Low traffic streets: Five years, two censured councillors, and endless uncertainty
Why is the local authority set to tear up traffic filters which councillors voted to keep?
Welcome to your midweek edition of The Inquirer.
Today is the day. Don’t forget to vote, if you haven’t already. (You don’t need photo ID or your polling card if you don’t have it to hand.)
The main eve of the event polls suggest the SNP are likely to fall short of an overall majority, with 57 (Ipsos for STV) or 62 (YouGov for The Times and Sky News) or 59 (Survation) seats, but will comfortably surpass the magic 65 needed for a parliamentary majority with the support of the Greens.
Both polls predict major breakthroughs for the Greens (with either 18 (Ipos) or 16 (YouGov) or 18 (Survation) seats) and Reform (20 or 19 or 18), while the Conservatives face a significant slump (8 or 7 or 13) from their current 30 MSPs.
Labour (15 or 17 or 17) are jostling with the Greens for third place and the Lib Dems (11 or 8 or 7) follow in fifth.
Tomorrow, we will know for sure, with most results expected from mid to late afternoon.
Many of you appreciated Tuesday’s long read, Fear and loathing in the Scottish election, on the rise of Reform UK and how you can vote if you want to resist them.
“Thank you deeply for that short piece on your diligence to track down Reform candidates,” said Rob, “which adds credibility to my largely gut instinct that resource has been funneled into promotion not substance to create self perpetuating headlines.”
For today’s long read Sarah McArthur dives into one of the most vexed subjects in city politics, traffic calming and bike lanes. As the council looks set to make a second dramatic U-turn on low traffic measures between the Meadows and Morningside, she tries to make sense of what is going on.
More on that below, but first your regular midweek news roundup and your cultural highlights for the week ahead.
Your Edinburgh Briefing
GLORIOUS HEARTS: Hearts FC stand on the brink of a “fairy tale” first league title in 66 years - and the first by anyone other than the Old Firm since 1985 - after their dramatic comeback victory over Rangers at the weekend. Now we don’t want to count any chickens here, but… if Hearts beat Motherwell on Saturday night and Celtic fail to defeat Rangers on Sunday, then a win against Falkirk at Tynecastle next Wednesday would be enough to launch perhaps the biggest party Gorgie has ever seen (without the need for a final day showdown with Celtic). We can hear the sound of thousands of nails being chewed already.
HUNTING KNIFE MURDER. A teenager has admitted murdering a man with a hunting knife in Leith while on bail for stabbing a teenager in Portobello. The 17-year-old - who cannot be named because of his age - chased and killed John McNab, 22, in an unprovoked attack on Great Junction Street in September last year. Four months earlier, he was bailed for a knife attack on a 16-year-old boy at Portobello Beach. John’s mother, Lisa Petrie, has been working since to distribute emegency “bleed kits” to save other lives.
AMA AGAIN: Luxury housing developer AMA Homes has lodged a last-minute pre-application notice outlining its intention to make another bid to develop the former Cramond Campus site. AMA just met the deadline to avoid the imminent threat of enforcement action for its failure to deliver community sports facilities it promised 23 years ago. The proposals include a care home, later living accommodation, houses, residential flats and commercial, alongside a synthetic pitch, sports pavilion, gym and padel tennis courts. A public consultation will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, May 29 and 30, at Cramond Kirk Hall.
WINTER FESTIVALS: The Capital’s Christmas markets and Hogmanay celebrations generated almost a quarter of a billion pounds for the local economy last year, according to a new report. The Winter Festivals attracted 2.9 million “visits” to the festival sites in and around Princes Street Gardens, and generated spending of £241 million, said the economic impact study commissioned by organisers Unique Assembly. Unique Assembly said the festival was a “source of civic pride” which had delivered “some of the highest visitor satisfaction levels we’ve ever seen.”
BY THE BOOK: It’s not so much a book sale as an Edinburgh institution. You never know what you might unearth at The Christian Aid Sale from signed first editions, art works to a simple, cracking read. This year’s sale returns to Edinburgh New Town Church (formerly St Andrew’s and St George’s West) on George Street on Saturday, May 9 (10am–4pm) and then Monday to Friday, May 11th-15 (12-6pm). Happy rummaging.
