Once again somehow it is December in Edinburgh and temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing within the week. Relatively speaking our city isn't a particularly cold one and it is even less a snowy one, but when the temperatures do drop the steep gradients of its north-facing streets can prove treacherous. Seventy-odd years ago, the authorities faced a particular headache at The Mound, an accident black-spot where a series of tragedies had been narrowly avoided by good luck alone. Forced to act, they turned to the white heat of technology and installed the first road heating system in the UK; the fabled "electric blanket". In theory it would prove a triumphant success, but it cost three times more to run than the grit it was meant to replace and when the opportune political moment came along it was quietly abandoned - but never forgotten.

With the passage of a referendum Sunday, Mayor Anne Hidalgo will amplify her ambitious moves to challenge car dominance and expand pedestrian access.