Unenviable position of agreeing with former Conservative group leader - Steve Cardownie

The monthly full council meetings up in the City Chambers were one of the highlights of my time there.

Councillor Iain Whyte took aim at the “anti-car schemes that emanate from politicians in the city chambers” with the “no left turn along London Road from Leith Walk “coming in for particular attention

Having spent 29 years as a councillor I used to relish the prospect of crossing swords with my counterparts from the other political groups.

It is true that most of the time we knew which motions and amendments would be carried or lost before the Lord Provost opened the proceedings.

But sometimes quick adjustments had to be made when some unexpected matter raised its head which led to some interesting debates.

One of my “opponents” that I particularly enjoyed sparring with was Councillor Iain Whyte, more often than not, Leader of the Conservative Group, who usually gave as good as he got, which sometimes made for good knock about stuff.

However I now find myself in the unenviable position of agreeing with him, at least on the issue he highlighted in Monday’s paper.

Writing under the headline “Time for a U-turn on Leith Walk traffic rule” Iain takes aim at the “anti-car schemes that emanate from politicians in the city chambers” with the “no left turn along London Road from Leith Walk” coming in for particular attention.

Iain rails against the decision to impose this traffic measure and says that: “In the last council term, I voted against this left turn ban. We Conservatives foresaw that Leith Walk would become a mile-long roadblock to traffic crossing it east-west unless it meandered through residential side streets.”

Having witnessed this myself (and the confusion generated around the Picardy Place tram stop as traffic is forced to go around the junction and go down Leith Walk to turn right along London Road) on an almost daily basis I have to say that Iain is no often right – but in this instance he is no wrong!