Edinburgh West End residents fear cycle route works mean more traffic, pollution and noise in their street

Residents in a West End street fear plans to impose an exit ban on cars in a neighbouring road will lead to increased traffic, pollution and noise.

People living in Coates Gardens are unhappy about the planned change to the junction of nearby Magdala Crescent with Haymarket Terrace which will allow vehicles only to turn into Magdala Crescent and stop them using it to go out. The junction of Coates Gardens with Haymarket Terrace will become exit-only, with cars banned from entering the street, effectively creating a one-way system.

It’s all part of the work to build a new cross-city cycle route, the City Centre West East Link (CCWEL). But Harvey Frew, who lives in Coates Gardens, said: “If this proposal is implemented it will increase traffic in Coates Gardens by an estimated 87 per cent. Residents’ concerns include a reduction in amenity, increase in vehicular traffic, pollution and noise level.”

And he said the state of the road in his street was also a worry. “The current road surface in Coates Gardens can only be described as undulating and is made up of stone setts although there are various patches of tarmac and even bricks to replace setts that have been removed. I am also informed by Scottish Water that the existing main below the road surface is in a delicate condition and ideally should be replaced as opposed to periodic patchwork repairs. An increase in traffic will only exacerbate this problem.”

The ban on cars entering Coates Gardens has already gone through the Traffic Regulation Order process and work on narrowing the junction is nearly complete. But work to narrow the Magdala Crescent junction are also well under way even though the traffic regulation order is still open for objections. Mr Frew said: “Despite the concerns of local residents it appears to be a fait accompli.”

Transport and environment convener Scott Arthur said: “Traffic modelling was central to the development of the City Centre West to East Link project, and the new layout at Magdala Crescent and Coates Gardens has been designed to maintain access for residents while creating a much safer environment for people walking, wheeling and cycling. Changes to the road layout were approved as part of a Traffic Regulation Order process, which gave community members the opportunity to comment on designs.

“We don’t expect the changes to increase traffic volume, but instead should create much safer road crossing points. We want to support people to consider travelling by foot, wheel, bike or bus, where possible and measures will also create a much improved environment for spending time too. We will of course continue monitoring the impact of the scheme once in place.”