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Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Covid-era traffic safety and calming measures decision delayed
A decision on making Covid-era traffic safety and calming measures in the east of Edinburgh permanent has been delayed. Councillors on Thursday said they were worried about the feasibility of introducing new road infrastructure to replace the current temporary barriers and other solutions in place. And they asked council officers to return to the Traffic Regulation Orders Sub-Committee on September 4 with information on how they plan to do it. The temporary order allowing the measures is in place until October 28, with officers saying that it would take about two months after a decision to get permanent orders in place. The changes were aimed at enabling social distancing while outdoors and making it easier to walk and cycle in the city. Some of the changes relating to limits on traffic, including bans on waiting and loading in some areas in the east of Edinburgh, have been kept since the pandemic ended. The decision has already been deferred once, from a meeting in May. In order to make the measures permanent, the committee will have to vote to set aside public objections, some of which relate to issues with the temporary infrastructure. Liberal Democrat councillor Kevin Lang asked council officer Andrew Easson how much making the temporary measures would cost. Mr Easson said that he could not provide a price estimate as decisions had not been made on which temporary infrastructure would be made permanent. Cllr Lang replied: 'When the committee met last time, the report said that consideration would be given to upgrade the infrastructure. 'And then during the course of the meeting, it was explained to us that it would be upgraded. But it seems that we've gone back to the fact that only consideration would be given. 'We have received objections on the basis of the temporary infrastructure. 'I'm trying to understand what certainty or clarity this committee has as to whether it can set.' Mr Easson said that a £500,000 per year fund for upgrading Covid-era infrastructure across the city had been approved by the Transport and Environment Committee recently. He continued to say that the fund would have to be shared between five areas covered by different experimental orders, like the one in the east of Edinburgh. He added: 'We don't know which schemes we are going to do, and we haven't yet begun looking at each individual scheme. 'If we have an objection to say that people are saying the temporary infrastructure is likely to be struck, or people are likely to trip over it, that could be a big concern, in a high street environment, for example. 'On the other hand, if you've got a stretch of road that has virtually no footfall, and no frontages, and very few people cross the road, and it's a long, straight bit of road, it's probably not that likely it's going to get hit, and probably not that likely anyone's going to trip over it. 'In some locations, we would look to go in and address that, because the risk is higher, but in other locations it might be that we decide it's a low priority to upgrade that particular part of the scheme.' Council officer Dave Sinclair added that all of the temporary infrastructure would eventually be replaced, as all of it has a service life that will run out at some point. But he said that council officers wanted to look at all the temporary schemes in the city together before deciding how to prioritise replacing infrastructure. Later in the meeting, Cllr Lang said: 'I feel really disappointed that after almost three months, we've not been given information that I think is kind of what we alluded to in May, in terms of what we needed to make us comfortable with making a permanent decision. 'There's not been work done on how much it would cost, we don't know where it would happen, and yet we are being asked to make a permanent decision today. 'I think that is an incredibly difficult thing for us to set aside objections, which is what we're being asked to do, and put faith in something that may or may not happen.' Conservative councillor Phil Doggart added: 'I'd back that up, because I think one of the other challenges is the fact that we have one ETRO covering a significant distance. 'The challenge around that is that we're still giving a blanket approval to the whole ETRO when it may well be that it could be years before anything is done. 'We know the financial challenges we've got, and how quickly priorities can change. So I'm really struggling to say that we do have full information in terms of being able to make a decision today.' Green councillor Alex Staniforth said: 'I think I do have enough information to know whether to let the ETRO lapse or to make it permanent. 'The fact is, we can't prevaricate much longer. I think we have to make a decision today. And while I understand that we might prefer to have more information, the timer has run out.' Liberal Democrat councillor Hal Osler added: 'I am not comfortable with this situation. We've had three years to get information on this. 'People have fed into a survey, there are still genuine concerns. We've asked a number of questions, we've delayed this committee already, we have not got any more assurity. 'Metaphorically having a gun to your head to be told, 'we're either going to agree or it's all out', is a very unfortunate situation to be in.' 'I feel enough chance has been given to gather the information. I unfortunately can't actually support making this decision positively today.' Council officers then argued that a decision had to be made at Thursday's meeting in order to ensure a permanent traffic regulation order could be in place by October 28. But after being asked if a delay to the September 4 meeting was possible, officers said that it may be possible to keep the rules and infrastructure in place past October 28 with emergency orders for a short period of time if needed. Mr Easson told councillors that bringing costed plans for which parts of the scheme could be made permanent by September 4 would be extremely challenging. He added: 'The quality of the information – it's going to have to be pulled together very quickly.' 