Green light for Forth Bridge traffic following 18 day closure
The Forth Road Bridge will be open to vehicles except HGVs from tomorrow morning. The bridge was closed for safety reasons following the discovery of a cracked crossmember, but temporary repairs will allow the bridge to reopen ahead of schedule. Continue reading Forth Road Bridge to re-open tomorrow
Transport Minister Derek Mackay has thanked travellers for their patience during the first week of disruption caused by the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.
Early indications show that the travel plan launched last Sunday is helping to minimise the impact on journey times for people moving between Fife and Edinburgh.
At its peak, the Traffic Scotland website recorded over 3 million hits per day – three times more than normal – from people wishing to receive regular updates on the status of the network and plan their journeys. The plan has undergone several refinements throughout the week.
Over the course of the week journey times on the A907 diversion during peak morning hours fell by over 30 minutes, demonstrating the effectiveness of the ongoing refinements.
In addition, in response to concerns brought forward by local businesses and communities, the restrictions on the dedicated Bus/Goods Vehicle prioritisation corridor on the A985 from Kincardine Roundabout and Cairneyhill Roundabout have been lifted to accommodate all goods vehicles during weekdays, and all vehicles on weekday nights and at weekends.
ScotRail have introduced an extra early morning train on Tuesday to supplement the additional services already running, bringing the number of extra seats on offer across the Forth Rail Bridge up to 10,000 per day. This extra capacity represents an increase in 64% on usual passenger numbers.
Over the past week Stagecoach have provided an additional 33 vehicles per day, equating to an extra 11,000 seats, for services between Halbeath, Ferrytoll and Dunfermline to Edinburgh and Livingston, operating up to every 10 minutes at peak times. Journey times are relatively consistent at 1hr 30mins
Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: ““I wish to thank the public for their patience and forbearance during this last week. I appreciate that many people have had to make significant changes to their travelling plans and, through their cooperation, we have succeeded in keeping the transport network in Fife operational and getting people to and from where they need to be.
“We have been constantly monitoring the situation and taking on board the advice and concerns of the local communities to ensure that we are doing the very best job that we can. At the centre of this co-ordination has been our comprehensive travel plan, which we have taken steps to refine over the last week
“Although certain services do remain busy, there does remain some capacity on certain routes, especially on the bus network. I encourage people to keep checking the travel plan published on the Traffic Scotland website for the latest advice.
“The team responsible for fixing the bridge are working 24/7 to get it reopened as soon as possible and are making good progress. It is of course vital that until it’s repaired we continue to explore what further improvements can be made to the travel plan and take on board feedback.”
Phil Verster, Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance, said that further refinements to the timetable will deliver further improvements. “We’ve listened to customers’ feedback this week and fine-tuned the timetable to add in extra stops at Rosyth and stations south of the Forth on selected services from today,” he said. “The information is already on our website and in journey planners. We’re doing everything we can to keep people moving. I have to pay tribute to our customers for their understanding, and to our staff for what they have delivered – and continue to deliver – in such challenging timescales.”
Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director, Stagecoach East Scotland said: “The implementation of the bus and good vehicle priority measures have meant journey times from Fife to Edinburgh are just 90 minutes and we’ve been able to increase the frequency of services as a result. With more people heading for the buses, traffic on the roads should be that bit quieter and we have a reduced fare of £3 return in place to help ease the cost of the commute. We’re pleased that so many non-bus users have tried the shuttle services and are getting to their destination in a relaxed and timely manner and we’ve had a significant amount of positive feedback from our customers.
“Our staff have been amazing, coping superbly and cheerfully with changes to routes, timetables and shifts with very little notice in order to keep the travelling public moving. We have had drivers from all round Scotland, the north of England and Wales come to help out and I’m very grateful to them and their families for their hard work and adaptability.”
The city council is taking steps to ensure business disruption is kept to a minimum during the closure of the Forth Road Bridge. Continue reading Taking care of business during bridge closure
Call Royston Wardieburn if you need transport to Warriston
Regular readers will know that local activist Roberta Blaikie’s funeral is on Tuesday at 1pm at Warriston Crematorium.
Transport will be available for members of the local community – call Royston Wardieburn Community Centre on 552 5700 to let them know your requirements.
City celebrates 100th ECOSTARS member
Councillor Lesley Hinds presented Mike Robertson, Transport Manager of George Anderson & Sons with an inscribed glass plaque, to mark their status as the 100th Member of ECOSTARS Edinburgh. Continue reading One hundred up for greener transport scheme
Twenty folk attended TCC on 9 November. Here’s an update … Continue reading Trinity Community Council: November update
‘We are satisfied there will be no impact on Council budgets in the short or long term.’ – Council leader Cllr Andrew Burns
Councillors will discuss proposals to extend the Edinburgh tram line to Newhaven at next Thursday’s full council meeting.
