Edinburgh traffic project could get go-ahead but end up only half finished, residents fear

The active travel measures planned for the A199 road between Newhaven and Seafield - phase three of the Leith Connections project - are listed among projects which should "proceed" rather than be paused following the council's review of major capital investment schemes.

But the report, which will be considered by the transport and environment committee on Thursday, May 22, adds in the notes about the project, known as Hawthornvale to Seafield: "Potential to split into two phases".

Salamander Street: extra land is needed to allow for a footpath, cycleway and carriageway wide enough for HGVs. Picture: Google. | Google

Resident Robert Drysdale says that refers to problems over the acquisition of land needed for completion of the project at the eastern end of the route in Salamander Street.

He said: "Salamander Street is basically too narrow to do everything they want to do, so they have to acquire bits of land not in council ownership so they can deliver a footpath, cycleway and have a carriageway that's wide enough for all the heavy traffic that use that stretch.

"The plans I've seen, even some parts of the carriageway are not the 7.3 metre width theyr'e supposed to be for HGVs. And Living Streets are concerned some of the footpaths are not the 2 metres wide they are supposed to be. So there are going to be these pinch points even if they do manage to buy the land they need to squeeze it through.

“They say they could do the project in two phases. What they're really admitting is they may have to do it in two phases because the second phase may not be deliverable because of these land ownership issues.

Robert Drysdale drew up and alternative plan for the cycle route, using streets in the low traffic neighbourhood. | supplied

"So that could mean we could potentially end up with all the disruption and loss of bus lanes on Commercial Street up to Bernard Street and then the cycle lane just ends because it can't go any further, so it will have been a complete waste of time."

Mr Drysdale said it wasn't clear whether agreeing to include the project on the "proceed" list on Thursday would be a final approval for the project - which is costed at between £10m and £30m - or whether there would be further detailed consideration before it went ahead.

He said: "It's the sort of thing I can see being nodded through and the next thing you know the Traffic Regulation Orders will go out and before you know it they've got powers to do it and the only thing they don't necessarily have is the money.

"If the committee agrees to 'proceed' that leaves the Leth Connections team free to do exactly that."

He said the measures might be introduced via Experimental TROs (ETROs) which allow changes to be made during a trial period. But he added: "You can't really experiment when it involves digging up large sections of the road - you have to either do it or not."

The project - which covers Lindsay Road, Commercial Street, Bernard Street, Salamander Street and Seafield Road - sparked strong protests from Leith Links community council and Edinburgh Bus Users Group over the removal of bus lanes, narrowing of pavements and relocation of bus stops.

And Mr Drysdale drew up an alternative proposed cycle route using the newly quiet roads of the Leith Connections low traffic neighbourhood. He said the removal of through traffic from the roads parallel to the main road created an ideal "bypass" for cyclists with virtually no traffic to worry about.

Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson dismissed the idea the council would complete only half of the proposed cycle route. He said: “No project manager worth their salt would start on phase one of a project without having confidence that phase two is achievable. There’s no point in doing half a job.”

He said the Hawthornvale to Seafield plans were still at design phase. But he continued: “If there’s land that’s required to be purchased to complete it, there would have to be confidence that that was going to be successful before starting the initial phases of the project.”