It is now three months since partial pedestrianisation of George Street began as a year-long experiment.
‘Stakeholders’ met last week to discuss their own perceptions of the trial, and to review the findings of a 300-person survey.
A minute of that meeting is reproduced in full, undedited, below. The PowerPoint presentation summarising the survey is attached at the foot of this page.
The minute is clear and self-explanatory, so we don’t propose to repeat it here. However, points which immediately jump out are:
- Footfall and time spent on George Street have increased, but – as elsewhere in the UK – shoppers are spending most money online and with ‘budget retailers’.
- Most people support pedestrianising the street but don’t like the decking and marquees. Officials agree with this finding and are looking at alternatives.
- Council figures do not back up local perceptions of an increase in displaced traffic along parallel streets such as Abercromby Place. [It is unfortunate, to say the least, that no Council figures had been made available to the New Town and Broughton Community Council by the time it met on 8 December.]
- Air quality is improving.
- There is public concern at the perceived privatisation of civic space.
- Separate from the trial process, the Council will procure a designer to lead research into the ‘pros & cons’ of leaving George Street the way it was, maintaining the current layout, full pedestrianisation, and a compromise with knobs on.
There was a lot of passion expressed in the meeting and understandable concern that, within the context of a low-budget trial, the look of the street could improve. The benefit of a trial approach is that we are not stuck forever with any aspects that have not worked, while we can retain the aspects that do succeed. We have an unprecedented opportunity to learn (through empirical research) how people move around the city centre, and what their thoughts and opinions are on how people use George Street, for shopping, dining, socialising, working, living, travelling and visiting.
The next stakeholder meeting will be in March 2015.
In the meantime, if you have a view on the George Street experiment, the survey or the conclusions drawn from it, tell us at:
spurtle@hotmail.co.uk and @theSpurtle and Facebook
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@theSpurtle I need a much more pedestrian friendly city.
@theSpurtle Footfall? More buses on George St, perhaps that's part of the reason. It can't be folk flocking to the furniture storage tents.
@apotropaicatom I need all these shacks, patio heaters, EWHT info panels acting as pedestrian-blinkers, to be swept away @theSpurtle
Gary Kerr It looks cheap
@theSpurtle The only civilised solution for George Street is full-pedestrianisation. Sadly, we do not appear to live in an enlightened city.
@NewTownFlaneur yep. wish #edinburgh would copy #Paris plans and bad cars from city centre. @theSpurtle
@theSpurtle Lights out & chairs on tables at 6pm. This is the week before christmas, peak party season.
@theSpurtle @StreetWurrier I've never seen a single cyclist on that fancy cycle highway.
@NewTownFlaneur @theSpurtle Italy does it better. Very sad but true.
@bigstanes @theSpurtle Grateful for opportunity, but worth remembering that soliciting opinions is one thing, genuinely listening another.
@theSpurtle These gazebos 'box in the buzz'?! Ha ha ha very funny, the only thing these gazebos 'box in' is tumbleweed
@NTCleanStreets @theSpurtle I assumed 'box in the buzz' meant excellent for gathering wasps.
@NewTownFlaneur @theSpurtle Perhaps those bluebottles that you tend to find lying on dead on their backs on windowsills
@theSpurtle Königstraße in Stuttgart is a great example of how George St should be. Pedestrianised, uncluttered and successful.
@theSpurtle @Protonmale You're not suggesting we have a bombing campaign over George St. so that we can rebuild in a new form I hope
The George Street experiment: worthwhile work in progress or calamitous clamjamfray? http://www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/mixed-views-george-street-experiment … pic.twitter.com/IfvkfFY3ie
@theSpurtle the latter! Conservatories and decking. New town suburbatory.
@LillyLyle @theSpurtle @StreetWurrier It's not easy to get onto, or to leave. And there's lots of stops and bad junctions on it.
@LillyLyle @theSpurtle @StreetWurrier It's not a cycle highway, more a cycle potter. With bad access.
@theSpurtle I'd like to see proper pedestrianisation/cycle provision. And close off most of the crossing roads.
@branaby @theSpurtle @LillyLyle @StreetWurrier bad access. No connectivity. & seriously compromised by change n carriageway half way along.
@NewTownFlaneur @LivingStreetsEd @theSpurtle true, but imagine the sitooteries on Princes Street! Would that be better than George Street?
