Category Archives: Public Event

Draft Minute of Living Streets Edinburgh Group (LSEG) Annual General Meeting 2025

Public Event,

Date:-  Thursday 29th May 2025.

Location:- Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Street, Edinburgh.

Present:-  Mike Birch, Roger Colkett, Robert Ainsworth, Patrick Miner, Johanna Jokio, Peter Brown, Mark Jacunski, Councillor Chas Booth, Andrew Heald, John McKenna, Rosemary Burton, Ruth Findlay, Jane Brown, John Russell, Isobel Leckie, Stephen Jenkinson, Harry Garrod, Mark Boggis, Morag Jones, Rachael Revesz, David Hunter, Hilda Sim, Kirsty Sangster, Ashleigh & Kirin (Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living), Rosie Sinclair & Mairi (Equal Footing Porty).

Meeting Started:-  18.35 hrs

David Hunter (LSEG Convener) chaired the meeting.

  1.  Apologies were received from Harald Tobermann (EBUG) and Anja Wolf.
  • The draft Minutes of the LSEG 2024 AGM were approved. There were no questions or matters arising.
  • The LSEG Treasurer Isobel Leckie presented the accounts. Isobel reported a balance of £680.61.  Expenditure over the year 2024/2025 was only £134.75 This was almost exclusively on room hire plus minimal bank charges.
  • David Hunter presented the Convener’s Report. The past year had been very busy with some successes.  Many opportunities also remained to be tackled. 
  • Rachael Revesz talked about the campaign she had been involved with over the last couple of years for the successful Leith LTN.
  • David Hunter summarised how LSEG had been organised over the last few years. A committee had been in place, but this had changed to a more informal network.  The plan for the future was to try to share the workload amongst a team. 

Names were noted of volunteers who are prepared to attend an initial team planning meeting:-  Mike Birch, Mark Boggis, Hilda Sim, Rachael Revesz, Roger Colkett, Johanna Jokio, John Russell, & Isobel Leckie.

Isobel Leckie was re-appointed as Treasurer.

David Hunter said he was willing to remain in the role of Convener but that he would like to transition out of the role across the next year.

Hilda Sim proposed a vote of thanks to David Hunter for his hard work on behalf of pedestrians. This sentiment was warmly applauded by the meeting. 

  • Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, Convener of the City of Edinburgh Transport and Environment Committee, gave a short talk about recent work undertaken by the committee relating to pedestrians.
  • Ashleigh and Kirin of the Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living talked to the meeting about the realities of travelling around Edinburgh if you use a wheelchair or have impaired vision.
  • Councillor Jenkinson answered about a dozen questions from the meeting on a variety of pedestrian related topics including Street Design Guidance, the lack of pedestrian data, Bus Stop improvement programme, TVL funding & vehicle idling fines

Meeting Closed:-  20.05hrs

Mark Boggis/30.05.2025

“We are all pedestrians”: Transport convener addresses Living Streets Edinburgh AGM

Council Policy, Public Event, , , ,

Following criticism about “vanity prestige projects” being prioritised over pedestrian access, Stephen Jenkinson addressed our AGM

Edinburgh Council’s Transport Convener has sought to reassure Living Streets Edinburgh Group supporters that pedestrian access is a top priority for his committee.

“We need to ensure that we keep [pedestrians] front of our minds and decision-making when we implement projects and developments across the city,” Stephen Jenkinson, Convener of the Transport and Environment Committee at Edinburgh Council, told the volunteer group.

The comments at our AGM on 29 May follow concerns that the committee has given the go-ahead to what our convener David Hunter named “vanity prestige projects”, rather than focus on less expensive but more beneficial, pedestrian-focused projects.

Jenkinson acknowledged the concerns and added: “I would challenge that in a little way. I think the City Mobility Plan, in a grand sense, is about delivering big projects. The scope of a lot of those projects will include pedestrian and public realm benefits.”

The convener said that when he took over from his predecessor, Scott Arthur, now MP for Edinburgh South West, he discovered a large list of proposed projects listed under the 10-year City Mobility Plan, and tasked council officers to prioritise them.

He explained that many schemes have to compete with other local authorities for external funding, and the funding framework has moved from multi-year to single-year.

