Protest at failure to address traffic in Cowgate one year after man dies

Campaigners have staged a protest outside the City Chambers, complaining the council has failed to bring in promised traffic restrictions in Edinburgh's Cowgate a year after a man died in a tragic accident.

- by Ian Swanson

Michael Leneghan, 74, was on foot in the Cowgate on November 2 last year when he was struck by a single-decker bus at around 7.30pm.

Traffic has been excluded from a key section of the Cowgate between 10pm and 5am since 2003. And in February 2024, councillors had backed plans for a ban on all through-traffic in the Cowgate as part of a wider scheme to reduce city centre traffic. The proposal was later revised to allow one-way traffic only. However a bid for funding was unsuccessful and the project was delayed.

Cycling group Critical Mass accused the council of delaying implementation of promised restrictions and called for urgent action.