Council’s Capital Coalition to outline next steps for Spaces for People Travelling Safely programme
The city council’s Transport and Environment Committee will hear an update on the future of measures introduced to help people walk, cycle and wheel safely during the COVID pandemic on Thursday (19 August).
Under the Travelling Safely programme (formerly Spaces for People) steps are being taken to retain some schemes on an experimental basis, to remove others post-pandemic and to engage further with communities on options for a handful of measures – and those proposals have come in for plenty of stick, too.
Following approval by full Council to extend the lifespan of many interventions, officers are carrying out a ‘technical review’ of the changes. This involves detailed scheme reviews and considering comments received during public consultation and, where appropriate, improving designs. Engagement and design sessions will then be carried out with key stakeholders including the emergency services, public transport operators and access groups.
As agreed by Council, a number of schemes – Lanark Road, Comiston Road, Braid Road and Drum Brae North – will be subject to more detailed consideration and engagement with local communities to develop options for their retention or modification. A report on these will be brought to committee in October.
In line with a motion to Council in June, future plans for George IV Bridge have been considered.
Three options have been put forward – retaining the current scheme; revisions to the design, including moving segregation closer to the kerb and adding kerbside loading areas; or removing the scheme entirely.
Removing the scheme and reinstating the original road layout has been recommended to improve access for public transport and local businesses’ deliveries.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “Over the last year and a half the Spaces for People programme has helped people to travel safely by bike while restrictions were in place on public transport, given room for parents to drop their children at school while physically distancing and provided much-needed space for exercise during the depths of lockdown, amongst other benefits.
“Now, as restrictions are lifted, we’re looking to the future of these changes, and how they can support people to make journeys by foot, bike or wheel. Right now, officers are working hard to review and improve those schemes being retained longer term, to engage with community members on those where further development is needed and carefully plan for the removal of measures that we agreed to wind down.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “Thanks to feedback to the major consultation carried out earlier this year we’ve been able to carefully assess the schemes we’re planning to keep on an experimental basis for any changes that could be made.
“We’re also continuing to listen to residents, businesses and public transport operators. As a result we’re planning to make some immediate amendments to schemes to make sure they work for everyone, particularly as traffic levels return to normal.”
It is proposed that measures approved for removal, primarily in town centres, should be taken out after the festival, in line with Scottish Government guidance.
This will involve careful planning and communication with stakeholders, in particular organisations like the RNIB and Guide Dogs Scotland. Some immediate changes are recommended, such as the removal of the widened footpath on St John’s Road, due to the likely impact on bus services.
While schemes introduced around schools, such as motor traffic restrictions, have been largely set aside over the summer, the majority will be reinstated around term start dates in August. Over the coming months the Road Safety team will undertake a review of measures around schools to consider retaining them by appropriate traffic orders.
The next meeting of this group is Tuesday 17th August at 6pm on Teams (link below)
Please find attached:
Minute of previous meeting of 24th June 2021
Agenda for meeting of 17th August 2021
NEP report (Roads and Housing Revenue Account HRA)
Transport Infrastructure Investment report
We have no Community Grants applications to consider at this meeting, but Cllr Barrie is still looking for volunteers to join a Funding Panel that will consider any applications in future.
We are particularly keen to have anyone representing projects in the Drylaw Telford area.
Please get back to me if you are willing to assist in this.
An application to build new homes in Telford is facing opposition.
Port of Leith Housing Association has lodged plans to build eleven flats on the site of the shops on Telford Drive, but one resident has appealed to Drylaw Telford Community Council to challenge the application.
At one time there was a row of shops on the site at the heart of the scheme – older readers may recall a fish and chip shop, a haberdashery and a general store there – but the last remaining convenience store closed last year.
The nearest shops for Telford residents are at Ferry Road ‘shopping centre’ in Drylaw or over the busy Telford Road at Craigleith Retail Park – and at least one Telford woman thinks this is wrong.
She told Drylaw Telford Community Council: “When the shop closed in January 2020 it was to make way for flats and a convenience store included, but with covid that all fell through.
“We have waited on the same plans to re-emerge, only to find out that the council are giving planning permission according to a report in Edinburgh live yesterday , for the flats only.
“I am outraged as our nearest shop is the Today store in Drylaw and it is a long journey for most and to carry shopping is very hard.
“I have lived in this street for over 50 years and we have always had a shop here – Sohil the shop owner was reluctant to give up this land but he was promised a new shop would be built and he would have a choice to come back and run it.
“The residents of Telford Drive need a shop in our street – not everyone has a car.”
Drylaw Telford Community Council will discuss the application at their August meeting.
