Friday August 1st 2025
Covid traffic restrictions in Edinburgh
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Road changes made in the east of Edinburgh during Covid look set to be made permanent next week, after councillors were urged to set aside objections.
During the pandemic, new bus lanes, walking paths and restrictions on vehicle traffic were put in place across the city as part of the Spaces for People and Travelling Safely schemes.
The changes were aimed at enabling social distancing while outdoors and making it easier to walk and cycle in the city.
Some of the changes relating to limits on traffic, including bans on waiting and loading in some areas in the east of Edinburgh, have been kept since the pandemic ended.
However, the temporary legal orders allowing these changes to go ahead are set to expire in mid-August.
As such, officers have brought a report to Edinburgh’s Traffic Regulation Orders sub-committee asking for permission to make these changes permanent.
A similar process occurred with road changes in the city centre, which saw several roads closed to traffic or through access, as well as other rule changes.
In May, the Traffic Regulation Orders Sub-Committee voted to make those changes permanent – but pushed a decision on changes in the east of the city to August’s meeting.
Among the city centre changes were bans to traffic on part or all of Cockburn Street, High Street, Victoria Street, West Bow and Waverley Bridge.
Additionally, waiting restrictions were put in place on Cockburn Street, Victoria Street, West Bow and Waverley Bridge, with the Waverley Bridge restrictions running 24 hours a day.
Some of the main changes in the east include bus lanes on Milton Road West, and restrictions on loading and waiting on Duddingston Road and Duddingston Road West.
In the report, city officials are asking for objections to the temporary changes in the east to be set aside.
Some temporary road changes that got legal permission but were never implemented will not be considered for permanent introduction by the committee.
On Hope Lane, Stanley Street and Seafield Road East, 24 hour waiting restrictions were proposed, and traffic bans on the first two streets were requested.
However, delays in setting up infrastructure for those trial changes meant they were never implemented.
As part of the trials, waiting and/or loading restrictions were put into place on parts of London Road, Willowbrae Road, Milton Road West, Duddingston Road and Duddingston Road West, King’s Place and Seafield Street.
In many areas, the restrictions were introduced around junctions and pedestrian crossings, however some longer stretches of restrictions were put into place on some major roads.
Additionally, a block on motor vehicles was introduced at the Milton Road West end of Southfield Road West, preventing cars coming off the A1 from entering the street there.
Full list of restrictions:
– London Road: Sections of 24-hour waiting restrictions with one section of 24-hour waiting restrictions and loading prohibitions, between its junctions with Windsor Street and Wishaw Terrace.
– Willowbrae Road: Sections of 24-hour waiting restrictions with loading prohibitions Monday to Friday 7:30am-9:30am and 4:00pm-6:30pm with one section of 24-hour waiting restrictions only, between its junctions with Abercorn Avenue and Northfield Crescent.
– Milton Road West: Sections of 24-hour waiting restrictions with loading prohibitions Monday to Friday 7:30am-9:30am and 4:00pm-6:30pm; and sections of waiting restrictions and loading prohibitions Monday to Friday 7:30am-9:30am and 4:00pm-6:30pm to allow the introduction of new bus lanes on both directions, between its junctions with Duddingston Road West/Duddingston Road and Mountcastle Drive South.
– A modal filter on the junction between Southfield Road West and Milton Road West to prohibit access to motor vehicles.
– Duddingston Road: Sections of 24-hour waiting restrictions with loading prohibitions Monday to Friday 7:30am-9:30am and 4:00pm-6:30pm; and sections of waiting restrictions without loading prohibitions at pedestrian crossing points through the route and at neighbouring street junctions.
– Duddingston Road West: Sections of 24-hour waiting restrictions without loading prohibitions.
– King’s Place: Sections of 24-hour waiting restrictions without loading prohibitions.
– Seafield Street: Sections of 24-hour waiting restrictions without loading prohibitions
Councillors will consider whether to make the changes permanent at the meeting of the Traffic Regulation Orders sub-committee on Thursday, August 7, which you can view here https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=645&MId=7885.
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