Welcome to Living Streets Edinburgh

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Edinburgh, with its generally dense population and walkable distances, could be a European exemplar of a pedestrian-friendly city. But the many sensible walking-related policies of the City of Edinburgh Council too often don’t translate in practice into a safe and attractive walking environment on the streets. Motor traffic continues to dominate the vast majority of the city’s streets – yet there are clear economic, environmental and social benefits in prioritising pedestrian movement within a high-quality public realm.

Our overall aim is to:

Promote walking (including ‘wheeling’) as a safe, enjoyable, accessible and healthy way of getting around Edinburgh.

To this end, we want to see:

  • walking given the top priority over other forms of travel in all council transport and planning policies;
  • a reduction in the volume of motorised traffic and its impact on people using the street;
  • better designed and maintained pavements, road crossings and other pedestrian facilities;
  • more effective and joined-up monitoring and inspection of the walking environment by CEC;
  • planning policy which encourages dense, sustainable housing over car-dominated, dispersed development;
  • more effective implementation of pro-walking policies ‘on the ground’.

Our priorities for action in 2024 are to:

  • Campaign for increased budgets (capital and staffing) for the
    pedestrian environment by the City of Edinburgh Council, especially
    to:
    • widen footways;
    • tackle pavement clutter;
    • improve priority for pedestrians at signalled crossings;
    • improve accessibility by installing dropped kerbs and continuous
      footways.
  • Secure better enforcement of controls on parking (including new
    ‘pavement parking’ provisions) and speeding.
  • Support specific local campaigns for place-making and traffic
    reduction.
  • Develop our work on walk-friendly environments at and around
    schools.
  • Influence planning policy and practice to aid walking and wheeling
    and reduce motor traffic.
  • Grow the number of our supporters and range of our campaigns.

If you would like to get involved in our work in any way, please email us at:
 edinburghgroup@livingstreets.org.uk

 

LSEG response to Consultation on the National Speed Limit Review, March 2025

Consultation Response, Press Release, ,

Consultation Submission submitted on behalf of the Living Streets Edinburgh Group (LSEG)

This submission is being made as a direct email rather than through your standard consultation form since the design of that form does not allow us to be able to adequately express our concerns for pedestrians. We trust that our views, as below, will nevertheless be considered seriously.

The LSEG very strongly supports the proposed lowering of the default national speed limit from 60 to 50 mph on single carriageway roads. Scotland has a very poor safety record on these roads, with a large proportion of all fatalities and serious injuries occurring on them, as evidenced in the Consultation Review report. The 60 mph limit is far too high for safe driving, other than where there are long stretches of strait road without intervening property entrances or side-road junctions. A 50mph limit will result in safer speeds on these roads and all the more so if the new limit is properly enforced. We note that an even lower, 60 kmph, national limit is now being introduced on rural roads in Ireland, many of which have similar characteristics to those in Scotland.

The benefits for pedestrians on such roads is unlikely to be great however, since traffic speeds at up to either 50 or 60 mph intimidate pedestrians, and without the protection of segregated paths, on what are mostly narrow rural roads, there is little pedestrian activity. Our principle concern therefore is that the introduction of the 50mph limit does not go nearly far enough to make conditions safe for pedestrians or to reduce the levels of suppressed pedestrian trips along these roads.

In many places there are extensive stretches of bends with the current 60mph limit but where the maximum safe speed around the bends is no more than 40, or 30, or even 20mph. All too often only ‘Slow’ markings on the carriageway are in evidence. For conditions to be considered at all safe for pedestrians, with their visibility restricted by bends, speed limits need to be set at the appropriate lower levels that match the road design / conditions, not simply set to 50mph. There are also still many places, in particular on the approaches to villages or other settlements, where the prevailing speed limit needs to be reduced from 60 to well below 50mph; and, as in the Scottish Borders, 20mph in the villages themselves  We therefore call for there to be a comprehensive review following on from the introduction of the 50mph limit, with the aim to have speed limits set to appropriate levels for safe driving throughout the network, and whether or not there have been casualties in a particular location. This is a fundamental necessity if more walking is to be encouraged, in line with government policy. 