Centre for Cities: Planning and transport changes in cities would bring UK 26% closer to its target
Make it easier to build energy efficient low-rise flats and terraces in city centres and suburbs
Improve public transport and charge polluting drivers to halve urban car emissions
Encourage people to ditch their cars post-pandemic
The Government needs to press ahead with planning reform to meet its net zero target according to Centre for Cities’ research in partnership with HSBC UK.
Its campaign should begin in cities which, despite being big carbon emitters, have the best chance of leading the UK to net zero. The report finds that the right policies targeted in cities will being the UK a quarter of the way closer achieving a carbon neutral future.
Doing this this will require the Government to progress its planned reforms as the current system is a barrier to reaching net zero. They encourage housing development in isolated areas over better-connected inner-city and suburban brownfield sites.
Houses emit more carbon than flats, but they accounted for nearly eight in ten homes built in 2019 – an increase of 12 percentage points since 2013. Therefore, providing a more balanced mix of low-rise flats and terraced houses close to city centres would therefore help the UK reach net zero.
Building new homes centrally would also reduce car dependency. If the share of journeys made by public transport rose from one third to two thirds then urban carbon emissions would halve. Therefore, providing good public transport in all cities is essential to reaching net zero.
The number of people using public transport fell sharply during the pandemic and has not yet reached pre-Covid levels. Reaching net zero will be impossible while so many people continue to shun public transport in favour of cars. Policy makers therefore must encourage the public back onto public transport.
They should also introduce charges to disincentivise non-electric car usage and improve the public transport system in all cities. Doing these together could reduce total urban transport emissions by 87% by 2035.
The report argues that, to help cities reach net zero, the Government should:
Make it easier to build new energy efficient homes in city centres and suburbs.
Reintroduce the £2 billion Green Homes Scheme to retrofit existing homes. This would reduce carbon emissions by around 30% across England and Wales’ largest cities and towns.
And local government leaders should:
Improve public transport by bringing buses under public management
Introduce Clean Air Zones that charge drivers of the most polluting vehicles.
Encourage walking, cycling and public transport usage.
Centre for Cities’ Chief Executive Andrew Carter said:“The majority of people in the UK are based in our cities and largest towns. This means that changing the way that we live, work and move around them will be essential if we’re to reach net zero by 2050.
“Because 64% of the UK’s total carbon emissions come from homes and transport, it will be impossible to reach net zero without changes to our planning and transport systems. If the Government does these together it will help it reach its goals of becoming carbon neutral and levelling up.”
Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK said:“This report shows the key role Britain’s town and cities, and decision-makers leading them, are going to play in helping the UK reach its net-zero ambitions.
“Consumers, businesses and local communities will need support from both central and local government if we’re going to make the big lifestyle changes needed over the coming years in the way we travel and in the way we build and heat our homes.
“There is a real opportunity to build a partnership between the public and private sectors to create the new solutions to meet the climate challenge and to open up new green opportunities for growth for small and medium sized businesses right across the country. HSBC UK stand ready to play our part in this partnership.”
City Centre Low Emission Zone proposed for Edinburgh
A preferred Low Emission Zone (LEZ) scheme for Edinburgh will be put to Transport and Environment Committee members for decision on Thursday (17 June), ahead of a public consultation.
A City Centre LEZ, broadly following the boundary first proposed for consultation in 2019 and applying to all motor vehicles except motorcycles and mopeds, has been recommended for approval.
This has been appraised against two other options – a City Centre LEZ with a revised boundary and a scheme incorporating both City Centre and Extended Urban Area (formerly known as Citywide) LEZs.
An evidence-led approach was taken when appraising the schemes, adhering to the National Low Emission Framework and based on detailed traffic and air quality modelling and data. Each option was assessed against a series of principles and objectives including the reduction of harmful NO2 and greenhouse gas emissions and minimising the displacement of traffic as a result of the LEZ.
If approved, a 12-week public consultation would be carried out seeking views on the preferred scheme. This would inform a report back to committee in autumn before the statutory process to introduce the LEZ begins, with the aim of implementing the scheme in spring 2022.
Once the LEZ is in place, vehicles must meet a minimum emissions standard to enter a zone freely, and those that don’t will be considered non-compliant and subject to penalties. Penalty charges are set nationally at £60 for non-compliant vehicles (though halved if paid within 30 days), with the penalty rate roughly doubling for subsequent contraventions within a 90-day period.
However, there will be a proposed two-year grace period for Edinburgh’s LEZ, meaning enforcement will begin in spring 2024.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “As we approach Clean Air Day, which aims to tackle air pollution and its harmful effects on our health and wellbeing, it’s fitting that we’re progressing our own plans to significantly improve air quality in the city.
