Boulevard barmy

It is yet again with a sense of despair that I read of Edinburgh Council's plans for George Street as a people-panies friendly setting, empty of cars, with street cafés and happy cyclists and pedestrians frolicking in the warm sun, enjoying the "European Boulevard feel". The reconstructed image provided shows this very delightful scene in all its fauxeuropean beauty.

Unfortunately, the reality of an admittedly very beautiful city, in any period of the year other than a few days in summer, would be a fierce wind, blowing either from the east or the west straight along the street, frequently accompanied by rain, sending these happy boulevardiers scurrying into the nearest shop or pub. Banning cars from it would only result in more traffic in Queen Street, more buses in Princes Street and the only access to George Street being up a steep hill on both sides, causing inconvenience and extreme difficulty to older or physically impaired citizens. I wonder how keen the restaurateurs, the shop owners and the office workers in the New Town are about this plan? Perhaps as keen as the local residents here in Murrayfield for the draconian parking restrictions planned by the same council for an area that manifestly doesn't need or want them.

Meanwhile, many of the streets of Edinburgh remain almost impassable due to the potholes in the roads and the disastrous state of the pavements. The zealots in Edinburgh City Council, with their ten year "transformation project", need to be shaken out of their fantasies by the reality of life in an empty city centre. Edinburgh is one of very few world capitals where many residents still live and work in the city centre, and turning it into a fantasy Mediterranean city would benefit no one.

BRIAN BANNATYNE SCOTT

Murrayfield Drive, Edinburgh