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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/scotland-blog/2013/mar/21/edinburgh-trams-lost-faith
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| Edinburgh's trams: city 'has lost faith' in a botched, damaging scheme | Edinburgh's trams: city 'has lost faith' in a botched, damaging scheme |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Edinburgh City council has just issued their plan for "Building a Vision for the City Centre" which is to be is welcomed, even if it is only about ten years late and should have been promulgated before the Edinburgh trams project, now due to cost £776m, was even approved. | Edinburgh City council has just issued their plan for "Building a Vision for the City Centre" which is to be is welcomed, even if it is only about ten years late and should have been promulgated before the Edinburgh trams project, now due to cost £776m, was even approved. |
| The document calls for consultation and that sounds good. However, the residents of Edinburgh have totally lost faith in the council and its officials. They have failed to listen to the residents on countless occasions in the past when discussing any matters which are tram related. | The document calls for consultation and that sounds good. However, the residents of Edinburgh have totally lost faith in the council and its officials. They have failed to listen to the residents on countless occasions in the past when discussing any matters which are tram related. |
| We must just hope that this time it might be better. It certainly could not have been worse so far. | We must just hope that this time it might be better. It certainly could not have been worse so far. |
| In examining the new city centre plan there are some interesting contradictions. The council's plan to put all the buses and general eastbound traffic on to George Street is contrary to what they seemed to have accepted, which was, "a substantial reduction in the number of buses using (George) street." | In examining the new city centre plan there are some interesting contradictions. The council's plan to put all the buses and general eastbound traffic on to George Street is contrary to what they seemed to have accepted, which was, "a substantial reduction in the number of buses using (George) street." |
| Furthermore the proposal to put all bus traffic on the south side of Princes Street also seems to be completely illogical when you consider that all the shops on Princes Street are on the north side of the street. So all shoppers will have to cross the tram tracks and dodge the buses – how very inconvenient and not supportive of the traders on the north side. | Furthermore the proposal to put all bus traffic on the south side of Princes Street also seems to be completely illogical when you consider that all the shops on Princes Street are on the north side of the street. So all shoppers will have to cross the tram tracks and dodge the buses – how very inconvenient and not supportive of the traders on the north side. |
| It also appears that the pavements on the north side of Princes Street are to be extended – or so the sketches attached to the plan appear to suggest, so if this is adopted it will make it impossible for any vehicles to use the north side of the road. | It also appears that the pavements on the north side of Princes Street are to be extended – or so the sketches attached to the plan appear to suggest, so if this is adopted it will make it impossible for any vehicles to use the north side of the road. |
| But what of the trams themselves? | But what of the trams themselves? |
| Those who have been following the Edinburgh trams project will have seen the news that the first 2.8 km of track from the airport to Ingliston has been handed over to the council. However, they need to be brought up to date with a few realities about the current situation with this disastrous project. | Those who have been following the Edinburgh trams project will have seen the news that the first 2.8 km of track from the airport to Ingliston has been handed over to the council. However, they need to be brought up to date with a few realities about the current situation with this disastrous project. |
| There was another milestone reached in December when the last of the city's twenty seven trams was delivered. However, as only a fraction of that number are required, perhaps as few as seven; those 27 were originally bought to service to two tram lines, not one truncated line. | There was another milestone reached in December when the last of the city's twenty seven trams was delivered. However, as only a fraction of that number are required, perhaps as few as seven; those 27 were originally bought to service to two tram lines, not one truncated line. |
| The rest will have to be run round the test track by a team of drivers to stop the wheels from settling – yet more costs as the council has failed to sell the surplus vehicles. It tried to lease 10 which were surplus to requirements to Croydon council in 2011, but failed. | The rest will have to be run round the test track by a team of drivers to stop the wheels from settling – yet more costs as the council has failed to sell the surplus vehicles. It tried to lease 10 which were surplus to requirements to Croydon council in 2011, but failed. |
| From the new council proposals, it now seems that traffic may be banned or redirected from one half of the main east/west trunk road thoroughfare through the city. Former six lane through roads, it appears, will now be unable to accommodate trams running side by side with any transport other than cyclists – even on the one side of the road allocated in the new plan. | From the new council proposals, it now seems that traffic may be banned or redirected from one half of the main east/west trunk road thoroughfare through the city. Former six lane through roads, it appears, will now be unable to accommodate trams running side by side with any transport other than cyclists – even on the one side of the road allocated in the new plan. |
| But the cyclists themselves have been up in arms because of the large number of injuries that have been sustained due to cycle wheels becoming caught in tram rails. The plan does encourage cyclists to use George Street as the "preferred" route, but for those straying anywhere near the tram tracks the hazard remains. | But the cyclists themselves have been up in arms because of the large number of injuries that have been sustained due to cycle wheels becoming caught in tram rails. The plan does encourage cyclists to use George Street as the "preferred" route, but for those straying anywhere near the tram tracks the hazard remains. |
| Why should it be necessary for these other vehicles to be redirected? | Why should it be necessary for these other vehicles to be redirected? |
| Because the city planners decided to select the biggest, widest and heaviest tram available, and thus created several key 'pinch points' along the route, it is now impossible for the tram to share the road side by side with buses, taxis, HGVs and other general traffic. Surely not, you will say, how could people be so stupid? | Because the city planners decided to select the biggest, widest and heaviest tram available, and thus created several key 'pinch points' along the route, it is now impossible for the tram to share the road side by side with buses, taxis, HGVs and other general traffic. Surely not, you will say, how could people be so stupid? |
