I had a useful meeting with Council Officers today from 2pm to 4pm to discuss the proposals for Comiston Road (Buckstone/Pentland Terrace). Of the 7 Councillors along the route, the following took part: Cllrs Doggart, Rust & Watt. Cllr Main joined the discussions just as they concluded, and Cllrs Cook & Ross could not make it. The Transport Convener, Cllr Lesley MacInnes, also could not make it.

The tone adopted by the Council Officers was conciliatory and they recognized that there was some unease about what is planned. They stated that the consultation generated 36 supportive comments, but were less clear on how many were against (a claim “100 plus” went unchallenged).

General points:

1. Once this route is complete, they hope to connect Greenbank Church to the Meadows using “quiet streets”.
2. They have no cycle / pedestrian data for Comiston Road.
3. They have tried to limit the loss of parking spaces.
4. It was stated that placing a cycle path between the footpath and parking spaces is “uncommon” in Edinburgh.
5. Lothian Buses were not consulted, but a meeting was held yesterday and they were reported as being “content”. Some details on the size of bus stops is being clarified – this is for busy stops and for wheelchair users.
6. Phase 1 will see the cycle lanes stop 15m before bus stops.
7. The waste team have been consulted (bin collections) as well as the road gritting team.
8. It was clear that the Council does not plan to undertake a “Road Safety Audit” until after Phase one of the works are compete(!).
9. Once complete, the scheme will be reviewed on a three week cycle.
10. It was asserted that the measures may become permanent in some form.

The issues I focused were the lack of detailed risk assessments, plans for Braid Road & the failure to address safety concerns of residents living along the route.

I was clear that the Council needs to undertake a Road Safety Audit and meet with residents along the route before the plans are finalized. There was no vote, but I think most (if not all) Councillors agreed with this (as did the Fairmilehead Community Council Rep). This request will be discussed with the Director of Place on Monday.

Braid Road was due to be considered today but the meeting was cancelled due to ill-health. However, we were told “all options are on the table”.

Useful links:
Comiston Road Consultation
Comiston Road Consultation Report
Comiston Road Phase 1 & 2