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Long-awaited George St transformation boosted by surprise drop in cost
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https://www.edinburghinquirer.co.uk/p/pedestrian-friendly-george-st-moves?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
George Street Improvements
(1225 posts)-
Posted 9 months ago #
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The cost of Edinburgh’s most high-profile street upgrade scheme is expected to fall further as the plans take shape, the city council has confidently predicted.
A major revamp of George Street to remove parking and most traffic is now estimated at £35 million compared to nearly £39.5m last September following “more detailed and accurate costings”
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Bargain…
Posted 9 months ago # -
Detailed Plans/Renders at Page 13+ here: https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s85548/7.2%20-%20George%20Street%20and%20First%20New%20Town%20Conclusion%20of%20RIBA%20Stage%204%20and%20Next%20Steps.pdf
Posted 9 months ago # -
Huh:
5.5 It is programmed to move to RIBA Stage 4B in October 2026 to appoint a contractor for the works. This will allow time to develop a phased construction programme for the First New Town and allow contractors involvement in confirming how a bidirectional cycle route can remain along George Street for the duration of construction, allowing the active travel link of CCWEL to continue through the City Centre.
That's pretty good.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Anyone watching today’s TEC?
Does anyone know how the vote went on whether to ditch the “do almost nothing” options on George St?
Note the traditional media were busy reporting this as which option they would proceed with on George St. - which it isn’t, it’s only a decision on dropping 2 of the 6 options.
Posted 9 months ago # -
@neddie If I read the Spokes reporting correctly, the two "Do Nothing" options were dropped for now at least but due to a Lib Dem amendment passing they may come back later.
Conservative wrecking amendment which scrapped the project entirely was defeated.
Agenda item document:
Lib dem amendment:
Posted 9 months ago # -
Thanks!
The Green amendment was also accepted, meaning they'll have to keep a 2-way cycle lane open during construction
Posted 9 months ago # -
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Edinburgh tourist tax to fund long-awaited revamp of George Street
Posted 2 months ago # -
The Chipwrapper reporting that the George Street project has been "put on hold". While it was a ridiculous, gold plated bit of nonsense, it does mean that central Edinburgh remains a cycling infrastructure black hole for at least the next few years.
Triples all round at Jacobs, Aecom and pals though - as they get stuck into a new city centre focused project!
Posted 1 month ago # -
From link
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“The levy represents an unprecedented level of extra funding into the city that will benefit not only those who visit Edinburgh but also those of us who live and work here, the residents, the businesses and workers who form the lifeblood of the city and help make it the desirable place to visit that it is.”
“
How about talking up the benefits of “levy” from Comgestion Charging…
Posted 1 month ago # -
In a way the hotel tax is a congestion charge as it is a means of generating income from over tourism. It is. Indirectly levied on the citizens of Edinburgh [when they visit other cities]
All of this is far more acceptable than a direct charge on motor mad edinburghers.
Spineless councillors. AlsoIs the tourist tax just to raise money to pay consultants instead of building infra?Meanwhile over in north berwick all shops on the high street have gone bust and all poorly paid carers who live in small villages outside of the town have had to resign.
All because parking will b e charged between 10 and 4.
Posted 1 month ago # -
“All of this is far more acceptable than a direct charge on motor mad edinburghers.“
Well yes
Which remains the (a) problem.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Is the tourist tax just to raise money to pay consultants instead of building infra?
Now that would be the basis of a good FOI request.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Watched some of the webcast from full council and not really any the wiser than having just read the SNP amendment.
They need to stick a bi-directional cycleway with parallel crossings at side roads down the length of George St, yesterday. Building something with the scope and benefit of CCWEL and spitting users out into a linear car park is not only embarrassing by this point, but looks like it's going to continue being fannied about with for another half decade of 'design' work and humming and hawing about 'placemaking'; meanwhile two thirds of the year you have to dodge motors along it and the other third you contend with stupidly placed or narrow hostile vehicle mitigations and venue encroachment on whatever sorry 'cycle provision' they've squashed in.
(If I exorcise these demons here maybe I'll be kinder 'in print').
Posted 1 month ago # -
Big oil funding the SNP, Tories, Lib DEms Reform and doubtless Labour too,. It ‘s not easy being Green as Kermit sang.
This originally bold place making has been well and truly fillibustered.
Next
Spend the LEZ fines /tourist taxon consultants to pretend to fix Princes Street?
Remember never to spend the LEZ money /tourist Tax on infraWhat sort of massive consultations will needto happen as they have a fair bit of revenue coming………
At the end of every consultation I am going to answer in the Anything ELse to say? Box
Please, spend all the Money on more pointless Consultations, I love filling in pointless consultations.
