Below is an update on the Spaces for People schemes for Braid Road, Buckstone PS, Balerno PS and Pentland PS.

Braid Road Reopening Southbound by the end of March.
The Council agreed some time ago that Braid Road should reopen southbound but there has been concern about the lack of progress. I received this response when I asked the SfP Project Manager for a firm timeline:

Following the Committee decision and amendment we have the following actions to progress:

• Review proposed design options for south bound reopening of Braid Road and consideration of measures in the Cluny and Midmar area to mitigate the reintroduction of traffic. (Ongoing)
• Continue dialogue with Lothian Buses regarding journey times on Comiston Road (last report 18/2/21 noting no current delays).
• Arrange Stakeholders workshop to discuss and agree a design layout and appropriate local traffic mitigation options.
• Seek final approval from our Corporate Incident Management team.
• Rescind existing TTRO and draft up revised Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice (and subsequent Order).
• Revise road layout(s) and reopen Braid Road.

In terms of a timeline we are reviewing our design options next week and expect to arrange the stakeholder workshop in the next couple of weeks. We should be able, resource permitting, to reopen Braid Road (in a southbound direction) before the end of March 2021.

Primary School Spaces for People Schemes – Bonaly, Buckstone and Pentland Primary Schools
People living around these schools have received letters earlier this week saying these schemes will go ahead. I complained about this as the consultation reports had not yet been circulated. The reports are below.

Note – The Pentland PS report says they did no receive any comments from me. In fact, I made this comment:

I have only had a modest level of feedback on these plans from local people and the school community. The common theme from the responses is the lack of consideration given to the Oxgangs Bank entrance which is widely seen as the busiest point on the School. Can the SfP team work with residents and parents on this?

In terms of accessibility, many disabled people depend on cars (both to drive and as a passenger) and taxis. Road changes shouldn’t prevent disabled people from being able to stop near the school. Changes to usual travel patterns can add to anxiety for all of us, but to some disabled people in particular. The scheme should therefore be seen in this context – continual changes should therefore be avoided where possible, and should be effectively communicated to the public (including disabled people).