Edinburgh streets: Walking campaigners say Fountainbridge active travel scheme fails to put pedestrians first
Walking campaign group Living Streets Edinburgh has come out against a proposed active travel scheme for Dundee Street and Fountainbridge.
It says the plans fail to put pedestrians first, with pavements reduced in width in at least 12 locations and many left below the minimum width recognised in both local and national guidance.
And the campaigners say that flies in the face of the council's official travel hierarchy which prioritises walking and wheeling, then cycling and then public transport before private cars.
They also criticise a lack of pedestrian improvements around schools in the area and the introduction of nine "floating" bus stops, which means passengers have to cross a cycleway to get on or off a bus.
The scheme - known as the Dundee Street / Fountainbridge Active Travel Project - proposes a continuous cycleway on both sides of the road along Dundee Street and Fountainbridge from Ardmillan Place in the west to Ponton Street in the east; and a quiet route on Ashley Drive, Ogilvie Terrace, Harrison Gardens, West Bryson Road, Bryson Road and Fowler Terrace.
The idea is to offer an alternative route for cyclists currently using the increasingly congested Union Canal towpath.
But Living Streets says the cycleway is being created at pedestrians' expense, by narrowing large sections of busy pavements. One pavement, at the Edinburgh Printmakers, would be left little more than a metre wide, the group adds.
David Hunter, the group’s Convener, said: ”Despite a £10 million price tag, the plans for Dundee Street would not only leave many pavements below the minimum width recognised in both local and national guidance, they would actually reduce pavement space.
“New cycle lanes shouldn’t come from walking space. We’ve already seen how pedestrian space was squeezed out in Leith Walk, and Dundee Street would make the same mistake.
“We really need to see the council stick to its own policy - that means putting pedestrians’ needs first, above other road users.”
Living Streets’ response to the public consultation on the scheme - which closes next Monday, January 12 - spells out in detail the group’s concerns about the pavement widths and other matters like the floating bus stops.
And it says: “We do not support the proposals.”
On the schools, the response says sections of Dundee Street / Fountainbridge have very high footfall from children at Boroughmuir High and Tollcross Primary schools and providing adequate pedestrian space at schools should be a primary objective of the scheme.
It says the council’s own design guide lays down a minimum width of 3 metres outside schools. But it continues: “The section of pavement immediately west of BHS is being widened by only 30 centimetres to 2 metres, despite being used by hundreds of children every day to access Sainsbury’s and other shops. This modest widening - introduced in response to our comments on an earlier draft - is achieved by reducing the width of the northern footway.”
It says there appears to be no change to the footway dimensions at Tollcross Primary School. And it notes: “The pavement at the school gate is currently just under 2.5 metres wide and has guardrails which narrow it further.”
The response says Living Streets Edinburgh supports the provision of alternative routes for cyclists to the congested Union Canal towpath, but suggests this should be achieved using traffic-free and quiet streets in Shandon and North Merchiston rather than Dundee Street.
But the group says there are positive aspects to the plans, including new and improved crossings, particularly the proposal to add pedestrian phases to the lights at the ‘Diggers’ junction - where Dundee Street, Henderson Terrace and the West Approach Road meet - which Living Streets describes as “one of the most notoriously hostile junctions for pedestrians in the whole city”.
The group also welcomes “continuous footways” across almost all side streets, giving pedestrians enhanced priority and intended to slow down traffic, although it adds: “It is essential that they have appropriate tactile paving to alert visually impaired people that they are entering a space where they are likely to encounter a turning vehicle.”
The response says it is understood that when developments in Fountainbridge completed there will be significant amounts of new pedestrian space on the south side of the street.
And it suggests: “The proposed cycle lane should at least be deferred until the Fountainbridge development is completed. This should clarify whether there is sufficient public realm which can better accommodate the competing claims for adequate footway, carriageway and cycle way. In the meantime, some of the less controversial aspects of the scheme - such as improved crossings - could be introduced, with a much reduced budget.”
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I’m grateful to Living Streets for engaging with our consultation, as we gather feedback on our plans. We’re determined to make this new scheme work well for all road users, of which pedestrians remain a key group.
“This project is one of several in the city that are aiming to create safer, more attractive streets for everyone, alongside liveable neighbourhoods for residents, and improve connections to the wider active travel network in the city to support healthy, safe, and sustainable journey options.
“There are several specific improvements for pedestrians in this scheme. These include new pedestrian crossings at the Henderson Terrace junction, signalised junctions at Yeaman Place and Grove Street, a parallel cycle and pedestrian zebra crossing over Drysdale Road, and widening the footway on the south side of Dundee Street.
“Edinburgh Street Design Guidance has special considerations in place when designing footway and segregated cycleway enhancements together. Work will continue on effective design solutions as the project progresses to detailed design and delivery, and this consultation is an important part of informing that work.”