Princes Street - 'A step-by-step approach does make sense'

when it comes to Princes Street, there is no doubt that Edinburgh is grossly under-using one of its greatest assets.

The difficulty is getting any agreement on how to make the most of the famous street and its spectacular setting.

Everyone knows it can be a bit like "a bus station" as the renowned architects Gehl memorably warned the city council.

But the inconvenient truth is that Princes Street and other parts of the New Town are vital to the Capital as far more than simply a place to visit.

They are crucial parts of our transport network which cannot be turned off and on like a tap without serious knock-on effects across the whole city.

Finding an answer to this conundrum, balancing our transport needs with the demands of creating a world-class city centre, is critical to the city's future success.

Get it right and the results will be spectacular - but get it wrong and they could be spectacularly bad.

Traders are worried about the impact of any changes to the city centre roads lay-out. And with good reason.

The council may not be in direct control of the tram works, but the last time it undertook a major reorganisation of the central road network, in 2005, the result was chaos.

Having said that, the city's new step-by-step approach, testing the water first with small, temporary changes, smacks of good sense.

And these experiments in George Street and the West End are officials' chance to prove to all the doubters that they are on the right track this time.

Camera concerns

any parent would be concerned by the thought of their child being filmed for whatever reason inside the school toilets.

So it is no surprise there were complaints when CCTV cameras were installed in the loos at two high schools in West Lothian in order to combat vandalism and bullying.

We should not underestimate the problems that can be caused by these two issues, but it is surely better in a situation like this to err on the side of caution rather than take any unnecessary risks.

The middle ground being taken by the local council seems like a sensible compromise which will reassure worried parents without turning a blind eye to destructive behaviour on school premises.