*****
28.12.14
@Motivationprobs @theSpurtle @Edinburgh_CC isn't it just a pilot? will there not be time for the public to feedback? @AndrewDBurns
@theSpurtle 5pm & not a single person in Amarone or Le Monde. Expect @Edinburgh_CC to announce great success soon. pic.twitter.com/yePEv7jBSj
@Motivationprobs @theSpurtle pavement cafes make the transition between building and street. these marquees just don;t do that.@Edinburgh_CC
@Motivationprobs @avalanche_edin @theSpurtle @Edinburgh_CC What if they had live music....oh wait a minute, that may cause a noise complaint
@theSpurtle Boring, awkward, unattractive, cycle paths not where cyclists wanted them. Basically, the whole street is degraded.
@theSpurtle can't understand paying George St prices to sit in a cold tent!!
@theSpurtle @SRDorman biggest issue about it being a street for cycling. You cannot get to it without cycling on busy roads. Useless.
@theSpurtle I like the idea, just think it needs better delivery - the tents / decking are poor. Also will be better in summer.
@theSpurtle Further to my previous comment let me be clear. The current set up is just a mess.
@theSpurtle As long as @Edinburgh_CC & others keep pushing their own agenda while forgetting the need for balance it will fail.
@theSpurtle If they do really well they can turn it into a street just like all the other cities have. Maybe named Andrew Burns Wagamama Rd.
TheGrimWheeler @Black_Rannoch
@Motivationprobs @theSpurtle @Edinburgh_CC Poorest I have seen George St so far, looks rushed, ill conceived and brings the street down.
@theSpurtle Things you never hear. I love Edinburgh, its got a Cash Generator just like back home. Wish it had another Pizza Hut though.
@theSpurtle TYNH. If they keep stripping Edinburgh of its character & individuality at this rate it will soon be as good as Milton Keynes.
*****
29.12.14
@theSpurtle @SRDorman Wld be more useful if those who only say "Don't like it!" also say if they prefer cars back, or full pedestrianisation
@RangiRevo @theSpurtle @SRDorman Extra space created for cyclists but less for pedestrians. Full pedestrian required.
*****
30.12.14
This thread now resumes at the foot of Ian MacPhail's anouncement that decking and marquees will be scrapped. Follow this link.
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BRIEFING NOTE & MINUTES
George Street Pedestrianisation Trail : First Quarterly Research Results (300 interviews) and feedback from quarterly stakeholder meeting (attended by businesses, members of the public, Elected Members, transport groups, heritage bodies and other interest groups).
Background & Different roles for CEC & Essential Edinburgh within the trial
The Council is running a year-long trial on George Street, introducing a two-way cycle lane, more space for pedestrians and a one-way traffic management system. 91% of the car parking was retained, including all types of parking on each block, and the purpose of the trial was to increase footfall, improve the pedestrian experience, and to increase the amount of time people linger on the street and the number of times they would return to the street.
Aside from the Council’s role in opening up the space, Essential Edinburgh secured a planning consent for marquees and decking with the aim of animating the space, in a temporary manner.
The Council procured and appointed Research Resource, a leading independent research firm, to undertake 1200 on-street surveys, 100 per month, including minimum quotas of cyclists, New Town residents and car drivers.
A reasonable conclusion from quarter one is the Council’s aspects of the trial have been successful in achieving greater footfall on all four blocks, people are lingering longer & returning frequently to the street. However the restaurants’ marquees are almost universally seen as having failed on account of (i) their appearance is not in-keeping with George Street (ii) they are too permanent – they could not be removed for a major civic event like Light Night, for example (iii) they ‘box in the buzz’, and animate a private space that fails to bring atmosphere to the wider street. The Council is not seeking to provide private commercial boxes on civic space. There are other ways of animating a civic space that still allows for civic use of civic space on demand, yet bringing life to the street year-round.
Research Results
Research Resource reported on the first 300 on-street interviews. Full results are attached as an appendix. The key findings were as follows. 3 months in and George Street has:
· More people than ever before are on George Street : footfall has increased
· People are lingering longer, spending around 3 hours on average when visiting the street
· People are returning at the same or greater frequency than before (33% visit more often now it’s pedestrianised, 62% same as before)
· These three facts show that Council’s objective of making the space more attractive to visit (and encouraging returning visitors) is working. People like the space that’s been created.
For Businesses:
· Window shopping is top of the list of “reasons for your visit”. Shopping comes fourth.
· The Council’s project is putting more eyeballs in front of shop windows than ever before, but only half are being converted into shoppers.
· Reasons for this may include “showrooming” where customers browse in shop, see the product, but then find a better deal online.
