Cowgatehead & Surrounding Roads in Edinburgh - Temporary Restrictions for Summertime Streets

THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL

(SUMMERTIME STREETS) (TEMPORARY ROAD RESTRICTION AND TRAFFIC REGULATION) ORDER 2026 – TEMP/26/92

The Council, with the consent of Scottish Ministers, has made an Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended, the effect of which will be that for a temporary period, to facilitate the holding of the Summertime Streets during the Edinburgh Festival (as signed as affected by the event), no person shall: (a) except upon the direction or with the permission of a police constable in uniform, cause or permit any vehicle to enter into, remain, or proceed in or on any part of any length of road described in Schedule 1, on the dates specified in said Schedule; (b) except upon the direction or with the permission of a police constable in uniform, drive or cause or permit any vehicle to be driven on the road specified in column 1 of Schedule 2, so as to enter the road specified in column 2, during the hours and on the dates specified in column 3 of the said Schedule; & (c) except with the permission of a Parking Attendant, cause or permit any vehicle to wait or load onto or unload from any vehicle on any part of the roads specified in Schedule 3, during the hours & on the dates specified in the said Schedule.

The following permanent moving traffic restrictions have been suspended;

(i) one-way on blair St from 19/07/26 to 07/09/26 to allow two-way traffic; &

(ii) prohibition of entry on the Cowgate from 15:00hrs on 27/07/26 to 05:00hrs on 07/09/26, to allow for revised operational hours, see Schedule 2;  Existing parking restrictions may be suspended on the affected sections of roads described in Schedule 3.

The alternative route for through vehicular traffic will be by way of, with respect to (a) prohibition of motor vehicles; blair St - Sth Bridge, Infirmary St, High School Wynd, Cowgate and Blair Street; (b) prohibition of entry;

(i) Cowgate (Cowgatehead/ Candlemaker row) - Grassmarket, West Port, Lauriston St, Lauriston Pl, Forrest Rd, George IV Bridge, Chambers St (Guthrie St for access to Cowgate), Infirmary St and High School Wynd;

(ii) Cowgate (blackfriars St/high Street Wynd) - High School Wynd, Infirmary St, Chambers St (Guthrie St for access to Cowgate), George IV Bridge, Bristo Pl, Teviot Pl, Lauriston Pl, Lady Lawson St, West Port and Grassmarket;

(iii) east adam St/pleasance - Pleasance, West Richmond St, Richmond Pl, West Adam St and East Adam St.

Schedule 1 prohibition of motor Vehicles: From 19/07/26 to 07/09/26 on:  blair St, from Sth Bridge westwards and then southwards to 15m south of the south kerbline of Blair St (east to west section).

Schedule 2 prohibition of entry:

Schedule 3 prohibition of Waiting, loading and unloading: (A) From 10:30 hrs on 29/07/26 to 06:30 hrs on 07/09/26 on: blair St, from Sth Bridge westwards and then southwards to 15m south of the south kerbline of Blair St (east to west section). (B) From 10:30 hrs on 27/07/26 to 06:30 hrs on 07/09/26 (daily) on: pleasance, west side from 24m north of the extended north kerbline of East Adam St, southwards to 22m south of the extended south kerbline of East Adam St; and east side from 16.5m north of the extended north kerbline of East Adam St, southwards to 24m south of the extended south kerbline of East Adam St.