Progress on road safety is gridlocked - Sue Webber

While SNP continues to spend its time and our money whipping up resentment to break up the UK, it’s easy to forget the things which really matter to the vast majority of people are much closer to home.

Sue Webber is a Scottish Conservative MSP for the Lothians

And it’s hugely frustrating when we know that millions are being frittered away on all manner of pipe dreams and pet projects when relatively small amounts of money, properly targeted, can make a big difference to people’s lives.

Most of us come into politics to help those we represent and to make a difference, no matter how big or small, and when I was elected to Edinburgh Council in 2017, one of the small but important, and seemingly easy to fix, improvements I sought was a simple pedestrian crossing for Lanark Road West, at Stewart Road, particularly for Currie schoolchildren.

At least I thought it would be easy because the crossing had been on the cards for years before I was elected, foolishly thinking it was something for which the need was obvious. Evening News readers used to stories of council inaction and inefficiency will not be surprised to learn that here we are years later, and the community is still waiting.

New homes are being built along the Water of Leith so demand for a crossing to connect people with the school and shopping parade is growing, and this week I was contacted by someone affected.

“I could not get across the road safely because there are no traffic lights, there were lots of cars, cars were going fast and there were vehicles and lorries at the building site, some of them were blocking the pavement. I got very, very cold waiting to cross the road,” he said.

You might wonder if it really is that bad until you realise this was from Magnus, a Primary Six boy, trying to get home.

“Mum had to come out looking for me because I missed my curfew. I was crying,” said Magnus.

“I don't like not being able to get home safely. I also can't get to the safe route to school safely. Mum has to cross me over the road every morning, sometimes we have to wait for 50 cars to go by and Mum usually has to step onto the road to stop the traffic.”

If that’s not proven need, then what is? But as the council concentrates resources on keeping unsafe barriers further down Lanark Road to encourage cycling, guess what? The failure to install a proper crossing means this is one young man who wants to cycle to school but can’t because there is nowhere safe to cross.

A crossing was promised when the family moved to their current house in 2014, so after seven years the supposedly pedestrian and cycle-friendly council is no closer to honouring that promise. The last council report just said ‘various options to be considered’, so their children will probably have left home by the time anything is done.

They and other families with young children are far from the only ones affected, with reports of elderly people from nearby sheltered housing walking to Balerno to find a safe place to cross.

How much more evidence does Edinburgh Council need to help Magnus and his neighbours?

Sue Webber is a Lothian Scottish Conservative MSP