Edinburgh transport projects to be 'paused' because of financial pressures
Some of Edinburgh’s transport projects will have to be "paused" because of financial pressures, city transport convener Stephen Jenkinson has warned.
Pedestrianisation schemes, low traffic neighbourhoods, junction improvements and active travel projects are among those which could be affected by the attempt to assemble a basket of projects which can realistically be delivered with the next 10 years.
The “rationalisation” exercise is driven, among other things, by a change in Scottish Government funding for major projects which means councils are awarded money only for one year at a time.
Councillor Jenkinson told a public meeting held by cycling campaign group Spokes: “When I came into this role it was quite clear we had a huge and expanding list of capital investment projects that we were planning to deliver as part of the strategies we had in place.
“We don't really have multi-year funding any more, which makes delivering any project challenging but makes delivering large scale projects that take many years very challenging indeed.
“I was keen to make sure the list of projects within the overall programme we were working towards, taking a 10-year approach, are scored and are deliverable within the current and predicted financial framework we’re working within.
“There has been a lot of time and effort to work through the list, to be quite pragmatic and have a suite of projects that fit within the framework we have already agreed, but that are deliverable.”
The list of projects to be paused is still being finalised ahead of this month’s meeting of the council’s transport and environment committee. Those being looked at are all included in Edinburgh’s “City Mobility Plan” which was approved in 2021 and aims to create a joined-up transport network that is carbon-free, accessible and affordable.
Although walking, cycling, junction improvement and other projects could be at risk, neither the plans for a north-south tram route from Granton to the Infirmary and the BioQuarter nor the masterplan for Princes Street are included in the review.
The criteria for deciding which projects to pause is understood to include how likely they are to win funding, how they fit with other projects and how far they have been progressed - though it is said some projects at a fairly advanced stage could still be paused and others which are at an earlier stage may go ahead.
Cllr Jenkinson told the meeting that the review would set the agenda for the delivery of transport projects in Edinburgh for the next decade.
He said: “It’s still going to be a challenge to deliver them all, but these projects are more likely to be delivered within that 10-year period and and work with each other.
“I won't deny the fact that there will be projects which will be paused that will possibly be unpopular. There will certainly be projects that are delivered that will be very popular.
“We will continue to fight hard year on year to secure the funding to deliver as many of these projects as we possibly can.”
He said the review exercise would produce “a realistic programme of work which is deliverable in a reasonable time frame”.
And he continued: “Hopefully that will lead us into a position where people will actually see things being delivered on the ground and get some confidence back that we're taking the great work and great ideas already in place and turning them into something quite tangible.”