If recommendations are agreed, a nine-month period of project development will commence, including the beginning of procurement processes for external support and site investigation. However it is unsure at this stage whether the SNP group on the city council – Labour’s partners in the Capital Coalition – will support the proposal to extend the line.
Once the first stage is complete, a report will be brought back to Council recommending the way forward. If Councillors agree to continue with the extension a second stage, scheduled to take 21 months and costing approximately £8.3m, will include further site investigation and working with the Council’s advisors in carrying out procurement and enabling works.
While the Council is yet to identify specific resources to fund the borrowing costs required for the project, the business case concludes that these can be funded from wider Public Transport revenues with no impact on Council revenue budgets in the short, medium and long term.
Council Leader, Councillor Andrew Burns, said: “The updated Outline Business Case provides further justification for bringing the tram to Leith, clearly demonstrating the social and economic impact the extension could have on this key area of the city.
“This first stage of project development for the extension will allow us to take another step towards achieving this. A significant period of work will ensure robust governance, allowing financial evaluation and risk analysis to be carried out.
“By obtaining funding for these initial stages from the city’s Public Transport revenues, we are satisfied there will be no impact on Council budgets in the short or long term.”
In June, Councillors considered the emerging conclusions of the draft Outline Business Case, which proposed a formal market consultation and further, detailed analysis of project finances before any decision was made.
A report, to be heard by Council on Thursday, 19 November, details the findings of the Outline Business Case for the extension to Leith.
It is recommended that Councillors approve, in principle, extending the tram to Newhaven over alternative options to end the line at Ocean Terminal, the foot of Leith Walk or MacDonald Road.
The Outline Business Case, based on a formal market consultation process, audit of the financial model and identification of funding options, concludes that extending the existing tram line to Newhaven will boost the city’s economy while delivering a range of wider benefits in relation to employment, population growth and social inclusion.
Spur lines to Leith and Granton’s Waterfront were an integral element of the original masterplan for Edinburgh’s tram network back in 2003, but these were dropped as the project ran into well-documented financial difficulties.
Back then the then Labour-led Scottish Executive allocated £375m for proposed tram routes linking the city centre to both Edinburgh Airport and Leith. Original projections indicated that trams would be running on city streets by 2009.
The project was years late and millions over-budget: the project cost taxpayers £776 million and trams did not run until 31 May last year – and then only on a single line, not a network.
An inquiry into what went wrong, to be led by Lord Hardie, was announced by then-First Minister Alex Salmond in June last year.
The Inquiry is attempting to find out why the Edinburgh Trams project – with a final bill of £776m plus over £200m in interest on a 30-year loan taken out by the council to cover the funding shortfall – was delayed and went so badly over-budget. The Inquiry also aims to establish why, through reductions in scope, the project delivered significantly less than projected.
The official terms of reference for the Inquiry are to:
The inquiry, which was converted to a statutory inquiry almost exactly one year ago, is ongoing: the process has been broken down into ten separate stages and the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry team is currently working on stages 4 and 7. This includes gathering material, retrieving and reviewing documents; and reviewing written evidence which will be considered by Lord Hardie to decide what further evidence is required at oral hearings.
No date has yet been set for publication of the report of the inquiry’s findings – these will be made available ‘at the earliest opportunity’.
When Alex Salmond announced the public inquiry last year he promised MSPs it would be a “swift and thorough” inquiry.
Swift? Perhaps not, but anyone who has any knowledge of the lengthy and complex nature of the Edinburgh trams story knows that speed has never been the driving factor. But thorough? The Scottish taxpayer, the businesses and citizens of Edinburgh surely deserve nothing less.
City Council’s parking consultation closes on 31 October Continue reading Still time to have your say on parking proposals
Corstorphine chokes – and it could get worse
Corstorphine’s St John’s Road is officially Scotland’s most polluted road – and local residents fear the air quality will get even worse as a planning application for a massive new supermarket with 140 parking spaces is to be considered by city councillors next week.
The developer’s own figures reveal that up to 22,000 car trips will be made in and out of the supermarket every week – with up to 70% of this new, rather than passing, traffic. Local campaigners argue that streets which are already congested will be unable to cope
New figures have revealed that St John’s Road has the worst air pollution in the whole country. According to estimates, poor air quality is causing 3,500 thousands premature death in Scotland every year.
Friends of the Earth Scotland air pollution campaigner Emilia Hanna said: “Last year, Edinburgh Council approved its new Transport Strategy which commits to achieving clean air across the city. But these results show that levels of air pollution, which were already at illegal levels, are reaching appalling new heights. St John’s Road is now Scotland’s most polluted road, and traffic congestion is the reason why.
“These worrying figures further the case for refusing planning permission for the supermarket. The developer’s plans would see 3000 new vehicle visits to heart of the Pollution Zone each day, worsening traffic congestion and further adding to the soaring levels of pollution. The developer’s documents are riddled with flaws and fail to predict air quality impacts of the supermarket in key locations. We are confident that when Councillors consider the evidence, they will turn down the proposal.