“I want to reassure you that pedestrian priority is a priority not only for me but many members of the committee and the council. It isn’t a zero-sum game when it comes to moving people and vehicles around the city,” he added.

Helping everyone to get around the city

The need for pedestrian priority is urgent. Two disabled person’s rights advocates from the Lothian Centre for Inclusive Learning – Ashleigh and Kirin – told the AGM that floating bus stops, incorrectly placed dropped kerbs, a lack of space around disabled parking bays, and cycle lanes in the middle of pavements, all hinder those with sight and mobility issues.

Kirin, who has sight issues, praised the banning of advertising boards – a campaign led by Living Streets – but said there is still a lot of street furniture to navigate.

“I just want to get around the streets, just like you, but it’s trickier because I can’t see as well,” she said.

Kirin also joked about using her cane: “The pavement parking ban has been very helpful which has stopped us from scraping your cars!”

Positive noises from the TEC?

Jenkinson pointed out:

  • £4-6 million funding will be invested in the Granton Liveable Neighbourhood scheme, which will bring pedestrian benefits.
  • the 2025/26 budget for dropped kerbs has doubled to £400,000, thanks to Transport Scotland funding.
  • in response to concern that the council has frozen the footway budget this year, Jenkinson said the budget has increased 25% since 2022.
  • the success of the pavement parking ban means footways will generally see less wear and tear from vehicles.

Engine idling: Will the council act?

Jenkinson said he had also written to the Scottish Government to advocate for higher fixed penalty notices for engine idling, which currently stands at £20 and would not cover the cost of enforcing the fine.

In contrast, fixed penalty notices for pavement parking stand at £100 and have generated more than £244,000 in revenue for the 12 months ending February 2025 alone.

Living Streets Edinburgh convener David Hunter thanked Jenkinson for standing strong on no exemptions for pavement parking and for attempting to answer audience questions:

  • Will the Council monitor pedestrian movement, and use that data?
  • Will the Council follow other countries like the Netherlands and re-design junctions like Toll Cross before resurfacing them?
  • Will the Council re-consider removing the Braidswoods modal filters, which have successfully reduced daily vehicles from 10,000 to 6,000?
  • Will the Gorgie Liveable Neighbourhood retract its proposal to include floating bus stops?

Watch this space.

LSEG 2024/25: Some highlights and key events

News, Public Event

Over the past year, since our last public meeting in May 2024, we’ve been busy!  Some key events and milestones:

May 2024

  • Met Cllr Arthur on our concerns about the impacts on walking and buses for major Meadows-George Street scheme (a theme for many other active travel schemes)

June

  • LSEG stall at Edinburgh Climate Festival, the Meadows. Lots of good conversations and new supporters enlisted.

July

  • LSEG FoI request reveals £85 million active travel underspend planned by Transport Scotland – subsequently, big cuts confirmed by Scottish Government.

September

  • ‘Polwarth roundabout project’ promoted by Merchiston Community Council secures initial funding from Council (£100k) with support from LSEG.
  • LSEG supports Sight Scotland’s call for ‘green man’ phase at Strachan Road (Blackhall) – one of 70+ junctions without any pedestrian facilities on at least one arm.

October

  • Met new Transport Convener, Cllr Stephen Jenkinson (following Scott Arthur’s election as an MP), and Interim Head of Place, Gareth Barwell (following Paul Lawrence’s appointment as Chief Executive) calling for more priority given to walking.
  • Corstorphine LTN, including wider pavements at the primary school, made permanent – minus the Manse Road ‘bus gate’.

November

  • LSEG comment on new Leith Connections cycleway (Hawthornvale-Salamander Street); plans again compromise walking with narrow pavements and poor bus stops.
  • Cowgate fatal collision leads to decision to bring forward evening closure to traffic from 10.00pm (not yet implemented).
  • LSEG establishes from BT the location of 80+ obsolete phone kiosks cluttering pavements which they are committed to removing.
  • Highlighted the problems for pedestrians remaining on Leith Walk and other streets after the tram extension to Newhaven; including challenging inaccurate measurements reported to council which understate how narrow some sections of pavement are.