“A great deal of analysis and monitoring has gone into the latest proposals for a Low Emission Zone in Edinburgh. This takes into account the urgent need to lower emissions for the good of our health, while remaining aware of the impact on local businesses, residents and on traffic patterns.
“We know from our consultation in 2019 that lowering air pollution matters to everyone, so I look forward to hearing from the public on the preferred option, if approved by committee.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “We have committed to introducing a Low Emission Zone, both under the national drive to implement LEZs across the country but also through the City Mobility Plan, as part of our plans to deliver a more sustainable, environmentally friendly transport future in Edinburgh.
“We will continue to work closely with residents, businesses and stakeholders as we move a step closer to its introduction, ensuring everyone is well prepared for the changes.”
Work to introduce an LEZ in Edinburgh began in 2018 in line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to implement LEZs in Scotland’s four largest cities – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee – to tackle air pollution and protect public health.
It was originally intended that LEZs would be in place by 2020 but, due to the COVID pandemic, this date has been pushed back to 2022.
In 2019 the council carried out a public consultation on initial LEZ proposals for a City Centre LEZ applying to all vehicle types, introduced with a one-year grace period, addressing the worst concentrations of air pollution in the densely populated area.
In addition, the Extended Urban Area boundary was put forward to apply to all commercial vehicles – buses, coaches, Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), vans, taxis, and private hire cars – with a longer time to prepare (three years).
Responses to the consultation showed that cleaner air is important to everyone but demonstrated mixed views on the suitability of the proposed LEZ. Since then the council has worked with stakeholders including SEStran, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to develop the current proposal.
Officers appraised the options using the National Modelling Framework (NMF) developed by SEPA, along with other modelling and data analysis and feedback from the 2019 consultation. As a result, the City Centre LEZ alone has been recommended over the alternative City Centre LEZ and the Extended Urban Area LEZ.
This is due to various factors including the expected limited impact of the Extended Urban Area zone, with commercial fleet already improving in emissions standards, and predictions that the alternative City Centre zone would have a more negative impact on air quality at its boundary than that of the proposed City Centre LEZ.
While it is not expected that air pollution will get worse elsewhere in the city due to diversions around the boundary, and with cleaner vehicles expected to use the surrounding area, a Network Management Strategy is being developed to mitigate any impacts. This is likely to include junction reconfigurations, improvements to signage and optimised signalling, amongst other measures.
A second phase of community engagement on plans to introduce Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in two areas of Edinburgh begins today.
Between 8 February and 5 March, the city councill sought the views of residents in Corstorphine, Leith and East Craigs on their travel choices and use of their community spaces for movement and relaxation to help us develop proposals for each area in partnership with the local communities themselves. In total we received around 2200 responses across the three communities.
After the first phase of engagement, there was a clear appetite within Leith and Corstorphine to move forward with more detailed dialogue.
For East Craigs the council will be bringing an additional report on plans for the area to the next Transport and Environment Committee in recognition of the majority of respondents reporting, during our initial engagement in February/March, that traffic levels were not significant on most residential streets.
However, some residents did indicate that there are issues with high traffic volumes on selected streets. We’ll therefore propose to have further discussion on targeted traffic reduction with the East Craigs community at a later date, with a view to bringing proposals back to a future meeting of Transport and Environment Committee.
In Leith and Corstorphine the council is now looking for feedback on initial recommendations to create safer, more comfortable environments for walking, cycling and wheeling, as well as for spending time in local streets and outdoor spaces.
These have been informed by the opinions and ideas shared during the first phase of engagement, as well as traffic data which indicates where there are issues around intrusive traffic.
As part of this second phase of engagement they will be holding co-design-type workshops with community representatives so that the design team can closely explore details in greater depth with the community.
Each of the schemes will be refined following the current period of engagement and brought back to Transport and Environment Committee. If approved, they would be then be introduced on a trial basis via an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) towards the end of 2021.
For Corstorphine, two options have been proposed to improve safety on the High Street, as well as various interventions elsewhere in the area to restrict through traffic, particularly around schools.
The Leith Connections project designs consist of two elements – a high-quality segregated cycle route between the Foot of the Walk and Ocean Terminal, which will be introduced on a permanent basis, and an experimental LTN in the area between Salamander Street, Commercial Street, North and Great Junction Street, Duke Street and the roads around Leith Links.
The LTN designs include restrictions to through traffic and ‘parklets’ to encourage more people to walk, cycle and spend time.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Over the last year we’ve seen the impact that lower traffic volumes and space to walk and cycle can have on our environment.
“As we work to make a sustainable recovery from the pandemic, we’re looking at ways of working together with our communities on designs and proposals that would make neighbourhoods more liveable, easier to move around by active travel and welcoming to spend time in.
