Delay to controversial Edinburgh traffic management project amid bickering

A controversial project of road closures and traffic management throughout the capital has been delayed by bickering among councillors.

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes is 'dismayed'

Edinburgh City Council is set to make significant changes to its controversial ‘Spaces for People’ programme, including introducing new schemes throughout the city.

Major schemes and amendments will be rubber stamped by councillors, but smaller schemes will be introduced under the council’s emergency powers.

The new schemes were set to be decided at a meeting of the council’s transport committee, but now the plans will be heard by the full council, which is due to meet next week, due to Conservative opposition councillors demanding the scheme be heard by the wider council.

After losing a vote to make changes to the proposed new schemes, Conservative group leader and Inverleith councillor Iain Whyte used his right to send the report to be ratified by full council, effectively delaying the proposals.

The chair of the transport committee, Liberton and Gilmerton councillor Lesley Macinnes, SNP, said she was ‘dismayed’ by the measure and added: “I can do nothing about this, but I can display my displeasure at your decision to essentially interrupt the progress we can make for the benefit of this city.”

The new schemes include:

South Bridge – The carriageway will be reduced down to two lanes, north bound will be closed to all traffic except buses and taxis between 7.30am and 6.30pm, cycle segregation will be introduced on both sides, and all bus stops will be relocated to North Bridge.

Lanark Road, Longstone Road and Inglis Green Road – Installation of cycle segregation lanes, revised parking arrangements, introduction of bus lane on approach to Gillespie Crossroads, and reduction of speed limit to 30mph.A1 and A90 – Segregated cycle routes, pedestrian safety improvements and street clutter removal along both arterial routes.

Among the four measures highlighted for more significant amendments is the closure of Warriston Road, which is no longer considered necessary due to decreased pressure on the North Edinburgh Path Network.

On Victoria Street, it is proposed to allow limited servicing access to allow delivery and servicing access were required, and Silverknowes Road (north section), which is currently closed, would be reopened to public transport, along with a segregated cycle lane, if approved.

Councillors are also being asked to approve the continued closure of Braid Road, as part of the wider Greenbank to Meadows scheme.

At the transport committee, the Conservatives put forward an amendment to rival the SNP/Labour coalition’s proposals.

The Conservatives wanted the schemes at South Bridge and Greenbank/Meadows to go ahead as planned, but wanted to delay the A1 and A90 schemes, as well as the Lanark Road, Longstone Road and Inglis Green Road scheme, and bring these back to the committee in January.

The amendment would also have seen Braid Road be reopened to traffic.

Councillor Whyte said: “We called for each individual scheme to be brought forward so we can look at each scheme in detail and make an assessment, and make the detailed changes that need to happen to make them acceptable to the public.

“We’re still not getting that, and that’s actually the problem here. By doing that, what your administration is doing is turning people off and causing a great deal of angst about some things that would otherwise be broadly accepted.

“Take the A90 proposals, I asked detailed questions about genuine safety concerns in my ward, from people who are worried about access from their homes.

“It’s one key point, but it means there are huge numbers sending emails objecting to the whole scheme, when actually, the vast bulk of the rest of the scheme is accepted by the public, but we haven’t been able to address their concerns.”

Councillor Macinnes said: “We’re hearing over and over, ‘let’s just put it off for one cycle’ - you’re talking about the end of January, during which time we’d have had two months of not being able to make progress on something.

“We have been accused now of lack of leadership, not listening, all those things - can I just point out that on many of those schemes we have set out our stall, where we’ve said we'll try things and then modify, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“We’re taking into account the needs of businesses in Morningside, for example, there are some parking spaces going back in there, having had the scheme initiated, and now there’s a change being made.

“We’ve demonstrated a degree of flexibility in both the proposed developments and post-implementation.

“So to be accused of not doing, of not listening, is both hard on the officers and the administration.”

The Conservative amendment was voted down by the committee, against the SNP/Labour coalition motion, by four votes to seven, but councillor Whyte moved to send the report to be ratified at a full council meeting.

Councillor Macinnes reacted: “I find this a disappointing move. It’s a desire to push this out again. It won’t be able to get to next week’s full council so we’re talking five weeks now before we can discuss this at full council.

“So in effect, you’ve built in an enormous delay to a temporary set of measures.

“Now, as you know I can do nothing about this, but I can display my displeasure at your decision to essentially interrupt the progress we can make for the benefit of this city, and I am dismayed that you’ve decided to go down this route.

“To take away the detailed scrutiny of this committee, on detailed measures, to take it into full council where we will not have access to officer information.”

Joseph Anderson, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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