GreenerLeith 36,NewhavenRoad Edinburgh EH65PY www.greenerleith.org.uk justask@greenerleith.

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CityofEdinburghCouncil LocalTransportStrategy CityofEdinburghCouncil WaverleyCourt 4EastMarketStreet Edinburgh EH88BG Dear Sir/Madam, RE: Local Transport Strategy Consultation Please find a response to the Local Transport Strategy Consultation from Greener Leith, below. 1 - Integrated Transport We welcome moves by the council to move towards a more integrated public transport system. However, we believe the practical implementation of many recent major transport projects has left much to be desired, particularly with regards to pedestrian and bike route integration at tram stops1 and rail stations2 . Whilst we recognise that some transport projects are not fully controlled by the council, we urge that more is done to support multi-modal travel. For example, early proposals that would see no dedicated cycle facilities, and a possible complete ban on cycling eastbound on Princes Street seem to ignore the fact that many people, including visitors, cycle to and from Waverley Station and will find this ban inexplicable - and very inconvenient.

CommentsonCityCyclingEdinburghForum,HermistonGaitTramStop: http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=8710&page=5#post95676 2 Haymarketrevampbossesdubbeddaftonentrances, http://www.scotsman.com/news/haymarketrevampbossesdubbeddaftonentrances12840968

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Secure cycle storage should be provided at every tram stop, not just significant tram stops. 2. Supported Bus Services We favour option 2. 3. Speed Limits - 20mph We strongly support option 1. Shopping streets and busy pedestrian streets are the roads which will derive the most benefit from 20mph limits. As vibrant public spaces, many of these streets serve multiple roles - meeting places, commercial areas, social spaces etc - and so they do not just operate as transport corridors. A 20mph limit on these streets will make them safer for vulnerable users and they will help to civilise the street - orientating these roads away from simply acting as a transport corridor, and supporting the other place functions of these public spaces. We have evidenced considerable local and national support3 for a 20mph limit on Leith Walk on the basis that it would help to boost the local economy, enhance the safety of the street for its most vulnerable users and encourage more people to adopt active travel modes. We also note that the analysis of city-wide road safety data shows that Leith Walk is identified as an accident black spot for both pedestrians and cyclists 4 . There is therefore a clear case supporting the introduction of a 20mph limit on the full length of this street. In our view, wherever there is clear community support, or empirical road safety evidence that shows high accident rates, 20mph limits should become the norm on shopping streets as well as residential streets. 4. Speed Limits - 30mph and above We support option 1. A reduced speed limit on Seafield Road is particularly welcome.

JointsubmissiontotheLeithProgrammeConsultation: http://www.scribd.com/doc/121692063/JointSubmissiontotheLeithProgrammeConsultation#fullscreen 4 Roadsafetystatshighlightbenefitof20mphlimitonLeithWalk: http://greenerleith.org.uk/blog/roadsafetyanalysis20mphlimitleithwalk2044

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5. School Streets We strongly support option 1, and also urge the council to also consider support for play streets5 , where local residents are enabled by the local authority to make regular temporary road closures to allow children to play outside safely, using Temporary Play Street Orders. 6. City Centre Parking We note the considerable cost of providing discounted parking in the city centre during recent initiatives such as Alive after 5. Given the financial pressures on the council at present, we would argue that these policies are misguided, as they promote further city centre traffic congestion, poor air quality, undermine local bus patronage and discourage active travel use. We are therefore unconvinced that discounted parking initiatives represent best value for the council, or that they make the city centre more attractive for visitors when they arrive. 7. Sunday Parking We support Option 6, and would wish to see restrictions extended to zones 1-8 on the map. We also note that the consultation document acknowledges that unrestricted parking may not be maximising the economic benefit to retailers and other businesses not all of the parking is by customers, and the lack of controls can reduce the turnover of parking spaces. Also, the relaxation of parking restrictions leads to buses and general traffic experiencing delays on some routes... We have evidenced considerable local support for more effective parking regulation on the whole of Leith Walk throughout the week, to tackle just these problems, and urge the council to take steps to improve regulation on the length of this street too. 8. Residents Parking/ Controlled Parking Zones We support option 1 and reiterate our previous point about poor parking regulation throughout the week on Leith Walk.

BristolsTemporaryPlayStreetOrderTrial http://playingout.net/files/5313/5765/4161/TPSO_draft_report_Sept_2012.pdf
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9. Air Quality Poor air quality is an extremely important issue that has not been taken seriously enough by any level of government in Scotland or the UK. It is also a problem that particularly affects many areas of Leith. Therefore we welcome any proposals which could finally lead to some genuine improvement. We support Option 3, as on the face of it, this would seem like the most practical means of achieving improvement without compromising public transport services. However, we urge the council not to consider air quality as separate from other transport issues. Air quality could also be improved by taking a more pro-active approach to managing traffic out of the city centre, and doing more to promote modal shift to other, less polluting means of transport. For example, abandoning city-centre discount parking schemes and increasing the provision of more dedicated on-street cycle lanes, accelerating city-centre pedestrianisation efforts and far wider use of 20mph limits will all help to improve air quality, by helping to make less polluting means of transport relatively more attractive. Arguably, if the city committed to this course of action, it may yet be able to avoid the cost and inconvenience of imposing an extensive Low Emission Zone in the city. 10. Travel Planning We support option 1. About Greener Leith Established in 2006, Greener Leith is a registered charity that is managed entirely by local residents who have professional backgrounds spanning planning, green energy, landscape architecture, finance and community engagement. With the help of hundreds of local supporters, Greener Leith promotes community involvement, sustainable development and better public spaces. For more information on what we do, see www.greenerleith.org.uk

Yours Sincerely,

Alastair Tibbitt, Greener Leith.

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