December:

  • launch of ‘Roseburn-Canal’ (Dundee Street) cycleway: big improvement to Dalry community park and no negative impact on bus users and pedestrians!
  • long-awaited (ie years late!) pedestrian crossings installed at Stockbridge (Leslie Place) and Fountainbridge (Yeaman Place).
  • Met Lothian Centre for Independent Living, who are supporting a group of disabled people and carers advocating for more accessible streets.

January 2025

  • We established a clear process and understanding with the Royal Mail and council on the removal of unused ‘mail pouches’ which add unnecessary clutter to pavements

February 2025

  • Leith Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) confirmed permanent. Significant credit due to our affiliated group ‘Liveable Leith’.
  • We responded to a major consultation on Princes Street expressing disappointment at the lack of proposals to increase the size of pavements and opposing the idea of a cycleway outside the shops, complete with floating bus stops.

March 2025

  • Stall at ‘Schools clean air’ project at City Chambers.
  • Engaging with Equal Footing Porty and supporting their deputation to TEC – another group advocating for accessible streets in Portobello
  • We secured a council motion (by Cllr Aston) calling for a major review of phasing of traffic signals, which have great scope to give more priority to pedestrians (and buses).

April 2025

  • Persistent – but ultimately unsuccessful – efforts to persuade the Council to increase budgets for footway maintenance, tackling dropped kerbs etc. We hope that they have made an impact which will influence future capital budgets. 
  • Commitment secured at TEC (by Cllr Booth) to investigate improved pedestrian routes through Gorgie/Westfield /Roseburn.
  • Welcomed the announcement to introduce significant traffic restrictions on the Lawnmarket/Johnstone Terrace once resurfacing works are complete this summer.
  • We spoke at a major event organised by the Cockburn meeting on city streetscapes on the design and management of the city.

Communications as at April 2025

Local mailing list: 359 members

Social media followers:

X (twitter):      4,999

Facebook:        1,900

BlueSky:            589

***

Living Streets Edinburgh – Public Meeting

Public Event,

Living Streets Edinburgh Group

Public Meeting – 6.30pm, Thursday, 29 May 2025

Friends Meeting House, Victoria Terrace

AGENDA

  1. Introductions / apologies.
  2. Minutes of last AGM, 16 May 2024.
  3. Treasurer’s report.
  4. Convenor’s report including Liveable Leith – reflections and lessons.
  5. Election of Convener, Treasurer and committee.
  6. Guest speaker:  Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, Convener of Transport and Environment Committee, City of Edinburgh Council.
  7. Questions and Answers
  8. AOB.

Finish: 7.50pm

LSEG 2024/25: Some highlights and key events

Over the past year, since our last public meeting in May 2024, we’ve been busy!  Some key events and milestones:

May 2024

  • Met Cllr Arthur on our concerns about the impacts on walking and buses for major Meadows-George Street scheme (a theme for many other active travel schemes)

June

  • LSEG stall at Edinburgh Climate Festival, the Meadows. Lots of good conversations and new supporters enlisted.

July

  • LSEG FoI request reveals £85 million active travel underspend planned by Transport Scotland – subsequently, big cuts confirmed by Scottish Government.

September

  • ‘Polwarth roundabout project’ promoted by Merchiston Community Council secures initial funding from Council (£100k) with support from LSEG.
  • LSEG supports Sight Scotland’s call for ‘green man’ phase at Strachan Road (Blackhall) – one of 70+ junctions without any pedestrian facilities on at least one arm.

October

  • Met new Transport Convener, Cllr Stephen Jenkinson (following Scott Arthur’s election as an MP), and Interim Head of Place, Gareth Barwell (following Paul Lawrence’s appointment as Chief Executive) calling for more priority given to walking.
  • Corstorphine LTN, including wider pavements at the primary school, made permanent – minus the Manse Road ‘bus gate’.

November

  • LSEG comment on new Leith Connections cycleway (Hawthornvale-Salamander Street); plans again compromise walking with narrow pavements and poor bus stops.
  • Cowgate fatal collision leads to decision to bring forward evening closure to traffic from 10.00pm (not yet implemented).
  • LSEG establishes from BT the location of 80+ obsolete phone kiosks cluttering pavements which they are committed to removing.
  • Highlighted the problems for pedestrians remaining on Leith Walk and other streets after the tram extension to Newhaven; including challenging inaccurate measurements reported to council which understate how narrow some sections of pavement are.