'Everything that's considered to be high priority, there is enough money to deal with that. What we can't say is that there's enough money to deal with everything, whether there's a pressing need or not.' Committee convener and Labour councillor Margaret Graham said: 'I think we've batted this around as much as we can, I don't think we can go any further. 'My position is that we defer the decision to the committee on the fourth of September, and ask the officers to furnish us with more information as per the discussion today.' The committee then agreed to back the delay. Councillors will make a decision on whether to make the traffic calming measures permanent at the next meeting of the Traffic Regulation Orders Sub-Committee on Wednesday, September 4. By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
5 days ago
- Politics
- Edinburgh Live
Decision on making east of Edinburgh traffic changes permanent delayed for second time
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A decision on making Covid-era traffic safety and calming measures in the east of Edinburgh permanent has been delayed. Councillors on Thursday said they were worried about the feasibility of introducing new road infrastructure to replace the current temporary barriers and other solutions in place. And they asked council officers to return to the Traffic Regulation Orders Sub-Committee on September 4 with information on how they plan to do it. The temporary order allowing the measures is in place until October 28, with officers saying that it would take about two months after a decision to get permanent orders in place. The changes were aimed at enabling social distancing while outdoors and making it easier to walk and cycle in the city. Some of the changes relating to limits on traffic, including bans on waiting and loading in some areas in the east of Edinburgh, have been kept since the pandemic ended. The decision has already been deferred once, from a meeting in May. In order to make the measures permanent, the committee will have to vote to set aside public objections, some of which relate to issues with the temporary infrastructure. Liberal Democrat councillor Kevin Lang asked council officer Andrew Easson how much making the temporary measures would cost. Mr Easson said that he could not provide a price estimate as decisions had not been made on which temporary infrastructure would be made permanent. Cllr Lang replied: 'When the committee met last time, the report said that consideration would be given to upgrade the infrastructure. 'And then during the course of the meeting, it was explained to us that it would be upgraded. But it seems that we've gone back to the fact that only consideration would be given. 'We have received objections on the basis of the temporary infrastructure. 'I'm trying to understand what certainty or clarity this committee has as to whether it can set." Mr Easson said that a £500,000 per year fund for upgrading Covid-era infrastructure across the city had been approved by the Transport and Environment Committee recently. He continued to say that the fund would have to be shared between five areas covered by different experimental orders, like the one in the east of Edinburgh. He added: 'We don't know which schemes we are going to do, and we haven't yet begun looking at each individual scheme. 'If we have an objection to say that people are saying the temporary infrastructure is likely to be struck, or people are likely to trip over it, that could be a big concern, in a high street environment, for example. 'On the other hand, if you've got a stretch of road that has virtually no footfall, and no frontages, and very few people cross the road, and it's a long, straight bit of road, it's probably not that likely it's going to get hit, and probably not that likely anyone's going to trip over it. 'In some locations, we would look to go in and address that, because the risk is higher, but in other locations it might be that we decide it's a low priority to upgrade that particular part of the scheme.' Council officer Dave Sinclair added that all of the temporary infrastructure would eventually be replaced, as all of it has a service life that will run out at some point. But he said that council officers wanted to look at all the temporary schemes in the city together before deciding how to prioritise replacing infrastructure. Later in the meeting, Cllr Lang said: 'I feel really disappointed that after almost three months, we've not been given information that I think is kind of what we alluded to in May, in terms of what we needed to make us comfortable with making a permanent decision. 'There's not been work done on how much it would cost, we don't know where it would happen, and yet we are being asked to make a permanent decision today. 'I think that is an incredibly difficult thing for us to set aside objections, which is what we're being asked to do, and put faith in something that may or may not happen.' Conservative councillor Phil Doggart added: 'I'd back that up, because I think one of the other challenges is the fact that we have one ETRO covering a significant distance. 'The challenge around that is that we're still giving a blanket approval to the whole ETRO when it may well be that it could be years before anything is done. 'We know the financial challenges we've got, and how quickly priorities can change. So I'm really struggling to say that we do have full information in terms of being able to make a decision today.' Green councillor Alex Staniforth said: 'I think I do have enough information to know whether to let the ETRO lapse or to make it permanent. 