· Commentators like Martin Lewis argue that recent consumer rights legislation has created an imbalance, with 14 day no-questions-asked returns allowed for online purchases, but no similar arrangement exists for in-store purchases. The more clued-up consumer (perhaps the typical George Street consumer) is perhaps shopping online this year, especially for clothing.
· There are also some patterns visible across the UK macro economy where budget retailers (e.g. Primark) are performing better than higher end retailers (e.g. those George Street).
· The Council will be looking to work with businesses to improve the environment (there is often trade waste left outside premises all day, which is off putting to customers, whose customer experience has already begun by the time they pass branded trade waste bags outside a premises) & we’ll be introducing some free-to-access public seating on the street.
· All ideas and discussions for animation of the space are welcomed by the Council, and any correspondence on ideas can be directed to iain.macphail@edinburgh.gov.uk
· The fact there are more people on the street, lingering longer & returning frequently is a strong position to build upon in 2015.
From local people & those interested in the world heritage site:
· There is broad support for the concept of pedestrianising the space and introducing more animation, but the execution of these two concepts could improve. Two key criticisms are:
· (1) the long-run design must return to a pleasing symmetry (it is currently asymmetrical) and an independent designer will be contracted to work up four potential options for the long run layout of the street, reporting in late 2015. We are confident this will address the matter and produce a design with symmetry through the design options process.
· (2) bar/restaurants’ decking and marquees, an inflexible commercial use of civic space.
· We are working with Essential Edinburgh to encourage the removal of decking and marquees from their members before the trial ends, with alternative approaches encouraged which animate the civic space, but with a non-permanent removable structure. One example of an alternative are the “Jumbrellas” recently installed on Rutland Street, where these umbrellas have an electricity supply, provide weather protection and heating for customers, but bring buzz to the surrounding street (not a boxed-in buzz) and they can be removed at short notice for civic events, retaining an identifiably civic use of civic space.
Traffic displacement and environmental health/air quality matters:
· Traffic is being monitored on George Street and surrounding streets, to track any traffic displacement that occurs. The Council is meeting monthly with the New Town & Broughton Community Council, as well as with some interested members of the public, to provide feedback. This work will be ongoing, but early findings are that traffic levels have decreased significantly since 2005 on York Place (down 25% on 2005 levels) meaning there are more people in the city centre but fewer cars in town than before. The traffic levels on parallel street such as Abercromby Place and Albany Street have not grown perceptibly in the first few months, with perhaps between 4 and 6 additional vehicles per hour (one every 10 mins).
· Air Quality – one of the key reasons for undertaking a one-way traffic system, and introducing more pedestrian space and cycle lanes, was because George Street has recorded a dangerous level of air pollution in recent years due to the high volumes of traffic that previously used it. Air quality levels are improving and will be reported in full at the conclusion of the trial (Sept 2015).
Successes:
· European recognition for how pretty the Made In Edinburgh planters have been…Edinburgh took gold at the Entente Florale, and George Street played a part in that.
· People asked the Council not to use metal mills barriers so the Council asked our craftsmen and apprentices at the Inch Nursery to create bespoke wrought iron planters to act as a visible barrier between the car parking and cycling/pedestrian spaces, as a safety measure.
· The trial has been delivered on time, on budget, and as all the materials are recyclable and have a resale value the project may end up very close to cost neutral.
· The greatest success to date though is that footfall is up, more people are spending a longer time on George Street, and are returning frequently for more, as they like the new space.
Details from the research
• 100 interviews completed each month
• Interviews spread across days of the week (including weekends), times of the day (including evenings) and across all 4 blocks of George Street
• Respondents stopped on a ‘next to pass’ sampling methodology
• 300 interviews carried out between September and November 2014
• 74% of respondents think George Street’s appearance has improved through the trial
• 72% said their visit was more enjoyable as a result of the changes
• 75% support the idea of pedestrianised spaces
• Specific pages to draw to your attention on the attached comprehensive data:
• Reasons for visiting George St (p7)
• How long visitors stay on George St/why (p8)
• What is important when making a decision about coming to George St (p11)
• Reasons for perception of improvement (p25)
Feedback from the Quarterly Stakeholder Meeting
As is often the case with a trial project, a lot of the research findings challenged long-held existing assumptions and preconceived ideas, amongst the local business community and local residents and Council officials.
The strongly expressed feedback from the stakeholder group was that there are negative perceptions of the trial, locally, and in discussion it emerged quite clearly that these are almost exclusively about the appearance of Essential Edinburgh members’ decking and marquees. The group would like to see these removed as they negatively impact on the perception of the street.
