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 2026 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.
• Influence Holyrood 2026 to support our four election asks (engine idling, zebra crossings, roadworks and speed cameras: https://bit.ly/4o5nTVd )
• 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

Living Streets’ Edinburgh supporters group is being relaunched at a joint event with the Cockburn Association “Edinburgh – fit for walking?” on 1 June 2015 at the Friends Meeting House, Victoria Street, Edinburgh. Doors open 17.45 for 18.00pm start

Edinburgh is great city to walk in but motor traffic continues to dominate the vast majority of the capital’s streets. Sadly pedestrians have languished at the bottom of transport priorities for far too long.

Attitudes in the council are changing and Living Streets’ Edinburgh local group is being formally launched to make the case for the enormous economic, environmental and social benefits of prioritising walking within a high-quality public realm.

The public are being encouraged to come along to hear about what Living Streets stands for, how walking fits into a civilised public realm, and the group’s plans for an exciting late summer campaign of street audits.

The event will be an opportunity walkers to get involved with efforts aimed at getting the City of Edinburgh Council to transform its many sensible walking-related policies into practical improvements on our streets. Confirmed speakers:
1.Standing Up for Walkers, David Spaven, Convener of the Living Streets Edinburgh Group
2.A Better Public Realm, Marion Williams, Director of the Cockburn Association (Edinburgh’s Civic Trust)
3.Auditing Edinburgh’s Streets, Stuart Hay, Director of Living Streets Scotland

The event will conclude with questions and answers and a chance to decide on which city centres streets are most in need of a make over.
– See more at: http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/edinburgh-fit-for-walking#sthash.dxlB5F4N.dpuf