Edinburgh council prioritises Portobello junction where two cyclists have died for road safety improvements

Urgent measures already in place, but rest of work on Portobello accident blackspot will take two years

A busy accident blackspot where two cyclists have died in the past five years is to be prioritised in Edinburgh council's drive to improve safety at the city's 10 most dangerous junctions.

The junction of Sir Harry Lauder Road with Portobello High Street, Inchview Terrace and King's Road has already seen temporary measures implemented to tackle the most immediate issues following the crashes between cyclists and HGVs in 2019 and 2020.

Now further medium-term improvements for the junction are to be pursued ahead of changes at the other junctions which the council has identified as most in need of action. But it is likely to be two years before the work is carried out because of the time required to process the necessary traffic orders, including consultations with Lothian Buses and others.

The busy junction of Sir Harry Lauder Road with Portobello High Street, Inchview Terrace and King's Road is to be prioritised for safety improvements. Picture: Google.

A temporary ban on HGVs turning left from Portobello High Street into Sir Harry Lauder Road is already in place and has now been extended indefinitely.

The new work, expected to cost up to £1 million, will involve a segregated cycle route between Portobello High Street and Inchview Terrace and a single-stage controlled crossing across Sir Harry Lauder Road. The current number of traffic lanes will be reduced from five to four, retaining three northbound traffic lanes, including a dedicated right turn lane, but reducing the southbound exit from the junction to a single lane.

Transport convener Scott Arthur said a junctions review by the council had identified the 40 most dangerous junctions in the city and there were plans to improve the "top ten". But he said: "We're going to focus in the short-term on the junction at Sir Harry Lauder Road and Portobello High Street, which is known to be a real issue."

Plans for the others would be incorporated into the wider work on how traffic moves around the city, which is due to be discussed by the transport committee next month.

The committee was warned by officials in June last year that the safety improvements at the Portobello junction would add an average two to three minutes' delay for traffic at peak times. And discussions are under way with Lothian Buses about how to minimise the impact of the changes on buses, which could mean extending bus lanes on some of the approaches.

The other junctions in the top ten are: Lothian Road/Princes Street, Tollcross, Haymarket, East End of Princes Street, Milton Link, Holy Corner, Crewe Toll roundabout, St Mary’s Street and Maybury.