Even with the setting of the most  appropriate speed limits conditions will still be challenging for pedestrians and potentially dangerous without the provision of segregated routes. There is also a clear need in many places for the provision of pavements or off-road paths alongside rural roads. This provision could encourage many more walking trips, for example between adjacent villages or from villages to the nearest town where distances are not too great. It is also the case that more recreational walking, by visitors as well as residents, would be encouraged by the provision of more off-road footpaths in rural areas throughout Scotland. It is notable that many of the islands are very suited by size for recreational walking (and cycling) trips, yet still with very little provision of safe, segregated routes. Provision of such routes could encourage the leaving of cars behind on the mainland perhaps, or even altogether. Promoting such active travel would help increased tourism to take place without a comparable increase in car use.

Finally much intensified efforts to enforce the improved speed limits are essential in order to eliminate excessive speeding. Funding for these efforts needs to be resourced by means that are protected, otherwise grant cuts are likely when, as now, overall national and local public sector resources are under pressure. Without this the Vision Zero aim to have no serious injuries or fatalities will remain just a vision. The current enforcement system is simply not fit for purpose and needs reform, as the LSEG has argued elsewhere:   https://www.livingstreetsedinburgh.org.uk/2021/11/17/slower-speeds-safer-streets-for-edinburgh-an-action-plan/

We need to have a more comprehensive approach, with policies for the road safety of walkers (and cyclists) integrated with those for tourism and wider economic development.           

Full list of BT phone kiosks removed (November 2024)

News,

As part of our long-standing efforts to rid pavements of unnecessary clutter, we’ve been asking for redundant BT phone kiosks (not the traditional red ones) to be removed for many years (see eg: https://www.livingstreetsedinburgh.org.uk/2021/08/25/tackling-pavement-clutter-concluding-report-by-living-streets-edinburgh-group/ )

We have now received this list of kiosks which have been removed (according to the Scottish Road Works Register) from the Council: [download here]. Meanwhile, BT continues to press for new-style ‘Street Hubs’ to replace them; while council planners continue to refuse permission. 

BT-Kiosk-Removal-EdinburghDownload

Cowgate: Deputation by LSE to the Transport and Environment Committee

City Centre Transformation, Road Safety, Street Audit

Cowgate: Deputation by Living Streets Edinburgh Group to the Transport and Environment Committee 18 November 2024

We welcome the motion by Cllr Mowat and the subsequent report to committee following the dreadful incident on the Cowgate on 2 November.  We record our condolences to Mr Leneghan’s family and friends.

While we don’t know the circumstances of this incident and wouldn’t wish to speculate on them, we do know that the Cowgate have long been recognised as a dangerous street owing to its unique features and uses. This is why the ban of traffic after 10pm was introduced more than 20 years ago.

The council also commissioned Living Streets to review the street in 2016. A participant in that review described the Cowgate as “the worst street in Edinburgh for pedestrians” bit.ly/2covj3Q. The report highlighted especially the significant problems of road safety and accessibility due to heavy fast traffic and inadequate pavements as well as recommending a number of practical, small-scale improvements.

Since 2016, there have been some welcome improvements – the introduction of a 20mph speed limit, installation of double yellow lines and the ban on pavement parking.

However, the fundamental problems of the street – too much traffic, inadequate pavements – remain.  The carriageway was extensively resurfaced in 2020, but no improvements were made to the footways.

Options to improve safety could include major changes such as making the street one-way to traffic, removing through-traffic (using a “filter”) or banning traffic entirely (with appropriate access arrangements for key services). However it would be essential for such options to be considered in the context of wider traffic plans (’Future Streets’) for the city and the Old Town in particular. It is especially important that traffic isn’t driven onto the Canongate. Traffic and pedestrian comfort and safety is just as important on the Royal Mile with its primary school and high footfall, as on the Cowgate.

Another option (recommended in the 2016 report) would be to install chicanes under the Bridges on the Cowgate. This would reduce the carriageway to a single lane which traffic would use in alternating directions. It would permit the pavements to be significantly widened (and the big, inaccessible kerbs removed) and would also slow down traffic and remove its appeal as a through-route.

We welcome Police Scotland’s recommendation to bring forward the traffic ban to start earlier that 10.00pm. This would be a quick and cheap way to reduce some risks pedestrian-vehicle conflict. We have also long argued for much more stringent traffic restrictions in key Old Town streets including the Cowgate during the summer festivals when the mix of vehicles and pedestrians is often totally unsuitable.

