Eighty eight percent of respondents to the ‘Connecting our City, Transforming our Places’ consultation said they wanted to see changes to the way the city centre is managed, with 51% in support of ‘radical change’.

Almost three quarters said the amount of general traffic should be reduced to improve the experience for people who travel on foot, bicycle and public transport, while a similar number backed the creation of a safe, attractive, accessible and connected network of walking routes and cycling routes.

“Our vision for the city’s future is ambitious and it’s clear from the recent consultation that the people of Edinburgh share that ambition,” said the City of Edinburgh Council’s transport and environment convener Lesley Macinnes.

“We must plan effectively and test radical options if we are to get the right balance in the future that will provide a high quality of life and access to opportunities for all residents, in particular those that experience inequality.”

Results of the consultation are due to be reported to the council’s transport and environment committee at a meeting tomorrow. Also at the meeting, a final business case for a new £200M tram line taking services from the end of the current network at York Place to Leith and Newhaven will be presented. This comes before a final decision is due to be made on the 5km tram extension next month.

Transport and environment vice convener Karen Doran said the tram project, if approved, “would be pivotal to our ambitions for reimagining the city centre and its purpose, improving connections to major areas of employment, leisure and development”.

Support for public transport was demonstrated by the recent public consultation in which over 85% said the city’s public transport system should be extended and serve more people and employment areas.

Consultation responses will help shape the development of the three related projects that make up the ‘Connecting our City, Transforming our Places’ programme. They are Edinburgh City Centre Transformation, The City Mobility Plan and Low Emission Zones.

Meanwhile, an 18 month ‘open streets’ trial is set to begin in May which will test the impacts of closing a small number of roads in the city centre to motorised transport between 10am and 5pm on the first Sunday of each month.

(Image: City of Edinburgh Council / Jacobs)