An Edinburgh councillor has proposed that a "fast lane" be set up on Edinburgh’s Princes Street in order to combat delays for those walking along the shopping thoroughfare on their route to work.

Conservative councillor Jason Rust has said that many of his constituents have been angered at hold ups suffered as result of the thousands of shoppers who grace the street at peak times.

Speaking to the BBC, Cllr. Rust said: “Now and again I am in a hurry and stuck behind people who are walking along at snail’s pace, stopping every few seconds, and it is a minor irritation. This would be a practical measure to see if it works.”

He added “The problem would be how to enforce it but I’m sure the majority of people would go with it, with the outer part of the street having the fast lane.”

“I have had complaints about workers being held up on Princes Street as well as from pedestrians who have been bustled out of the way.”

Cllr. Rust’s motion comes only weeks after an investigation by makers of Nurofen Express headache tablets found that over half of the 2,000 people surveyed felt they were slowed down on their way to work by slow walkers. Similarly, the survey indicated that more than three quarters of shoppers believed that they were delayed by other people on high streets throughout the UK.

Phil Wheeler, Edinburgh City Council’s convener for transport, has indicated that the proposal will be considered.