A detailed look at Edinburgh's plans to ban through traffic from certain key roads in the city centre
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00:00 Edinburgh is a busy city with a fast-growing population and according to the council, unless
00:06 something is done, that will mean more congestion, more harmful emissions and streets even more
00:12 dominated by cars.
00:16 Edinburgh has the twin targets of becoming a net zero city and also cutting car use by
00:21 30%, both by 2030.
00:25 So the council is proposing to close a number of key roads in the city centre to through
00:32 traffic, as outlined in a recently published blueprint entitled 'Our Future Streets'.
00:39 Under the plans, the North and South Bridges corridor, one of the main north-south routes
00:43 across the city, would see general traffic planned except for local access.
00:48 The council has highlighted busy pavements in South Bridge and says removing traffic
00:53 will help bus journey times as well as being better for pedestrians and cyclists.
00:59 In the longer term, the bridges will become the route of the tram line from Brampton to
01:04 the Royal Infirmary.
01:06 The Mound, another key north-south route, is also due to see general traffic banned
01:16 with a bus gate at Market Street at the top of the Mound.
01:20 But unlike the bridges, the changes at the Mound are not expected to improve bus journey
01:25 times, partly because new traffic lights at Chambers Street will cause a delay.
01:30 Lothian Road will be left as the one main north-south route across the city, but the
01:39 closure of the Mound and the bridges will mean even more traffic being piled onto this
01:44 already busy road.
01:46 Plans to transform it into a tree-lined boulevard will have to be rethought.
01:51 The council acknowledges that the ban on through traffic elsewhere will mean more spaces needed
01:56 for buses and general traffic on Lothian Road, but insists improvements can still be made
02:02 for pedestrians and cyclists.
02:04 However, bus passengers should be warned.
02:07 The extra traffic could mean delays for them of up to eight minutes.
02:13 One of the first roads which will be affected by the new blueprint is the Cowgate.
02:22 Because of its narrow pavements, the street is already closed between 10pm and 5am for
02:28 pedestrian safety, and now through traffic will be banned altogether.
02:32 An experimental closure is expected to be introduced sometime this year.
02:39 The nearby grass market will become a pedestrian priority area with no through traffic.
02:48 The local access will be maintained.
02:51 And colourful and quirky Victoria Street, already a pedestrian priority area, will remain
03:01 closed and become part of a core area in the city centre with no or very limited traffic.
03:08 Coburn Street, also largely closed since the start of the pandemic, will also see the closure
03:18 made permanent.
03:20 The council says the absence of through traffic enhances the quality of Edinburgh's historic places.
03:27 Waverley Bridge, already closed to through traffic, will have the closure made permanent.
03:40 Market Street will close to general traffic under North Bridge.
03:54 But access to Waverley Station will be maintained.
03:58 The Canning Gate will be closed to through traffic too, ending the through route from
04:05 New Street and East Market Street up Geoffrey Street to the Canning Gate.
04:10 The council says expansion of the Royal Mile pedestrian zone will create improved walking
04:15 opportunities in an area which already has high footfall for residents and tourists.
04:22 It suggests bus access would be maintained and there would be early morning delivery times.
04:29 A car ban in Holyrood Park already features in the vision statement published last year
04:41 by Historic Environment Scotland which manages the park.
04:45 The council broadly backs that ambition with its proposal from Visage Keeping Open, a route
04:51 from Holyrood Road along Holyrood Gate, that's the road between the old Scotsman building
04:57 and Dynamic Her.
04:59 Then along Queen's Drive through the park.
05:04 And down Horsewind between the Palace and the Parliament, towards the foot of the Royal Mile.
05:14 So that's an ambitious package, but Transport Convener Scott Arthur and his colleagues at
05:20 the City Chambers don't want to hang about.
05:23 There was talk of introducing everything in one big bang over a single weekend next year.
05:28 It now looks as if there might be a slightly more cautious approach, but Councillor Arthur
05:32 says these changes will come into effect in weeks or months rather than years.
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