“Air pollution has been linked with asthma attacks, strokes, heart attacks, and cancers. It can lead to children’s lungs not growing to their full potential. Schoolchildren would have have to walk in front of the proposed car park entrance each day on their way to Corstorphine Primary School, if it were to go ahead.
“For the sake of people’s health, St John’s Road needs a transport transformation. Priority should be given to walkers, cyclists and public transport users, and car use should be restricted through a Low Emission Zone, which would require vehicles to meet cleaner emission standards or pay a fine. This would create a cleaner, safer, and more attractive environment where everyone could breathe clean air.”
Local resident Becky Lloyd, a mother of two who chairs the Corstorphine Residents Action & Information Group, said: “The Birmingham-based developers want to build a massive supermarket and multi-storey carpark which is out of scale with its surroundings and which can only be accessed from a street so narrow it is currently one-way.
“We trust the Council will come to the same conclusion as residents and rule this development entirely inappropriate for the site. Corstorphine is saturated with supermarkets and there is no demand or need for another one.
“This development would cause more congestion and pollution on a street already ranked the most polluted in Scotland. Buried in the developer’s own figures is the true picture: an estimated 22,000 car trips in and out of the supermarket every week, with up to 70% of this new, rather than passing traffic.”
Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, has today urged the Scottish Government to take urgent action on dangerous air pollution levels in the capital.
Ms Johnstone, who is the Scottish Green Party candidate for Edinburgh Central for Holyrood 2016, said: “It’s shocking that we keep hearing news about alarming levels of pollution in our cities while thousands of Scottish people are dying prematurely because of poor air quality. We’re not just talking about a minor environmental nuisance here – we’re talking about a public health crisis.
“Despite continued warnings from health professionals, charities and community groups over the years, both Labour and SNP governments have failed to take this issue seriously.
“Green Councillors in Edinburgh have worked hard, with others, to get the city to introduce 20 miles per hour zones and to invest properly in cycling and walking infrastructure. We know that these policies work, and they now need to be implemented on a bigger, bolder scale. The Scottish Government must recognise its responsibilities and take urgent action to tackle this crisis.”
The city council’s Local Transport Strategy commits to clean air across Edinburgh. Transport convener Cllr Lesley Hinds said: “We monitor air quality continuously across the city and the Air Quality Management Area enables us to direct actions more effectively at those locations. We are aware there are improvements which can be made to limit emissions across Edinburgh including at St John’s Road and Clermiston Road junction.”
Six city schools kick off safer school streets pilot
Cramond Primary is among six city schools taking part in the School Streets initiative in Edinburgh, which aims to create safer travel to the city’s primary schools by banning cars from surrounding streets during certain times.
Colinton Primary School pupils celebrated the launch of the safety scheme this morning, when Super Cyclists and Wonder Walkers assembled at the front gates via newly car-free streets.
Traffic will now be prohibited on the roads surrounding the first phase of schools involved in the scheme at the beginning and end of the school day.
Aiming to create a safer, more pleasant environment the scheme promotes travel to school by walking and cycling, in turn reducing congestion and pollution in the area. The first couple of weeks will be education/raising awareness before enforcement starts.
City of Edinburgh Council Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “I am delighted to see School Streets in action and that so many pupils have taken this opportunity to walk, use scooters and ride their bikes safely into school.
“Promoting active and sustainable travel is one of our main priorities, and by creating a safe and relaxed atmosphere near our schools, we are encouraging this from a very early age.”
Final plans for the School Streets pilot, which is a commitment of theLocal Transport Strategy 2014-19, were approved by Transport and Environment Committee in August.
More than 30 schools across the city originally expressed an interest in participating in the pilot and eleven were eventually selected. All of the chosen locations had been experiencing road safety issues due to the number of drivers bringing cars too close to school gates.
Chris Thompson Schools and Projects Coordinator at Living Streets says: “It is vital that more children walk to school however traffic levels and safety are key concerns for parents. By closing the immediate streets outside school gates, the City of Edinburgh Council and participating schools are sending a resounding message that walking to school, even for the last few minutes, is good for health and the city’s environment. I expect other councils across the UK to follow this bold and imaginative approach to healthy school travel.”
Chief Inspector Stevie Dolan, from Police Scotland, said: “We are committed to working alongside our partners and the public to ensure the safety of all road users, including schoolchildren.
“Whenever a complaint is received in relation to motorists driving within the prohibited areas, without a valid reason for doing so, our officers will respond accordingly.”
Six primary schools are included in the first of two phases – Abbeyhill, Colinton, Cramond, Duddingston and St John’s RC with Sciennes starting in October.
The second phase of the pilot is due to begin in March and will be implemented at Towerbank, St Peter’s, Clermiston and Bonaly Primary Schools.
Residents in streets next to participating schools need a permit to drive in or out of the street while restrictions are in place, which can be applied for on the Council website.
