The Reducer will champion city 20mph initiative
Edinburgh is the first city in Scotland implementing a citywide 20mph network. The new limit aims to reduce the risk and severity of road collisions, encourage travel on foot and by bike and help make the city’s streets more people-friendly.
Continue reading Meet The Reducer!
A vision for George Street is set to be considered by councillors tomorrow. The outcome of a year-long trial to increase pedestrian and cycling provision will be heard by the Transport and Environment Committee on Tuesday.
Members will also discuss a series of design principles for the development of the thoroughfare, drawn up by independent consultant Ironside Farrar.
Amongst the consultant’s proposals to improve the local environment and encourage mixed use of the street are a segregated cycle route, widened pavements and outdoor dining opportunities, while retaining parking and public transport capacity. It is intended that these high level guiding principles could be used to inform and support a fuller, more detailed design.
Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “The point of the trial was to create a more accessible, enjoyable atmosphere for all those who use the street.
“By working closely with residents and stakeholders we were able to assess which changes worked and which didn’t. The lessons learned have enabled Ironside Farrar to create a series of all-inclusive design principles, and I look forward to seeing these developed further.”
The concluding report notes the benefit of using a trial approach to help inform design discussions for the project.
In September 2014 the Council introduced a dedicated two-way cycle lane, additional pedestrian space and a one-way traffic system for cars as part of a one-year-trial.
This was used as a starting point for a detailed design discussion, involving regular feedback and suggestions from stakeholders as a means of developing a long-term design for the street.
By using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to run the trial, it was possible to make changes based on key learning points as it progressed, in collaboration with the public.
Following the trial, Ironside Farrar drew up design principles based on feedback gathered through more than 1200 on-street interviews carried out during the year, as well as two public meetings and the opinions of a dedicated steering group. This comprised representatives from the New Town and Broughton Community Council, Essential Edinburgh, Cockburn Association, Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, George Street Association and the Council’s Planning and Transport divisions.
Ironside Farrar’s report builds on lessons learned, recognising the need for George Street’s design to enable seasonal, flexible use while focusing on the needs of retail, hospitality and local residents.
Additional proposals, which prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, include an adaptable streetscape, designed to suit seasonal events and festivals held in the street, and fully accessible facilities to address the varying needs of users.
If design principles are approved, a detailed design for the future layout of George Street would be developed.
Read the full report: George Street Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, Concluding Report and Design Principles, on the Council website.
Sunday parking: ‘Status quo not sustainable’ – Cllr Lesley Hinds
City councillors will decide how Sunday parking controls will be introduced at a meeting of the Transport and Environment committee next week. Continue reading Sunday parking fees set to be introduced
Dear NEN
As an organisation responsive to the needs of vulnerable people I thought that you might be concerned by the decision of Lothian Buses to stop selling books of adult single tickets.
These tickets are bought by a number of services including many hostels, day centres and food banks. These tickets are used to enable individuals to get to health appointments and engage with vital services.
This decision by Lothian Buses restricts the ability for services to offer such provision. Lothian buses say that paper tickets bought in advance make up less than 1% of total sales. However, these less than 1% are made up of some of the most vulnerable people in our city.
Please sign if you agree with this petition by clicking the link below:
Many thanks,
Paul Stevenson
Email: mrpaulstevenson@gmail.com
Alison Johnstone pledges Green fight to redirect roads budget
Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, has told an audience of cycling campaigners that with more Green MSPs Scotland can improve public health and the economy by redirecting the roads budget to tackle the nation’s pothole backlog. Continue reading Pothole backlog: Johnstone pledges Green action
Councillors considered proposals to overhaul Edinburgh’s parking yesterday – and agreed in principle to extend new parking controls to Sundays. Continue reading City moves a step closer to Sunday parking fees
Lucky City Centre … but North Edinburgh will have to wait
A new initiative by the City of Edinburgh Council is set to tackle the capital’s worst potholes and road defects resulting from winter weather. A dedicated team of neighbourhood staff has been put together to coordinate an intensive programme of repairs concentrating on main arterial routes – but North Edinburgh won’t be seeing any additional pothole attention anytime soon. Continue reading Council sets up pothole posse
Green light for Forth Bridge traffic following 18 day closure
The Forth Road Bridge will be open to vehicles except HGVs from tomorrow morning. The bridge was closed for safety reasons following the discovery of a cracked crossmember, but temporary repairs will allow the bridge to reopen ahead of schedule. Continue reading Forth Road Bridge to re-open tomorrow
Transport Minister Derek Mackay has thanked travellers for their patience during the first week of disruption caused by the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.
