Council 'breaking promise to put pedestrians first'
Plus: Pro-Palestine protesters attack factory; and Vita Group confirm deal for ex-Scottish Widows HQ
“New cycle lanes shouldn’t come from walking space”
Walking campaigners are demanding Edinburgh’s city council defers plans to improve active travel in the Fountainbridge/Dundee Street area which it says would see “large sections” of pavement narrowed to accommodate cycle lanes.
Living Streets Edinburgh maintains that while council policy puts pedestrians at the top of its travel priorities, in reality those on foot are treated in a “more ad hoc and reactive fashion” than those who cycle when developing active travel plans. This, they say, comes despite 35% of journeys made by residents in the city being on foot.
The charity is urging the council to use existing road space on less well-used streets to accommodate new cycle lanes instead. Otherwise, it warns, the council risks repeating the mistakes of Leith Walk when too many different means of transport were squeezed into too little space.
What is being proposed?
The council is consulting on its £10 million Dundee Street/Fountainbridge Active Travel Project, which in turn supports the regeneration of Fountainbridge and the City Mobility Plan.
The council maintains its proposals will “improve walking, wheeling and cycling along Dundee Street and Fountainbridge, as well as surrounding streets connecting to the Union Canal. “The changes will create safer, more attractive streets for everyone.”
The consultation closes next Monday, 12 January.
Why is Living Streets objecting?
The group stresses that it supports many aspects of the proposal, however their decision to object is based on concerns that space for pedestrians is being squeezed to accommodate the improvements for cyclists.
David Hunter, the group’s Convener, said: ”Despite a £10 million price tag, the plans for Dundee Street would not only leave many pavements below the minimum width recognised in both local and national guidance, they would actually reduce pavement space.
“New cycle lanes shouldn’t come from walking space. We’ve already seen how pedestrian space was squeezed out in Leith Walk, and Dundee Street would make the same mistake. We really need to see the Council stick to its own policy - that means putting pedestrians’ needs first, above other road users.”
Some specific issues?
The group maintains that pavements would be reduced in at least 12 locations, in some places by as much as 2.4 metres. They say that one pavement (at the Edinburgh Printmakers) would be left little more than a metre wide.
Living Streets also specifically criticises the lack of pedestrian improvements outside schools at Boroughmuir, Tollcross and Craiglockhart, and the introduction of nine ‘floating’ bus stops, which means that passengers have to cross a cycle way to get on or off a bus and which guidance says should be viewed with caution outside schools.
While the group supports the provision of alternative routes for cyclists to the Union Canal towpath, it suggests this should be achieved using traffic-free and quiet streets in Shandon and North Merchiston rather than on Dundee Street.
Living Streets says:
“We support the overall objectives to provide an attractive east-west route for cyclists as an alternative to the increasingly-congested Union Canal towpath, to enhance cycling, walking and wheeling on the corridor and to make the street more accessible for everyone. There are a number of proposed improvements for pedestrians especially in the form of new opportunities to cross the road and better side road treatments.
“However, the plans as a whole not only fail to prioritise pedestrian movement but in several places, space for walking and wheeling is actually significantly reduced. There are large sections of pavement which are left well below the “absolute minLimum” width specified by the Council’s own guidance for the street (and indeed for any street, let alone one as busy as this). There is negligible improvement in the pedestrian space at the schools which should have been a primary consideration. Every bus stop has a cycle bypass (‘floating’ bus stop), most of which also do not conform to the council’s own minimum standards and will cause significant concern to many pedestrians, especially those who are blind or disabled.”
So what should happen?
The group says the plan usurps a general presumption that street space for cycling should come from motor vehicle space, and not from pedestrian space. “This presumption has been effectively abandoned here. As we saw in Leith Walk, trying to accommodate too many competing claims for travel modes into insufficient space results in sacrificing minimum standards for walking space…
“The proposed cycle lane should at least be deferred until the Fountainbridge development is completed. This should clarify whether there is sufficient public realm which can better accommodate the competing claims for adequate footway, carriageway and cycle way. In the meantime, some of the less controversial aspects of the scheme (such as improved crossings) could be introduced, with a much reduced budget.”
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
WRAP UP WARM: Wind chill factor will mean temperatures feel as low as -8C at times in the coming week, according to the Met Office. Overnight temperatures will reach lows of -1C for most of the week, but the good news is that today is the coldest day, so its uphill from here.