'The fact is, we can't prevaricate much longer. I think we have to make a decision today. And while I understand that we might prefer to have more information, the timer has run out.' Liberal Democrat councillor Hal Osler added: 'I am not comfortable with this situation. We've had three years to get information on this. 'People have fed into a survey, there are still genuine concerns. We've asked a number of questions, we've delayed this committee already, we have not got any more assurity. 'Metaphorically having a gun to your head to be told, 'we're either going to agree or it's all out', is a very unfortunate situation to be in.' 'I feel enough chance has been given to gather the information. I unfortunately can't actually support making this decision positively today.' Council officers then argued that a decision had to be made at Thursday's meeting in order to ensure a permanent traffic regulation order could be in place by October 28. But after being asked if a delay to the September 4 meeting was possible, officers said that it may be possible to keep the rules and infrastructure in place past October 28 with emergency orders for a short period of time if needed. Mr Easson told councillors that bringing costed plans for which parts of the scheme could be made permanent by September 4 would be extremely challenging. He added: 'The quality of the information – it's going to have to be pulled together very quickly.' 'Everything that's considered to be high priority, there is enough money to deal with that. What we can't say is that there's enough money to deal with everything, whether there's a pressing need or not.' Committee convener and Labour councillor Margaret Graham said: 'I think we've batted this around as much as we can, I don't think we can go any further. 'My position is that we defer the decision to the committee on the fourth of September, and ask the officers to furnish us with more information as per the discussion today.' The committee then agreed to back the delay. Councillors will make a decision on whether to make the traffic calming measures permanent at the next meeting of the Traffic Regulation Orders Sub-Committee on Wednesday, September 4, which you can view here.
Edinburgh Reporter
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
City mobility plan passed despite concerns
A new scheme to prioritise Edinburgh infrastructure projects has been approved by councillors, despite some of them holding concerns over several issues. The new City Mobility Plan aims to determine which projects the city will prioritise working on in the next decade. Officers recommended that councillors accept a priority list which saw 73 projects approved to go ahead, and 61 others paused – with most either not having been started yet or having already been paused before the plan's release. Labour councillor Stephen Jenkinson, who convenes the Transport and Environment Committee, heralded the plan, saying the time to take action was now, and that it is a 'a necessary piece of work.' But some councillors raised concerns over the priority list, questioning the system used to select projects to carry out or pause and the geographic distribution of projects. Infrastructure projects were scored on a matrix which judged elements of each, such as cost effectiveness and benefit for public transport – but some projects with higher scores were paused, while others with lower scores were approved. Liberal Democrat councillor Kevin Lang said: 'Coming into this committee meeting, I feel like I had two fundamental issues with this report. Now I feel like I'll leave with three. 'The first is around what has been quite a complex scoring matrix. I don't think it's an unreasonable question to ask, [why do] you get a project scoring 20 paused when a project with 10 is proceeding? 'My second worry is around deliverability. I completely admire and respect the optimism that exists. Let's be frank, this is a council that can take three years to change a speed limit and six years to put in a speedbump.' Lang's third concern was about developers' compliance with section 75 orders, which involve developer contributions to infrastructure projects. Earlier in the meeting, a council officer said that most projects were continued or paused based on their score, but that some broke from this pattern due to extenuating circumstances, such as projects being eligible for certain bespoke funding. The Liberal Democrat group had lodged an amendment calling on the report to be paused, giving councillors and officers more time to look at it. Meanwhile, the Conservative group put forward their own list of projects to be continued and paused, using different scoring criteria. Conservative councillor Neil Cuthbert, representing Colinton/Fairmilehead, asked officers: 'It does feel like a report for lovers of spreadsheets. Just looking at the different projects, I don't think it's any surprise that the ward with the most projects is the city centre. 'The wards with the second and third most projects are Forth and Almond. I don't want to go through the list, but Colinton/Fairmile is at the bottom of the list. There's two [projects]. 'I wondered if there's any comments about why there does appear to be quite a disparity in a lot of different areas?' Council officer Sheila Paton said: 'This is a long legacy and history of projects that have come forward over the years. We haven't deliberately tried to exclude any geographical areas, as I'm sure you can imagine. 'In terms of the focus on the city centre, we have a sense of how much of the proposed ten year programme would potentially be dedicated to the city centre. 'And we feel like it's in proportion with how complicated the city centre is, how important it is.' Interim Executive Director of Place Gareth Barwell added: 'This list here hasn't added new schemes. This is officers broadly trawling through the commitments of this committee. 