I got chatting with work colleagues yesterday about the sad sight of Lothian Road. The dodgy pubs, the empty stores and the extension of the pubic triangle out to 'Daddy-O' and 'Sapphic' to ensure that our seedy geometry is now more of a rhombus.
The demise of Lothian Road seems to be gathering in pace with two restaurants next door to each other closing down, Pizza Hut and The Great Wall, the latter unable to sustain the £3k of rent a week that was required to stay in place.
So what is to be done?
Well, perhaps we could save two streets with one stone, that stone being the pedestrianisation of Princes St. No cars, no buses, just one long public thoroughfare much likes Las Ramblas in Barcelona.
It would look particularly beautiful to have sleek trams snaking along Edinburgh's main street against the backdrop of the castle, the mound and Arthur's Seat while tourists and locals alike sat outside eating their croque monsieur and drinking little glasses of Staropramen or Duvell.
No more Noble's Amusements, no more empty storefronts and no more tartan tat shops along Princes St. We may even be so spoiled for choice of traders and restauranteurs that we could cut down on the number of Carphone Warehouses as there are a hefty 3 on the one street. (Nothing wrong with Carphone Warehouse, excellent store that one)
But Princes St needs a shot in the arm and if bars and eateries can move in then maybe some of the retail stores can move round the corner to Lothian Road to plug some of the gaps there.
Oh yeah, and there might even be an environmental benefit in doing this too.
Anyway, just an idea...
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I remember on my first night in Edinburgh, many years ago, assuming that the famous Princes Street would have somewhere open for an evening meal. Aside from McDonalds, I think that that is probably still the case.
But, there's not much that the Council can force through to change that. The owners of the buildings on Princes Street charge rents that only high volume retailers can sustain. It's a vicious circle.
Same story on Lothian Road, as you have noted.
You just wanted a way to get the word "rhombus" into a post, right?
Jeff..
To think people are paid thousands of pounds a year to come up with ideas about how to improve the city centre, yet you don't but come up with a more realistic proposal than them.
The pedestrianisation of Princes Street is a fantastic idea except for the bendy buses, erm trams.
The problem with Lothian road (to think i was boasting about my pulling power on it to Subrosa a few mins ago) is the traffic and that horrendous junction at Earl Gray street and Home street plus the 23 other streets that run off the damn thing. Its a nightmare when you have to visit the post office (as i do at least 12 times a week) trying to figure out when to cross the road or not.
Its the amount of traffic that is killing off Lothian road and i think with the Usher hall being closed for its revamp, it has had an impact on the restaurant business.
I'm not that sure about the dodgy pubs but with the number 16 coming down from Oxgangs every 15 mins then I'm not surprised that the pubs are dodgy.
Oops I'm complaining about the traffic yet i drive up to work most mornings, ach well I'm only one car :)
I think pedestrianisation might be under consideration. But it needs public pressure to make it happen.
Lothian Road doesn't need pedestrianised in its entirety. It could be pedestrianised along the length of the Caledonian Hotel, to allow traffic to reach the West Approach Road from the south (and vice versa).
This would allow a public space between the hotel and the church and better pedestrial linkages to the Usher Hall and Filmhouse (sort out the pedestrian crossings) etc...could even move the Farmers Market from outside the car park. May need some sort of turning circles for buses, as a terminus with a short walk to the Tram...possibly outside the Usher Hall.
An easier option would be restricting "gentlemens entertainment" through licencing for lapdancing. The Civic Government Scotland Act would need to be amended, as currently it does not consider the nature of "entertainment". Lapdancing bars should be licenced as sex shops. I'm not saying there is no place for them at all, but there is certainly no place for them on a street like Lothian Road and when they are so prominent they are harder to police and encourage wider bad behaviour and boorishness that could lead to sexual assaults.
Glasgow Council did a paper on lapdancing, recommending categorising the bars in the same way as sex shops. I think there is a low-level "requirement" for sex work (otherwise it would simply go underground and unregulated) but it needs to be restricted, monitored and policed. Businessmen should find more enlightened after-work pursuits and perhaps take along their female colleagues as well.
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0D19236F-808A-4467-96F7-6A9508C1F312/0/legtablic2.pdf
I remember the days when late night drinking involved a meal and a bottle of wine in Darios...and being surprised one evening to find the napkin had a RAF crest, clearly part of a batch surplus to requirements and a very sustainable reuse!
Jeff I would agree that it often breaks my heart to see my home town in the state that it is.
Lothian Road is an indicator of how bad the planning and development of the city centre has been handled.
That stupid titty bar instead of the old Bull and Bush were a man could get Haggis, neeps and tatties a pint of caley 80 when it was rare.
And Rugby on the big screen, I remember some great nights with folk from the other home nations having a sing song.
I saw them cleaning out Pizza Hut on Monday whilst getting my coffee.
A bit off topic, but "The Bull and Bush". Is that not the pub mentioned in the Irvine Welsh story "A Soft Touch"?
BoT I don't know, we are both from Muirhouse but I haven't really read much of his novels.
I think there are plans for an extension of the Filmhouse which will look amazing if it gets done. The Usher Hall looks fab too so all is not lost I suppose. Think you're right though Tormod, planning seems to be slapdash at the moment. Quality old man pubs on Lothian Rd (put AMW's pulling power to the test!) and plush eateries on Princes St should work. Ps You're absolutely right Malc, though the most accurate geometrical description would probably be a kite.
I'm hugely impressed that Lothian Road has a pubic triangle, is this similar to the Bermuda Triangle albeit less hairy?
Travelling down Lothian Road and Leith Walk each day, by eco-friendly bus I hasten to point out, I would say the Walk's in a far worse state than Lothian Road. That street hasn't gone downhill btw, it always was a low-life crawl. Robert Louis Stevenson caught his first rash on Lothian Road. In fact, it feels a lot safer at night than it did back in the 70's and 80's. Every half-decent city has to have a seedy trawling ground, and I think lothian Road fits the bill nicely.
Not sure about keeping the buses off Princes Street tho. I'm worried about the future of thru-buses once the trams arrive. Those buses, like the 16, which cross from North to South, but overlap their routes with the tram, are at great danger. To force people on to the trams I can see less frequent services, which will impact greatly on Leithers, Oxgangers, and other Outliers. And all so that tourists can zip from the Airport to the Brittania and back again.
We cannot depend on the cafe culture to brighten up Princes Street. As the planet warms up, it's just going to rain more here, and no-one likes a soggy croque!
Oh! Jess the dug, you might think Princes Street to the Usher Hall's a short walk, but I know many who don't. A good public transport system shouldn't depend on folk having to take short walks to make connections. It's bad enough that the tram stops are half a mile apart.
Duvel - one 'l'. Staropramen does not belong in the same sentence
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