Sometimes it can be difficult to imagine what a more sustainable, active Edinburgh looks like or how we can build it.
With less than 100 days to go till the May elections, we pooled some ideas. You might love, like or loath them.
What do you think?
Our ideas are also available on Twitter here.
Part 1: Liveable Neighbourhoods
1. Save lives with #VisionZero: On all council controlled roads set the default speed to 20mph (very few exceptions). Double speeding fines by working with Scottish Ministers - ringfencing for active and public travel.
2. School streets: 80% of all schools & universities in SW Edinburgh to have zero traffic at start/end of school day and ideally permanently. Deliver at least 10% of new school streets per year.
3. 22 for 2022: task each Community Council identifying 22 walking and wheeling improvements & to make sitting part of a walkable neighbourhood! The Council should deliver these by the end of 2023:
10 dropped kerbs to improve accessibility.
10 locations for new benches. Resting spaces are vital and encourage walking, wheeling and social interaction.
1 parking space to be converted into local bike & scooter parking, at least one in each town centre. Must include space for cargo bikes, accessible cycles and scooters.
1 parking space to be converted into a car club bay.
4. Widest junction: pick the widest junction in each Community Council area and make it pedestrian friendly.
5. Side Road Zebras: When approval is gained by Transport Scotland, trial at least five side-road zebras in SW Edinburgh.
6. Clear snow to protect the NHS and prioritise women: using the same snow clearance budget, follow the Swedish model of snow clearance which prioritises women, care-givers and kids first and targets a reduction in A&E admissions.
7. Spending to protect spending a penny: increase the opening hours of public toilets in spring, summer and autumn by at least 10%.
8. Car-free Sundays: work with willing local neighbourhoods who want to trial hosting markets, street art or community events. E.g. on Bridge Road in Colinton
9. “Snap Send Solve” App: launch a single App (or promote an existing one) to report flytipping, littering, illegal parking, empty grit bins, weeds, fallen trees, blocked gullies, missed bin collections and other common issues. App integrated with What3Words (or similar). Online forms simply don’t work.
10. Use the full powers of the pavement parking ban. From Day 1 ensure it can be enforced remotely with “Snap, Send Solve” App. Do it properly or not at all!
Part 2: Planning for better neighbourhoods
Local councils have two areas of significant power that will combat climate change: transport and land use. Here's some ideas:
11. Get Home Safe: Gain cross-party agreement to implement the recommendations from the “Get Home Safe: Safe Design by Women for Women” in all new street design and planning applications.
12. Parklets, street trees and bike parking: fast track applications for:
bike parking/sheds on private property
communities to build parklets.
more street trees: "true wisdom is planting a tree under whose shade you will not sit"
13. EV free pavements: Commit to, without exception, no charging infrastructure on pavements (include charging stations or cables). There is ample public space on the roads.
14. City Mobility Plan: make it a key planning document.
Low or no traffic major developments with mixed use properties, affordable housing and no new student housing – e.g. Redford Barracks.
No more care centred developments, drive thru's or large car parks.
15. COVID Test Centre Car Parks: we haven’t needed this parking recently. Use the space as local cargobike delivery hubs.
Part 3: A more liveable Edinburgh with an integrated public transport system
Moving around the city more sustainably will help neighbourhoods right across the city. These ideas are a bit bigger.
16: Cycling Network: Build a connected, accessible, segregated cycling network.
part of a public transport system, overlaid on the bus, tram and rail network.
Replicate the low traffic neighbourhoods we already have to cut rat runs (e.g. Fox Spring, Caiystanes, Kingsknowe, Oxgangs schools campuses).
Fun the above by cancelling Sherrifhall roundabout which will induce more traffic.
Here's the planned Glasgow network:
17. "Tap, Tap, cycle, cap": better, more robust bike share available as part of a Lothain Bus & Tram day ticket.
18. Healthy transport corridors: Design and implement at least one "breathing corridor", where only walking, wheeling, cycling and buses/trams are allowed.
Western Approach?
Causewayside?
When cities do this traffic get better, not worse! (See Seoul).
19. Incentivise healthier fast food deliveries: One local pizza delivery business in SW Edinburgh has 21 drivers. Have a 20% reduction in rates for businesses that deliver by bike not car. 20% increase for those that do not.
20. Buses with ray guns. Lothian buses have cameras that aren't certified properly, meaning they can't be used for bus lane, parking or traffic enforcement. So buses get delayed. But the Council can work with Scottish Ministers to approve these. Other ideas:
24/7 Bus lanes. You can't park or drive in a bus lane. Ever.
Double speeding, parking and bus lane fines
EV & bike based traffic busters & school street patrollers
A bus, council & police control room to coordinate enforcement (like Bordeaux)
21. Acknowledge that failing to reduce congestion in the UK's most congested city is anti-car. Parking induces traffic. To reduce car demand, reduce parking
Implement the workplace parking levy. Ringfence for public transport.
Deliver a 10% reduction in paid parking per year for the duration of the council term (5 years), increasing charges to cover reduced income.
But increase blue badge spaces by 20% per annum
22. A city-wide congestion charge and bigger low emissions zone. 200 people in Edinburgh die early every year because of air pollution. It exacerbates COVID.
These kids know why: "It's just too easy to go by car. That's the problem."
Here's to a happy and healthy 2022!