Agenda and draft 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 18 May 2023 – 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

By Councillor Lang - Travelling Safely Schemes

“Committee

I.      Notes the majority decision of committee on 1 September 2022 to approve the recommendations of report 7.7 on “Active Travel Measures - Travelling Safely Update”, including progressing the listed projects to experimental traffic regulation orders (ETROs).

II.    notes that, almost 10 months on, these ETROs are still to be correctly advertised or legally commenced due to highly regrettable errors within both the original orders and the revised orders most recently received from the external consultant.

III.   recognises how these delays have only added to the public concern expressed during the consultation period which led to the 2022 report.

Committee therefore agrees to revisit the decision of 1 September 2022 and, in recognition of the challenges seen, agrees to set apart from the ETRO process the following schemes which elicited the most negative feedback in the original consultation, namely:

a)       Braid Road and the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route schemes; where officers are asked to work with local councillors to re-design the schemes, taking into account improvements suggested by local residents during the consultation process, with a view to presenting options to residents living on or near the schemes and thereafter to report back to committee.

b)       Comiston Road; where committee agrees to ask officers to work with local councillors to consider adjustments to the scheme to address road safety concerns, taking into account feedback received from road users and local residents, and to present an adjusted scheme to committee.

c)       Silverknowes Road North; where committee requests that officers return with a more detailed report on options to reopen the road between the Silverknowes roundabout and the promenade and install segregated cycling infrastructure.

d)       Silverknowes Road South, where committee agrees that officers should return to committee with a report on options to a) amend the current arrangement to address ongoing residents’ concerns and b) upgrade the path between Silverknowes and Cramond Road South into a full cycle way, recognising this as a pressing priority for improving cyclist safety in Silverknowes.”

By Councillor Cowdy - HWRC Booking System

“Committee notes:

1.    Through its Waste and Recycling Strategy, Council has a stated commitment that at least 70% of waste is recycled, and to “maximise the use of recycling services to increase the amount of waste collected for recycling through kerbside collection, recycling points and Community Recycling Centres so that by 2015 we divert at least 50% from landfill.”

2.    Recycling Rates have remained stubbornly below 50%.

3.    The online booking system for Household Waste Recycling Centres was introduced in June 2020 to ensure they could be reopened safely following the COVID-19 related closure.

4.    Recycling tonnage levels from HWRC’s have seen a marked decline since the booking system was introduced:
 2018/19 = 17,744 Before Booking System
 2019/20 = 18,269 Before Booking System
 2020/21 = 13,010 During Lockdown
 2021/22 = 16,087 Booking System in place
 2022/23 = 13,433 Booking System in place

5.    Recycling performance for Communal Waste has also fallen since 2019, in spite of the roll out of Phase 1 of the Communal Bin Review:
 2019/20 = 41.1%
 2020/21 = 39.6%
 2021/22 = 42.7%
 2022/23 = 40.7%

6.    With poor recycling performance, Council should take steps to increase recycling rates.

Therefore: Council agrees that the current booking system for HWRC’s should cease from 1 August 2023”

By Councillor Munro - Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs)

“Committee

I.      Notes the majority decision taken on 1 September 2022 to approve the recommendations of report 7.7 on “Active Travel Measures - Travelling Safely Update”, including progressing the listed projects to experimental traffic regulation orders (ETROs).

II.    Notes that, ten months on, these ETROs are still to be correctly advertised due to errors in both the original orders and the revised orders from the external consultant engaged by the City of Edinburgh Council. This means the consultation with the public will result in a further 28 month delay which is far from acceptable.

III.   Notes the delays have caused public outrage, consultation fatigue and a lack of trust in the Council to deliver the outcomes residents want.

IV.  Requests that officers provide a public statement on the legal status of the ETROs and detailing the errors in the originally advertised ETRO.

V.    Committee further instructs that a public report is produced detailing the costs, the legal implications, the sign off process for the ETROs and why they went to badly wrong.  

The Committee also urgently agrees to revisit the decision of 1 September 2022 and exclude the following schemes from the current ETRO process, all of which saw high volumes of negative feedback from local residents in the original consultation.

a) Braid Road and the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route schemes.

b) Comiston Road

c) Duddingston Road

d) Duddingston Road West

e) Lanark Road

f) Silverknowes Road North;

g) Silverknowes Road South”