“Thanks to thousands of comments on the initial engagement about our plans to introduce Low Traffic Neighbourhoods across the city, as well as traffic monitoring both before and after the pandemic to identify intrusive traffic hotspots, we’ve been able to develop a set of proposals for Leith and Corstorphine that really address the issues facing these neighbourhoods, helping to tackle barriers to walking, cycling and wheeling.
“As we now start the next phase of public engagement on these proposals we’ll be continuing to work closely with the communities in a co-design-style approach which involves residents in each key step of the projects’ development.
“In East Craigs, there was a clear view that for most people there weren’t significant traffic problems on most residential streets, although some residents did report too much traffic on certain streets.
“That’s why we’re currently putting the LTN plans on hold in East Craigs. We’d like to come back to discuss ideas on targeted traffic reduction with the community sometime in the future, but for now, we look forward to working with communities in Corstorphine and Leith to take forward designs there.
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “We’ve seen from examples around the world how Low Traffic Neighbourhoods can encourage community interaction and healthy, active travel, and we want to see this happen in Edinburgh.
“Please let us know what you think of the initial plans for Leith and Corstorphine, so we can deliver schemes which work for as many people as possible.”
Key findings from engagement with the public earlier this year include:
Walking was the largest travel mode used by respondents to the survey, with cycling higher than the national average at 9%.
Safety of streets for cycling and safety of streets for walking were the main factors that prevent respondents from making trips by foot or bike within the local area.
51% of respondents think that traffic levels and speeds for children cycling or walking are unsafe or very unsafe.
75% of survey respondents strongly support or support the aim for improving cycling conditions in Leith.
80% of survey respondents strongly support or support the aim for improving walking conditions in Leith.
The most popular local destinations were Ocean Terminal, Leith Walk and Leith Links. Walking was used for the highest proportion of these journeys with between 44-65% of trips and cycling was used on 13-23% of trips.
Speed and volume of traffic on Craigs Road was felt by some in the community to be too high and conditions could be improved for people walking and cycling, however there was also general feedback that most streets in the area were not felt by survey respondents to have high traffic volumes or speeds.
School drop off/pick up times were highlighted as a particular issue on some streets, resulting in higher volumes of traffic and parking.
Alongside this engagement feedback, project teams have collected and assessed traffic data from before and during COVID to help identify streets where intrusive traffic is a problem. This data has generally corresponded closely to the streets that residents have highlighted as having high traffic volumes and speeds.
Traffic operations plans have been developed to help people to plan journeys around their communities by different transport modes. Every residence will remain accessible by motor vehicle.
Engagement on the Leith and Corstorphine proposals will run from TODAY (Friday 4 June) until 4 July, during which time respondents can view and comment on designs. We’ll also be consulting with key stakeholders including community councils, ward councillors, emergency services and mobility and access groups.
The ETRO process for introducing changes, if approved, includes further public consultation on the traffic regulation changes, with the results to be reported back to Transport and Environment Committee in autumn, when a decision would be made about whether to implement the LTNs on a trial basis (for up to 18 months).
ETROs allow us to trial measures, in collaboration with the community and stakeholders, to evaluate their impacts and benefits prior to permanent implementation. During the trial we will be monitoring the impacts of the changes and asking for public feedback.
Measures along the future cycle route from Leith Walk to Ocean Terminal, which will change traffic movement in the area, are proposed to be implemented at the same time as the trial LTN. These relate to a permanent route design and have already been through public engagement.
You’ll be able to find out more and share your views on Leith and Corstorphine proposals from today.
Responses to a major consultation and market research exercise on perceptions of Spaces for People measures, and whether they should be retained, have been published by the city council.Lothians MSP Miles Briggs says the results show the SNP-Labour ‘Capital Coalition’ has made a ‘total dog’s breakfast’ of the Spaces for People scheme
More than 17,600 people responded to our public consultation in March, which asked respondents about their familiarity with schemes introduced to help people walk, cycle and wheel safely during the COVID pandemic, and whether they would like to see them kept longer-term.
Alongside this, market research was carried out by independent market research consultants on our behalf, providing a statistically representative sample of opinion from a cross section of residents.
Officers are assessing each scheme for retention using a set of criteria agreed at January’s Transport and Environment Committee, including whether they encourage walking and cycling, how they impact businesses and whether they affect public transport. The longer-term contribution to the Council’s strategic transport objectives will also be considered.
