April 2025 news from Councillor Neil Ross
New Pedestrian Crossings & School Streets
Good news! In addition to a new zebra crossing on Tipperlinn Road, I am pleased the Council has scheduled new pedestrian crossings for the junctions with the main road on Morningside Drive and Craiglea Drive with delivery sometime in 2025/26. Details are contained in the Road Safety report 7.1 to the Transport Committee here.
The Council is also preparing school street arrangements for South Morningside Primary School on Craiglea Drive, George Watson’s College on Gillsland Road South and Merchiston Gardens and also for Bruntsfield Primary School on Montpelier. These are contained in the respective School Travel Plans and, because traffic regulation orders (TRO) are required, are scheduled for delivery in 2026.
Canaan Lane road safety improvements
I attended a meeting with Council Road Safety officers recently to discuss improvements planned for Canaan Lane. First on the list is the restoration of the build out & cycle lane divider at the junction with Woodburn Terrace – officers confirmed it would be a priority for 2025/26.
A School Streets scheme is also in preparation in consultation with local schools. The Council also needs to engage with local residents and businesses. Delivery is not expected till 2026 because of the need for a traffic regulation order.
Some relaying and widening of the pavement is planned along with segregation for the contra flow cycle lane. Implementation is scheduled for 2026/27.
Revisions to Greenbank/Meadows cycle route plans
Some changes have been made to Option 3 for the Braid Estate section of the Greenbank/Meadows cycle route. They include additional parking bays on Hermitage Drive and Braid Avenue. I have posted more details on my blog page here.
Road & Pavement resurfacing plans for 2025/26
The Council has published its plans for resurfacing paths, pavements and roads in 2025/26. Roads are to be resurfaced in Gilmore Place, Leamington Terrace and Temple Park Crescent, while a road surface treatment is to be applied to Bramdean Rise, Comiston Place, Comiston View and Greenhill Place. New pavements are also scheduled for Braid Mount and the south side of Roseneath Street. Information on the process used for road and pavements repairs and details of other streets on the list is available in the Roads and Infrastructure Investment report at item 8.1 on the Transport Committee agenda here.
Bus Timetable changes
From Sunday 6 April, Lothian Buses is increasing the frequency of services 5, on Sundays, and 9, during the evenings, and revising timetables for the 10, 11, 15, 16, 23, 24, 27, 36 and 45. The Skylink 400 service is to become Service 18, with regular city fares applying for journeys to and from the airport. More information is available here.
Plans approved for new café/restaurant/hotel
The revised plans for the café/restaurant/hotel on the site of the former Post Office have been approved. The project has a ground floor café/bakery, restaurant on the first floor and hotel rooms on the second, with a roof terrace bar. There is also a fully electric heating and ventilation system and a large picture window set at an angle in the south west corner of the ground floor and first floor. Further details are under reference 24/04802/FUL on the Council’s Planning portal here.
‘Grow your own’ community grant scheme open for applications
The Council wants to encourage new community growing projects and is inviting community groups to apply for funding from a £50,000 pilot scheme. Grants of up to £5,000 will be awarded to constituted voluntary and community groups across the city. Projects may run for up to 12 months and applications must be in by 12 May. Further details of how to apply are available here.