Remember to Have Your Say by 21st September on the options for the redesigned Polwarth Junction!

Your input can help deliver a safer, better junction that works for the whole community.

Everything you need to know and view is below.  We invite you to review the designs and let the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) know what you think and why. Feedback from the community is key when City Councillors take their final decisions on the design. The deadline is 21 September. 

If you’ve already reviewed the designs, please skip to the section below – ‘Assessing the Options’ 

Good news!

CEC have produced two design options for an improved junction – numbered 1 and 2 on the plans and visuals below. 

Options 1 & 2 – Common features

The two options share some very welcome common features, including:

• A ‘T’ junction instead of a roundabout
• Widened pavements
• Tighter junctions at Merchiston Avenue, Polwarth Gardens and Polwarth Crescent
• A new zebra crossing at the south end of Polwarth Crescent
• An enhanced zebra crossing at Polwarth Gardens, which is enlarged and moved slightly east
• Removal of ineffective railings and redundant street furniture
• Two new dedicated disabled parking spaces
• New designated loading bays serving local businesses
• Dropped kerbs
• Bus stop improvements at Polwarth Gardens
• Short-stay cycle parking
• New greenery and seating
• Contraflow cycling on the northern part of Merchiston Avenue

Taken together these features should help moderate traffic speeds; provide a safer environment for disabled people, pedestrians and cyclists; benefit shops and services through increased footfall and a more pleasant retail area; and discourage some of the heavier HGVs from using the cut-through from Dalry to Colinton.  

Options 1 & 2 – the differences

There are key differences between Options 1 & 2, relating to the eastern end of the junction, near Merchiston Ave.

Option 1 retains a pedestrian refuge for people crossing at the eastern end of the junction, in front of the pharmacy: this refuge would be wider than the current version, which will better accommodate prams, buggies and wheelchairs and would be slightly repositioned.  Pavements in front of the pharmacy and physiotherapist would be widened. 

Option 2 removes the pedestrian refuge at the eastern end of the junction; pavements on the southern edge would be narrowed to allow for a third loading bay in front of the businesses at no. 6-12 Polwarth Gardens.

Comparison of design option 1 and 2

Assessing the Options

Either of these options will represent a significant improvement on the current set-up, where pedestrians and cyclists feel unsafe.  The key decision relates to the treatment of the eastern end of the junction.

Loading bays for businesses

• Polwarth Junction currently lacks designated loading bays for commercial use, though loading is permitted in certain areas.
• Option 1 would add two designated loading bays which offer access to all the shops and services in under one minute on foot. These are on Polwarth Crescent (in front of Margiotta) and Polwarth Gardens (near the launderette).
• Option 2 would add a third loading bay on Polwarth Gardens in response to specific concerns raised by some local businesses about loading provision.

Pedestrian safety and convenience:

• Option 1 creates wider pavements on Polwarth Gardens and enhances the central refuge island to help people cross the road more safely.
• Option 2 offers dropped kerbs to assist those crossing north/south. But pedestrians would have to cross the entire width of the carriageway without a central refuge, since pavements at this point would not be significantly widened.

MDCC prefers Option 1.  Here’s why:

• Option 1 best addresses the community’s main concerns of pedestrian safety and community amenity, as highlighted in the 2023 Polwarth Roundabout Report.
• We think that the enlarged refuge will improve safety for pedestrians crossing the eastern end of Polwarth Gardens. CEC pedestrian counts show there are more pedestrians crossing north/south at the eastern end of the junction than anywhere else at the intersection. At present, for lack of clear crossing points, people cross haphazardly.  With a refuge, pedestrians don’t have to cross in one ‘go’.
• For drivers, a refuge will create a perception of road narrowing, which will encourage speed reduction on the east-west route and particularly with west-flowing traffic.
• A refuge will also help prevent illegal parking on zig-zag lines and in the carriageway, as parked vehicles would block the flow of traffic.
• Option 1 is likely to increase footfall and support local businesses by creating safer, more spacious walking areas.

As respondents you will of course decide for yourselves: our job is simply to explain the Community Council’s thinking and to provide enough information for you to form your own views.