Greener Leith

Leith Walk might feel almost grid locked at the moment thanks to the tram works, but some help may be at hand. The area could receive around £4.5Million extra investment over the next few years if a bid to turn Leith into a sustainable travel demonstration community is successful. The project would see a package of proposals implemented that aim at reducing car use, and encouraging people to make more sustainable transport choices like using public transport, cycling and walking.

What does this mean?  The package includes proposals for organising more 'walking buses' to local schools, marketing the city car club better, and local 'path rangers' to improve the maintenance and safety of the off road path networks. The package also includes proposals for investment in the physical infrastructure of the area. This could include improvements to the off-road path networks (something Greener Leith  has campaigned on) ,an extension to the bus tracker bus stop information panels and work to implement a 'free bike hire' scheme, similar to the ones active in other European cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Oslo.

Car use should be reduced in Leith for lots of reasons. For example, air quality is particularly poor in some parts of Leith like Leith Walk, where the intensity of car use there presents a hazard to health. It is an unfortunate fact that the good people of Leith are statistically more unhealthy than the Edinburgh average. The CEC bid proposes to set up a scheme which would encourage doctors to prescribe 'active commuting,' to people where they would benefit from the exercise. This not only reduces the number of cars on our roads, improving air quality, but it also helps people to live longer and happier.

Greener Leith has wholeheartedly given their support to the Councils first stage application, and we hope that the Scottish Government will choose Leith as the perfect place to pioneer a sustainable travel demonstration community.