The City of Edinburgh Council will look at plans to remove its Spaces for People scheme, which was introduced to the Scottish capital during Covid-19.
Edinburgh’s Space for People initiative was designed to help people walk, cycle and wheel while physically distancing during the pandemic. Members of the Transport and Environment Committee will now consider recommendations on if post-pandemic it should retain the scheme on a trial basis. This includes measures like protected cycle lanes, widened pavements and traffic restrictions on roads outside schools.
Officer recommendations are based on a series of criteria including the impact of projects on encouraging walking and cycling, if they benefit the street environment and how they affect public transport or disabled road users.
The members will also take into account longer-term council objectives relating to climate change, health and the city’s economy, as well as responses received as part of a major public consultation. This attracted more than 17,600 participants and has been considered alongside the results of independent market research and comments from key stakeholders.
Transport and environment convener Lesley Macinnes, said: “As we look toward the end of the pandemic, we want to make a sustainable, successful recovery. By helping people to walk, cycle and wheel, many of the changes we’ve made to streets will support this, as well as our broader ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality, reduce air pollution and to improve the quality of life for all those who live in and visit Edinburgh.
“Projects have been controversial, and some groups, notably those representing people with mobility and visual impairments, have raised concerns about their impacts, especially on parking.
“Other concerns include ‘floating’ car parking and impacts on traffic levels on some roads. I’m committed to making sure we listen to feedback and make improvements as we move into a new stage of trialling projects. I want the measures we keep in the longer term to get the balance right, working for everyone.”
A number of measures are expected to be recommended for removal, such as the majority of shopping street changes. These are facilitating physical distancing during the pandemic, but can impact on servicing, parking including for disabled people and bus services.
Officers have also recommended removing pedestrian and cycle infrastructure on Forrest Road and George IV Bridge. Any projects to be retained on an experimental basis would be subject to reviews of their design, associated parking restrictions and local traffic.
