Reports to Transport and Environment Committee focus on winter weather response and the condition of our streets.
Councillors will consider proposals to significantly improve the Council’s winter weather response for pedestrians and cyclists, and to restore the condition of roads and pavements, many of which have been damaged by severe weather, as part of a package of reports.
Significant improvements to the Council’s winter weather response have been proposed, and to restore the condition of roads and pavements, many of which have been damaged by severe weather, as part of a package of reports.
A review of the Council’s winter weather response recommends doubling gritting provision for footpaths across Edinburgh and enhanced treatment of the city’s cycle routes, amongst other actions.
Winter Maintenance Review – 2020/21, to be discussed by Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday (17 June), provides a more in-depth evaluation than previous years, in recognition of the severity of the most recent winter, and changing travel habits.
It makes recommendations for the coming colder seasons based on lessons learned from 2020/21, which was a particularly harsh year, with 8000 tonnes of salt spread on the city’s network in January alone – the equivalent to that used in an average year.
A separate report, Transport Infrastructure Investment – Capital Delivery Priorities for 2021/22, commits the majority of an additional £4m allocated in the Council’s capital budget for 2021/22 to capital projects improving roads conditions, with severe damage caused over the winter. This is in addition to investment in footways, public realm projects, street lighting and bridge improvements, from the overall £20m capital budget for 2021/22.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said:
The way we travel around the city has changed significantly since the beginning of the pandemic, but this year’s severe winter brought into sharp relief the need to help everyone get from A to B safely, whatever the weather.
The latest review of winter maintenance builds on lessons learned to significantly increase the treatment of pedestrian routes, as well as empowering communities to support our efforts, which will lead to a fairer, more responsive service.
Alongside this, our ongoing investment in improving road, pavement and cycle lane conditions, including an additional £4m allocated in the Council budget, will provide a better, safer experience for all road users.
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said:
Every year our roads services team, along with many winter weather volunteers, work tirelessly, around the clock, to keep our pavements, cycle lanes and roads passable.
We want to build on this to provide an even better response to snow, ice and, like in January, freezing rain so people can feel safe when travelling, whether it’s by foot, wheelchair, bike, car or bus.
To improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists during snowy and icy weather the Winter Maintenance Review proposes to increase provision for gritting the city’s cycling routes, as well as re-evaluating the city’s priority one footpath network. This receives the primary focus from gritting teams, above more localised routes. The updated network will help provide better connections and access to essential services for those travelling by foot or wheelchair.
A severe weather salt plan would also see one-tonne salt bags located around the city to more easily fill grit bins, while loose salt dumps would be made available to communities across Edinburgh. In order to further support residents' contribution to winter weather efforts in their neighbourhoods and following increased requests to do so last winter, officers are exploring ways of sharing resources. A trial with Colinton Community Council is proposed for next winter.
Capital Delivery Priorities for 2021/22, to be considered at the same committee, will have a focus on carriageway renewal schemes as a result of damage caused by severe weather. In addition, schemes where there is an existing cycle lane will be emphasised, with a 5% prioritization weighting applied. Edinburgh is the only local authority in Scotland which includes such a weighting.
Amongst other areas proposed for investment are the installation of additional dropped crossings around the city, increased bus stop maintenance and almost £2m for inspection, design and supervision for capital schemes. As part of additional funding allocated under the Council’s capital budget for 2021/22, another £2m is being committed to patching and repair works.
Read the two reports, Winter Maintenance Review – 2020/21 and Transport Infrastructure Investment – Capital Delivery Priorities for 2021/22, on the Council website. Watch the Transport and Environment Committee live via webcast, from 10am on Thursday, 17 June.