13th February 2025 by Mike Birch

NTBCC submits detailed objection to Experimental Traffic Order

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has submitted a detailed objection to an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (TRO/21/27B) seeking the retention of many of the measures introduced in 2021 under the Spaces for People initiative along the route from Canonmills to Broughton Street. These were intended to be a temporary response to the pandemic. We believe that there is no longer a justification to retain many of these measures or continue to evaluate them using an ETRO. Instead, those that are no longer serving a useful purpose should be removed immediately and those that have proven their value should be made permanent. The temporary measures do not properly support increased active travel and have created additional hazards for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users as well as increasing congestion on a busy arterial route leading to more air pollution in a residential and local neighbourhood area.

We also highlighted that the plans provided with the ETRO only provide information on the waiting and loading restrictions. Very limited information is provided on the actual measures which were the reason for introducing the revised waiting and loading restrictions. This makes it very difficult for members of the public to provide meaningful feedback on the ETRO.

No evidence has been provided of any monitoring that has been undertaken while this ETRO has been in effect nor does the ETRO set out any plans for such monitoring which is one of the stated reasons for continuing to have these temporary measures in place.

The original Spaces for People measures and their subsequent retention using the ETRO has been a missed opportunity to address the concerns raised by local residents and businesses. We have urged the Council to look again at the active travel needs of this neighbourhood area with a new perspective that properly responds to the needs of the community.

If you are interested in reading the full objection, please click on the link below

Broughton Street to Canonmills ETRO – NTBCC Objection

If you wish to make your own objection or add other comments, you can do so by email to TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk. The deadline for comments is this Saturday, 15 February 2025.

26th October 2024 by Mike Birch

NTBCC Submits Objection to Experimental Traffic Regulation Order

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has submitted the following objection to ETRO 21/28A and in particular the continuation of the changes introduced on London Road in 2020 under the Spaces for People initiative during the pandemic.

Should you wish to object to or indeed support the ETRO, you should write to the Traffic Orders team using the contact information provided on the Council website. Please note the closing date for comments and/or objections is Monday 28 October 2024.

The New Town and Broughton Community Council objects to the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (21/28A) and in particular the changes introduced on London Road between its junctions with Easter Road and Blenheim Place. In summary, the NTBCC considers that the temporary cycle path does not meet its objectives to enhance safety for cyclists, has a number of adverse consequences for traffic management in adjoining streets and does not meet the expected standards of public realm in the World Heritage Site.

Continue reading →

18th August 2024 by Mike Birch

NTBCC Objects to City Centre Traffic Regulation Order

The NTBCC has reiterated its concerns about the continued restrictions to buses and taxis using Waverley Bridge resulting in their relocation to other streets in the City Centre. The decision to relocate buses and taxis from Waverley Bridge was taken as part of the Spaces for People measures introduced over four years ago during the pandemic. The Council has published an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order in order to retain these changes. Today is the last date for comments to be submitted to TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk.

The principal concerns we have raised in our objection are the adverse impact on disabled and other passengers with mobility issues, the additional congestion along Waterloo Place and the western end of Regent Road caused by the out of town and tour buses now using these streets and the problems for pedestrians and wheelers as a result of so many buses using so few bus stops along with the narrow pavements.

We recognise that any plans for Waverley Bridge do need to provide a safe means for pedestrians (including passengers) to access the station and move from Princes Street to the Old Town. This, we believe, can be achieved without closing the road to all buses and taxis.

NTBCC’s objection is in this PDF.

23rd May 2023 by Bruce Ryan

NTBCC meeting minutes 10 April 2023

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, at Broughton St Mary’s church, on Monday 10 April 2023 at 7pm

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 →

23rd July 2022 by Bruce Ryan

NTBCC AGM minutes 13 June 2022

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s annual general meeting, held at Broughton St Mary’s church (some attendance via Zoom), on Monday 13 June 2022 at 7pm

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

Items 1 to 5 and item 7 were chaired by Carol Nimmo. Item 6 was chaired by Bruce Ryan. Continue reading →