Doing nothing to deal with Edinburgh’s congestion is not an option – Steve Cardownie

The news that Edinburgh is the UK’s most congested city will not come as a surprise to anyone who commutes through the city centre, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours.

Bold action is required to ease traffic congestion in Edinburgh. Picture: Scott Taylor

The city council is acutely aware that appropriate measures will have to be taken before the situation gets any worse.

The city is a victim of its own success as it regularly tops polls as the best in the UK in which to live, study and work, boasting a quality of life unsurpassed anywhere within these islands.

Whilst there are still areas of deprivation which have to be addressed, there is no doubt, that, in the main, Edinburgh is proving to be a magnet for major employers with an increase of 4.2 per cent employment over the course of last year. A larger workforce means a larger volume of traffic as people commute to and from their place of work, which has helped to propel Edinburgh to the top of the congestion league.

As the city council unfurls its plans to tackle this pressing issue, which will be put out for public consultation, it is obvious that not everybody will be prepared to embrace the bold action required. The council will face its usual detractors, but action is a must. Complacency is not an option.

The current administration should be commended for the manner in which it is grappling with this problem.

Democracy, not death threats

After writing part of my column regarding the throwing of objects at politicians (eggs and milkshakes), I learned that two city councillors had recently received death threats in their emails, causing them a great deal of stress and anxiety.

Whilst I readily recognise that this is not an everyday occurrence, it is no less worrying for all that.

Although I don’t know either of the victims of this deplorable act personally, I totally understand that they did not enter the world of representative politics expecting this form of threat and abuse, leaving them so alarmed that they reported the matter to the police.

The city council unanimously agreed a motion at its meeting last week which seeks to establish a protocol for councillors to report incidents in order to receive an appropriate level of support, which aptly demonstrates the concern felt by elected members.

What a pity that in this day and age, in a democratic society, such a motion was necessary in the first place.