'Continuous pavements' down Leith Walk?

During the Trams to Newhaven Project between 2019 - 2022, the Council installed ‘Continuous Footways’ across the following junctions down Leith Walk and Elm Row:

West side (going south to north):

• Union Street
• Gayfield Square
• Middlefield
• Arthur Street Lane
• Springfield Street
• Stead's Place
• Jane Street
• Casselbank Street
• Kirk Street

East side (going south to north):

• Brunswick Street (was closed under emergency powers in summer 2022)
• Dalmeny Street
• Jameson Place
• Lorne Street
• Smith's Place
• Manderston Street
• Crown Street
• Crown Place - entrance to Tesco car park

Continuous footways are those crossings that look like pavements going over the road.

The idea of the continuous footway is spelled out in Section G7 of the Edinburgh Street Design Guidance. It's supposed to give pedestrians greater priority over motor vehciles. However the legal position of the Council still counts the crossing as carriageway.

Councillor Caldwell has consistently called for bollards at the edges to more clearly define the crossings and stop drivers going over the kerb, and will continue to press for clearer signage making the priority system clear.

In April 2025, Councillor Caldwell brought a Motion to the Council's Transport and Environment committee to seek improvements on the designs and get clarity on matters such as parking enforcement.

Councillor Caldwell has also been collecting data on traffic levels on Dalmeny Street specifically, and believes it is taking a much higher amount of traffic than other continuous footways on Leith Walk, which increases the risk for pedestrians crossing.

What next?

• The Council are now reviewing the designs of all continuous footways to see what improvements
• Dalmeny Street is being reviewed seperately due to the high level of traffic consistently using it.
• Tactile footways are being implemented, and their positioning is being trialled at different locations after concerns raised by a number of blind individuals. More on Councillor Caldwell's work on that here.

Photo: A C.