A growing population and rising visitor numbers mean more traffic and busier streets in Edinburgh – but with a legacy of some hopelessly inadequate pedestrian facilities.  We hope that the Council will seize this moment to act quickly to ensure that people can use Cowgate and other Old Town streets safely.

***

2 meter ruler showing the councils “absolute minimum pavement width”. Pavement is less than 90 centimeters wide

Leith Connections (Hawthornvale-Salamander Street): Comments from LSE on draft proposals

Consultation Response, ,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the new ‘Leith Connections’ proposals from Lindsay Road in the west through Commercial Street, Bernard Street and Baltic Street to Salamander Street in the east. https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/leithconnections/  

We acknowledge that the proposals would bring some significant improvements for pedestrians – such as ‘continuous footways’ over side road junctions, a single-stage crossing over North Junction Street at the Ocean Drive junction, and a new pavement at the eastern side of North Junction Street. 

However, it is also very concerning to see some sections of pavement actually reduced, and no improvement to many pavements that are already less than 2 metres wide – the “absolute minimum” that the Council normally considers acceptable. These seem to include these streets (the number in brackets refers to the drawing sheet):

  • N Junction St 1.5m (1)
  • Lindsay Rd (S) 1.54m (2) 
  • Lindsay Rd (N) 1,67m (3)
  • Commercial St (N) 1.8m (3)
  • Salamander St  (N) 1.85m (14)
  • Salamander St  (N) 1.8m (14)
  • Salamander St  (S) 1.95m (16)
  • Salamander St  (N) 1.27m (17)
  • Salamander St  (S) 1.5m (17)

Pavements which are at least two metres wide is also the minimum recommended in national UK guidance such as Inclusive Mobility, allowing for adequate use by pedestrians using mobility aids including walking sticks and wheelchairs as well as by parents with small children, etc. bit.ly/IncMobility

There also appear to be ten ‘floating bus stops’ (which mean people getting on and off the bus have to cross a cycle lane when boarding or alighting).  We know this design is a serious concern to many disabled and blind people, as evidenced by calls from all the major visual impairment charities (RNIB, Guide Dogs for the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind UK) for a halt to their use and/or removal of existing stops.  Some of the bus stops proposed do not even appear to conform to the minimum standards for footway and/or island width as defined by the Council’s own Street Design Guidance. 

The plan would also remove some bus stops altogether, as well as significant sections of bus lane on Lindsay Road and Commercial Street. Many of these changes are not highlighted on the Council’s consultation. Many were raised as concerns needing to be addressed in earlier consultations for example in the minutes of the 2021 Community Reference Group. 

The size of the cycleway itself is also limited by the constrained street space, and is not continuous owing to the Bernard Street pinch point in particular.  We understand also that some parts (especially in Salamander Street) would require additional land take which brings a significant degree of uncertainty over the viability of the whole scheme.

In view of these multiple problems, we query whether this is the best route for the cycleway at all, and whether a different east-west route would be better. For example, running behind the buildings to the north of Commercial Street, over the newly traffic-free Sandport Bridge and along Leith Links, where there is already a well established cycle route which could well be enhanced. 

This would avoid introducing unwelcome impacts on pedestrians and bus passengers by trying to accommodate too many travel modes in an insufficient space – the problem we have seen all too clearly on Leith Walk. This would also provide more traffic-free sections for the cycle route and presumably be significantly cheaper to build.

Pedestrian crossing reports: Blackhall and Gardners Crescent

Council Policy, Street Audit, , , , ,

We have two new reports on our observations from the pedestrian’s point of view on two more road junctions. As so often, people walking have to wait too long to cross – this not only discourages walking but also encourages people to cross unsafely. Especially worrying is the lack of any ‘green man’ phase at Blackhall (a problem until recently at Gardners Crescent too). We’re encouraging the City of Edinburgh Council to invest much more in traffic signals so that they better reflect the ‘sustainable travel hierarchy’ (which has walking and wheeling firmly at the top).

Blackhall Junction

Blackhall

LSEG-Blackhall-Sep-2024-1Download

Morrison Street

LSEG-Morrison-Street-2024Download