'A lot of these are actions we've inherited due to growth and development.' The SNP group put forward an amendment adding three projects to the 'proceed' list, while the Green group wanted to see council officers begin looking at a congestion charge in the capital as a possible infrastructure funding source. At a vote, seven councillors supported a joint Labour, SNP and Green position, while two supported the Conservative position and two supported the Liberal Democrat position. Cllr Jenkinson said: 'I'm really pleased that we've agreed this bold programme for our city. Prioritisation allows us to work smarter with the resources we have available – making sure we have a clear and achievable path to achieving our objectives. 'This programme follows the successes of major infrastructure projects such as Trams to Newhaven and active travel projects including the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL), Roseburn to Union Canal and Leith Connections. 'This is an extensive piece of work which allows the City Mobility Plan to be agile, and able to adapt in the future as necessary.' Three projects were added to the list after amendments by political groups, and a fourth was added pending further work on how to fund it. Among these was the Causey project, which seeks to turn the traffic island at the junction of West Crosscauseway and Buccleuch Street into a public events space. The project, which campaigners have spent over a decade seeking funding for, was added to the priority list as a result of an SNP amendment. The group also got the Portobello Town Centre project, which seeks to widen footways and reduce road traffic in the area, and a new cycle link over the bypass near Heriot Watt, over the line. An amendment by the city's Labour administration, meanwhile, got approval for the funding of more toilets for bus drivers at the ends of routes, pending finding a funding source. Cllr Jenkinson said: 'The project which I've identified as part of my amendment is a very particular project. It is currently marked for pause, but just for this financial year. 'The topic itself of provision of bus driver toilets at key locations, which are predominantly the terminuses for buses, is a very important one. 'Personally, and I hope the committee will agree, that it's a project that, once the uncertainty around funding is clarified, is unpaused.' Graeme Smith, an industrial officer for Unite, which covers Lothian Buses, said: 'Access to a toilet at work is a basic right so it is important that the Council gets this right for our members in passenger transport. 'This is a matter of health and safety. It is also an equalities issue, more acutely impacting workers who are older, pregnant or have a health condition.' By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
23-05-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Live
Massive Edinburgh infrastructure plan approved despite concerns
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A new scheme to prioritise Edinburgh infrastructure projects has been approved by councillors, despite some of them holding concerns over several issues. The new City Mobility Plan aims to determine which projects the city will prioritise working on in the next decade. Officers recommended that councillors accept a priority list which saw 73 projects approved to go ahead, and 61 others paused – with most either not having been started yet or having already been paused before the plan's release. Labour councillor Stephen Jenkinson, who convenes the Transport and Environment Committee, heralded the plan, saying the time to take action was now, and that it is a 'a necessary piece of work.' But some councillors raised concerns over the priority list, questioning the system used to select projects to carry out or pause and the geographic distribution of projects. Infrastructure projects were scored on a matrix which judged elements of each, such as cost effectiveness and benefit for public transport – but some projects with higher scores were paused, while others with lower scores were approved. Liberal Democrat councillor Kevin Lang said: 'Coming into this committee meeting, I feel like I had two fundamental issues with this report. Now I feel like I'll leave with three. 'The first is around what has been quite a complex scoring matrix. I don't think it's an unreasonable question to ask, [why do] you get a project scoring 20 paused when a project with 10 is proceeding? 'My second worry is around deliverability. I completely admire and respect the optimism that exists. Let's be frank, this is a council that can take three years to change a speed limit and six years to put in a speedbump.' Lang's third concern was about developers' compliance with section 75 orders, which involve developer contributions to infrastructure projects. Earlier in the meeting, a council officer said that most projects were continued or paused based on their score, but that some broke from this pattern due to extenuating circumstances, such as projects being eligible for certain bespoke funding. The Liberal Democrat group had lodged an amendment calling on the report to be paused, giving councillors and officers more time to look at it. Meanwhile, the Conservative group put forward their own list of projects to be continued and paused, using different scoring criteria. Conservative councillor Neil Cuthbert, representing Colinton/Fairmilehead, asked officers: 'It does feel like a report for lovers of spreadsheets. Just looking at the different projects, I don't think it's any surprise that the ward with the most projects is the city centre. 'The wards with the second and third most projects are Forth and Almond. I don't want to go through the list, but Colinton/Fairmile is at the bottom of the list. There's two [projects]. 'I wondered if there's any comments about why there does appear to be quite a disparity in a lot of different areas?' Council officer Sheila Paton said: 'This is a long legacy and history of projects that have come forward over the years. We haven't deliberately tried to exclude any geographical areas, as I'm sure you can imagine. 