburgh roads: Final decision on future of Corstorphine low traffic neighbourhood is postponed

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A final decision on the future of a controversial Edinburgh traffic scheme has been postponed after a report was withdrawn.

Officials had recommended that Corstorphine's low traffic neighbourhood (LTN), which has been running as a trial, should be made permanent despite hundreds of objections.

But the report which was due to be considered by the council's newly-established Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) sub-committee on Tuesday has now been pulled. Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said there were concerns that the report did not clearly articulate all of the objections. 

The Manse Road bus gate is the most controversial features of the Corstorphine low traffic neighbourhood.The Manse Road bus gate is the most controversial features of the Corstorphine low traffic neighbourhood.
The Manse Road bus gate is the most controversial features of the Corstorphine low traffic neighbourhood.

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The officials' recommendation to make the scheme permanent has been attacked by campaigners as "anti-democratic" in view of the 556 formal objections registered out of a total response of 776 to the statutory consultation.

Campaign group Accessible Corstorphine for Everyone said the recommendation flew in the face of local democracy and showed "a flagrant disregard for the community".

The scheme, known as Corstorphine Connections, was introduced to stop drivers taking short cuts through residential streets and create a "safer and more comfortable" environment for residents walking, cycling and wheeling.

The report said there had been a 9.2 per cent drop in traffic near Corstorphine Primary School at peak periods, but an overall traffic increase in the wider area of 6.5 per cent - higher than the city-wide rise in traffic. 

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Despite the officers' recommendation, Lib Dem group leader Kevin Lang has called for the bus gate in Manse Road - the most controversial aspect of the LTN - to be scrapped and the rest of the scheme to be made permanent.

There is no suggestion that officers will now change their recommendation, but the revised report, which is expected to be presented to the next meeting of the TRO sub-committee, will have to give a fuller account of the objections raised. 

Couuncillor Jenkinson said: "I had a concern that all objections weren’t clearly being articulated in the report being considered by the sub committee on Tuesday and therefore I agreed with officers that this report should be pulled.

“This is obviously very disappointing for everyone with an interest in this project. I won’t apologise for setting a high bar for officer reports and I expect a new report to be presented at the very next meeting of the sub committee.”

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