Agenda and minutes

Including any notices of motion and any other items of business submitted as urgent for consideration at the meeting.

Members should declare any financial and non-financial interests they have in the items of business for consideration, identifying the relevant agenda item and the nature of their interest.

If any.

Minute of the Transport and Environment Committee of 6 October 2022 – submitted for approval as a correct record

Minute of the Transport and Environment Committee of 3 November 2022 – submitted for approval as a correct record

Transport and Environment Committee Work Programme

Transport and Environment Committee Rolling Actions Log

Transport and Environment Business Bulletin

Brunstane Road Closure (Progression to a Permanent Traffic Regulation Order) – Report by the Service Director for Operational Services

By Councillor Aston - Responding to Conflicts as Leith Walk Reopens to Vehicles

“Committee:

1)       Notes with concern the conflict caused by car drivers making prohibited turns into junctions and the danger that brings to pedestrians and cyclists and cars mounting raised table junctions and that both of these are occurring at most junctions on Leith Walk which provide a through route from and to Easter Road.

2)       Accepts that the current period where partial reopening has resulted in some but not all routes between Easter Road and Leith Walk providing vehicular access is concentrating conflicts in a smaller number of locations and that full reopening will likely dilute this;

3)       Notes however that this means still a substantial period of time in which these significant risks will continue and that some of the conflicts are caused by design issues.

4)       Notes that the Brunswick Road junction in particular has generated huge numbers of incidents over the last few days, well documented on social media and elsewhere with drivers not adhering to the instructions on signage prohibiting right and left turns from Leith Walk and into Brunswick Street, leading to a number of near misses by car drivers which have risked injury to crossing pedestrians and cyclists.

5)       Welcomes that Police Scotland have been active in providing enforcement at the Brunswick Street junction in recent days but accepts that this cannot and must not represent the entirety of the response to these problems and that a preventative approach is required.

6)       Notes that the raised table junction at Dalmeny Street is generating conflict between cars on the one hand and pedestrians and cyclists on the other, with many drivers apparently either unaware of or deliberately ignoring the fact that pedestrians and cyclists have priority at these.

7)       Further notes that the similar problems noted at the Brunswick Street raised table junction resulted in the junction being temporarily closed shortly after it was reopened to vehicular access and that it has remained closed since because a solution to these problems has not yet been implemented.

8)       Notes that these conflicts are only becoming apparent when each junction reopens to vehicles as the Trams to Newhaven works progress to completion.

9)       Therefore calls upon the Trams to Newhaven project team and the relevant council transport teams urgently to:

a)       Take a proactive approach to identifying where there is potential for conflicts, prior to junctions reopening to vehicular access;

b)         Improve signage at the relevant junctions to ensure that drivers know what the layout is and which road users have priority;

c)         Work with the Council’s media team and with Police Scotland urgently to implement a campaign to promote awareness among drivers of the new layout of junctions and of the requirements on them when approaching raised tables where pedestrians and cyclists have priority;

d)         Write to all businesses in the area of Leith Walk requesting that they alert their suppliers to the new arrangements;

e)         Return to elected members with a  ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.1

By Councillor Miller - Driver Behaviour

“Committee:

1)       Notes with concern the high number of drivers making illegal turns from Leith Walk into Brunswick Road, and thanks members of the public for the detailed information they have provided to councillors and council officers.

2)       Thanks council officers for responding with changes to traffic signals and for successfully making the case to police that this is a road safety priority.

3)       Notes however that police are not able to attend at all times, and agrees that safe and legal driving (such as adherence to road signs) should not rely on constant police presence.

4)       Calls on council officers to work in partnership with the police to carry out a behavioural change and communications campaign targeting drivers to increase road safety, with particular reference to obeying road signs and traffic signals.”

By Councillor McFarlane - Low Emission Zones

“Committee:

1)       Notes that LEZs help to improve air quality by discouraging the most polluting vehicles from entering a specified area - helping to improve public health and wellbeing and Edinburgh’s legal obligations on improving air quality.

2)       Notes that the Low Emission Zone guidance states there is an exemption for historic vehicles, which is defined as:

·       The vehicle was manufactured or registered under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, for the first time at least 30 years ago.

·       The vehicle is no longer in production, and

·       The vehicle has been historically preserved or maintained in its original state and has not undergone substantial changes in the technical characteristics of its main components.

3)       Understands that this vehicle class is a national exemption and is subject to The Low Emission Zones (Emission Standards, Exemptions and Penalty Charges) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.  As such, Edinburgh’s LEZ enforcement system will automatically ‘whitelist’ all vehicles over the age of 30. It is then the responsibility of the Council to remove vehicles from the whitelist, if they do not meet the legal definition.

4)       Notes that whilst this exemption may be proportionate in scale for personal use historic vehicles, there are wholly commercial operations operating primarily or totally within the Edinburgh LEZ that utilise polluting historic vehicles in their fleet.

Understands that the hours spent driving around the LEZ for commercial purposes far surpass the normal residential use of a historic vehicle and therefore is a significant and above average contributor of vehicle emissions.

5)       Requests officers explore the feasibility of removing commercially operating historic vehicles from the Low Emission Zone exemption whitelist, with an update provided to the Transport and Environment Committee Business Bulletin within three cycles.”

By Councillor Bandel - Mobility Analysis

“1)      Notes that the City of Edinburgh Council’s new upgraded CCTV system is able to collect a wide range of traffic and mobility data, including but not limited to numbers and movements of road and pavement users at particular junctions and locations.

2)       Notes that analysis of this data (e.g. traffic counts, analysis of pedestrian desire lines and modal analysis) has the potential to inform and improve the work of Transport and Environment Committee.

3)       Requests a report on the scope of opportunities that this system can present and to identify those transport strategies and action plans which can be improved using this evidence base within three cycles.”

By Councillor Munro - City Council Plan for Whitehouse Loan

"Committee

1)       Regrets that residents believe the City Council's Plan for Whitehouse Loan to remain closed is seriously flawed.

2)       Recognises that the current Plan appears to do little to address the longstanding frustration residents feel towards the road closure. Understands that Clinton Road is now being used as a rat run which regularly see’s vehicles having to mount the pavement to pass one another which in turn causes a risk to those walking especially children.

3)       Notes that the residents believe a compromise could be had by creating a proper cycle lane which accommodates those in the area looking to cycle while allowing residents to access their properties without having to use side streets.

4)       Requests officers revise their plans to address local concerns and reach agreement with residents.”