Feedback gathered through consultation and market research will be taken into account as part of the assessments and will help guide recommendations on which schemes to keep beyond the pandemic, which will be considered by Transport and Environment Committee on 17 June.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Firstly, I want to thank all those who took the time to complete the consultation. The changes we have introduced reach across Edinburgh, so we wanted to hear from as many different people in communities around the city as possible.
“Officers have been assessing each of the schemes for retention using a set of criteria agreed by committee and responses to the consultation and market research will be part of this process, helping to form recommendations for the best way forward.
“I look forward to constructive debate with fellow councillors on the future of these schemes, and how they can benefit residents and visitors to Edinburgh longer term.”
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “Over the last year we’ve introduced many measures to help people physically distance and travel safely during the pandemic, and there have been a range of opinions shared on their effectiveness and impacts on the people who live here.
“Thanks to the feedback gathered in March, we’ll now be able to take people’s comments and ideas into account as we assess each scheme, meaning a rounded approach as we move beyond the pandemic.”
Far from a ’rounded approach’, Tory Lothians MSP Miles Briggs has branded the council’s handling of the scheme ‘a total dog’s breakfast’.
Miles Briggs said that 60% of Edinburgh residents are opposed to the scheme, and added: “The people of Edinburgh have spoken and it is clear that residents across the Capital have lost confidence in Spaces for People.
“From the outset many local representatives have expressed concern at the total lack on consultation and the introduction of schemes which have had a negative impact on all road users – yet the Council knowns best approach has prevailed.
“It is inconceivable for Edinburgh Council to continue with Spaces for People with a significant majority of people against the scheme.
“There have been countless issues and risks with Spaces for People and Edinburgh Council must now start to listen and reverse these changes immediately.
“There has been an overwhelming amount of opposition and the plan to make Spaces for People permanent must be taken off the table.
“It is clear that the SNP / Labour coalition running Edinburgh City Council have made a total dog’s breakfast of the Spaces for People scheme and if they will not act this is set to become a major campaign issue at the Council elections next year.”
Questions in both the consultation and market research focused on how much people supported or opposed retaining changes in place, what they considered to be the main benefits or disadvantages of retaining measures and which schemes people would especially like to see retained or removed.
While there were differences in the level of support or opposition for schemes between consultation and market research results, in general, for both, participants shared the strongest support for measures at schools, followed by schemes in the city centre.
Both reported lower rates of support for town centre interventions and protected cycle lanes, with the lowest levels of support for leisure connections and Quiet Connections, with many market research respondents saying they weren’t aware of these changes.
The council began introducing Spaces for People measures in May 2020 in order to ‘help people physically distance, travel safely and exercise during the COVID pandemic’.
In January 2021 it was agreed to explore the potential for retaining some of the schemes longer-term, in recognition of their impact on Council objectives to encourage walking and cycling, improve air quality, reduce congestion and achieve net zero carbon emissions, amongst other commitments.
Three separate surveys aimed at residents, businesses and stakeholders were conducted for the consultation. This was made available in a range of formats including regular print, large print, braille and translation into other languages. A British Sign Language video was also displayed on the project website to further widen access to people with hearing loss.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes has written in yesterday’s Edinburgh Evening News (Wednesday, 2 June) on the aims of Spaces for People, and plans to move forward with the programme – see below.
We’re working to get the balance right
It’s now more than a year since we began introducing Spaces for People measures to help people to make journeys by foot, bike and wheelchair safely while physically distancing.
It was inevitable that introducing changes in so many parts of the city would give rise to differing reactions, with people expressing both concerns and positive comments.
We’re now considering the results of a major consultation and market research on the changes we’ve made, and whether people would like any of them to be kept more permanently. Before we move to the next stage, I want to take this opportunity to comment on some of the key issues that have arisen since the start of the pandemic.
Some people have asked us why we’ve been making these changes. Last year, in the depths of lockdown, we had very little choice. As the nation came to terms with a ‘new normal’ where 2m physical distancing is needed, the way we moved around the city changed drastically. People were stepping on roads to give one another space, cycling along busy routes to avoid public transport or squeezing onto narrow pavements to take daily exercise.
Throughout the course of the last year our approach has evolved with the changing situation, and strands of the programme reflect that. From the beginning, when we created Spaces for Exercise, so people could get to places like Silverknowes prom safely (and they did, in great number), to our city and town centres schemes to add space on busy high streets. Restrictions outside schools helped limit crowding as pupils returned to full-time learning and Travelling Safely measures provided much-needed cycle space on busy roads as alternatives to congested off-road networks, along with a scheme to remove obstructive street clutter from our streets.
Both the Scottish and UK Governments have encouraged and funded local authorities across the country to make temporary changes to facilitate active travel. Through the Scottish Government, via Sustrans, we’ve been awarded £5.25m in total specifically to provide additional space for physical distancing in the pandemic – and I want to be clear that we can’t spend this money on filling potholes or elsewhere.
