A new report (see below) showing that Edinburgh is ranked alongside London as the UK’s slowest city must act as a wakeup call for city chiefs, says Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP.
The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard shows that drivers lost an average of 98 hours in the capital city in 2019, with last mile speeds of just 10mph on an average journey, costing the city’s economy £177million.
Lothian MSP Alison Johnstone said: “Edinburgh’s ranking as the UK’s slowest city won’t come as a huge shock to many in the city, but it must come as a wakeup call to city chiefs who have for far too long prioritised getting cars into the city centre rather than investing in improving public transport, tackling congestion, and making it safer for people to walk and cycle.
“Lothian buses is a well liked service but buses are all too often delayed by the appalling congestion in the city. It’s time buses and trams were given priority over cars.
“The current consultation on the City’s Mobility Plan will help decide the future of the City. We need a bold and visionary approach that doesn’t consider issues in isolation, and we need funding to bring about the change. We need too to stop wasting money on the dinosaur transport projects of a bygone era.
“In light of this report the city/region deal partners must now listen to my calls to scrap the proposed £120million flyover at Sheriffhall, a new road that will only make congestion worse, and instead invest those funds in congestion busting public transport across the region.
“Investment in safe walking and cycling routes in and around the city has been sorely lacking. We know that lots of people would cycle to work, or let their children cycle to school, if there was safe segregated infrastructure but all too often this isn’t the case.
“The budget deal secured by the Scottish Greens recently ensured that the Scottish Government’s cycling budget hit £100million for the first time. I know that Scottish Greens Councillors on City of Edinburgh Council will be lobbying hard to ensure the city gets its fair share of that funding too.”
https://inrix.com/press-releas
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