Inactive travel

This is City of Edinburgh Council's idea of promoting active travel (walking & cycling).

A turning circle. For cars! Bang outside a primary school!

Instead of discouraging cars from coming too close to Juniper Green primary school and allowing kids to walk (or cycle) at least part of the way in, the council in their wisdom, allow parents to drive them in as close as possible. Destroying several mature trees in the process, and sleep walking the nation into a sedentary lifestyle - a lesson to our kids, at the earliest age, of driving everywhere, of inactivity. The result? A time-bomb of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

As if we weren't 'sick man' of Europe enough, these kind of short-sighted decisions will bring unnecessary future burden to the NHS and tragedies (such as early illness & death) to families. Ooops, did I forget to mention the safety issues of manoeuvring Trinity tractors in close quarters to small children?

How it could have been: A wide (perhaps 3 times the width of a standard pavement), tree-lined, shared footpath, allowing kids to walk and cycle in. Alongside, a traffic calmed (10mph), narrow lane access (preventing turning) to the golf club & future flats. Sigh...