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

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