To those who question Sustrans’ influence over our decisions – Sustrans is a respected, national charity and we value their input highly. But these decisions are very much our own. It’s our responsibility to protect citizens’ safety, to support businesses to thrive and to give children and families space to enjoy safe, pollution-free routes.
This is an entirely new situation, and I know that some of the road layouts have taken time to adjust to. But we’re also in the midst of a crisis. We’ve followed guidance set by the Scottish Government to help us get these emergency changes to protect public health on the ground quickly – in fact, we’ve gone further than expected to engage with key stakeholders on every single scheme. As a result, we’ve tweaked and improved many of the measures along the way.
It’s thanks to the efforts of our dedicated Spaces for People team that we’ve been able to respond to community concerns. Each intervention is carefully risk assessed, taking blue badge parking and loading into account, and is closely monitored once in place. People’s safety is our priority, and we notify emergency services about every intervention, addressing any access issues if necessary.
As restrictions are eased alongside the rapid rollout of vaccinations across the population, some may ask why we still need interventions like these in place. While there is much to be grateful for, we’re not out of the woods yet. The fast-spreading Indian variant of the COVID virus still threatens to set back best laid plans to fully exit lockdown. Large sections of society, many of whom don’t own a car, still feel nervous to set foot on public transport. And as businesses reopen with restrictions in place, queues will become commonplace on our streets.
That these changes are helping to people to walk, cycle and wheel more easily aligns with our strategic policy goals too. Our ambitious ten-year City Mobility Plan focuses on sustainable travel, while projects like City Centre Transformation will facilitate travel by foot, wheelchair or bike. Our commitments to become carbon neutral by 2030, to significantly improve air quality and to encourage healthy, active travel will benefit from people choosing to walk or cycle over private car journeys.
Of course, we recognise some schemes have caused disruption and we want to minimise that for residents and businesses. This is a difficult balance but we’re trying again to get it right.
We have no intention of pushing through any permanent schemes under the cover of Spaces for People. We want to bring the people of Edinburgh along with us. That’s why we would be using Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders to implement any longer-term changes, meaning we can continue to involve local people in their operation and evolution once in place.
Many of the changes we’ve made, it’s worth noting, are as a result of our Commonplace consultation last year and have been informed by residents’ suggestions for improvements. The 17,600 responses we received to the latest consultation, along with the findings of in-depth marketing research conducted with a representative cross-section of residents, will be invaluable as we progress to the next stage of the programme.
This insight, along with the expertise of our officers, who are working to a defined set of criteria approved by elected councillors in committee, will help us to understand where we can make schemes better, how they can be changed to suit more people and where, in some areas, they can be scaled back.
New public body Great British Railways will integrate the railways and deliver passenger-focused travel with simpler, modern fares and reliable services.
A quarter-century of fragmentation on the railways will end as they come under single, accountable national leadership, as the UK government today (20 May 2021) unveils a new plan for rail that prioritises passengers and freight.
Today, the government is announcing our plan for the transformation of Britain’s railways. The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail fully reflects the independent recommendations of Keith Williams, to whom the government is grateful for his thorough work since 2018.
Williams identified serious issues facing the railways before Covid struck; the pandemic has exacerbated some of these and added more. The government has provided unprecedented support to keep the railways running during the pandemic. Now, we look to the future – today we are setting out an ambitious plan to ensure that the system is ready to meet these challenges.
Today’s railway is fragmented – numerous bodies with different incentives lead to a lack of joined-up thinking. No single organisation is accountable for integration, planning and leadership across infrastructure, passenger services and freight operations.
Even before Covid, the franchising model for passenger services had become unsustainable, with multiple failing franchises, delayed competitions and dwindling market confidence. East Coast and Northern had already failed and the government had to step in.
To meet these challenges this government is introducing the biggest reform to the railway in 3 decades. We are committed to delivering a rail system that is the backbone of a cleaner, greener public transport system, offering passengers a better deal and greater value for money for taxpayers.
That means getting the trains to run on time, providing a better quality of service and having a firm control of the sector’s costs.
To bring about change on the scale that is needed:
We will end 3 decades of fragmentation by bringing the railways back together under a new public body with a single, national leadership and a new brand and identity, built on the famous double arrow. Great British Railways (GBR) will run and plan the network, own the infrastructure, and collect most fare revenue. It will procure passenger services and set most fares and timetables.
We will make the railways easier to use by simplifying fares and ticketing, providing more convenient ways to pay with contactless, smartphone and online, and protecting affordable walk-on fares and season tickets. Rail services will be better coordinated with each other and better integrated with other transport services such as trams, buses and bikes.
