'Rather this than having it crash to the ground in disrepair' - Your views online

Essential works wlll see traffic restrictions in place on North Bridge

North Bridge is being closed to allow for maintenance work to be carried out. The bridge will be fully closed overnight from November 13 to 15, while traffic will be reduced to one lane southbound for up to nine months.

Adrian Ochal: How many times has this bridge been worked on? I remember it was a green colour back in the day. When was it first painted red and blue?1990 or thereabouts? It really looks a mess with all that scaffolding.

Craig Stevenson: How does this work get authorised over the time frames? We talk about a greener city but the council is happy to authorise temporary lights and roadworks on every street in Edinburgh for as long as contractors want. Last Friday afternoon there were two folk working on North Bridge and the traffic was gridlocked. It’s about time the council was trying to speed up some roadworks. It’s embarrassing when tourists come to visit the Capital. I cannot remember road repairs ever taking as long as they currently do.

Bill Whyte: I fully agree with the comments about our council's total mismanagement of the city and its road network. The repairs being undertaken on North Bridge are essential – an inspection carried out a few years ago found that the fabric of the Bridge was worse than expected, and that the structure required major work to be done to enable its continued use. The council must take full responsibility for this, as I believe the main cause of the damage was due to lack of maintenance.

Steven Ogilvie: This is all deliberate to frustrate motorists and deter them from driving in the city. Keep calm and carry on. Don't give in to the anti-car brigade.

John Hewit: Everybody chill. In one breath everyone is complaining about the roadworks and in the next they are saying “fix the potholes, the roads are a disgrace”. You can’t have it both ways.

Ian Munro: Does the council think that because they have a diversion in place that traffic will run smoothly. Chambers St , George 1V Bridge and The Mound will be horrendous.

Lynda Gage: This has to be the worst time in years for any vehicles negotiating Edinburgh’s roads with Spaces for People, tram works, temporary lights, flooding and road closures. What is this council doing to Edinburgh? Abysmal and shameful.

Louise Wilson: Waverley Bridge needs to be fully reopened to traffic. It’s ludicrous that it has been closed for this length of time already.

Lynsey Lothian: So it will be like every other road in Edinburgh. Maybe they should finish one job at a time.

Helen Mcwhirter: Rather this than having it crash to the ground in disrepair with the volume of traffic it has to sustain.

Henry Campbell Gillan: Hopefully while this work is being done that strengthening is also being done for tram line 3 to the Infirmary. Of course it may already be strong enough.

David Black: If this bridge had been remotely maintained over the last 25 (?) years it wouldn't have needed this amount of work and time. Another feather in the cap of Labour.

Tarek Landoulsi: I hope there are roadworks planned on George Street, The Mound, Queen Street and Hanover Street, that will make the city inaccessible once and for all so I can travel on my camel!

Scott Parker: This is a bridge too far.

Kevin Falconer: The Forth Bridge was built quicker than they're taking to do the work on this.

Ash Douglas: It’s as if the entire city is one large roadwork.

Disabed parking

Edinburgh council has been accused of “not listening” to disabled drivers after withdrawing blue badge parking spaces at the Botanics. The change was made as part of the Spaces for People scheme

Scott Wilson: There’s no need for this to be cordoned off any more as social distancing is a thing of the past. Get it opened for disabled use again. Do some good..

Sally Millar: The semi circle is the perfect place for disability parking as – unusually – it potentially offers enough space beside the car door to manoeuvre with a wheelchair or scooter. Use it! Reserve part of the space for pedestrians perhaps and put in a pedestrian crossing.

Jackie Moody: The council not listening to people is the norm.

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