Author Archives: Jack Caldwell

Easter Road & Bonnington parking consultations end this weekend

Edinburgh Council are finishing a bunch of parking consultations this Sunday (14th March), two of which are in the Leith Central area.

The following maps use the following key;

PINK – Permit Holder Bay
BROWN – Shared Use Bay
BLUE – Disabled Bay
GREEN – City Car Club

We advise clicking on the links below to see them in better detail and put your thoughts in, whether positive, negative or indifferent!

Easter Road

Map showing roads east of Easter Road (description below)

Streets just east of Easter Road including Albion Gardens, Drum Terrace and St. Clair Road are set to get new permit-holder bays (pink on the map) along them, while other roads are set to recieve some changes too.

View the map and comment on the plans at consultprojectcentre.co.uk/ph2easterroad.

Bonnington

Map showing roads in the Bonnington area (description below)

Permit Holder Bays (pink on the map) are proposed along Pitt Street, Anderson Place and Redbraes

View the map and comment on the plans at consultprojectcentre.co.uk/ph2bonnington.

Other proposals

Alongside these two, other areas of Edinburgh, including Leith Links (dubbed ‘West Leith’ on the Council website) also have proposals that may be of interest and close at the same time.

Coalie Park: future of the space under Junction Street bridge?

Image credit: Water of leith Conservation Trust (image depicts the path running alongside the river)

The Water of Leith Conservation Trust, who help look after the river from the Pentlands to the Leith Shore, are asking people who use the strip of land next to the Water Leith (formally known as Coalie Park) what it should be used for.

Take their 4 minute survey if you want more bins, lighting, a playpark, skatepark or a nature reserve on the site.

Edinburgh’s (2022) Low Emission Zone: eco-car grant for drivers

Transport Scotland (Scottish Government) and the Energy Saving Trust are offering £2,000 to dispose of petrol cars and are also offering bus tickets and money to purachse bicycles.

Edinburgh’s new Low Emission Zone will likely include the Old Town, New Town, Haymarket and the Meadows. Learn more on LowEmissionZones.scot.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) are being introduced in Scotland’s four largest cities: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, next year. LEZs are a key initiative established to protect public health by reducing levels of air pollution from road traffic. 

Vehicles that do not meet the minimum emission standards will face a penalty if they enter a Low Emission Zone. Generally, petrol cars registered before 2006 and diesel cars registered before September 2015 will not be allowed to enter a Low Emission Zone area. The date of vehicle registration is only a guide. Please check with your vehicle manual or the manufacturer.

Funding has been made available to help low-income families meet these requirements via the LEZ Support Fund. 

Households in receipt of particular means-tested benefits can claim up to £3,000 through the LEZ Support Fund. This includes £2,000 which can be used to dispose of an older car. The money can be used to help replace it with an LEZ-compliant car or be invested in an alternative mode of transport.

Additionally, up to two £500 ‘Travel Better’ vouchers can be claimed for use towards sustainable travel options e.g. to buy a bike or e-bike and/or to purchase a bus or train season ticket. To be eligible, applicants must live within a 20km radius of the planned LEZs in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

For more information on the LEZ Support Fund and to check your eligibility, please call 0808 808 2282 or visit the Energy Saving Trust website here.

 Further information on the introduction of Low Emission Zones can be found here.

energysavingtrust.org.uk/LEZ-support

lowemissionzones.scot

Trams to Newhaven Christmas closures and 2020 progress

The Trams to Newhaven team sent out an update on Friday 18th December. It included the following information. You can recieve these updates by subscribing on tramstonewhaven.co.uk.

Christmas shut down plan

The Trams to Newhaven project construction will shut down from 5pm on 18 December 2020 until 7am on Monday 4 January 2021. Both contractors will return to work on Monday 4 to review all safety measures ahead of recommencing construction activities on Tuesday 5 January 2021.

All main works finished on the evening of the Wednesday 16 to allow two full days on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 for general housekeeping and security.

All open excavations will be backfilled for health and safety purposes and to protect assets. 

During the period of site shutdown, the entry and exit gates will be secured using a coded padlock.  All emergency services have been given the code should they need to gain access.

Traffic management maintenance crews will be operational 24/7 over the Christmas period. The site will be inspected twice a day.

Over the festive period our contact centre hours will be as follows: 
•    19, 20, 21, 22, 23 December 8am – 8pm
•    24 December 8am – 6pm
•    27, 28, 29, 30 December 8am – 8pm
•    31 December 8am – 6pm 
•    3 and 4 January 8am – 8pm

The contact centre will be closed:
•    25 and 26 December 2020
•    1 and 2 January 2021 

In the event of an emergency out with our operational hours please call our number on 0131 322 1122 where your call will be diverted to our out of hours contact. 

Contact details are:
Telephone: 0131 322 1122
Email: Newhaven.tram@edinburgh.gov.uk

The operating times for the Logistics Hubs over the period are:
•    21, 22, 23 December 8am – 6pm 
•    24 December 8am – 3pm
•    28, 29, 30 December 8am – 6pm 
•    31 December 8am – 3pm
•    4 January 8am – 3pm

The Logistics Hubs will be closed:
•    25, 26 and 27 December 2020 
•    1,2 and 3 January 2021

From Monday 11 January the new opening hours for the contact centre will be Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm. Our email, Twitter and Instagram accounts will be monitored Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.  

Leith Walk progress over 2020

  • Enabling works were completed in the early part of the year with the creation of the city-bound running lane ahead of the main construction works which were due to commence in March 2020. 
  • Following a 13 week shut down period due to COVID-19 the main construction works began on 22 June. This saw the establishment of the construction site from London Road to Crown Place. To date 60% of Leith Walk has been handed over from MUS, who completed excavation and utility clearance to SFN who will undertake the main tram infrastructure works and public realm.
  • The first installation of rail on Leith Walk has taken place within the Pilrig Street to Dalmeny Street section.

Dynamic Earth break for Carers

Leith Walk-based charity VOCAL have organised two days at Dynamic Earth.

VOCAL’s Wee Breaks partners at Dynamic Earth are offering a unique experience to visit the attraction on Friday 18th December or Wednesday 20th January as they throw open their doors just for VOCAL carers.

Find out all about the big bang and a time when dinosaurs roamed earth with refreshments provided in the café at Dynamic Earth.

VOCAL Wee Breaks offers carers some fantastic opportunities to take some time away from caring in partnership with local and national hospitality, tourism and leisure providers. 

VOCAL works with a number of partners to give carers the opportunity to try something new, reconnect with family and friends or simply take a break from the daily caring routine with or without the person they care for.

Please visit the VOCAL Wee Breaks website to find out what breaks and experiences are available for carers: also more information on planning and funding breaks from caring.