Improving our community - Lanark Road and Longstone

What’s this blog for?

• To further the views of local residents and businesses who are interested in making improvements in our local area

• To support Community Councils & councillors by providing local knowledge & experience

• To suggest improvements for Lanark Road and Longstone via an ETRO

• To support improved, more sustainable and accessible communities

Note, The link blue text sections are links to other resources.

Who is SW20?

SW20 is a group of local people who came together to discuss how we can make our community better. As residents, parents, professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, we shared a common interest in wanting to ensure we can live well locally.

We came together because we knew we’d be able to make more of a difference together than individually. We want to support local businesses, public services, schools and green spaces to be accessed in a more sustainable way.

This ‘20 minute neighbourhood’ is where residents can access what they need with a short, under 20 minute, journey, by walking, wheeling or scooting. We know this concept isn’t new and that the benefits are far reaching by supporting the health, wellbeing, safety of our residents regardless of age, disability or socio-economic status. We also want to encourage investment in our local businesses and by making small changes to improve our environment.

Areas being discussed by City for Edinburgh Council which will impact on South West communities

Using ETRO’s

ETRO’s are Experimental Traffic Regular Orders which allow the trial of changes on our streets. This helps residents, businesses and the Council can better understand how they work in practice. It also allows the Council to engage with residents about what’s working well and what needs improving. Importantly it allows a more informed decision as to whether to make the changes permanent.

To make an experimental change permanent, the Council would then have to follow the TRO process. This legal mechanism requires further consultation with statutory bodies such as Emergency Services and the public before going to the Councils Transport & Environment Committee.

ETRO’s and Lanark Road

The proposal is to use an ETRO to test out what improvements might work. This will help create an improved experience for residents, businesses and services connected by Lanark Road.

The current Spaces for People changes on this road have included the introduction of a cycle lane, reduction in speed limit and changes to residents parking. Some changes have divided local opinion, so this is a good opportunity to improve what is there with ETRO. By engaging in this statutory process we can all help make improvements to Lanark Road and the surrounding areas.

Put simply: without an ETRO there will be limited opportunities to work together to make things better soon. The funding for the ETRO will go to another community. Many local groups agree.

We think further improvements will create a better environment for pedestrians, bus users & cyclists. We are concerned that by removing segregated cycling, Lanark Road will revert to a fast and dangerous road. Most stakeholders agree the 30mph limit is simply not being adhered - there are frequent reports of speeding.

We’re also concerned that some of our residents have felt their views excluded. By using the formal ETRO process, we hope it will allow testing of ideas and lead to better outcomes for local residents, road users and businesses.

Making improvements

As a group of local residents we know our community well and have taken journeys around our community and speak with our neighbours, fellow parents and locals to further our understanding of what improvements might make a difference.

We have many ideas but we have focused three main improvement areas below. We’ll also provide some supporting visuals to help imagine the positive changes which we think are possible.

Better pedestrian & bus experience:

Lanark Road is wide. Even with the reduction in speed limit to 30mph it can be a hostile environment for any pedestrian. Speeding is common. The “traffic splitter” islands are not designed to aide pedestrians. Junctions are too wide and can be reduced. We strongly suggest the following are considered as part of the ETRO (or completed prior to the ETRO so they can be tested):

• As a minimum, retain a 30mph limit and reactivate speed cameras.

• Further carriageway width reductions to reduce speeds

• Add dropped kerbs opposite splitter islands (common practice is for pedestrians to use these), with appropriate tactile paving.

• Where possible, crossing points should be built out/extended, have dropped kerbs and appropriate tactile paving. Traffic Islands simply admit the road is too wide and fast for any pedestrians (e.g. Redhall Walled Garden, WoL Bridge, Dovecot Park, Hailes Gardens)

• Bring forward controlled crossing at Hailes Gardens as part of West Edinburgh Link project

• Trial pavement build outs at/near Dovecot Park where there are clear desire lines

• Jointly assess routes to bus stops including road crossings Living Streets, Edinburgh Bus Users Group, Edinburgh Access Panel and BEST

• Cyclists give way via cycle zebra on any new build outs or crossings

• Reduce junction widths with temporary or permanent build outs and continuous pavement surfaces (e.g. Spylaw Bank Road & Redhall Bank Road).

• Remove railings and significantly reduce junction width at Kingsknowe Road South (now 30mph turning into 20mph) whilst retaining access to golf club car park

• Bending in or out cycle lane at junctions to improve pedestrian, cyclist and driver visibility

• Remove crash barriers at/near Arnott Gardens

• Define autumn & winter plans that prioritise groups at the top of the sustainable transport hierarchy first (leaf fall and snow/ice)

Medium term:

• Consider bus lane extension towards Gillespie Crossroads for bus priority. Have only one other lane for non-bus traffic (as road is now single lane feeding single lane roads)

• 30mph average speed cameras, with funds ringfenced for local transport improvements/system maintenance

Improvements to floating parking

We think a combination of these could be delivered relatively quickly and assessed via the ETRO:

• Larger hatched areas for passengers to exit vehicles on both sides. In most places there is significant road width that can be used for this

• Test kerb designs in different floating bays rather than only bollards/wands – suggest battered kerbing (angled) and 0.5m minimum buffer for pedestrian and cyclist safety (as per Edinburgh Street Design Guidance).