Early indications show that the travel plan launched last Sunday is helping to minimise the impact on journey times for people moving between Fife and Edinburgh.
At its peak, the Traffic Scotland website recorded over 3 million hits per day – three times more than normal – from people wishing to receive regular updates on the status of the network and plan their journeys. The plan has undergone several refinements throughout the week.
Over the course of the week journey times on the A907 diversion during peak morning hours fell by over 30 minutes, demonstrating the effectiveness of the ongoing refinements.
In addition, in response to concerns brought forward by local businesses and communities, the restrictions on the dedicated Bus/Goods Vehicle prioritisation corridor on the A985 from Kincardine Roundabout and Cairneyhill Roundabout have been lifted to accommodate all goods vehicles during weekdays, and all vehicles on weekday nights and at weekends.
ScotRail have introduced an extra early morning train on Tuesday to supplement the additional services already running, bringing the number of extra seats on offer across the Forth Rail Bridge up to 10,000 per day. This extra capacity represents an increase in 64% on usual passenger numbers.
Over the past week Stagecoach have provided an additional 33 vehicles per day, equating to an extra 11,000 seats, for services between Halbeath, Ferrytoll and Dunfermline to Edinburgh and Livingston, operating up to every 10 minutes at peak times. Journey times are relatively consistent at 1hr 30mins
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: ““I wish to thank the public for their patience and forbearance during this last week. I appreciate that many people have had to make significant changes to their travelling plans and, through their cooperation, we have succeeded in keeping the transport network in Fife operational and getting people to and from where they need to be.
“We have been constantly monitoring the situation and taking on board the advice and concerns of the local communities to ensure that we are doing the very best job that we can. At the centre of this co-ordination has been our comprehensive travel plan, which we have taken steps to refine over the last week
“Although certain services do remain busy, there does remain some capacity on certain routes, especially on the bus network. I encourage people to keep checking the travel plan published on the Traffic Scotland website for the latest advice.
“The team responsible for fixing the bridge are working 24/7 to get it reopened as soon as possible and are making good progress. It is of course vital that until it’s repaired we continue to explore what further improvements can be made to the travel plan and take on board feedback.”
Phil Verster, Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance, said that further refinements to the timetable will deliver further improvements. “We’ve listened to customers’ feedback this week and fine-tuned the timetable to add in extra stops at Rosyth and stations south of the Forth on selected services from today,” he said. “The information is already on our website and in journey planners. We’re doing everything we can to keep people moving. I have to pay tribute to our customers for their understanding, and to our staff for what they have delivered – and continue to deliver – in such challenging timescales.”
Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director, Stagecoach East Scotland said: “The implementation of the bus and good vehicle priority measures have meant journey times from Fife to Edinburgh are just 90 minutes and we’ve been able to increase the frequency of services as a result. With more people heading for the buses, traffic on the roads should be that bit quieter and we have a reduced fare of £3 return in place to help ease the cost of the commute. We’re pleased that so many non-bus users have tried the shuttle services and are getting to their destination in a relaxed and timely manner and we’ve had a significant amount of positive feedback from our customers.
“Our staff have been amazing, coping superbly and cheerfully with changes to routes, timetables and shifts with very little notice in order to keep the travelling public moving. We have had drivers from all round Scotland, the north of England and Wales come to help out and I’m very grateful to them and their families for their hard work and adaptability.”
The city council is taking steps to ensure business disruption is kept to a minimum during the closure of the Forth Road Bridge. Continue reading Taking care of business during bridge closure
