21/07/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CxU9f9Xoy/
POWDERHALL BRIDGE IS CLOSED PROPERLY – AND WE WANT ANSWERS.
The day we all knew was coming has arrived, but the way the Council is handling it is completely unacceptable.
We are being told the bridge is "unsafe," yet anyone who walks or cycles across it knows it feels perfectly sturdy underfoot.
If there is a genuine safety issue, share the assessment with us.
Be transparent.
If the community understands the issue, maybe the council wouldn’t have to deal with people constantly removing the barriers.
Here is why this closure feels like a farce:
1. The "Damage" Looks Like a Bad Joke
Looking at the photos the council used to condemn the bridge, it feels like they are taking us for mugs. The pictures show 4 or 5 splitting pieces of wood.
All of them are on the railing, and all of them are clearly bolted on. Replacing a few cracked pieces of timber is not a complex engineering challenge.
Condemning an entire bridge over this is ridiculous.
2. The Inaccessible Diversion is Back
Six months ago, the developer of the bowling green closed the path and put a diversion in place.
At the time, we had Robin Wickes The Chairman of Edinburgh Access Panel walk the route to assess it for disabled people and those with mobility issues.
The resulting report was *scathing*.
Now, six months later, the council has implemented the exact same diversion.
They are seriously expecting cyclists, pram-pushers, and disabled residents to navigate a steep gravel hill, go up and down a narrow humpback bridge, and cut through a private housing estate just to get to the other side. Not to mention that when schools are back, the kids will have to follow the same diversion, as they use the path daily to get to the park. This to my mind is 100 times more dangerous then the bridge that's supposedly "unsafe".
Did the decision-makers learn absolutely nothing from our campaign six months ago?
3. "Viability" vs. Community Need
The council’s emails mention they are assessing the "viability" of the repairs—as if permanently closing the bridge is on the table.
A bridge is viable as long as the community relies on it.
The council constantly lectures us to leave the cars at home, walk more, and cycle more. Yet, the literal arteries that allow us to do that are repeatedly shut down.
This isn't a question of money; it's a question of how much the council actually values the community it serves.
4. What Happens to St Mark’s Path?
We’ve been told this closure isn't related to the bowling green development. Fine. But what happens when they renovate St Mark’s Path?
The entire point of that project was to widen the path for walkers and cyclists. Will the developers even bother doing that renovation if the bridge connecting it to Broughton Road remains shut?
WHAT THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO DO IMMEDIATELY:
* Publish the assessments:
Tell us exactly why the bridge is unsafe despite feeling completely secure.
* Fix it ASAP:
We’ve all seen roads and bridges across Edinburgh sit closed for months or years. That cannot happen here.
The priority needs to be fixing the bridge and reopening it before the kids go back to school. This isn't rocket science.
*Give us a timeline:
Share a clear timescale for the repairs and stick to it.
*Explain the delay:
If replacing a few bolted-on pieces of wood is somehow a massive challenge, tell us why.
The Bottom Line:
The hypocrisy is exhausting. The council spends vast amounts of time and money on campaigns telling us to cycle, and walk — only to close vital routes, ignore crumbling infrastructure and treat us the residents of this city as an afterthought.
We pay our taxes to have a city that is clean, usable, and serves our needs.
Make it so, or clear the space so someone else can do the job.
👇 *Please share this post to get the word out, and let’s pressure our local councillors for a real response.* 👇
Councillor Jack Caldwell for Leith Walk Leith Central Community Council Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith Sanne Dijkstra-Downie MSP for Edinburgh Northern Broughton Primary School Parent Forum Edinburgh
