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Aggressive targets over the next 7 years, designed to reach THEIR GOAL of NET ZERO by 2030.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Convener, made the following comments in Jan 2023. We beg to differ… but as always you decide!
- Edinburgh is ..ideally suited to getting around on foot and by bike…A high proportion of all journeys are within easy cycling range
– is cycling really the viable solution that most people will embrace in Edinburgh? How will many manage cycling up and down the substantial hills, and in rain, ice and snow, and with children and shopping? If cycling is so ideal, why did the Edinburgh electric bike hire scheme, started in 2020 with 168 e-bikes available all over Edinburgh, sponsored at a cost of several hundreds of thousands of pounds – ultimately fail. Why are all the cycle lanes which have been in place for a couple of years now all over the city almost completely empty most of the time? (most cyclists seem to be working for big name fast food delivery enterprises) - walking perfectly complements our excellent bus service
– the bus service is demonstrably not “excellent” in many areas of Edinburgh. It does not give nearly enough coverage and flexibility to suit many needs. Even with improvements to bus services, travelling by bus for most would add significant time and inflexibility to journeys, negatively affecting people’s quality of life and self limiting the places they would visit. - Our new Active Travel Action Plan aims to significantly increase the pace of change
– Why such a rush to implement an agenda of Net Zero by 2030? Is it convenient that most people are quite unaware of the extent of plans, and what this means? This is being railroaded through without proper consultations, without trials or consideration. It promotes “cherry picked” positive arguments and outcomes, but ignores a whole raft of potentially complex and destructive implications. Net Zero and 2030 is part of an agenda which is getting rolled out world wide, with every country being directed and incentivised by non elected global organisations. It seems to be a fore gone conclusion and the decision has already been made. This is what we are being told to do, with no opportunity to change these plans, or make our own decisions even if there is significant public opposition. How can this be democratic, or lawful? - …Redesign local high streets as places with more space and priority to people, and less to cars.
– To what extent do local high streets rely on an accessible road network and vehicle access for their survival? In these plans we note that the reduction of vehicle use will NOT be implemented by designing systems which inclusively suit the best needs and wishes of the majority, NOR by incentives or education. Instead it is being done by blocking off and removing road space and making access difficult for vehicles. Behaviour will be coerced and forced by de-prioritising, restricting and penalising people travelling by vehicle. It is very difficult to see how on earth these plans could possibly “create more accessible and affordable travel options”. No account is being taken of the many people, who, for a large variety of reasons, really need to travel by vehicle – including cars, taxis, ambulances, vans, motorcycles – journeys which may be necessary or vital to the health, income, wellbeing and livelihood of themselves and indeed of others. But these people’s needs will be swept aside and their lives impoverished with impunity. - …further roll out of low-traffic neighbourhoods
– The council are just rolling out vehicle restrictions and infrastructure changes despite consultations showing a large majority do not want these. Is this behaviour undemocratic, discriminatory and an overreach of power? How will the stated goals of creating “thriving neighbourhoods and shopping streets” possibly be attained if it becomes too difficult and expensive for local businesses who provide goods, services, sense of community and jobs, to operate? - The investment we will need for implementing the ATAP is substantial
– need we say more on the council’s track record of running large, ambitious projects. This is a significant proportion of our money the council are spending, yet we seem to have little say. Net Zero by 2030 is a controversial, radical imposition on all Edinburgh people with far reaching consequences and once implemented may be irreversible. - plans for bus priority, improving air quality and managing parking is a major challenge we are addressing
– It is noted that busses are negatively affected by road restrictions and cycle lanes. As for air quality, some great news is that traffic pollution is actually no longer an issue. Since 2022, it has already been recorded and demonstrated that everywhere accross the city is now well below traffic pollution safety levels. But lack of parking and restricted vehicular access does cause significant difficulty to businesses. In regard to public transport, don’t mention train or trams! How long has it taken to implement a tram system in Edinburgh, how much has it cost in time, money, disruption to the people of Edinburgh – and how many people does it benefit in this Net Zero travel plan? You may well come to the conclusion that people will lose their local community services and business if the out and out war on vehicles at the expense of correct balance and common sense continues.
What the Council Says
“We want to hear you views on proposals and priorities set out in the Action Plans and Our Future Streets framework. These cover a range of areas, including making streets more accessible, improving public transport and active travel networks, as well as achieving ambitious road safety targets and creating people-friendly, thriving neighbourhoods and shopping streets.”
“The City Mobility Plan for Edinburgh was approved in February 2021…We have an ambitious 2030 target to lower the number of kilometres travelled by car in Edinburgh by 30%. Edinburgh also aims to achieve Net Zero by 2030.
Download the action plans
- Active Travel Action Plan
- Air Quality Action Plan
- Road Safety Action Plan
- Parking Action Plan
- Public Transport Action Plan
Together, these action plans aim to create cleaner, greener, safer, more accessible and affordable travel choices, while reinforcing the Capital’s Net Zero 2030 goals.
Our Future Streets framework outlines how we can make changes to the allocation of limited street space to improve our streets. It will also provide a more welcoming environment for everyone.”