Edinburgh firms deserve council consultation on traffic plans– Garry Clark

The coronavirus pandemic has changed Edinburgh. Some of these changes are temporary, some will be longer lasting, and some will be permanent. For our local businesses and economy, the lockdown has been keenly felt. Survey results published last week by the Federation of Small Businesses last week revealed that 53 per cent of businesses in Edinburgh and the Lothians had closed in response to Covid-19 and, of these, 40 per cent were unsure whether the business would reopen again.

It is against this background that businesses are viewing the City of Edinburgh Council’s latest plans to manage movement in the city centre and to close the likes of Cockburn Street and Victoria Street to vehicle traffic. These streets lie at the heart of the historic Old Town and are home to a variety of retail, hospitality and tourism related businesses – some of the sectors most likely to feel the long term effects of social distancing and the sad but necessary cancellation of this year’s Edinburgh Festivals. It’s true that these streets have seen partial closures in recent years during August, partly to help the city cope with big, concentrated festival crowds, but even then, a number of local businesses were reporting reduced footfall and lower takings. It certainly didn’t help that the road closed signs and concrete and steel barricades were less than inviting for locals and tourists alike.

Now, in the midst of this pandemic, the council is again planning to shut off these streets to cars and implement the decision at a time when many businesses may be beginning to reopen and striving to survive in our “new normal”. The least these businesses should have been able to expect of the council is meaningful consultation and consideration before the decision was taken.

The way we use our streets and how we access businesses in the short to medium term will be determined by the coronavirus and our response to it. Before we start putting up barriers to our streets, the council needs to ask local businesses some key questions. How far do your staff commute and how can they get to work safely? What space do you have for customers and what street space might you need for queueing or seating? Have you been doing more online business during lockdown and what access do you need for delivery services? How is your market or customer base likely to change as a result of coronavirus and the cancellation of the Festivals? This kind of information is necessary if the right decisions for the city and its businesses are to me made.

Of course, the ability for Edinburgh’s residents to access local businesses on foot and by active travel will be crucially important, especially as many people will continue to work from home. However, we must also recognise that increased private car use in the city may be necessary in the short to medium term for public health reasons, as a result of social distancing and public transport capacity. Until the virus threat is neutralised, this could be an unavoidable, if temporary, reality that we must live with.

The economic impact of coronavirus will long be felt by the city’s businesses. How they are supported to respond to this challenge is critical to jobs and the recovery. The least we can do is listen to these businesses.

Garry Clark is Development Manager – East of Scotland at the Federation of Small Businesses