DRY DOCK: Leith’s celebrated Port o Leith bar has closed - and is looking for a new tenant - after landlord of ten years Craig Smith stepped down. The Constitution Street pub, once run by the redoubtable Mary Moriaty for 25 years, had recently been the subject of noise complaints from neighbours.
Your Pick of the (Cultural) Pops
Greetings, Pop Pickers!
As we collectively attempt to shake off our May Bank Holiday hangovers - and mourn the tragic return to the two-day weekend - our city’s venues are showing no mercy. The cultural calendar is so ridiculously stuffed with blockbuster tours, elite orchestras, and beloved festivals right now that it has been an absolutely brutal week for chart hopefuls. You practically need a machete to hack your way through the sheer volume of talent on offer, so just snagging an honourable mention this week requires some serious artistic chops, writes Will Quinn.
Let’s count them down...
Honourable Mentions: Island Town, John Williams & Cuckoo’s Nest
It’s a dogfight at the edges of the chart! First up, Simon Longman’s acclaimed 2018 Paines Plough hit Island Town (Assembly Roxy, Saturday and Sunday) gets a visceral, darkly comic revival. Arriving fresh from Glasgow and guided by fast-rising directing talent Anna Whealing, it promises a sharp, uncompromising look at three friends suffocating in a dead-end town.
Meanwhile, RSNO: The Music of John Williams (Usher Hall, Friday) will undoubtedly pack the rafters with cinematic majesty. Finally, Leitheatre takes on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Church Hill Theatre, May 13th – 16th). They put in a highly solid showing with It’s a Wonderful Life back in 2025; given that this Broadway-conquering play demands pure dramatic chops rather than flashy special effects, I am fully expecting them to rise to the occasion.
New in at Number 5 is... Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil (Royal Lyceum Theatre, May 8th – 23rd).
The irrepressible Gary McNair’s radio play leaps to the stage, and it has certainly been given the VIP treatment. With a score provided by Ricky Ross and a cast featuring Dawn Steele and Barrie Hunter, there is no shortage of heavyweight talent on board. Whether it has the structural legs to transition from the airwaves into a smash-hit stage play seamlessly remains to be seen, but I can’t see this being anything less than a solid evening out. In fact, with a team this good, it could be significantly better than that.
Sort of moving up to Number 4 is a Playhouse Double Bill... Sunny Afternoon (until Sunday) & Waitress (May 12th – 16th).
It’s a clash of the commercial titans over at the Playhouse! First up is Sunny Afternoon. While it might not have rewritten the West End rulebook or leapt to Broadway, it has massive, undeniable pulling power: you simply cannot argue with The Kinks’ songbook. Lavishly produced, with undeniable talent on and off the stage, I predict a highly polished, incredibly solid bop-along evening.
On the other side of the coin is Waitress - a show that definitively conquered Broadway before rolling out globally, cementing its status as one of the most popular 21st-century musical theatre hits. With silver-voiced fan-favourite Carrie Hope Fletcher in the lead, you’ll have plenty of company in the stalls every single night this opens.
New in at Number 3 is... RSNO: Nicola Benedetti Plays Elgar (Usher Hall, May 15th).
Depending on who you ask, Nicola Benedetti is one of the greatest violinists currently walking the planet. When she steps onto the Usher Hall stage alongside the mighty RSNO, it’s a major event. Factor in the universal critical love visited on her previous Elgar recitals on stage and CD, and we should expect nothing short of musical perfection. It’s the sheer weight and variety of talent on offer from the Number 2 spot holder that keeps this from rising higher.
Staying firm at Number 2 is... Edinburgh Tradfest (Various Venues, May 1st – 11th).
