Despite Leith’s improving reputation, its Links appear to be holding the area back in terms of matching the safety of other parts of Edinburgh. Although there is widespread concern over the safety of the Meadows at night, at least the main routes crossing the park are well-lit – which cannot be said for the Leith Links.
The Leith Links is central to local development proposals currently, although improved lighting was merely mentioned in the City of Edinburgh Council’s ten-year “Leith Links Masterplan”, which led to community backlash and action from Living Rent Leith. The aims of the so-called Masterplan lean more towards improving the park’s impact on local ecosystems and biodiversity as well as introducing more leisure and exercise facilities. The only mention of improving its lighting was “potential enhanced lighting in some areas of the park”. Many locals and Living Rent Leith believe that improved lighting is an urgent safety matter, as the current lighting is poor quality, insufficient and damaged, and significant stretches of the park remain unlit, rendering it completely inaccessible at night for certain groups.
Living Rent Leith has shared their campaign on their website, with a petition https://www.livingrent.org/lightupleithlinks . They believe that “public parks and green spaces are crucial for communities, and we have the right to a park that is safe and accessible for all, all year round”. Living Rent Leith argued that there is no time to wait in terms of lighting, and urgent action should be taken on this specifically, regardless of the council’s ten-year plan.
Living Rent Leith’s three aims of lighting up the Links are;
- To improve the accessibility of the park after nightfall, particularly for those with physical or visual impairment
- Allow local residents to feel safer when moving through the park at night
- Reduce the risk of accidents and injuries for cyclists and pedestrians alike
Given the concern over the safety of parks in Edinburgh, it is clear that action must be taken to make these public spaces safer. On The Meadow Share – a local Edinburgh Facebook group – one local commented that “after around 6 at night when it’s starting to get dark, I feel uncomfortable walking along the path of the meadows to Tollcross from Marchmont. There is no lighting, it’s very dark, and cyclists use it too, and it’s a slim path. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no point in having a public pathway without having some lights along it. To me, it’s a place where people can exploit the darkness, and I always feel really vulnerable walking along it.”
Chas Booth, Green Councillor for Leith, said, “I agree with Living Rent Leith that improving lighting across the Links should be a priority for the council”. In response to Living Rent Leith’s efforts and public concern, Edinburgh City Council recently budgeted £150,000 to improve lighting in parks in the city.
Parks are already unsafe areas, especially during the Scottish winter when walking through them alone after dark is often unavoidable. What must be acknowledged from this is no matter how much is spent on improving facilities in a public park, the fact remains that when night falls, none of this matters. Despite the message drilled into women from a young age never to walk home alone after dark, this situation is often unavoidable. The Leith Links Masterplan needs to consider park lighting on a much larger scale than mentioned in the original plan.
There is no worse feeling than having your freedom limited and your plans changed in fear of walking alone in the dark. In an age where women support each other to be free and independent, unlit public parks and the stigma of walking alone seriously put a damper on feeling like a strong independent woman. As long as parks are unlit and change is limited, women will continue to be encouraged to limit their freedom and not go out alone at night, although often walking home in the dark is the only option in the Scottish winter. The fear and danger of parks after dark disproportionately affect women. As the view persists that some areas are simply off limits to women, men continue to benefit from the privileges of freedom while women and other vulnerable groups are reliant on others for their safety.
Image: “Leith Links” by Embra is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.