| Well, it merely needs a visit on site to see the space of no more than three feet at the east end of Shandwick Place, with similar narrowing at the Royal Scottish Academy in Princes Street, also at the Princes Street/South St Andrew Square junctions, together with the restrictions on the only other straight east west route along Queen Street to York Place, to realise that someone in the council must have been blindfolded when planning the project! | Well, it merely needs a visit on site to see the space of no more than three feet at the east end of Shandwick Place, with similar narrowing at the Royal Scottish Academy in Princes Street, also at the Princes Street/South St Andrew Square junctions, together with the restrictions on the only other straight east west route along Queen Street to York Place, to realise that someone in the council must have been blindfolded when planning the project! |
| Panic has recently set in and when questioned about how this will work, different answers have been appearing; some council officials favour allowing the buses and taxis to use the tram lines when these are empty, as in many other major cities such as Bordeaux. | Panic has recently set in and when questioned about how this will work, different answers have been appearing; some council officials favour allowing the buses and taxis to use the tram lines when these are empty, as in many other major cities such as Bordeaux. |
| But others insist on the priority of the tram as it has a tight schedule, paying lip service to the already discredited business case. | But others insist on the priority of the tram as it has a tight schedule, paying lip service to the already discredited business case. |
| But at long last we have the council's proposed traffic plan for the centre of the city. What is missing is any clear indication for the overall traffic flow outside the city centre, when the tram starts running. How is traffic to get into the centre when all the main routes have been disrupted? | But at long last we have the council's proposed traffic plan for the centre of the city. What is missing is any clear indication for the overall traffic flow outside the city centre, when the tram starts running. How is traffic to get into the centre when all the main routes have been disrupted? |
| All the additional heavy general traffic which now is denied the use of Shandwick Place/Princes Street will apparently be forced, including some buses and taxis, through the residential streets of the New Town World Heritage site. Thus they will leave Princes Street, our main shopping street where no one lives, with greatly reduced pollution, but at the same time greatly increase pollution and noise for residential areas - what a master stroke of illogical planning! | All the additional heavy general traffic which now is denied the use of Shandwick Place/Princes Street will apparently be forced, including some buses and taxis, through the residential streets of the New Town World Heritage site. Thus they will leave Princes Street, our main shopping street where no one lives, with greatly reduced pollution, but at the same time greatly increase pollution and noise for residential areas - what a master stroke of illogical planning! |
| The council have totally ignored the warnings in their own Mott Macdonald report of 2003 (see link to .pdf here), which then clearly stated that 139,500 households (some 280,000 people at least) would suffer worse pollution if the tram project was to be completed – why pay for a consultant's report and then ignore it? | The council have totally ignored the warnings in their own Mott Macdonald report of 2003 (see link to .pdf here), which then clearly stated that 139,500 households (some 280,000 people at least) would suffer worse pollution if the tram project was to be completed – why pay for a consultant's report and then ignore it? |
| So it will be clear that far from welcoming the first tram to run, the citizens of Edinburgh are living in dread of the day arriving. Lately we have been bombarded with 'positive' news stories about the project being "on time and on budget", which is exactly what we heard from the council years ago, only for the claims to be proved hopelessly wrong. (Councillors also float the possibility the line could open earlier than summer 2014.) | So it will be clear that far from welcoming the first tram to run, the citizens of Edinburgh are living in dread of the day arriving. Lately we have been bombarded with 'positive' news stories about the project being "on time and on budget", which is exactly what we heard from the council years ago, only for the claims to be proved hopelessly wrong. (Councillors also float the possibility the line could open earlier than summer 2014.) |
| We fear the same again. There is still a lot of work to do and the budget has nearly been spent, so no one in the city is holding their breath. Little encouragement will be taken from the council statement that concessionary travel on the tram will now be funded by the council themselves. | We fear the same again. There is still a lot of work to do and the budget has nearly been spent, so no one in the city is holding their breath. Little encouragement will be taken from the council statement that concessionary travel on the tram will now be funded by the council themselves. |
| The Scottish government pointed out, rightly, that if they were to pay for concessionary travel, then the Glasgow underground, Scotrail and the ferries would all want the same treatment and this would be unaffordable. | The Scottish government pointed out, rightly, that if they were to pay for concessionary travel, then the Glasgow underground, Scotrail and the ferries would all want the same treatment and this would be unaffordable. |
| Of course, Edinburgh council walked into the trap by ordering a light rail vehicle which they have tried to pass off as "a tram" to make it appealing to the public. So the council have yet another failure to answer for - why they did not secure proper formal approval for concessionary travel to be paid by the Scottish government before embarking on the project? | Of course, Edinburgh council walked into the trap by ordering a light rail vehicle which they have tried to pass off as "a tram" to make it appealing to the public. So the council have yet another failure to answer for - why they did not secure proper formal approval for concessionary travel to be paid by the Scottish government before embarking on the project? |
| This shows abject incompetence. But why is this revenue important? It means that the very thin 'business case' which was used as a basis for this whole project is even further discredited. However, the real tragedy is that the people who will have to pay for all this incompetence are the council tax payers of Edinburgh - and they will go on paying for at least fifteen years, if not now a lot longer. | This shows abject incompetence. But why is this revenue important? It means that the very thin 'business case' which was used as a basis for this whole project is even further discredited. However, the real tragedy is that the people who will have to pay for all this incompetence are the council tax payers of Edinburgh - and they will go on paying for at least fifteen years, if not now a lot longer. |
| • Allan Alstead is a member of a residents campaign group which posts campaign material and analysis on the website www.edinburghtramfacts.com and also represents residents in the Moray Feu area of the New Town | • Allan Alstead is a member of a residents campaign group which posts campaign material and analysis on the website www.edinburghtramfacts.com and also represents residents in the Moray Feu area of the New Town |
| • This blog has been amended to clarify Alstead's role in the Moray Feu | • This blog has been amended to clarify Alstead's role in the Moray Feu |
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