Living Streets Edinburgh is calling for a re-set of capital spending to focus on everyday walking, following recent analysis of council budgets by the group which campaigns for everyday walking. While ‘walking and wheeling’ remains top of the transport hierarchy in theory, the percentage of the roads budget spend on footways has in fact fallen year on year since 2022.

Although there was a significant uplift in budgets for footway maintenance following the last council elections in 2022, as promised in the Labour administration’s manifesto, total roads spending has almost doubled. Carriageway maintenance (roads) budgets have continued to increase significantly. With footway budgets at a standstill since then, only 13% of the overall roads budget now goes on footway maintenance, compared to 21% in 2023.

Living Streets Edinburgh Convener David Hunter said: “We know that there’s a lot of concern about potholes and the state of the roads in Edinburgh, but it’s frustrating to see so little of the roads budget targeting pavement improvements. In every city neighbourhood, there are cluttered, narrow pavements full of trip hazards which make it hard for people to get out to the local shops health centre or to catch the bus.

We’re expecting the Council to announce its plans for spending on the City Mobility Plan and active travel shortly. If the Council is serious about getting people out of cars and supporting sustainable, inclusive local communities, it’s got to do more to improve local walking environments.”