SWEM2022 - ETROs

ETRO Proposals in South West Edinburgh

What is happening?

The council is taking the next step in the process for making the Lanark Road and Longstone Spaces for People cycle lanes permanent.

The Transport and Environment Committee meeting on 18 August 2022 will hear a report about the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) process.

You can download the committee report here.

The report contains an analysis of the comments received from the engagement process.

How is the process working?

The council used Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs) to install the cycle lanes in the pandemic. They can only be in place for a maximum 18 months - otherwise they wouldn’t really be “temporary”. It’s possible that the Lanark Road and Longstone cycle lanes will be in place unlawfully after July.

To keep the cycle lanes, the council proposes to transfer them to Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) across the city, however these are only used when there is an intention to make a scheme permanent after another 18 months. The “Experiment” is likely to refer to small details within the scheme eg the exact time of parking restrictions, the length of double yellow lines, the precise number of parking spaces etc.

The council has changed the name. “Spaces for People” is now called “Travelling Safely”, but it is the same thing.

More information on all the proposed ETROs in Edinburgh is here.

https://pclengagement-hub.co.uk/en-GB/folders/travelling-safely

What is SWEM doing?

In December 2021, in response the initial 'stakeholder consultation, we made a detailed 15 page submission you can read here.

Since then, there have been minor improvements to visibility at junctions. However, parking outside Dovecot flats was moved to opposite site of the road, which was informed by a Hobson's choice question in a public engagement and therefore could not evidence community support. Therefore, the points raised in December 2021 are still relevant now.

SWEM has submitted a written deputation to the Transport and Environment Committee meeting scheduled for 18 August 2022 and are waiting to hear if the committee will hear this deputation:

SWEM ETRO Deputation August 2022 Draft.pdf

Please keep giving us your feedback and sharing our petition

Last year we drafted a vision that aimed to be a more constructive starting point for a scheme for Lanark Road and Longstone that is likely to have widespread community support. We translated this into a petition. We welcome further feedback. Please email us at southwestedinburghinmotion@gmail.com.

Sign, comments on and share the petition: https://www.change.org/BollardFreeVisionLanarkRoadandLongstone

Specific issues that may affect you...

Time limited parking at Cranley nursery

Are you a parent, staff-member or local residents impacted by this?
Was there any problem with drop off before the introduction of the cycle lane?
Are you a resident of a side street such as Spylaw Park affected by parking displaced from the main road?
Do you find drop-off in the floating parking easy or difficult with small children?
The local engagement showed clear opposition to keeping the cycle lanes and wanted them removed entirely. This was ignored. The local Community Council was misrepresented in the report for council. Do you think this is acceptable?
Are you a parent who used the on street parking to park and ride after drop-off?

Speeding and collisions

Do you think speeds are now better on the road?
Have you witnessed a collision caused by the new road layout?
Do you think changing the speed limit to 30mph while also "bagging" the speed cameras has been effective in stopping vehicles speeding?
Should the speed cameras be reactivated?
As a pedestrian or cyclist, how do vehicles speeding affect you?
Do you think the failure to enforce speed limits led to new safety risks to pedestrians and other road users?

Limited parking at Dovecot impacting children attending sport

Do you visit the area to use Dovecot Park for sport and recreation?
How easy do you find parking and drop-off in the new layout?
Have you ever had problems when unloading children or equipment?
Are you a resident of a side street affected by parking being displaced into your street?

Impacts on cyclists

Have you experienced any safety issues with the new layout?
Are you affected by the bollards containing you in the lane, e.g by preventing right turns?
Do you feel safe in the downhill sections when contained in the bollard lane?
Do you avoid using the bollard lane for any reason?
Do you think the road surface in the bollard lane is of sufficiently high quality to ensure your safety?
On Longstone Road there is only space for a cycle lane on one side, which then reduces the road width for cars to overtake cyclists travelling in the opposite direction - is this an issue for you?

Pedestrian safety

Does the lack of safe crossing points near the Hailes cul-de-sacs affect you?
Would more crossing points make it easier for you or your children to use public transport?
Do you think pedestrians (who are top of the "transport hierarchy") have been sufficiently considered in the new scheme?
Has winter maintenance of foot paths and pavements been a top priority in the scheme?
How do you find the overall provision for walking and wheeling in the area e.g. quality of pavements and off-road paths?

The road layout

How has the introduction of floating parking positioned nearer the centre of the road affected sightlines and visibility at crossing and junctions?
As a driver, do you find the slalom layout of the road makes it safer?
In your experience, has the slalom layout been effective in reducing the speed of traffic?
How have you found driving the new road layout in winter conditions, e.g. snow, low sun / poor visibility?
Are there any other issues raised by the new layout?

Access and disability

Are you affected by lack of kerbside parking access outside properties for residents, visitors and trades-people?
Do you or a family member have a disability that means you are negatively impacted by the scheme?
Do you feel it is reasonable to stop blue-badge holders from parking on the double-yellow lines beside the cycle lanes?
Have you or a family member with a disability been impacted in other ways by the scheme?
As a wheelchair user, has the scheme made it easier or more difficult to cross the road?
Has the new scheme made it easier or harder to access your driveway?

Local engagement

Did you respond to previous consultations and / or local engagements?
Do you feel that your views were listened to?
All previous consultations and engagements showed majority opposition to the scheme — in light of this, do you think it is justified for it to remain?
The council was keen to emphasise the temporary nature of the scheme when it was first introduced in the pandemic. Should a temporary scheme become permanent by default?
The ETRO will run for 18 months, and is based on the idea that more information is needed to judge the success of the scheme. Do you agree?

Time limited parking on Longstone Road

Are you affected by the proposals for time-limited parking in three places on Longstone Road near the Simon Says Dance studio, Imperial Palace and Gino's?
These affect:
- a 10-metre length of the bay on the south side of Longstone Road, immediately west of Kingknowe Road North
- The full length of the bay on the north side of Longstone Road, immediately west of Graysknowe
- The full length of the bay on the north side of Inglis Green Road, opposite Redhall Avenue