Our streets need more zebras than our zoos – and now they can

There is something rather absurd about the way we have designed our streets. For years, communities in Edinburgh have asked for simple zebra crossings at side roads.

They are the kind used across Europe, using black and white markings without flashing beacons, to make pedestrian priority at side streets clearer.

Yet councils in Scotland have not been able to use them on public roads because this design has not been permitted under UK law. Edinburgh Council would like to use these continental-style zebra crossings as a lower-cost way of making walking safer but cannot until the law is changed.

The UK Government has, finally, updated the law, so now the door is open and the Scottish Government needs to walk through it.

I have already raised this directly with Ministers. In August, I asked whether the Scottish Government would amend the regulations to allow councils to install simple, paint-only side- road crossings, and whether guidance could be issued to help local authorities improve safety for walking and wheeling.

They say they are considering it. For children walking to school, older people, disabled people and anyone choosing to walk, small changes can make a big difference.

If a simple pattern of paint can make a side road clearer and safer, why make it harder than it needs to be?

Edinburgh’s communities have been asking for better streets for years. The Scottish Government should now make these crossings possible and let councils get on with installing them where they are needed.

I’ll keep fighting for our streets to have more zebras than our zoo!