Covid is changing our city, let’s make it work

The normally-busy Royal Mile was all but deserted during Edinburgh's peak tourism season this summer.

Our city’s status will be reviewed weekly against what progress we can make on infection rates, although our Level 3 starting point indicates how fragile our situation is. Everybody has put enormous efforts into their changed lives and working conditions to follow government guidance and keep their neighbours as safe as possible – and we couldn’t be more grateful. It’s essential that we all continue to follow the guidance.

Cases in the city have fallen in the last two weeks, and that is very welcome news. However, our Public Health officials want to make sure that this downward trend is solid before loosening restrictions further. Risk levels are still high and caution will help ensure real progress, while not putting vulnerable family and friends at risk.

Many businesses and residents have legitimate concerns about the restrictions imposed by our Level 3 status and want to see faster moves to greater normality and a lower level of restrictions. I share that desire completely.

The council is working hard to support businesses directly, already administering more than 600 additional grants to help businesses survive and thrive, on top of plus £100m already paid out. Direct business support is vital but we can also help by being the customers that businesses need. More restaurants, pubs and cafes can open now to serve food and I’ll certainly be doing my bit to support them in south Edinburgh.

And that’s where our Spaces for People initiative comes in.

This is a Scottish government funded programme to provide temporary road changes which encourage people to exercise, to get to work, to access schools and to support our local shopping streets, as safely as possible. Reallocating road space away from vehicles and towards better facilities for people walking, wheeling and cycling encourages more people to step away from congestion-causing car use, especially for short journeys, and to embrace healthier options for getting around in these difficult times. Research clearly shows that people who shop on foot and bike tend to shop more often and ultimately spend more money than those who arrive by car.

Roads and pavements dominated by heavy car use, pollution and congestion do not put residents, and those looking to enjoy their local spaces and shops, first. It’s not a ‘war on cars’; an assertion we hear often from Tory councillors who just don’t seem to understand how to put our collective wellbeing first. Instead it’s about creating real, beneficial choices for people.

Of course, not everyone can or will choose to walk or cycle, for example, but better infrastructure delivers what lots of people have told us they want - measures which help our city work better, that lets those who truly have to drive get around more easily and offset some of the worst health, economic and quality of life impacts of a congested, polluted city that we are all living with at the moment. It would be irresponsible not to tackle these major issues, not to address the new challenges of growth, temporarily and longer term.

Our city is changing under Covid conditions. Let’s make those changes as positive, and as safe, as possible for everyone.

Cllr Lesley Macinnes, SNP councillor for Liberton Gilmerton, Depute Leader SNP Council Group Transport and Environment Convener, City of Edinburgh Council

Covid is changing our city, let’s make it work - Lesley Macinnes