Continuing its phenomenal run, Tradfest operates like a wonderfully condensed Celtic Connections - albeit with a slightly sharper, more adventurous edge courtesy of founding organizers Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy. Having reviewed Tradfest for years, I can tell you that while the programme evolves each year, the standard of quality stays high; very high. This year is another goldmine: from Irish superstars Séamus & Caoimhe and former Gaelic Singer of the Year Kim Carnie, to international heavy-hitters like Rajasthani sensation SAZ and Montreal’s Kaïa Kater. Add in deep-dive storytelling events like The Corpse Road, and you have a brilliantly eclectic celebration of roots culture.
New in at Number 1 is... Starstruck (Festival Theatre, May 7th – 9th).
Sometimes there’s nothing better than an elite company making superlatively crowd-pleasing work that puts bums on seats. While I haven’t yet had the pleasure of catching Scottish Ballet’s gloriously glamorous love letter to Gene Kelly myself (See you on the 7th), word of mouth from my colleagues in the press has been nothing short of delighted. Lovingly reviving Kelly’s legendary 1960 Parisian ballet Pas de Dieux with the blessing of his widow, CEO/Artistic Director Christopher Hampson is said to have created a dazzling collision of classical ballet and sparkling jazz. Set to the intoxicating music of George Gershwin and Ravel, it promises a pure, unadulterated shot of joy, Hollywood glamour, and well-honed technique. I can’t wait!
And that’s your Top 5!
Get yourselves out there, secure those seats, and be sure to tell the box office who sent you. Drop your verdicts in the comments or in letters to the editor—I eagerly await your wholehearted agreement, or at the very least, your highly entertaining dissent!
Five years, two censured councillors, and endless uncertainty
Nothing runs smoothly in traffic calming saga
by Sarah McArthur
“I think you have to look back to the potted history of the schemes that have been proposed in these areas… over many years, what I’m quite keen to do is to give some clarity and some certainty to the community. I’m absolutely conscious that one side of the street might be unhappy and that the other side of the street might be very happy indeed. But I do think that taking more time to consider things that we’ve been considering over five years is not an appropriate measure for a community that is split and divided.” That was Stephen Jenkinson, convenor of the city council’s transport and environment committee (TEC), last month.
What decision is he referring to, that requires such tact and has left a community divided? Of course, it could only be car restrictions and cycle lanes. After five years of deliberation, a traffic regulation sub-committee is set to finally put an end to the debate over vehicle restrictions between the Meadows and the Hermitage of Braid. This decision is likely to be a third U-turn which will see most of the southern half of the measure, which have stood unchanged for five years, torn up.
How did we get here? A timeline
The Greenbank to Meadow quiet route was put in place in 2021 as part of the “Spaces for People” interventions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The quiet route amounts to parking and waiting restrictions for vehicles and modal filters which allow only bicycles and pedestrians to cross certain junctions. In practice, this means that roads which used to be through-routes are now dead ends for motor traffic, and these cul-de-sacs are connected in a continuous route for walking, wheeling or cycling from Braidburn Park to the Meadows.
In 2021, a city-wide consultation was launched on making the Spaces for People measures permanent, and councillors voted to keep them on as 18 month trials, separated into north, south, east and west parts of the city. Each of these trials would also have their own consultation to inform which travel measures to keep, change or abandon.
In 2023, councillors voted to separate the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route out from the broader south Edinburgh trial, into three separate trials, to be assessed individually. In 2023 a consultation was held offering three ways of redesigning the quiet route, and in 2024 the Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) voted to progress with the most popular option in the consultation; to remove the existing measures and create another 18 month trial - this time installing segregated cycle lanes and traffic calming measures instead of modal filters.
In March 2026, two of the councillors who participated in decisions taken in 2023 and 2024 (either by voting in the TEC or participating in design workshops for alternative measures) were found to have failed to declare “non-financial interests” in the matters. Conservative councillor Marie-Clair Munro lived on a section of the quiet route and Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Ross lived on a neighbouring street which had experienced displaced traffic.
The 2024 vote was thus re-run, and last month the decision was brought back to the transport and environment committee. The committee voted this time, by 7 votes to 4, to keep the existing measures -rejecting plans to launch a new trial - and move the decision on to its final stage at the traffic regulation orders (TRO) sub committee.
Is this all seeming a bit contradictory and confusing? Just you wait.
