A controversial road closure in Portobello is set to be made permanent by Edinburgh City Council amid a bitter dispute between residents over the displacement of traffic and 'road rage' incidents.
Brunstane Road, between Portobello and Joppa, was shut to through traffic as part of a trial scheme designed to tackle "congestion, damage to parked vehicles and instances of anti-social behaviour from drivers" along the narrow residential street.
This week councillors backed a move to make the scheme permanent - despite a survey conducted by the authority suggesting local support for this was only sitting at around 30 per cent, with 67 per cent against.
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Councillor for Portobello Tim Jones, who said the process had been "a complete shambles", said the council risked "undermining democracy" if the views of local residents were not taken into account.
The dispute came to a head on Thursday (December 8) - two years after the council voted to close Brunstane Road - as two opposting residents groups addressed the transport committee.
Trevor MacDonald, from Calming Brunstane Group, said he was "begging" members not to re-open the road to through traffic, adding: "It's a nightmare."
He said the results of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), which allows the council to collect views about new measures before making them permanent, had been "amazing" with the street now "a pleasant place to walk and live in."
He added: "It's improved the safety for all road users and pedestrians, we've seen an increase in walkers and particularly cyclists."
Mr MacDonald said before the closure there was "one vehicle every week being damaged by passing traffic."
He added incidents of road rage as a result of drivers refusing to reverse to let traffic through were commonplace and residents were subject to 'abuse, gridlock and stress'.
However, whilst Brunstane Road's residents have enjoyed a more traffic-free environment since the ETRO began, there is anger amongst some who say the same issues have only been shifted a few minutes down the road.
This claim was backed up by the council's own research, as a report revealed approximately 380 vehicles per day used Coillesdene Avenue prior to implementation of the ETRO - increasing to around 1,700 per day by October this year.
Diana Cairns from Brightons and Rosefield Residents Association told councillors: "Many more people have been disadvantaged than have benefited from this scheme. Traffic has been displaced to this area and Coillesdene, with increases in traffic volumes in the Coillesdene area and damage to vehicles reported."
She said traffic calming measures suggested by the council to mitigate the traffic displacement, such as chicanes and speed bumps, "could easily have been implemented in Brunstane Road, avoiding complete closure."
"But for some reason it has had to be total closure or nothing for Brunstane Road," she added.
"The report says other options were looked at but does not provide any solid evidence as to why they would not work and the council have refused to run any trials. A compromise would be fairer for all but it seems that the residents of Brunstane Road are to be given preferential treatment."
Of the 930 responses collected by the council during the ETRO process,302 (32.5 per cent) agreed or strongly agreed that the changes had been beneficial with 608 (65.5 per cent) disagreeing or strongly disagreeing that the changes were beneficial.
Respondents were also asked if they would like the trial to be made permanent in its current form to which 30 per cent replied 'yes' and 67 per cent replied 'no'.
Councillor Tim Jones, Conservatives, said there was "real anger" amongst residents who felt the council had "overridden the wishes of the community."
He said the implementation of the ETRO was "a complete shambles," adding: "The council decided it knew better and went ahead regardless."
"Not only has the problem been displaced but the same aggressive, anti-social behaviour is happening in other streets," the local councillor said.
"The vast majority of Portobello residents want Brunstane Road to be re-opened.
"If we do not take into account the opinions of our residents we are undermining democracy."
Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors opposed commencing the legal process required to make the measures permanent, but were defeated in a vote by the Labour administration alongside SNP and Green councillors, who agreed to implement further traffic calming measures in the Coillesdene area.
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