Edinburgh roads: Polwarth roundabout to be replaced by signalised junction

Replacement of the Polwarth Roundabout - where Polwarth Gardens, Polwarth Crescent and Granville Terrace meet - will be funded as part of the city council's new Local Traffic Improvement (LTI) programme, which invites community organisations to propose projects which would make a difference in their area.

The programme will have an annual budget of £500,000 but it starts off this year with £800,000.

The Polwarth roundabout is set to be replaced by a signalised junction | Google

Transport convener Scott Arthur said:  "There's no shortage of people telling us as a council we're doing the wrong thing in the wrong place, so this is a chance for people in the city to bring forward their projects for a relatively small amount of money. Even though these projects involved small amounts of money they will be quite transformative in the local areas."

A report by Merchiston Community Council said up to 70,000 vehicles negotiated the area around the Polwarth roundabout every week, while on a typical day pavement users made 7,000 crossings supported only by one ageing zebra crossing and two pedestrian islands.

It said: "Residents have voiced their concerns over several years about the risks they face when shopping, going to work or college, or using the services of Polwarth’s local centre. They aspire to be active travellers but multiple hazards and obstacles lie in their way." Cllr Arthur said the project would change the Polwarth roundabout to a signalised junction. “People feel the roundabout is real barrier for people moving around and signals would make it safer,” he said.

Because of the legal processes required, including traffic orders, and further local engagement and design work, it could be 18 months or two years before the new junction is in place.

The cost of the project has been estimated at up to £300,000, with the first £100,000 allocated from this year’s LTI programme and the rest expected to follow next year.  

The council has only recently finished relaying pavement slabs around the existing roundabout, but the move to a traffic light junction is expected to mean widening the pavement, so it would not necessarily disrupt the newly completed work.

Cllr Arthur said: "That work is not wasted, in that we're not going to be digging up too much of the work that's happened. We’ll be working around that.”