Fighting for blind and partially-sighted people on Leith Walk

Since 2022, Councillor Caldwell has been calling for improvements on Leith Walk's pavements to be more accessible for individuals with sight loss, as well as people who use wheelchairs or push prams.

In 2023, he met with RNIB Scotland to do a “blind walk” down Leith Walk. Since then, he has worked with them, Sight Scotland, the communtiy council, and blind residents to fight for improvements.

The Lib Dems have also taken action on green-man crossing times on Leith Walk, won a commitment on widening a particularly narrow pavement, and obtained full reviews of the continuous footways on side streets.

A big issue remains the location of tactile pavments (raised bumps on the ground when crossing) on continuous footways, as sight-loss organisations have made clear their preference for them to be located on the side of the carriageway rather than at the 'building line'. The Lib Dems this month got cross party support for a trial of re-positioned tactiles as reported on Yahoo News.

There are outstanding issues down Leith Walk with the cycle lane particularly, which Councillor Caldwell will be following up on.

Councillor Jack Caldwell said "The Council must do better at lisenting to disabled residents.

Thank you to the many residents who've been in touch with accessibility concerns on Leith Walk & Elm Row. 

Piece-by-piece there are wee but significant changes, even if that means reviewing an Edinburgh-wide policy."