Council officials are 'looking into a puddle' after path complaints

An Edinburgh man is single-handedly protecting pedestrians amid claims Edinburgh City Council left busy pathways in Currie ‘unsafe’.

Hugh Thomson has been spending lockdown making Currie's pathways safe for pedestrian use.

Hugh Thomson has reported multiple safety issues on the pathways in Currie to the council over the last two years.

These include large muddy puddles on pavements which make the routes impassable without stepping out onto busy roads and narrowing of paths caused by overgrown bushes.

The 67-year-old retired council employee has been hard at work during lockdown clearing overgrown weeds and brambles from the walkways in an attempt to make safer routes for pedestrians.

Many of the pathways in Currie require users to step out onto busy road to pass by.

Helped by members of community group ‘A Fab Currie’, Mr Thomson has spruced up his neighbourhood paths.

To date, Mr Thomson has raised issues about more than 40 areas, some of which have been addressed by the council.

However a section of pathway on Riccarton Mains Road requires people to step out onto the road at a busy blind corner and junction to continue on their way.

Mr Thomson said: “The Riccarton Mains Road pavements are a key route for pedestrians and are very difficult to get past.

Overgrown bushes cause paths to narrow unexpectedly creating issues for walkers with prams.

"We (the community) have done what we can to cut back the brambles in the area but the issue is too difficult for us to handle alone. We need help from the council.”

He has also reported a large puddle blocking the pavement on Curriehill Road.

Mr Thomson said this puddle was caused by the uneven pathway and requires a permanent fix.

Local councillor Susan Webber echoed his concerns and said Riccarton Mains Road and Curriehill Road are only two of many areas with problems pathways.

Councillor Webber said: “Across Currie, the state of our pavements and footpaths continues to be of grave concern to me.

" I have asked for years of detritus and weeds to be removed from pavements on Riccarton Mains Road, Curriehill Road, and the A71 between Dalmahoy and Hermiston.

"This would double the width of these pavements and in some cases make them passable.

"These have all been neglected and despite my assertions and requests, it has only been through the very recent work carried out by Hugh and the A Fab Currie Team that many of these paths had life injected back into them and people can use them safely. There was also a team of two gents spotted on their hands and knees scraping the weeds and detritus off the A71 footway too.”

Just 24 hours after the Evening News raised the issue the council sent a member of staff to investigate the claims.

Transport and Environment Convener Cllr Lesley Macinnes said: “We were made aware of blocked gullies in August at Riccarton Mains Road which we dealt with quickly over the course of a week and we’re not aware of any other issues with regard to puddles there at the moment.

"We’ve also had a report of a puddle at Curriehill Road this morning and we’re looking into this and we will take action as required to make the area safe. I should also say that puddles aren’t always the result of blocked gullies and water can gather quickly depending on the capacity of drainage systems.”

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