Tag Archives: Climate emergency

Climate Strategy consultation – Response by LSE

Living Streets Edinburgh Group (LSEG) is the local voluntary arm of the national charity, Living Streets, which campaigns for better conditions for ‘everyday walking’. In LSEG our key aim is to promote walking as a safe, enjoyable and easy way of getting around the city. We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation, which reinforces the need for a number of our ambitions for the city such as to:

  • reduce the volume, size and speed of traffic
  • encourage planning policy to make walkable (’20-minute’) neighbourhoods
  • provide access to green spaces, inclusive environments (for disabled/older people etc)
  • enable walkable commutes to schools and workplaces, businesses (incentives?)

Section 3 – Vision

4)

Vision              AGREE

Principles        AGREE

Actions                        AGREE

5) Comments and suggestions:

Vision Charging hubs will need to be sited and designed very carefully should they not introduce new, additional hazards for pedestrians i.e. by increasing already problematic pavement clutter or leading to charging cables lying across walkways.

Principles We are encouraged to see that travel is mentioned in the Vision and Actions of the strategy but are concerned that it does not feature in the principles.  None of the principles can be met without wholesale changes to the movement of people and goods around the city.  A 20-minute neighbourhood for instance will only be possible if walking is made easier and more attractive.

Actions Whilst we welcome ’prioritising investment’ in expanding walking routes this is not ambitious or specific enough.  The actions should explicitly state which measures will be taken to make walking an attractive and accessible mode of transport i.e. wider pavements, removal of road-related clutter from pavement space and priority for pedestrians at road crossings.  Including more targeted/specific milestones would also be welcome.  Lastly, we question how the whole city can become net zero by 2030 if only TWO neighbourhoods will have been piloted by that time?

Section 4 – Citizens

6)

Strategic approach     AGREE

Outcomes                    AGREE

Next steps                   AGREE

7) What other actions could help you make sustainable choices?

Other positive actions include explicit and practical steps to facilitate walking and wheeling as a means of transport – vital to the 20-minute neighbourhood concept.  These actions would be removing clutter (e.g. unused or un-necessary signposts and poles or boxes) from pavements, removing other obstacles on pavements (i.e. illegally parked vehicles, illegally placed planters, chairs, tables and other business paraphernalia), extending green man times at signalled crossings, increasing all forms of pedestrian road crossings (esp. Zebra crossings), reducing traffic speeds (through narrower roads and enforcement of the 20mph speed limit), keeping hedges AND roadwork signs off pavements and ensuring minimum widths are maintained (especially during development and construction works). All this will require a dramatic improvement in routine street maintenance.

8) What barriers limit you from taking climate action?

9) Information about barriers?

10) How should citizens be involved in governance of the strategy?

Perhaps prioritisation to concerns of most vulnerable or marginalised citizens of the city?  i.e. poor, disabled and ethnic minority groups.  School pupils and young people could also be prioritised given that regrettably it is their climate to inherit… To (literally!) “walk the talk” a major programme on encouraging safe travel (especially walking) to school is needed (see later).

11) Other suggestions on engaging and empowering citizens

Transport is a huge source of carbon emissions.  If citizens are to reduce their footprints then it has to include more walking.  More citizens will walk (or wheel) further and more often if it is made safe, attractive and accessible.  This requires a reallocation of space, investment and attention from inefficient and polluting modes of transport like personal, private car use to walking, cycling and public transport.

Section 5 – Development & growth

12)

Strategic approach     AGREE

Outcomes                    AGREE

Next steps                   AGREE

13) Comments/suggestions:

Next Step (NS) 3 needs to recognise and prioritise the needs of pedestrians and other pavement users.  NS4 needs to recognise pedestrian needs –  too often during development and construction works the interests of pavement users are overlooked, sidelined or neglected.  Thinking also about how new developments can be reached on foot or on wheels would help many more switch to a more sustainable mode of transport.  NS5 needs to redesign infrastructure too (not just services); amenities need to be accessible on foot if the 20-minute neighbourhood is to be realised.  NS6 also needs to recognise that net zero housing developments will require adequate (i.e.  wide, pleasant and connected) pavement networks with easy and regular road crossings.  This should then be included in the demonstrator project of NS7.  Again the NS13 development will have to be accessible and navigable by pavement. Far too often, current Planning activity fails to secure S75 funding to improve the walking and wheeling environment.

14) What is LSEG doing for net zero, resilience and growth?

N/A

Section 6 – Buildings

15)

Strategic approach     AGREE

Outcomes                    AGREE

Next steps                   AGREE

16) Comments/suggestions

Strategic approach Given that “the greenest building is one that is already built”, we should discourage the construction of new, cheap, short-lasting buildings as is so common with student housing for example.  in the necessary building work to transform the buildings VITAL adequate provision given to pedestrians i.e. adequate space on both sides of the carriageway AND crossing points AND no signs on pavements etc.

17) What is LSEG doing in relation to net zero generation and energy efficient buildings?

