Links Gardens to re-open on 9th August
The Community Council has just received official notification from the Council (Spaces for People team) that Links Gardens is due to be re-opened to traffic on Monday 9th August.
Below is a copy of the email received. It seems obvious that the re-opening is not permanent but conditional on matters relating to the tramworks and to the proposed Low Traffic Neighbourhood. So monitoring of traffic flow, safety issues, collection of evidence, and feedback of local views will continue to be very important.
In the meanwhile it is not entirely clear from the Council’s email exactly what conditions are to be placed on the reopening. A key sentence seems to be: “Measures are going to be considered by the Tram team to mitigate the impact of traffic using local diversion routes near the school.” We will try to find out asap what this means in practice,and will keep you informed.
So all local residents will want to keep an eye on how the re-opening goes, and please keep taking photos, when relevant, and feeding back on what effect (positive and /or negative) you feel the re-opening has on pedestrians, cyclists, school children, buses, cars, deliveries, traffic congestion on nearby roads, etc. Comments are open below – do tell us how you think it’s going.
Opinions are mixed on this issue, overall, but the one thing none of us want, probably, is the return of the densely parked (dumped?) camper vans, trailers and caravans etc., along Links Gardens. We will be asking (again) whether signs can be obtained, to discourage this.
COPY
From: spacesforpeople <spacesforpeople@edinburgh.gov.uk>
Sent: Monday, August 2, 2021 4:43:21 PM
Dear Councillors and Stakeholders,
I refer to the ongoing closure of Links Gardens which was implemented as part of the Spaces for People programme of works in response to the Covid pandemic. The Links Gardens scheme is an initial Spaces for People project, originally implemented during the early stages of lockdown when restrictions limited the duration/method of exercise people could undertake. The original objectives of the project were to provide increased safe space for socially distanced exercise and to link together both sections of Leith Links.
It was agreed at the Transport and Environment Committee on 17 June that the closure of Links Gardens will be removed during tram construction in the area, but the reinstatement of the closure will be considered again in the future, subject to consultation with local people as part of proposals for a Leith Low Traffic Neighbourhood.
Accordingly I am writing to notify you of Links Gardens being reopened on Monday the 9 August in advance of the Tram works commencing at the Foot of the Walk. Measures are going to be considered by the Tram team to mitigate the impact of traffic using local diversion routes near the school.
I trust that this updates you on the current position however if you require any further information or clarification please do not hesitate to contact Barry Clarke, Senior Project Manager at barry.clarke@edinburgh.gov.uk
Regards
Andy Edwards
Dr Andy Edwards | South West Locality | Place | The City of Edinburgh Council | 10 Westside Plaza, Edinburgh EH14 2ST | email: andy.edwards@edinburgh.gov.uk |
Why ?? One of the best things about the Lockdown was the lack of trafic, polution ,, and safety for people ,, The 100yrds of closed road made a huge diference to the way the Links was used ,, Why is traffic going through a park in the first place ??The young kids were using it as an impromtue BMX track in the early evening ,, Other young folk wrere using it to play softball,,There we are cheering on the BMX gold medlist in the Olympics ,,while we give recreational ground back,, “”a 100yds of road”” to trafic ,,the only tarmac the BMX kids in Leith could use,and enjoy without getting shouted at ,,, The closure of the 100yrds of road has ment People with todlers did not have to worry about trafic ,, Please do not give in to the private car lobby ,, There must be hundreds of miles of road in Edinburgh for Private cars to use ,((How greedy can they get)),,, yet you give in to the Private car lobby,, over 100yrds of road !,A road that leads them only to another trafic que on the other exits of the Links ,,no less,, no more ,,,, , Short sighted does cover it…
I hope they see how beneficial it is to open up and make it permanent. Another crossing could be put in along from school if they feel kids and cyclists
can’t cross safely.
As a cyclist, I am glad to see this go. In the last few months I have twice nearly been knocked off of my bike by traffic pulling out of Salamander Place right in my path, not looking properly and assuming, that because Links Garden is shut to traffic, that no one (including cyclists) might be going past the junction. A marked/segregated cycle lane across Links Gardens would be preferable.
I welcome the opening of Links Gardens if it helps reduce traffic on Elbe Street? As a resident of Elbe Street the impact of increased traffic because of road closures due to tram works has been shocking.
This is a residential street and absolutely nothing has been done to reduce traffic, nor has there been any measures taken to reduce the speed of the traffic. It’s is a cobbled narrow street and the noise of cars and machinery goes on all day and often during the night. I would appreciate your feedback on this situtation.