Edinburgh primary school gets new pencil themed bollards to protect children and deter pavement parking

The pencil themed bollards make a point against pavement parking

A series of pencil themed bollards have appeared outside an Edinburgh school over the weekend in a bid to deter pavement parking in the area.

Part of the Corstorphine Connections project, the unique bollards outside Corstorphine Primary School help protect children as they walk to school and are part of the second phase of the strategy to reduce traffic and improve walking, wheeling and cycling conditions in the area.

The bollards installed on Corstorphine High Street are the second series of pencil bollards already in place at Meadow Place Road and Featherhall Crescent where planters and seating were installed earlier in the year. With work beginning in May 2023, the delivery of the second phase comes as the council are set to introduce pavement parking controls this week.

The bollards were installed outside Corstorphine Primary School over the weekend as part of the Corstorphine Connections scheme

Councillor Scott Arthur, transport and environment convener, said: “We know that pavement parking poses an issue across the city, which is why we’re proposing using national powers to enforce against this. In Corstorphine, we’ve responded to resident, school and parent council concerns about pavement parking, particularly at school drop off and pick up times, at Corstorphine Primary School.”

He added: “The new bollards installed as part of Corstorphine Connections are a mix of traditional black bollards and pencils near the school, based on residents’ views. Even with these bollards in place, the school children are still able to benefit from the wider footpaths we recently installed.”

The initiative forms part of the wider low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme to improve and understand ‘issues with speed and volume of traffic in residential streets’ - with the project also including widening pavements and introducing experimental traffic calming measure including a controversial bus gate near St Johns Road.

The bus gate is an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) installed earlier this year at the junction with Manse Road and St John’s Road, operating Monday to Friday 8am to 10am and 2.45pm to 6.30pm. The ETRO drew criticism after it was revealed residents paid nearly £100,000 in fines over a two-month period, prompting councillor Euan Davidson to say the amount of fines suggested the bus gate was not clearly signposted and that the traffic controlling measure increased traffic on neighbouring roads.

The bus gate is subject to a six-month public consultation period that ends on November 23, however the ETRO can stay in place for up to 18 months. Lib Dem councillor for Corstorphine and Murrayfield ward, Euan Davidson has filed a motion for the bus gate to be removed at a transport and environment committee meeting on Thursday, which he said has brought on ‘significant confusion amongst the local community’ and ‘elicited strong local opposition ever since the original consultation’.

Corstorphine Primary School Parent Council have responded to the motion, requesting that the bus gate remain in situ to allow for ‘robust data’ to be ‘gathered and analysed’ and Low Traffic Corstorphine group have said ‘it would be an error to remove one of the main mechanisms of the Corstorphine LTN before the trial has run its full course.’.

Councillor Arthur said: “By limiting through traffic and providing spaces to sit, relax and interact, Corstorphine Connections aims to trial a much safer and more welcoming environment for people living there. I know already that many parents have enjoyed being able to walk and cycle more easily with their children since we started implementing the scheme, and the new bollards will only add to this by creating safer, obstruction-free pavements. One local mum recently told me 'the trial so far has made these streets where I live much more pleasurable and importantly safer for my children to play and walk to and from school'.”

Councillor Arthur added: “It’s important to note that these changes are a trial. We still want to hear residents’ views and we look forward to receiving feedback as part of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order process.”