Im fairly sure the working party would appreciste any input and as PCC don't yet have their own website perhaps we can assist. Here's the story so far: (from April's minutes):
A great many points were contributed to the discussion, as follows:
I'm sure any further input will be welcomed by the working party.PCC TRAFFIC DISCUSSION wrote:
• Big Things On The Beach have spoken to hundreds of people during their research, and traffic issues were frequently mentioned. Photographs of Portobello in its heyday show thousands of people visiting, so transport obviously worked all right then.
• ‘Traffic’ should be about the movement of people, not of machines; people move around on foot, on
bikes, on skateboards, in buggies – a large variety of methods which must all be catered for.
• The Science Festival considered running a major event on Portobello beach, and this would have
highlighted transport difficulties. There is likely to be increasing interest in running large events in
Portobello, and these would require good transport connections.
• Portobello’s transport issues should not be seen as the problem of making space for more cars, but as
an opportunity to provide better access by bike and public transport.
• There is a good opportunity here to make a big impact on Portobello's carbon footprint.
• The recent closure of Sir Harry Lauder Road had come close to gridlocking local streets, and with
several large residential developments planned in the near future, regular gridlocks would be ever more
likely if we fail to reduce car use significantly.
• The Scottish government has published guidelines to encourage planners to put people before cars in
new developments, and the principles can be transferred to existing environments.
• We need imaginative solutions, such as putting footpaths down the centre of narrow streets and
allowing car parking at the edges, although traditional traffic engineers have difficulty with such ideas.
• It was suggested that photographs of home-zone areas on the continent always seem to be traffic-free,
so are not a relevant model for Portobello.
• Many local residents buy cars and expect to be able to park them near to where they live, and it’s hard
to see how they can be told not to do this, even though it’s impossible to make room for these cars.
• People buy cars because they can afford them, and it isn’t clear how to deal with that.
• There is a danger that some local streets are so congested that emergency vehicles would not be able to
get through them.
• Congestion would be significantly reduced if parents didn’t take their children to school by car.
• Portobello needs a train station to handle the large number of people likely to move into the new
residential developments.
• Buildings in the High Street vibrate as buses and lorries go by.
• There is a new pedestrian crossing on Milton Road near the Coillesdenes, but motorists approach this
too fast to be able to stop.
• Safety should be of paramount importance. People are not allowed to manufacture electrical equipment
which can electrocute users, nor smoke in enclosed public spaces, and they should not be allowed use
transport which puts other people’s health and safety at risk.
• Rising fuel prices will discourage the use of cars, though this will take a long time to have much effect.
• The City Council publishes design guidelines for streets aimed at improving their appearance so that
people will want to spend more time in them.
• Remedial work in Bath Street made a big difference to its appearance and use.
• People should be encouraged to use the City Car Club as this could take a lot of cars off our streets.
• If there were fewer car parking spaces, more people might be encouraged to transfer to better ways of
getting about.
• Research is needed to understand traffic flows and usage, before detailed plans can be made. For
example, the City Council does not know how many people use the Promenade and how they get there.
• We should change what we can in Portobello, and not try and solve all the world’s problems here.
• British people love their cars, and depend on them too much to give them up.
• Whenever anyone tries to imagine an idyllic place to live, they don’t pack it full of cars.
In trying to draw these points together, John Stewart suggested setting up a sub-committee to look at the area bounded by the High Street, Bath Street, Bellfield Street and the sea. The following further points were made
in discussing this suggestion:
• Rat-running through these streets is part of a much wider problem throughout Portobello.
• The City Council has taken eight years to organise a one-way system in Bellfield Lane, and is not
likely to solve wider problems very quickly.
• Portobello has been discussing traffic problems for over 20 years – since David Begg’s time – and
depends very much on what’s happening at national level.
• Current circumstances make the modern era a good time to revisit local and global issues, and to raise public awareness of the causes and consequences of climate change – even at a local level.
• Local residents should be consulted about any local plans.
• The sub-committee should endeavour to identify all aspects of the problem and make
recommendations. It should pick up any small problems that put people off walking....
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