Old photos of Edinburgh show I’m ageing better than our roads - Susan Morrison

There’s a 1980s photo of a march along Princes Street. Had a quick look to see if I could spot a familiar face, but what really caught my attention was the state of the road. I’d hesitate to say it was pristine, but that surface was flat and smooth enough to land a small plane on it. There’s another from ‘87, of Fountainbridge. Compared to today, it looks like a billiard table.

A flick through the decades and it's the same story. Smooth running for the Morris Minors, the Allegros and Lothian Buses finest. These days a trip on an Edinburgh road can crack your back fillings wide open.

Few of these photos feature today's familiar road scars from badly botched utility repairs. Neither do the pavements, come to that. These days a sidewalk stroll can go suddenly sideways all too often for the unwary pedestrian. Lurking underfoot lies lumpy asphalt, sudden dips and my favourite, the wonky slab that’s concealing a small loch. One false step and the black water is in your trainers. There’s a prime example on Great Junction Street that’s practically a fountain after a heavy rainfall.

Yes, I know, the city streets are way busier than they’ve ever been. You can see that in the old photos. The pavements, even on a Saturday, are far quieter than they are now.

And I know the traffic on the road is monumentally, outrageously greater than it ever was, with even bigger cars, trucks and buses. You only have to watch some huge coach rumbling up the High Street to wonder what sort of damage it's doing to the road.

The evidence is right there, though. We didn’t always live with pot holes and traffic cones.

If you really want to find out what the city was like in Ye Olde Days, why not bustle on down to The Stand Comedy Club on Sunday at 5.00. I’ve got a shedload of mad moments in Edinburgh's history to share with you!