'In terms of the focus on the city centre, we have a sense of how much of the proposed ten year programme would potentially be dedicated to the city centre. 'And we feel like it's in proportion with how complicated the city centre is, how important it is.' Interim Executive Director of Place Gareth Barwell added: 'This list here hasn't added new schemes. This is officers broadly trawling through the commitments of this committee. 'A lot of these are actions we've inherited due to growth and development.' The SNP group put forward an amendment adding three projects to the 'proceed' list, while the Green group wanted to see council officers begin looking at a congestion charge in the capital as a possible infrastructure funding source. At a vote, seven councillors supported a joint Labour, SNP and Green position, while two supported the Conservative position and two supported the Liberal Democrat position. Cllr Jenkinson said: "I'm really pleased that we've agreed this bold programme for our city. Prioritisation allows us to work smarter with the resources we have available - making sure we have a clear and achievable path to achieving our objectives. "This programme follows the successes of major infrastructure projects such as Trams to Newhaven and active travel projects including the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL), Roseburn to Union Canal and Leith Connections. "This is an extensive piece of work which allows the City Mobility Plan to be agile, and able to adapt in the future as necessary." Three projects were added to the list after amendments by political groups, and a fourth was added pending further work on how to fund it. Among these was the Causey project, which seeks to turn the traffic island at the junction of West Crosscauseway and Buccleuch Street into a public events space. The project, which campaigners have spent over a decade seeking funding for, was added to the priority list as a result of an SNP amendment. The group also got the Portobello Town Centre project, which seeks to widen footways and reduce road traffic in the area, and a new cycle link over the bypass near Heriot Watt, over the line. An amendment by the city's Labour administration, meanwhile, got approval for the funding of more toilets for bus drivers at the ends of routes, pending finding a funding source. Cllr Jenkinson said: 'The project which I've identified as part of my amendment is a very particular project. It is currently marked for pause, but just for this financial year. 'The topic itself of provision of bus driver toilets at key locations, which are predominantly the terminuses for buses, is a very important one. 'Personally, and I hope the committee will agree, that it's a project that, once the uncertainty around funding is clarified, is unpaused.' Graeme Smith, an industrial officer for Unite, which covers Lothian Buses, said: 'Access to a toilet at work is a basic right so it is important that the Council gets this right for our members in passenger transport. 'This is a matter of health and safety. It is also an equalities issue, more acutely impacting workers who are older, pregnant or have a health condition.'
Arab News
15-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia's industry development creating great opportunities, say experts at trade show
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's development and adoption of modern technology was creating significant opportunities for foreign investment and economic growth, experts in the industrial and logistics sectors told Arab News on Thursday at the Riyadh International Industry Week 2025. The RIIW25, which ends today, featured four industrial trade shows: Saudi Plastics and Petrochemicals, Saudi Printing and Packaging, Smart Manufacturing, and Saudi Smart Logistics. Kevin Lang, general manager at China Bentae Industry Group, praised Saudi Arabia's government for attracting and establishing factories within the Kingdom, emphasizing that such steps provide strong incentives for foreign investment in the industrial sector. Participating in the event for the second time, Lang noted a surge in the presence of Chinese and international companies in the Saudi market, which he said was a sign of growing investor confidence in the Kingdom. 'We aim to leverage Saudi Arabia's push for economic openness and its efforts to attract foreign investment. We see significant growth potential, particularly in sectors that align with Vision 2030, such as industry and sustainability,' Lang said. Lafi Al-Dhafiri, commercial director at Alkharj Steel Co., said the show was an exceptional platform for bringing together global expertise, forming partnerships and shaping the future of the sector. 'The event highlighted the promising opportunities within the Saudi industrial sector, especially in light of the unprecedented government support that aligns with the goals of Vision 2030,' Al-Dhafiri added. Ahmed Sobhi Badran, sales manager at Derbn Trading Co., noted the emergence of Saudi brands that are increasingly positioning themselves on the global stage. 'The exhibitions feature a strong presence of international companies seeking to strengthen their foothold in the Saudi market, creating a healthy competitive environment driven by quality standards and marketing excellence.' Ratheesh NS, deputy manager at Windsor Machines Ltd., said the company was eager to explore business opportunities in the Kingdom. 'We are looking forward to the vast opportunities in Saudi Arabia, driven by its vibrant transformation under Saudi Vision 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2034,' he said. 'We are confident that this market boom will help us explore and engage with this ambitious region.' Fahad Al-Thenayan, a logistics advisor, said the event was 'a great opportunity for visitors to explore a wide range of innovative solutions.'
