Critics attack 'disgraceful' tram inquiry delays - your views online

Critics have slammed “astonishing and disgraceful” delays to the Edinburgh tram inquiry as the eighth anniversary of Alex Salmond announcing the probe passed. The former First Minister announced a judge-led public inquiry on June 5, 2014.

Steven Robertson: What an absolute farce … I have been emailing them for years and get the delaying waffle back every time!

Peter Livingstone: They'll be dragging it out so that the members of the inquiry can keep their noses in the publicly-funded trough for as long as possible. No doubt it will also give the guilty parties extra time to prepare their defence. As always, the establishment look after their own… and the general public are expected to “know their place”. If ever a place needed a revolution its the UK.

Alexander Duncan: It's a priest it needs, for the last rights.

The tram inquiry – like the project itself – continues to be a source of controversy

James Stuart: Same old, same old. Set up a committee to investigate... let's us give some mates a job paid for by public funds... and if they keep it up for long enough maybe everyone will forget we were supposed to do something in the first place. However, eight years is way overboard and totally pathetic even by political standards. What are they doing – trying to reinvent the wheel?

Tom McKinlay: Those who commissioned the report without stipulating the date by which it should be completed under penalty for failure are responsible.

Keith Robertson: The inquiry will last the same length of time it takes to complete the toy train set line, so unfortunately there’s no end in sight. Then when they build the other proposed lines the same will happen again.

Renée La Racineuse: At this rate, the tram line will have become a Unesco world heritage site for the biggest waste of public money on a transport project before the inquiry reports.

Edward Baines: They're giving all the people responsible a chance to retire gracefully. Then there's nobody around that can be blamed.

Yvonne Mackay: And yet the extension goes ahead without a “lessons learnt” aspect to guide it?

Marcus Hamilton: Having the trams has transformed Edinburgh – it’s fantastic the city has them.

Iain Farrell: The delay is in keeping with the whole farcical shambles. So infuriating.

Campbell Adamson: The contract and specification were badly written by the council. What more do you want to know?

June Mackie: The city is still in chaos and the tram’s not finished. Try getting on a bus just now that actually goes where it’s supposed to without a diversion.

Mike Hannah: First off, why did anyone think an inquiry called by a government who couldn’t organise the proverbial in a brewery could actually produce a meaningful inquiry. It was a “seen to be doing” exercise from day one. Secondly, you don’t need an inquiry to establish the numerous faults of the Edinburgh tram project. It is being taught in every university in the UK which does project management courses as a shining example how not do do a project. Starting with having the services rerouting and the track laying as separate contracts.

Traffic delays

Motorists are facing growing gridlock on the A8 – one of Edinburgh’s busiest roads – with a “temporary” bus lane installed during the pandemic being blamed for massive delays.

David McDowell: When you are sitting in the single lane A8 queue out of the city it is clearly evident that a significant number of drivers are choosing to use the bus lane to make progress. Perhaps drivers who regularly use this road should show their disapproval by making use of the bus lane which has very few buses on it most of the time.

Malgorzata Drewa: There never used to be a problem until this bus lane was introduced. It’s getting worse and worse every day now. I can’t even imagine what it will be like with the Royal Highland Show on. This bus lane needs to go!

Henry Campbell Gillan: I've used that road for over 40 years. It has never been free from traffic jams at peak periods. As for the Highland Show traffic, enough said.

Daz Whylie: When they added a completely unnecessary bus lane on to the busiest road in and out of Edinburgh, what did they think was going to happen?

Allan Taylor: Wait till the cycle lane goes in!

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