AN EDINBURGH councillor has launched a petition to urge his colleagues on the council to take action to improve a notorious junction on Leith’s busy Easter Road.
Lib Dem councillor Jack Caldwell would like to see pedestrian crossing infrastructure installed at the junction of Dalmeny Street/St Clair Street and Easter Road, which is wide and lacks any such pedestrian crossing infrastructure.
There have been a series of accidents at the junction, including the tipping of a van at the culmination of a police chase and a fatal hit-and-run in 2022.
Accident investigation and prevention (AIP) measures consisting of give way signs have made some difference in curbing incidents on the junction, but both signs have been damaged and bent by collisions with reckless drivers since the signs’ erection in 2023.
Councillor Jack Caldwell posing with the junction in question (C) Scottish Liberal Democrats / Jack Caldwell
In a report attached to the petition, options are explored including a four-way traffic light system implemented in the junction.
Caldwell claims that door knocking in the area has shown that the junction is a pressing concern for locals.
In the report attached to his petition, Caldwell includes some quotes from residents unhappy with the junction.
One said: “As a very experienced cyclist who commutes to Leith every day, I actively avoid that junction if at all possible.”
Another stated: “You’re taking your life in your hands trying to cross that junction.”
A third opined: “That junction is the single biggest obstacle to me taking a bus or tram from Leith Walk into the city.”
While a final affirmed: “As a [Leith] resident, I leave for my bus 10 minutes earlier than I have to, as that’s how long it can take to get across Easter Road.
“I’ve missed my bus several times due to the amount of traffic at the junction.”
Collision data supplied by Road Safety showed that, between 2019 and 2024, there were 13 incidents at the junction, one of these being the fatal hit-and-run.
Traffic levels on both streets in question are high, with Easter Road being one of the busiest and densely populated streets in the country, and Dalmeny Street seeing a large proportion of through traffic between Leith Walk and Easter Road.
Recent Road Safety surveys showed that Easter Road peaks at around 734 cars making trips per hour, while Dalmeny Street – a residential street – sees peaks of around 382 vehicles per hour.
It is estimated, based on equivalent schemes within the Road Safety Delivery Programme 2024/25, that a new crossing would cost between £150,000 and £250,000.
Councillor Jack Caldwell and the City of Edinburgh Council have been approached for comment.
Related