N/A

Section 7 – Transport

18)

Strategic approach     AGREE

Outcomes                    AGREE

Next steps                   AGREE

19) Comments/suggestions

Outcomes In addition to making foot, wheel or bike the easiest and cheapest travel option a key, and currently missing aspect is that it should be the SAFEST option too.

Next steps great for EV advocates and public transport users but not currently enough listed for pavement users: priority at crossings, reduced (electric) vehicle speeds, reducing the size and volume of traffic (even once electrified).  For example, in line with the City Mobility plan and City Centre Transformation plans, removing large vehicles like bin lorries from as many city streets as possible. Further even those using public transport require need safe, usable and connected routes to and from bus and tram stops as well.  NS8 mentions a Workplace Parking Levy but none of the next steps explicitly address the School Run – what will be done to disincentivize driving cars to schools and opting to walk or wheel there instead?

We need a specific plan to encourage safe and sustainable travel for children to every school.  Edinburgh has one of the highest proportions of children walking to school at 61% (Scottish average 52% – TaTiS, 2019). This plan should include car-free areas and/or much wider pedestrian spaces at school gates.

20) What is LSEG doing in relation to net zero transport?

N/A

Section 8 – Businesses and skills

21)

Strategic approach     AGREE

Outcomes                    AGREE

Next steps                   AGREE

22) Comments/suggestions

Outcomes should be expanded to recognise that workers and consumers can participate in the city’s circular economy by foot or wheel.

Next steps NS3 businesses could reduce their emissions by encouraging and rewarding staff, customers, clients and partners to reach premises by foot or wheel.  One practical step to realign operations towards net zero would be to ensure premises are accessible by pavement and ideally incentivise all parties to use pavements.

A big omission in the plan is the approach to tourism. A complete review of tourism policy, post-pandemic, is needed to emphasise sustainability and inclusion. This would include travel. such as to reduce reliance on long haul inbound touring from overseas (to reduce air travel) and housing (avoiding over-provision of short term letting).

23) What is LSEG doing in relation to business and skills?

N/A

Section 9 – Investment

24)

Strategic approach     AGREE

Outcomes                    AGREE

Next steps                   AGREE

25) Comments/suggestions

Next steps NS5 should include Active Travel too if EVs are to get their own mention outwith the transport category then the preferable, lower carbon, option of walking/wheeling also needs to be explicit especially because the capital costs required, relative to the emissions saved per journey are much better from walking and other forms of active travel. Investment must reflect national and local ‘transport hierarchies’ – with walking and wheeling at the top – which it consistently fails to do at present.

26) What is LSEG doing in relation to investment in change?

N/A

Section 10 – Offsetting

27) Does LSEG currently offset emissions?

N/A

28) Do you think offsetting should…?

Other – be dealt with at all levels

29) What opportunities could a city-wide approach contribute?

The payments received could be put into active travel programmes – measures that will reduce rather than reallocate emissions.

30) What risks could a city-wide approach present?

A city-wide approach risks allowing for continued car and polluting vehicle/practices use by individuals and businesses/organisations.

Section 11 – Decision making

32) Comments/suggestions

Current processes are lengthy, sometimes extremely so.  Further, given the inequalities in the city’s current transport system (allocation of space and risk/safety due to the dominance of private motor vehicles) we would advocate for greater consideration to be given to the views of the most vulnerable modes of transport i.e. walkers and wheelers as well as people who cycle and public transport.

I am not sure we could say current processes are OK. There doesn’t seem to be enough weight given to all types of active travel, and the decision making process does seem extremely lengthy at time.

Section 12 – Equality and diversity

33) Positive impacts

If the strategy proposals lead to the realisation of 20-minute neighbourhoods across Edinburgh (not just in 2 pilot communities) then elderly and disabled groups will potentially benefit as well as those from poorer areas and lower income households.  If walking or wheeling, the cheapest, most sustainable mode of transport, is made pleasant, accessible and crucially safe then the city will be a more equal place because more of its citizens will have ready access to the services and facilities they need. The Council needs to demonstrate its commitment to inclusive travel and mobility through its actions in order to overcome the current significant levels of scepticism.

34) Negative impacts

The repeated mentions of provision for Electric Vehicles suggest that those who cannot afford, don’t have access to, or choose not to use an EV will benefit less from the strategy than those who do.  Similarly, although EVs produce less pollution than petrol/diesel powered vehicles their introduction does little to address the size, volume and speed of road traffic – it is these three dimensions that are crucial when organising to make walking and wheeling more attractive, accessible and safe.  For short journeys (i.e. within the 20 minute neighbourhood) there is no lower emitting mode of transport than walking or wheeling.

While we recognise the emphasis on engaging schools for training and skills programmes there appears to be a gap concerning journeys to and from schools in the city.  A negative impact of the strategy as it stands is that businesses, developers and investors benefit more from the proposals than students and young people who need clean, safe routes to school.

LSEG

August 2021