State of city’s roads and footpaths is just not good enough – Steve …

Transport convener Scott Arthur says the city has to address the state of its roads

Apparently unless councillors repeat what was to be a “one-off” payment of £11 million extra from the budget this year, again next year, the city’s roads and footpaths will get even worse.

This prompted Councillor Arthur to state: “Roads and footpaths are awful in Edinburgh. I’m tired of looking at it, feeling ashamed of it and hearing about it from residents – we have to start addressing it.” He has his work cut out for him because he will have to convince his colleagues that this investment must be made and must be made despite the competing demands for funds from the council’s severely depleted coffers.

One such demand might come from those that want to see the development of the proposals for Leith Links (which I write about elsewhere on this page) taken forward and there will be countless other projects that deserve to be developed or at the very least, sustained and that his colleagues might well determine should take priority.

However, as a frequent road user, either by bus or car or more often than not, a pedestrian, I hope that he succeeds because the roads are a disgrace and although it might be said that other cities are in a similar state that cannot be used as an excuse for council inertia. As the Capital city of Scotland, we need a road network that meets the demands of residents and visitors alike! The status quo is just not good enough!