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WRU considers building new centre of excellence as part of radical restructuring

WRU considers building new centre of excellence as part of radical restructuring

Wales Onlinea day ago
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Edinburgh roads: Council line on cycle route raises questions over safety of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
Edinburgh roads: Council line on cycle route raises questions over safety of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Scotsman

time4 minutes ago

  • Scotsman

Edinburgh roads: Council line on cycle route raises questions over safety of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Council bosses are facing questions over people's safety in low traffic neighbourhoods after they cited fear of attack as a reason to run a new cycle route along a busy main road instead of through the quieter streets of an LTN. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Campaigners in Leith object to plans for a new cycle lane along the main A199 road, including Commercial Street and Salamander Street, because it will mean the removal of crucial bus lanes, adding to journey times, as well as channelling cyclists along Salamander Street which has some of the worst pollution figures in Edinburgh. Instead, the campaigners argue the cycle route - part of the Leith Connections project - could go through the recently created LTN, using Queen Charlotte Street and the existing cycleway across Leith Links, which they say needs to be upgraded. Campaigners have put forward an alternative cycle route through the Low Traffic Neighbourhood | supplied Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But in correspondence with Leith resident Robert Drysdale, the council's director of place Gareth Barwell said a key aim of the project, known as Hawthornvale to Seafield, was to deliver "a cycling network that enables everyone to feel safe cycling, whatever the time of day". And he said feedback, not specific to Leith, had highlighted issues with traffic-free and low-traffic routes "including that they can feel unsafe for many users, especially women, at night or at less busy times of day". Mr Drysdale said: "I was astonished at the irony in the revelation that the alternative route through the Low Traffic Neighbourhood would provide less personal safety than the main road. The council's proposals would put the cycle route along the busy main road, heavily used by HGVs. | Google "In other words, the council creates a Low Traffic Neighbourhood by removing all the through traffic, but this then makes it less safe for pedestrians and cyclists because it's quieter and more liable to become the scene of assaults. It's absolutely crazy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "On the one hand they're saying that the alternative route through Queen Charlotte Street and Leith Links isn't safe, which calls into question the whole concept of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. 'But then, on the other hand, they're saying cyclists will be safe if they cycle along the busy main road with a very slender piece of kerb between them and the juggernauts. I don't get it." Leith Links Community Council, Edinburgh Bus Users Group and walking campaign group Living Streets have all been outspoken in their criticism of the council's plans. Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said when the council was considering new traffic management measures to reduce through traffic in residential areas, it gauged the benefits to all users and designed them so the whole community could enjoy a quieter, more pleasant environment, as well as considering the effect on the wider travel network. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The issue of safety, particularly for women at night and less busy times of day, is also an important factor. The wider evidence suggests that low traffic neighbourhoods contribute to a reduction in crime and increased levels of cyclists and pedestrians in a given area. 'For the Hawthornvale to Seafield route we are still in the design stage and residents will have ample opportunity to give their views as the process continues. 'This route is key to connecting Leith to other areas, offering safe, on-street infrastructure for cycling in line with Our Future Streets approach as well as improving pedestrian and public transport access. 'Through changes introduced across the area as part of the Leith Connections project we've seen a substantial reduction in driving speeds and traffic levels on most streets in and bordering the scheme alongside feedback showing significant levels of support for the measures amongst local residents and businesses surveyed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Fundamentally, we want to provide suitable and safe spaces for all users across our city's streets, supporting people to make more sustainable travel choices and provide a long-term approach for delivering transport and place improvements across the city.'

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