Article printed in the Colinton Magazine, Autumn 2021. [links are underlined]
Almost!
A ’20-minute neighbourhood’ is where residents can access what they need with a short, under 20 minute journey, by walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling. It helps mental and physical health regardless of age, disability or socio-economic status. It also helps support our local businesses and, crucially, helps make changes to our environment.
SW20 (South West Edinburgh 20-Minute Neighbourhoods) is a new local group. It formed to help generate ideas about implementing a 20-minute neighbourhood. We are local to Colinton and other areas in South West Edinburgh and are from a wide range of backgrounds. We want to support people to access local businesses, public services, schools and green spaces sustainably. We aim to spark conversations and ideas.
Image: place and wellbeing outcomes from The Improvement Service
In Colinton, we are very fortunate. We are surrounded by green space and many fantastic amenities from groceries, pharmacy, a GP surgery, cafes, restaurants and pubs to name a few! Many of our community can already access what they need by walking or wheeling - without unnecessary car journeys. We also have an engaged community - willing to launch initiatives like The Colinton Tunnel and The Shed in Spylaw Park.
Colinton is a great place to live but we know we need to support local business and make our village more accessible in order for it to thrive. By improving small things, we can give people what Amazon or large retail parks cannot – a safe, pleasant and resilient streetscape. To do this, we can make small changes that improve access and quality of experience for all our residents.
If you are visiting or passing through our community, it is safer for our youngest and oldest citizens if speed limits are set at 20mph. No exceptions, including Colinton, Gillespie & Redford Roads. A recent review of Edinburgh’s 20mph streets shows they save lives. Safer streets encourage walking. And changes to the Highway Code in October will help too.
Image: tiny pavements in Colinton Village.
One person’s ’20 minutes’ is different for another, so it is important that we help improve access to local businesses and services for those who need it most. You may have encountered the same difficulties that many local parents or people with mobility difficulties have. That difficult moment when walking down Bridge Road with a pram, where it is too tight to pass someone coming back up the hill. As a resident with young kids, you are faced with the dilemma of dropping into oncoming traffic or asking someone else to do the same – a harder choice with social distancing or a mobility aid.
Image: traffic light in middle of small pavement
Maybe we can add blue badge spaces and delivery spaces for businesses? If there is one obstacle that exemplifies what we could easily change, it would be moving the traffic lights in the middle of a tight pavement at the top of Bridge Road! Maybe we could remove the traffic lights altogether, so drivers pay closer attention to each other – too radical perhaps?
Image: Westgarth Road a junction to a residential street - difficult to cross safely.
We can also make it safer and more enjoyable to walk around the village or to local bus stops. Crossing our wide roads can be challenging. By building out the pavements at the Westgarth Road junction near the Episcopal Church we can help reduce a huge junction for pedestrians (it is 23m wide!).
Image: main bus stop with limited waiting area or passing space.
The main city-bound bus stop opposite the church is pinned against a wall: perhaps the pavements can be made bigger here as well? There are probably good opportunities to put in zebra crossings too – try using a pram on one of the traffic islands!
Image: pedestrian refuges on wide roads - would zebra crossings be better.
We could make the main junction at the top of the village a bit better. It can take two minutes to cross here, making a 20-minute neighbourhood 10% smaller! By removing the pedestrian island and the filter lane (which has space for just three waiting cars), we can extend the tight pavements on both sides of the road to prioritise pedestrians.
Images above: existing space and a plan to extend pavements for pedestrians
Beyond the village centre we can use wide roads to attract people to the village or local attractions like the Water of Leith & Pentlands Regional Park. By linking quieter streets with new segregated cycling lanes on wide sections of Colinton Road and Redford Road, we could create safe routes to the Firrhill school campus and beyond. In the 1970s, 70% of kids walked and cycled to school. It is less than half that now and that is why we have an obesity epidemic. Often parents drive because there are no safe alternatives. If kids are active, they build good habits for life.
By working together we hope to come up with a plan to attract more investment into our community. This will be critical when the Barracks are redeveloped, so that we can make sure good, active habits are integrated sustainably into our community when it is built.
Image: potential 20 neighbourhood - what do you think?
By making some of these changes we can also help our community’s businesses and residents tackle the causes of climate change. As Covid-19 has shown, big changes hit our economy hard. But climate change will be harder - the longer we delay carbon reduction, the bigger changes we will need. The UK, Scottish and local governments are investing in walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport – there are opportunities for communities like ours to capitalise on this. SW20 wants to help good solutions come forward because communities with a plan are often the ones who attract investment.
If you or your business is interested in getting involved to create a plan for a 20-minute neighbourhood, please get in touch with SW20 (@sw20). Fresh thinking and ideas are always welcome! We need your input to help create a positive, accessible and sustainable vision for our local community.
With kind thanks to the Colinton Amenity Association for publishing this article.
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