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NTBCC Submits Comments about Meadows to George Street Traffic Regulation Order

Earlier in the year, the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division advised us that a Reporter had been appointed to consider the objections (including ours) to the proposed traffic regulation order for the Council’s Meadows to George Street project.  They also advised us that the Council had provided a Statement of Case in further support of their proposals. We have reviewed this document against our original objection and have now submitted some further comments.

These comments highlight continued concerns about the adverse impact on residents and businesses in our area of the project including the planned traffic restrictions on The Mound, failure to increase pavement widths, loss of disabled parking and further installation of floating bus stops as well as a lack of documentation used to justify the project.

The Reporter has announced that a public hearing of the matters raised by all the objections will be held between 17 and 24 June. NTBCC will be represented at this hearing.

If you have any comments or questions about our objection and additional comments, please let us know using the Contact form on our website.

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City of Edinburgh Council Consults on Taxi Fares

The Council has recently commenced a consultation looking at taxi fares in Edinburgh. The closing date for comments is 20 February 2026. You can access this consultation on the Council’s website. 

They have also written to Community Councils and other stakeholder groups looking for our input. Attached below is a copy of the letter we have received. If you have any views on this topic that you wish to share with NTBCC, please use the contact form on this website

Taxi Tariff Consultation

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NTBCC Submits Applications to Local Traffic Improvement Programme

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has submitted six applications for projects to be included in the Council’s Local Traffic Improvement Programme. This scheme was established by the Council to allow community groups to identify small improvement projects that would address local travel issues. The applications are primarily concerned with improving pedestrian safety but also seek repairs to road surfaces and better road signage.

Improved Crossings in Gayfield Square

 

Copies of all the applications are given below. If there are small projects which would make a difference in your area, do let us know and we will add them to the list for next year.

LTIP Application Form (Carlton Terrace Brae)

LTIP Application Form (Gayfield Square)

LTIP Application Form (Princes Street)

LTIP Application Form (Bellevue Crescent)

LTIP Application Form (New Town Junctions)

LTIP Application Form (Annandale Street)

 

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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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Council plans to introduce one-way exemptions for cyclists on Rose Street and Thistle Street

The City of Edinburgh Council has just published a draft traffic order (TRO/24/27) to introduce one-way exemptions for cyclists on several roads in Edinburgh. This includes Rose Street and Thistle Street on which the New Town and Broughton Community Council had raised concerns in a previous deputation to the Transport and Environment Committee regarding the safety of pedestrians. Anyone who has used Rose Street will know that this mostly pedestrianised street is already very congested. Encouraging more cyclists to use this shared space will only increase potential conflict with pedestrians and thus adversely impact on their safety.

Details of the TRO can be accessed on the Council’s website using the following link. A copy of the NTBCC deputation which provides more information on our concerns can be accessed here.

Having reviewed the latest proposals, we do not believe that the concerns that we raised about pedestrian safety have been addressed. No information has been provided about any road safety assessment or any planned mitigations to reduce the adverse impact on pedestrian safety.  We therefore will be submitting a formal objection to the proposals for Rose Street and Thistle Street.

Aside from the safety concerns arising from these proposals, we do not believe that there is justification for the planned changes to Rose Street and Thistle Street proceeding. When this matter was considered by the Transport and Environment Committee in January it was stated that they were necessary to provide an alternative route for cyclists during the planned redevelopment of George Street. At the Transport and Environment Committee meeting in June, it was agreed that two way cycling would be retained along the entire street during any further redevelopment work.  There is therefore no longer any need for this work to proceed.

We encourage residents to submit their own objections in order that this matter is given further consideration. The deadline for objections to be submitted is Friday 1 August 2025.   The link to the Council’s website provides further information on how objections may be submitted but the email address is as follows: TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

 

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Communal Bin Review – Phase 6 Consultation

The City of Edinburgh Council is currently undertaking a consultation exercise as part of their plans to introduce new waste and recycling arrangements within the New Town and some adjacent areas. This is described as being Phase 6 of the Communal Bin Review that started in 2021.

As part of their communications, the Council has written to all residents on the streets included in the current Phase. They have also held three drop-in sessions to allow residents to ask questions about the new arrangements. There is another drop in session underway this afternoon at Palmerston Place Church and two further ones planned at Stockbridge Library and The Dean Church on 7 and 10 March, respectively.

Further information about the consultation can be found in the attached email. You can also find more information on the Council’s website. 

We will be discussing this topic at our next monthly meeting on Monday 10 March which will be held online using Zoom. The agenda and link to the Zoom meeting can be found on our website.