MUSHROOM MAGIC: Scientists have developed mushroom pellets to help regrow forests in areas where they might otherwise struggle. Rhizocore Technologies, based at Edinburgh University’s Easter Bush campus, near Roslin, are collecting samples of fungi from around the world, with the goal of curating the world’s largest library of fungal specimens. Their pellets help tree-planting projects succeed in ground which lacks the appropriate fungus in the soil.
FACTORY ATTACK: Pro-Palestine protesters smashed machinery with hammers after breaking into the Bruntons Aero Products factory in Musselburgh shortly after the Bells at Hogmanay. Police are investigating the break-in at the Inveresk Industrial Park.
PENGUIN’S OFF PARADE: Edinburgh Zoo has cancelled its Wee Waddle where penguins parade along a walkway next to their enclosure due to the increased risk of avian influenza. The popular event, which usually takes places most days, is off until further notice as a precaution.
ELEPHANT HOUSE: The Elephant House cafe on George IV Bridge, where JK Rowling worked on her early Harry Potter books, has reopened four years after a devastating fire forced its closure. The cafe has already attracted visitors from around the world in the days since reopening.
DRONE ARREST: A man flying a drone above the city centre at Hogmanay was among six people arrested as around 50,000 revellers descended on the city centre to celebrate the New Year. A 17-year-old was also charged in connection with an alleged hate crime and for carrying a weapon on Frederick Street.
‘ROUND-THE-CLOCK’ POLICE STATION SHUTS: A city centre police station which is supposed to open round the clock is to shut to the public every evening this week. Lothians MSP Miles Briggs says the closure of Gayfield Police Station, near the top of Leith Walk, is putting the public at risk. Police Scotland have previously blamed closures on staff shortages.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
Vita Group confirms deal to buy old Scottish Widows HQ
Vita Group has confirmed the purchase of the former Scottish Widows head office on Dalkeith Road and plans to bring forwards a “mixed-use development”.
The developer hopes to start work on-site before the end of the year and work “within the existing planning consent and the council’s City Plan 2030 policy framework to bring forward deliverable plans that make the most of the location”. The distinctive hexagonal buildings have been empty since 2020 and the existing planning permission for the site includes partial demolition, as well as extension and refurbishment.
Vita Group has committed to proceeding with the 57 affordable homes included in the existing plan, but have yet to confirm whether it hopes to add student accommodation elsewhere on the site. Other major city developments, including the former Royal Bank of Scotland offices on Dundas Street, have looked to switch part of the housing element in their proposals to student accommodation, in order to secure the necessary investment.
Mark Oakes, Vita Group’s Chief Investment Office, said: “Delivering the affordable housing element is a clear priority, and our focus is now on refining proposals for the entire site that make a meaningful contribution to the city’s housing needs and wider economy.”
Regeneration record: Vita Group has a track record of delivering regeneration projects and has a portfolio spanning residential, student housing, young professional co-living, and hospitality, including hotels. Its recent acquisitions include Glasgow’s Met Tower, where it is pursuing a residential-led regeneration of the long-vacant listed building.
CAPITAL INVESTORS: Edinburgh-based business investor syndicate Archangels leveraged a 50% increase investment in early-stage tech and life sciences companies in Scotland over the past year. Their direct investment of £12.8 million helped suecure an additional £28.4 million from partners.
FUND SIEGE: US-based hedge fund Saba Capital Management, the largest shareholder of the Baillie Gifford managed Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust, is seeking to replace the EWIT board with three independent directors it has nominated. Saba maintains the Board is under-performing and has raised what it calls governance “red flags.” Shareholders have been urged to vote by the existing board at the upcoming general meeting on January 20. An earlier effort to oust the board by EWIT was voted down by shareholders.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
ROCKY ‘N’ ROLL: Jason Donovan returns to the Playhouse tomorrow night to take on the role of Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show. Get ready to sing Sweet Transvestite and do the Time Warp again until Saturday.
IKEA MAGIC: It’s your last chance to catch IKEA Museum’s Magical Patterns exhibition, celebrating 60 years of innovative textile design, at the Dovecot studios. Featuring 180 famous fabrics showcasing the history of everyone’s favourite Swedish furniture seller, including designs by Zandra Rhodes, Marimekko and others, it runs until Saturday, 17 January.
QUICK BITES
DONATION ON MENU: The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack in South Queensferry, and sister business, Jack O’ Bryan’s Bar & Kitchen in Dunfermline, have donated £2,537 to Mission Christmas Cash for Kids.
RUM BUSINESS: City centre rum bar Ruma has closed the doors at its premises in Broughton Street, less than two years after opening, with the owners blaming a “very challenging environment.”