From trams to cycle lanes to road closures, travel within Edinburgh has seen dramatic changes over the past decade – and there’s more to come.
Controlled Parking Zones are gradually being rolled out across many parts of the city, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are being piloted in others, and the Low Emission Zone, designed to improve air quality by removing the worst-polluting vehicles from the centre of the city, will come into effect next summer.
But there could also be a Workplace Parking Levy, more trams and perhaps even the return of a cycle hire scheme. So just what is planned and where is everything up to? Here are 17 projects you can look forward to – or not.
1. Low Emission Zone
Edinburgh's Low Emission Zone is due to come into force on June 1, 2024. Vehicles which fail to meet emission standards will not be allowed to enter the 1.2 square mile area of the city centre bounded by Queen Street in the New Town, Melville Drive on the other side of the Meadows, Palmerston Place at the west end Abbeyhill in the east. As a rough guide, the ban affects petrol vehicles registered before 2006 and diesel ones registered before September 2015 - but it does depend on the make and model, so it's worth typing your registration number into the vehicle checker at www.lowemissionzones.scot/vehicle-registration-checker. HGVs, buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles which do not meet Euro 6 emission standards will also be banned. Motorcycles and mopeds are not affected. Fines for banned vehicles entering the zone are set at £60, but that is halved if the fine is paid within 30 days. However, repeat offences see the penalty double each time, up to a maximum of £480 for cars and vans and £960 for HGVs. Glasgow's LEZ, which has already come into effect, is being challenged in the courts and any ruling on that could affect whether or how Edinburgh's scheme is implemented. Photo: Edinburgh city council
2. Workplace Parking Levy
The council is due to start a consultation within the next few weeks on whether Edinburgh should introduce a Workplace Parking Levy - a charge on companies and organisations for the parking spaces they provide for employees. It would be up to employers to decide whether they pass on the charge to their staff. No decision has been taken about the area to be covered, the level of the charge or what exemptions should apply. But the levy is expected to be at least £650 a year - the price of the cheapest annual bus pass - which could bring in up to £13 million a year to be spent on transport projects. Concerns remain over a big increase in parking in residential streets close to affected workplaces and what it would mean for staff who have no choice but to drive to work. Photo: Lisa Ferguson
3. Controlled Parking Zones
Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) are being rolled out across many parts of the city following a strategic review of parking across the whole city. Where a CPZ is introduced, residents must pay for a permit to park near their homes, while others must pay-and-display. The new CPZs are being introduced in four phases. Under phase one, two zones came into force in Leith in June and one in Abbeyhill in September, with a zone in Gorgie due to go-live on October 23 and a date yet to be fixed for Shandon. Phase two, which includes Easter Road, West Leith, Bonnington, Willowbrae and the A8 corridor, is currently on hold and being monitored after local opposition persuaded councillors to delay it. The council says the traffic order for phases three, including Fettes and Prestonfield, and phase four, including Newhaven, Trinity and Portobello, will be advertised in the New Year. Photo: Lisa Ferguson
4. Low traffic neighbourhoods
Pilot Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) have been introduced in Corstorphine and Leith, with road closures, restricted access and wider pavements. The idea is to reduce traffic in residential streets, increase safety and improve air quality, with better routes for walking and cycling. Plans for an LTN in East Craigs were dropped after huge local opposition and the current schemes have been rebranded "Leith Connections" and "Corstorphine Connections". But there has been some fierce opposition to the measures, including vandalism of a camera monitoring the "bus gate" at Manse Road in Corstorphine. Reports will go to the transport committee after six months of each scheme and councillors will decide whether to scrap, continue or amend them. Photo: Contributed