December:

  • launch of ‘Roseburn-Canal’ (Dundee Street) cycleway: big improvement to Dalry community park and no negative impact on bus users and pedestrians!
  • long-awaited (ie years late!) pedestrian crossings installed at Stockbridge (Leslie Place) and Fountainbridge (Yeaman Place).
  • Met Lothian Centre for Independent Living, who are supporting a group of disabled people and carers advocating for more accessible streets.

January 2025

  • We established a clear process and understanding with the Royal Mail and council on the removal of unused ‘mail pouches’ which add unnecessary clutter to pavements

February 2025

  • Leith Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) confirmed permanent. Significant credit due to our affiliated group ‘Liveable Leith’.
  • We responded to a major consultation on Princes Street expressing disappointment at the lack of proposals to increase the size of pavements and opposing the idea of a cycleway outside the shops, complete with floating bus stops.

March 2025

  • Stall at ‘Schools clean air’ project at City Chambers.
  • Engaging with Equal Footing Porty and supporting their deputation to TEC – another group advocating for accessible streets in Portobello
  • We secured a council motion (by Cllr Aston) calling for a major review of phasing of traffic signals, which have great scope to give more priority to pedestrians (and buses).

April 2025

  • Persistent – but ultimately unsuccessful – efforts to persuade the Council to increase budgets for footway maintenance, tackling dropped kerbs etc. We hope that they have made an impact which will influence future capital budgets. 
  • Commitment secured at TEC (by Cllr Booth) to investigate improved pedestrian routes through Gorgie/Westfield /Roseburn.
  • Welcomed the announcement to introduce significant traffic restrictions on the Lawnmarket/Johnstone Terrace once resurfacing works are complete this summer.
  • We spoke at a major event organised by the Cockburn meeting on city streetscapes on the design and management of the city.

Communications as at April 2025

Local mailing list: 359 members

Social media followers:

X (twitter):      4,999

Facebook:        1,900

BlueSky:            589

***

Draft Minute of Living Streets Edinburgh Group Annual General Meeting 2024

Public Event

Quaker Meeting House, 6.00pm, May 16.
Present: Hilda Sim, David Hunter (Convenor), Isobel Leckie (Treasurer), Mark Boggis, Mark
Jacunski, Mike Birch, John Russell, Roger Colkett, Lauren McDougall, Lawrence Marshall,
Rachael Revesz.

  1. Apology received from Paul Smith
  2. The draft minute of LSEG AGM 2022 was approved. There were no matters arising.
  3. Isobel Leckie (Treasurer) noted that financial activity this year was minimal. The bank
    account balance with Bank of Scotland is £815.36.
  4. David Hunter (Convener) briefly summarised his report on LSEGs! activity since then,
    highlighting successes such as the group’s influence on Edinburgh’s approach to the
    pavement parking ban. He noted that there would be no external speaker at this AGM as the
    focus was on discussing how the Group should best organise going forward (see 6 below).
  5. Rachael Revesz reported on the review of communications which students at Edinburgh
    Napier University had conducted recently. This included a number of matters which LSEG
    should consider in its future activity. Thanks were recorded to Rachael and the students.
  6. The meeting then discussed how LSEG should organise most effectively over the next
    year. Points included:
    • develop neighbourhood networks and/or social media accounts so that activists can
    connect locally;
    • ask Community Councils what the issues are in their area (Roger to speak to
    Association of Comm Councils about LSEG’S work);
    • target newsletter for skimmable content, linked to topics eg National Walking Day
    • develop more/other social media, eg encourage (and reward?) students to develop
    Instagram;
    • consider engagement tactics like sharing how many poor footway surfaces;
    • LSEG focus on top priorities. rathe than responding to council etc requests;
    • LSEG to organise regular informal group meetings (maybe with speakers)
    • identify a new convenor for next year.
  7. David and Isobel were reappointed as Convener and Treasurer respectively.
    The meeting ended at 7.30pm.