Leith residents are calling on Edinburgh council to install a zebra crossing at busy Leith Links junction

Concerned Leith residents are calling on the council to improve road safety in one of the community’s busiest streets.

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A zebra crossing has been proposed for the T-junction between Salamander Place and Links Gardens by locals and tenants rights representatives who feel measures must be taken to make the popular pedestrian crossing point safer.

Kristina Galvydyte, who lives on Salamander Court near the crossing said: “Crossing the road is definitely not an easy task, which it should be, when you think about it. Sometimes you wait five minutes just to cross the road which shouldn’t be the case.”

A young family wait to cross the busy junction at Salamander Place and Leith Gardens

She added: “It’s a safety hazard too because the cars aren’t stopping so I’ve definitely felt unsafe.”

Fellow local resident, Oliver Brown, said: “At the moment it’s a challenge. It was nice during Covid when they closed the road but now it’s really difficult. It’s a three way junction and you’ve got traffic coming from every direction.”

The proposal for a controlled crossing has gained support from Edinburgh councillors following a zebra themed event held at Leith Links last week to raise awareness about the dangerous crossing.

Event organisers, Living Rent, collected 80 signatures from local residents and passers by to support the need for improved road safety for the area that has a large number of young families and elderly members.

Green councillor, Chas Booth joins Living Rent to support new zebra crossing

Living Rent Community Organiser, Lola May said: ““Living somewhere is more than just the house you’re living in, it’s the area as well. We’ve had meetings about what people wanted in their area and the thing that came up an awful lot was road safety, especially on that T-junction.”

The busy road is often heavily congested making it difficult and dangerous to cross. Traffic flow in the area is further exacerbated by priority control systems on the road that stagger and prolong traffic at the junction.

Living Rent said: “While new residential developments around Salamander Place have increased the local population, some residents have been frustrated that development of the pedestrian infrastructure in the area has lagged behind.

They added: “This is especially worrying for many as the new developments have been promoted as suitable for young families.”

Living Rent members, joined by Green councillor, Chas Booth at Leith Links

Sabrina McEwen, who has lived in the area for four years, expressed her concerns for child safety during their school run. She said: “Cars go up and down it all the time and it’s very dangerous for them to cross because some of the cars don’t stop.”

Living Rent member, Arran Close said that the community is in “desperate need” for a zebra crossing, adding that: “the road gets extremely busy during peak times as many vehicles use Salamander Place as a shortcut to avoid the traffic lights.”

Chas Booth, Green councillor for Leith who attended the event, said: "Living Rent are absolutely right to highlight road safety on Salamander Place and Links Gardens as a crucial issue. I've had many other constituents raise concerns about this junction as well.

"It's clear to me that we need action from the council to tackle the congestion issues here and around Leith, and I have already written to council officers to raise concerns about this junction.

There have been calls for more safety measures on the busy junction

"What is clear is that we need to make it quicker, easier and safer for people choosing to travel on foot, by wheel or cycle."

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