city mobility plan

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Improving Charlotte Square Project – NTBCC issues detailed comments

Attached is a document which sets out the concerns of the New Town and Broughton Community Council (NTBCC) about the Improving Charlotte Square project.

While supporting the intent to improve accessibility and provide a link with the existing CCWEL infrastructure, we believe that the current design raises a number of significant issues which require further consideration prior to the project proceeding. Our primary concerns are:

  1. Unclear Project Needs and Goals: We question the overall purpose of the project beyond enhancing cycling infrastructure. We believe that additional clarity is required on the specific outcomes with a detailed cost breakdown to ensure value for Edinburgh’s residents.
  2. Insufficient Community Engagement: We are concerned at the limited community engagement in the decision-making process and call for wider consultation before the project is further progressed.
  3. Limited Design Options: We advocate for exploring a cycling route on the south side of Charlotte Square to mitigate potential conflicts and reduce costs.
  4. Pedestrian Safety: We question the design and location of the pedestrian crossings especially the non-signalised crossing on the south side of Charlotte Square, which raises significant safety concerns.
  5. Heritage Considerations: We believe that there are good reasons for restoring the setted road surface where possible to enhance the heritage value of the square, rather than opting for tarmac.
  6. Project and Funding Prioritization: We are concerned that this project is being prioritised over others in the City Mobility Plan and question the validity of its ranking and anticipated impact on public realm.
  7. Scope and Impact on Related Projects: We consider that the impact on tourist coach parking and overall traffic management in light of future projects both need to be thoroughly reconsidered.
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NTBCC joins Living Streets and Edinburgh Access Panel in objecting to changes to Rose Street

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has joined Living Streets Edinburgh Group and the Edinburgh Access Panel in issuing a statement regarding the introduction of two-way cycling along Rose Street.

Earlier in the year, all three groups submitted objections to the Council’s plans to implement an exemption to allow contraflow cycling along Rose Street which is a one-way street and largely pedestrianised. The objections were focussed on pedestrian safety and the unsuitability of Rose Street as a cycling route in the city centre. We have reiterated these concerns in our joint statement and highlighted inconsistencies in the report that will be presented to the Traffic Regulation Orders Sub-Committee at their meeting next Tuesday. The full text of our statement which has been sent to all City of Edinburgh Councillors can be found below:

Joint Statement on One Way Streets Exemptions for Cyclists (Final)

As we note in our statement, Rose Street is the nearest we have to a pedestrianised area in Edinburgh with very limited vehicular access. It is identified as a Primary Place location and is one of the busiest pedestrian areas of the city centre. Increasing usage by cyclists of this already very congested shared space will increase the risks to pedestrians, especially those with impaired vision or mobility.

The cycling exemptions project states that its goal is that one-way streets will become two-way for cyclists where it is safe to do so (our emphasis). We do not have a problem with this overall goal but we strongly believe that it is not safe to do so on Rose Street.

If you have any comments on the proposed changes to Rose Street, please let us know.

 

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NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 8 September 2025

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held at Broughton St Mary’s church on Monday 8 September 2025 at 7pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.

Continue reading →

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NTBCC makes deputation on pavement widths to Council

At last Thursday’s Transport and Environment Committee meeting, we made a verbal deputation highlighting problems with the loss of pavement space as a result of the issue of tables and chairs permits and siting of other infrastructure on pavements. We included a number of photographs of current examples from across our area to illustrate our concerns.

We noted that the Council is not consistently following its own guidance contained in the Edinburgh Street Design Guidance and raised concerns about response provided in the Business Bulletin to questions raised by Councillors last September. As a result of the deputations from NTBCC and Living Streets Edinburgh, the Councillors approved a motion to seek a full report on this issue early next year. We are hopeful that this report will provide greater clarity on the rules that should apply especially in busy pedestrian areas.

If you are interested in learning more about this topic you may want to watch the webcast of the Transport and Environment committee meeting. If you see other examples of pavements being restricted,  please do forward them to us using X (Twitter) or the contact form.

 

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NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 11 August 2025

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held via Zoom on Monday 11 August 2025 at 8pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.

URLs have been added by the minutes secretary. Continue reading →

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NTBCC full agenda Monday 8 September 2025 and conveners’ reports received so far

This will be an in-person meeting in the Drummond Room at Broughton St Mary’s church, 12 Bellevue Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 6NE.

It will take place on Monday 8 September, 7pm to 9pm.

Convenors’ reports will be added below the agenda as they are received.

  1. Welcome and apologies
  2. Declarations of interest
  3. Approval of minutes of August 2025 meeting and matters arising
  4. Chair’s report
    1. Picardy Place
    2. Review of constitution
    3. Visitor levy
  5. Planning matters
  6. Licensing matters
  7. Culture and Communities matters
    1. Review of City of Edinburgh Council’s culture and communities committee meeting of 21 August.
  8. Transport and Environment Matters
    1. Communal Bin Review Phase 6 update – to discuss
    2.  Sub-committee matters
      1. Meadows to George Street project TRO and RDO Update – to note
      2. ETRO Travelling Safety (Broughton Street to Canonmills) measures decision – to discuss
    3. Transport and Environment Committee matters
      1. Pavement widths ESDG Update – to discuss
      2. Trade waste update – to note
      3. City Mobility Plan investment update – to note
      4. Public toilets update – to note
      5. Car mileage reduction target update – to note
    4. Charlotte Square update – to discuss
    5. Trams to Newhaven remedial work update – to note
    6. North/South Trams route consultation – to note
  9. Any other business

Convenors’ and other reports

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NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 9 June 2025

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held at Broughton St Mary’s church on Monday 9 June 2025 at 8pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.

URLs have been added by the minutes secretary.

Continue reading →