• Clearer designation/demarcation of floating parking: e.g. use larger bollards and combination of planters, trees, harder bollards, bike parking (at Dovecot Park) and/or SUDS

• Place bollards, planters or wands perpendicular to cycle lane between the WoL bridge and Inglis Green Road to heighten demarcation at c30m intervals. Cars are parked infrequently and it can appear to be another traffic lane.

• Softening the chicane effects in some locations (e.g. Dovecot Park)

• Use some bus layby space at Dovecot Park for additional floating parking

• Test 15-20 min max parking restrictions at Nurseries and Dance Studio to ensure turnover of cars for parent drop offs, potentially with a blue badge space too.

• Use significant spare parking capacity in each larger sections for one blue badge

• 2 or 3 Blue badge spaces on Dovecot Grove for access to park

Medium / Longer term:

• Consider green/permeable parking or different coloured road surface.

Retention and improvement of segregated cycling:

The principle of reallocating public space on a wide road aligns with all UK, ScotGov and Council policies for active travel, wellbeing and Net Zero. Proposed changes to the Highway Code also align with this approach. With housing building in the Pentlands Ward and public transport hesitancy likely to continue post-COVID, people need safe, direct active travel routes. Lanark Road is ideal given its width.

Streets with segregated cycling are safer for all road users. Segregation also encourages more groups to cycle particularly young people (who have no voice in consultations), women, families and less confident cyclists.

Via the ETRO we strongly suggest:

• Resurfacing the entire cycle lane (it’s bumpy!), ideally coloured to differentiate for pedestrians/drivers

• At junctions, take into account the forthcoming Highway Code changes by raising cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings to enable more active travel

• Reduce segregation gaps: shortening huge bus laybys, filling in wand gaps whilst retaining access to driveways and bus stops

• On uphill sections only, introduce shallow speed bumps throughout cycle lanes adjacent to floating parking sections

• On downhill sections with floating parking, widen the lanes to ensure space for avoiding action (Dovecot Park and Nursery).

• Consider moving floating parking to uphill-side, particularly at Dovecot Park side of road (note flats already have own private and nearby off road parking)

• Trial cycle lane at different levels – current roadway, intermediate and pavement levels.

• Widen pavement and bend out the cycle lane at WoL Bridge / Canal Entry and provide crossing point from north side of road.

We note there is some discussion of removing segregation and replacing this with advisory or mandatory cycle lanes. We strongly oppose this. It is important that new risks are assessed via the ETRO. However, moving vehicle traffic further away from more vulnerable road users and improving segregation leads to a safer overall streetscape:

• Segregated cycling increases cyclist safety by 40-65% and is a key determinant of cycling participation. Advisory lanes (a dashed line) worsen safety by c34% for cyclists and encourage close passes.

• Mandatory painted cycle lanes (a solid white line) provide no safety benefit compared to roads without any protection and are commonly blocked by illegally parked vehicles.

• Most cars are parked in the direction of travel. This increases the likelihood of driver/cyclists conflict or ‘dooring’ of cyclists passing on the outside. All cars have drivers, but with car occupancy typically 1.2-1.4 people, most cars do not have passengers.

• There is already traffic cutting across floating parking lanes on some corners – where painted lanes will likely be placed (e.g. Hailes Gardens).

Our strong view is that with segregation, risks are lower overall for pedestrians and cyclists – which would allow focus on the disproportionate risk of harm caused by vehicle traffic. Painted lanes will encourage even more speeding traffic. Paint is not protection.

Assessment criteria

We would request local Councillors help set outcome metrics and compare the road (where data exists) pre-Spaces for People, during Spaces for People and during ETRO. Metrics may include: accident data, speed compliance, Lothian Buses journey time analysis, Road Safety Audits, Sustrans surveys and other suitable metrics.

A final note

The last 18 months has changed much in our lives. It has effected how we move around and will continue to have an impact for some time to come. Government policy is highlighting the need to put pedestrians, cyclists and public transport first and to support local jobs. We all know the need to transition to a lower carbon economy. We can use the ETRO as an opportunity and invest in our local area. We ask that you:

• Consider the improvements noted above and let us know your thoughts

• Help provide more solutions to issues affecting the local community

• Support the introduction of an ETRO in our community on Lanark Road and in Longstone

• Call for clear assessment criteria of the ETRO and its benefits

• Engage with the consultations set out by the Council asking for your views on the improvements

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