Edinburgh Greens call for urgent action to stop controversial traffic measures being ripped out
Edinburgh Green councillors are calling for urgent action to stop controversial traffic measures being ripped out within weeks.
Planters and barriers which block through traffic in Morningside's Braid estate face an uncertain future in the wake of a Standards Commission ruling which means a vote two years ago to remove these filters and install a segregated cycleway will have to be taken again because two councillors who took part in the decision should not have done.
But the experimental traffic order which allows the modal filters is due to expire on June 15 before a new vote is likely to be held.
Now the Greens are suggesting an urgent meeting of the Traffic Regulation Orders sub-committee should be held before June 15 to "regularise" the situation.
And they propose officers should "take such measures as are necessary under delegated authority" to ensure the barriers stay in place "until a procedurally correct re-run of the decision of March 7, 2024 is taken".
The measures in the Braid estate, which form part of the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route, date back to the Covid pandemic and were one of the most contentious of the Spaces for People schemes in the city.
The transport committee's decision in March 2024 to remove them and install a segregated cycleway on Braid Avenue and Hermitage Drive - by six votes to five - came after a survey of residents found that was the most popular option.
However, there was strong opposition from some residents who had welcomed the reduction in vehicles in the area and so wanted to keep the filters; and also from cycle campaign group Spokes who argued segregated cycle routes should be reserved for main roads. A road safety audit of the planned changes also highlighted several potential accident spots.
The changes agreed in March 2024 were never implemented - and although residents were told before Christmas that the work was due to start in January 2026, that was put on hold pending the outcome of the Standards Commission hearing earlier this month.
The commission ruled that two councillors who took part in the March 2024 decision - Liberal Democrat Neil Ross and Tory Marie-Clair Munro - had breached the councillors code of conduct by failing to declare an interest and withdraw from the meeting because they lived in the area.
In the wake of the ruling transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said the decision would have to be revisited. He told the Evening News: "I'm already being inundated with correspondence both for and against the implementation of these measures. However, I'm committed to finding a way forward."
The Greens have tabled a motion for this week's transport committee, urging action to stop the measures being ripped out when the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order expires. It calls for committee members to be briefed by officials on the options available and "consider whether an urgent TRO sub-committee should be convened before 15 June 2026 in order to regularise the situation".
Cllr Chas Booth, who has put forward the motion, said: “The Standards Commission ruling means the March 2024 decision must be revisited - I accept that. But with legal permission for the current measures expiring on 15 June, the council must act now, or risk being forced to tear out protections for vulnerable road users. That would be unacceptable to local residents who’ve already faced too much uncertainty.”
“To be clear: I agree the March 2024 decision needs to be retaken, in a way that is democratically accountable and legally sound. But that process shouldn’t mean removing current protections for people walking, wheeling and cycling. The prime focus must be the safety of children and vulnerable road users. The council must act decisively on this - anything less would be unforgiveable.”
Cllr Jenkinson said: "The committee will consider the merits of the motion on Thursday."
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