We will keep the best elements of the private sector that have helped to drive growth. GBR will contract private partners to operate the trains to the timetable it sets. These contracts will include strong incentives for operators to run high-quality services and increase passenger demand.
The contracts are not one-size-fits-all, so as demand recovers, long-distance routes will have more commercial freedom to attract new passengers. Freight is already a nimble, largely private sector market and will remain so, while benefiting from the national coordination, new safeguards and rules-based access system that will help it thrive.
We will grow, not shrink, the network, continuing to invest tens of billions of pounds in new lines, trains, services and electrification.
We will make the railways more efficient. Simpler structures and clear leadership will make decision-making easier and more transparent, reduce costs and make it cheaper to invest in modern ways to pay, upgrade the network and deliver new lines. The adversarial blame culture will end and everyone across the sector, including train operators, will be incentivised to work towards common goals, not least managing costs.
These changes will transform the railways for the better. They will also make the sector more accountable to taxpayers and government.
Government ministers will have strong levers to set direction, pursue government policies and oversee delivery to ensure the railways are managed effectively and spend public money efficiently. Great British Railways will be empowered – a single, familiar brand with united, accountable leadership.
These reforms represent a bold new offer to passengers – of punctual and reliable services, simpler tickets and a modern, green and innovative railway that meets the needs of the nation.
In summary, our ambitious rail transformation programme will deliver 10 key outcomes:
a modern passenger experience
a retail revolution
new ways of working with the private sector
economic recovery and financial sustainable railways
greater control for local people and places
cleaner, greener railways
bold, new opportunities for rail freight
increased speed of delivery and efficient enhancements
skilled, innovative workforce
a simpler industry structure
This is not renationalisation, which failed the railways, rather it is simplification. While Great British Railways acts as the guiding mind to coordinate the whole network, our plan will see greater involvement of the private sector – private companies will be contracted to run the trains, with stronger competition to run services.
Our reforms will also unleash huge new opportunities for the private sector to innovate in areas such as ticket retailing and data that can be used by passengers to better plan their journeys.
We look forward to building this new vision for Britain’s railways in collaboration with the sector. We are proud to set out plans to support our railways and serve our country with a system that is efficient, sustainable and run in the public interest.
Grant Shapps Transport Secretary said: “Our railways were born and built to serve this country, to forge stronger connections between our communities and provide people with an affordable, reliable and rapid service. Years of fragmentation, confusion and over-complication have seen that vision fade and passengers failed. That complicated and broken system ends today.
“The pandemic has seen the government take unprecedented steps to protect services and jobs. It’s now time to kickstart reforms that give the railways solid and stable foundations for the future, unleashing the competitive, innovative and expert abilities of the private sector, and ensuring passengers come first.
“Great British Railways marks a new era in the history of our railways. It will become a single familiar brand with a bold new vision for passengers – of punctual services, simpler tickets and a modern and green railway that meets the needs of the nation.”
Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, said:“Before the pandemic, passengers had been treated as an afterthought for too long on the railways – so it is good that the government’s plans seek to improve the passenger experience on trains, bring innovation to the ticketing system and make it easier to get compensation.
“The true test of this plan will be whether passengers see real improvements to the way their train services operate, not only adapting to new needs but addressing the old challenges that could cause so much disruption to the lives of those reliant on the railways.”
Research suggests pandemic will drive the public from planes, trains and buses
THE Covid-19 pandemic may have long-term repercussions for the use of public transport in Scotland, a new study by Edinburgh Napier University suggests.
A survey found far fewer members of the public anticipate using buses, trains and aeroplanes after the country emerges from lockdown.
The Impact of Covid-19 on travel behaviour, transport, lifestyles and location choices in Scotland report was produced by the University’s Transport Research Institute with backing from the Scottish Funding Council.
Nearly 1000 (994) Scottish residents completed a detailed survey, designed to inform understanding of how Covid-19 might alter travel choices in the near future and guide appropriate policy responses.
Steps were taken to ensure age and gender were broadly representative of the wider population. More than a fifth (21 per cent) of respondents lived in households without access to a car, while 29 per cent lived in households with two or more cars.
The survey found 45 per cent of respondents expected to walk more, 29 per cent expected to cycle more and 25 per cent expected to drive their car more in the post-Covid future than they did before the pandemic.
However, in stark contrast, 42 per cent anticipated using aeroplanes less, 36 per cent using buses less and 34 per cent using trains less.
The most common reasons given for using public transport less in the future were the possibility of getting infections from other passengers, lack of cleanliness/hygiene on board and overcrowding.
