Keep Braid route quiet
I write to object in the strongest terms to the proposal by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Transport and Environment Committee to abandon the Quiet Route for cyclists in the Braid estate.
The whole consultation process has been flawed. In August 2023, before the consultation, the residents of the streets most affected – Braid Road and Braid Avenue – overwhelmingly opposed the removal of the modal filters. They were promised that our views would carry more weight than those of people who didn’t live here. This has not been honoured.
The Braid Estate has seen a 40 per cent reduction in traffic since the introduction of the Quiet Route, bringing with it added safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, and lower pollution levels.
Council research has shown a reduction of more than 4000 vehicles per day with no significant increase in traffic to Comiston and Morningside Roads. The Quiet Route is therefore broadly a success.
The proposals will surely reduce safety and increase pollution. According to the Council’s own technical assessment, this will increase traffic volumes. The loss of parking will put more pressure on parking spaces on other streets and result in more displaced traffic looking for places to park.
Despite this being a conservation area the Council is now looking to use lower cost, second hand materials such as plastic pillars and rubber kerbs, which will not provide the same level of safety and are not a viable solution within residential areas.
This proposal constitutes a wilful act of vandalism on some of the loveliest streets in Edinburgh. The cycle lanes, floating parking, associated warning signs and other ugly street furniture will detract from the unique heritage of the Braid Estate and cause significant inconvenience for all residents, including the disabled, accessing their own properties.
The Council’s plans are significantly different to those proposed under the recent consultation, with no detail on speed reduction measures, timescales or how to fund the work.
I therefore urge the Council to drop these ghastly proposals with immediate effect and start again by engaging in a more open and honest way with the people of EH10.