The project would support that outcome too, at this stage, as the project’s aim was to animate the space, to improve footfall, to encourage that greater footfall to linger longer and visit more often. While all of these outcomes are being achieved, at this stage, there are better ways than a marquee of animating a space in a temporary manner, but that allows for civic events to take place on civic space, bringing animation to the civic space, and not just to an enclosed private box.
Separate from the research process, the Council is beginning the process to procure a designer who will lead a design options process, involving key stakeholders and a panel of experts. This group will undertake a ‘pros & cons’ SWOT analysis of four different designs for the street layout being
(i) the previous layout of George Street
(ii) the current layout of George Street
(iii) a fully pedestrianised George Street and
(iv) a layout that is between (ii) & (iii), informed by Designing Streets & key design principles.
The work of the design team will be presented to Transport and Environment Committee at the conclusion of the trial. The stakeholder group will be informed of progress from the design discussions on a quarterly basis, in a similar manner to the quarterly research updates they receive.
Perhaps the key consideration for the George Street trial, this stakeholder group, and the design process, is to work towards a vision of what kind of place George Street should become, in advance of the St James development completing in 2019/2020. The empirical research feedback is already challenging notions and ideas of how customers and citizens use George Street, how people perceive it, and what they would like it to become. A clear majority of the interviewees at this stage support greater pedestrianisation of the street, raising fundamental questions for the project to consider during the remainder of the trial period on what type of place is George Street - is it a retail street, a party street, or a residential space, a cultural attraction for tourists, is it even “one street” in terms of uses (i.e. do individual blocks have different characters from neighbouring blocks).
It is clear from the research that the design options will wrestle with directly competing groups, e.g. 12% saying they want more car parking, and a similar number (13%) saying get rid of all car parking.
The stakeholder group also raised important questions about financing any public realm improvements (the concern being that whatever the outcome is the Council needs to get it right and it may be a costly exercise). The key feedback though was a request for the removal of marquees.
The group accepted that the purpose of a Council in a pedestrianisation project is to create a space that encourages greater footfall, that lingers longer and returns more frequently. The trial can evidence that it has been successful in all those regards so far. At next meeting the questionnaire and any photographs being shown to interviewees will be brought to the meeting to see.
There may be food for thought for business groups within the information that 38% of people on George Street are window shopping (perhaps showrooming) but only 20% are actually shopping. Business groups may wish to use this information to:
(1) lobby central government about the impact of an imbalance in consumer rights (online vs in-store purchases carry radically different levels of protection for consumers);
(2) consider ways to convert the increased footfall and ‘showrooming’ at their windows into shoppers coming in-store to make a purchase there and then;
(3) engage with Council over ideas for ways to animate the space in the street;
(4) consider that, in the newly pedestrianised spaces, the customer experience begins before the customer reaches the shop window. There are daily examples to be found of retailers leaving trade waste (clearly identifiable to their business) out on the street. The same staff member who took the rubbish out is then polishing the windows and door handles, but the customer’s negative perception will have begun at the point of seeing the trade waste. There are more discreet ways that trade waste can be stored and removed.
(5) The Council is keen to engage more directly with individual businesses on the street, to provide an equally-informed view that would sit alongside the monthly feedback from the local community council and the 1200 on-street customer/citizen interviews being captured.
Closing remarks:
There was a lot of passion expressed in the meeting and understandable concern that, within the context of a low-budget trial, the look of the street could improve. The benefit of a trial approach is that we are not stuck forever with any aspects that have not worked, while we can retain the aspects that do succeed. We have an unprecedented opportunity to learn (through empirical research) how people move around the city centre, and what their thoughts and opinions are on how people use George Street, for shopping, dining, socialising, working, living, travelling and visiting.
The George Street area is fortunate to play home to some of the finest architects, designers and heritage expertise in the country, some of the finest business brains in the country, and has the benefit of a highly motivated local community who care deeply for the World Heritage Site and want to see the street become the best it can be. It is the Council’s role to ensure that this passion and expertise (allied to the empirical research work) produces the best long-term outcome for the street in what is a very dynamic city centre environment.
The input of all attendees and contributors was all noted and gratefully received.
At the next meeting, the results of interviews from December, January and February will be released, and it will be interesting to see if the early successes are maintained through the winter months (higher footfall, lingering longer, returning frequently, positive about pedestrianised areas). Also with the Christmas shopping period in there, and the annual Hogmanay festivities, the retail and tourism angles will undoubtedly be of interest for members of this Stakeholder Group.
Many thanks for your involvement.
Date of Next Meeting: Week commencing 16thMarch 2015 (date & time tbc) in Assembly Rooms.