Posted 1 month ago # -
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Oh boy! George Street
The big loser could be the £35m transformation of George St into a more pedestrian and cycle-friendly environment. After several years of debate and consultation, the plan is once again on hold.
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https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=1719536&post_id=186009285
Posted 1 month ago # -
Honestly, all as they need to do on George St is pedestrianise it entirely, with bollards across all the crossroads.
Just leave the tarmac as it is. Then they can "fill in" the street with the fancy paving at their leisure (or never, who cares?)
Just bl**dy pedestrianise the thing!
Posted 1 month ago # -
@neddie, gets my vote only thing stopping it is Motornormativity
Posted 1 month ago # -
There is an inherent bias in all of this stuff towards the ‘need’ for loading - either people or goods - as directly as possible off a vehicle and into a destination.
I’m pretty comfortable with the idea that any and all stock / delivery traffic could be required to stop at side roads and hand-trolley goods round - there are plenty of tools that make this feasible.
Similarly, the majority of folk looking for a taxi or private hire could move to a pick up point that’s at most a block away…
Not sure how the accessibility side of this would stack up; or whether there’s guidance on proximity of blue badge spaces to destinations. But that’s potentially solvable too.
The main thing they’re up against does seem to the classic overstatement of % patronage from drivers and those arriving being driven. Hard to argue with when the whole street is effectively a massive car park but I bet if you started there, and removed that parking, there’d be little measurable downturn for businesses.
Posted 1 month ago # -
The bollards can be automated and retractable for deliveries in the morning. I don't care. Just bl**dy pedestrianise it.
Posted 1 month ago # -
@neddie - the mad things is that they really did that for 18 months (although the implementation was a bit shonky). All it takes is political will, a commodity in short supply in Edinburgh at the moment.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Or... <shock horror>... we could even PAY a guy a wage to open and close low-cost manual barriers, ensure the lorries don't go awry, give assistance to those with additional mobility needs, and even have a nice conversation with people / direct tourists.
Imagine that! Actual human assistance! Actual public luxury.
To attract people back to the city centre shops, that's exactly what is needed - personal service and boutique shops.
Honestly, get rid of all the tech bulls**t, and let's have actual humans. There's even a frickin levy to pay for it
Added benefit: The Tories would self-combust knowing that something was not "making a profit"
Posted 1 month ago # -
With clean slate and good budget:
Re-route the tram through St. Andrew's square along an otherwise entirely pedestrianised George St. Don't provide cycle infra here, but also don't try to disallow it.
Allow loading access in the side streets via retractable bollards, with crossing over George St controlled to morning only. Four blue badge spaces at the George St end of every side street, both north and south.
Close every side street at Princes St, except for Hanover. On the northern side, widen the pavement by 1.5m and use one lane of eastbound carriageway for a bidirectional cycle superhighway, fed by redirecting CCWEL along Queensferry St to Princes St and cutting out Charlotte Sq entirely. With the remaining 1.5m-2m and the central reservation, we have a substantial bus waiting and alighting platform, as we use the two carriageway lanes currently for westbound traffic as East-West bus lanes. Taxis are allowed, PHCs aren't.
CCWEL links back to the York Place leg via South St Andrews St, but also continues along and down the east side of Leith St to link in at Greenside row.
Taxi ranks on Hanover St south leg, St Andrews Sq, Charlotte Sq, and North Castle St.
Buses that currently use George St are re-routed to Queen St; and 33% of the buses that currently use Princes St are dealt with in the same way.
All current pedestrian crossings of the bus lanes remain but are on permanent green person unless a bus is detected to go through. Taxis are detected and subject to a 90 second wait before being lit through.
...what did I break, other than a few of Cllr Whyte's blood vessels?
Posted 1 month ago # -
(Probably lots of things. Naïvety is my strength!)
Posted 1 month ago # -
“Naïvety is my strength!“
Distance from convention/accepted wisdom is often a useful starting point.
There are many people who have said (notably of ultimately successful businesses) ‘if I’d realised what it involved/how long it would take, I wouldn’t have started’!
Problem with things like GSt is forgetting (or even not thinking) about ‘what is the purpose of all this?’
Or ignoring ‘contexts’ - immediate area, whole city priorities, business ‘wishes’, ‘political aims’ (they change!). Oh and “people”.
Add in climate change, the next election, vested interests etc etc, (and ThisIsEdinburgh) don’t expect much change.
Posted 1 month ago #
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