Dr Achille Fonzone, Associate Professor of Transport Analysis and Planning at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Although part of it may be due to current overexposure to discussions about infective diseases and so be transient, such lack of confidence in public transport is not good news for the industry.
“It is not good news for Scotland either, considering the importance of public transport to ensure an equitable and sustainable mobility.”
Dr Greg Fountas, from the University’s School of Engineering and the Built Environment, said: “A shift to private cars post-pandemic would hamper the efforts to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of the transport sector.
“That is alarming for Scotland, where transport constitutes the largest source of greenhouse emissions – more than one third of the country’s total emissions in 2018, according to the Scottish Government.”
Dr Fonzone added: “Reducing inequalities and the impact on the environment are the two top priorities of the National Transport Strategy of the Scottish Government.
“The potential loss of demand for public transport must be understood better and suitable actions must be taken as soon as possible.”
The report’s lead author Lucy Downey, from the School of Engineering and the Built Environment, highlighted the finding that walking and cycling are among the lockdown behaviours likely to remain popular in the post-Covid future.
She said: “The findings are positive for active travel, which seeks to promote healthy journeys and offer viable alternatives to the private car or public transport for short journeys and an opportunity for exercise.”
In other findings, over half of workers (54 per cent) expect to work from home more in the post-Covid future than they did before the pandemic and 64 per cent stated that they will use technology more to communicate with colleagues, customers or clients. Over half (52 per cent) of respondents expect to use technology to communicate with family and friends more.
When asked about their anticipated future shopping habits, 45 per cent expected to do more online non-grocery shopping in the future and 36 per cent anticipate using home delivery for supermarket shopping more.
Covid may affect the housing market as well, increasing the number of those considering relocating. Respondents who indicated that they expect to move from their current accommodation were asked where they would like to move.
The majority (57 per cent) would like to stay in the same local area, but move to different accommodation, 33 per cent would like to move from their local area but stay in Scotland and 10 per cent would like to move away from Scotland.
Edinburgh Napier’s Transport Research Institute, Scotland’s largest and longest established transport research group, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
An open Timeline event this Thursday (29 April), in the form of an online webinar, will chart its inception and development, and offer a glimpse of future plans.
”Thanks to our ‘try then modify’ approach, we’ve been able to tweak the design” –Cllr Karen Doran
Changes to a scheme for safer travel on Braid Road will help improve journey times and reduce intrusive traffic on nearby streets, while retaining protected space for active travel, the city council has announced.
Braid Road was one of the first Spaces for People schemes to be implemented in May 2020, when it was closed to traffic to help people walk, cycle and wheel safely to and from the Hermitage of Braid while physically distancing.
Thanks to the temporary nature of the measures, officers have since been able to amend the design to reduce an observed impact on southbound bus travel on Comiston Road, as traffic levels have increased.
As part of the new layout the city council will be reopening Braid Road one-way to southbound traffic and introducing segregated cycleways, following approval by Transport and Environment Committee in January.
They will also be installing traffic calming interventions around Midmar Drive to manage the return of intrusive traffic and protect the Meadows to Greenbank Quiet Route.
These measures will include no entry onto Braid Crescent from Comiston Road and ‘diagonal filters’ at the junction of Braid Road and Hermitage Drive, the junction of Hermitage Gardens and Cluny Drive and the junction of Braid Avenue and Cluny Drive, which will effectively remove through traffic from the affected streets. Once implemented, the changes will be monitored closely.
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: We first introduced the closure of Braid Road to help people exercise and travel safely by foot, bike or wheelchair back in the early days of lockdown, when walking and cycling surged.
“We’ve had some great feedback from the many families and individuals who have enjoyed using the route since then, but we’re also aware that, as traffic levels begin to rise, there has been an impact on neighbouring streets.
Thanks to our ‘try then modify’ approach, we’ve been able to tweak the design, as well as introducing traffic-calming measures on nearby streets, helping to alleviate pressure on surrounding areas while also continuing to provide a protected space for all those walking, cycling and wheeling here.”
Recent workshops with local stakeholders, involving ward councilors, community councils and the emergency services, amongst other groups, have helped us tweak the scheme further to meet the needs of community members.
Additional changes include retaining two-way traffic on Braid Road between Braid Hills Drive and the main entrance to the Braid Hills Hotel, closing the southbound ‘slip road’ between Braid Road and Hermitage Drive to discourage southbound journeys from the Morningside Clock and pavement-widening at the south-east side of the junction of Braid Road and Hermitage Drive.
The council is currently implementing the changes, and plans to reopen Braid Road to southbound traffic by Monday (19 April). Once in place, the new layout will continue to be monitored and amendments will be made where necessary.
