Below is an update from Council Officers in the ongoing Braid/Comiston Road SfP Scheme review. At the foot of the blog are the notes from the Community Council workshop and the slides which informed the discussion. It looks like an interesting meeting, with two stand-out quotes:

1. The Council appears to be considering allowing parking in the cycle lanes: “it is proposed to remove the Loading restrictions along most of the length of the scheme, and provide gaps in the cycle lane defenders where possible, to provide additional loading opportunities.”
2. There is an acceptance that the road network is now less resilient when road traffic incidents occur: “Accidents can happen anywhere but they are occasional events and should not be the primary concern when planning a road network.”

The next step is for a survey of local people to take place. I have asked for an opportunity to comment on the questions and the area included in the survey.

Council Update – Braid/Comiston Road Spaces for People Scheme Review
As you will be aware we recently completed a consultation exercise on the potential retention of Spaces for People measures. This was followed by the publication of the report on keeping these measures, which was considered at the meeting of the city’s Transport and Environment Committee on 17 June. The decision to retain or remove measures was based on consultation results, independent market research, a review by technical officers and consideration of how well such changes fit with the Council’s long-term transport policy objectives.

At this meeting it was agreed that a final decision on moving forward with the schemes should be made at the 24 June meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council.

Council motion on Braid Road
The Council voted to approve the report, with requests from Councillors to review the Comiston Road Scheme and consider options for reopening Braid Road in both directions. Officers have been asked to engage with local residents and local Community Councils to consider:

• options for Comiston Road, to improve public transport connectivity and reduce impacts on local residents
• options for the reopening of the Braid Road in both directions, including analysis of impacts on traffic levels, resident connectivity and vulnerable road users walking, wheeling and cycling

To help us make more informed decisions, we are also currently monitoring traffic through the area, using cross-modal counters. You can read the full motion here.

We have commenced with the required engagement with Community Councils and Local Residents – this engagement will continue over the coming weeks through the following means.

Meeting with Community Councils
Council officers developed initial proposals which were discussed with representatives from the relevant Community Councils at a workshop on 25 August. Notes from this meeting, along with the slides which were presented, are attached.

Residents’ Survey
The outcomes of this meeting in terms of proposals will be detailed in a survey on the Council’s website. Information regarding this survey will be circulated to residents on affected streets via letter drop. This will allow us to gather a good sample of opinion in the local area in relation to the changes proposed.

The results of survey will help us to mitigate the concerns which have been voiced regarding this scheme and will sit alongside the results from the previous consultation when elected members decide on whether this scheme should be retained in the longer term.