Edinburgh bus lane cameras cut down in 'selfish, cowardly and dangerous' vandal attack

Council in talks with Met police over 'Blade Runner' attacks in London

Vandal attacks on two bus lane cameras in different parts of Edinburgh have been condemned as "selfish, cowardly and dangerous".

The CCTV cameras at South Gyle Broadway and Murrayfield Gardens were cut down with what are understood to be cordless grinders or circular saws. City transport convener Scott Arthur said the attacks were "shameful".

And he revealed the council had been in conversation with the Metropolitan Police who have faced around 1,000 attacks on cameras being used to enforce London's controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez). Masked opponents of the scheme, calling themselves Blade Runners, go out at night to tear down, damage or steal the cameras.

Councillor Arthur said: "There are significant issues in London with people cutting down the cameras there and the police have been taking steps to deal with that. We have been speaking to the Metropolitan Police, not about these cameras specifically, but generally about how to deal with this kind of situation."

Two bus lane cameras have been cut down using what re understood to be a cordless grinder or circular saw. Picture: Steven Scott Taylor.

The South Gyle camera was previously vandalised in October. And there have been similar attacks on a camera monitoring a controversial bus gate in Manse Road, Corstorphine, as part of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood there.

Police were alerted to the latest attacks in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Councillor Arthur said: “This is a selfish, cowardly and dangerous act. Bus lane enforcement is essential for making sure journey times are quick and reliable for the two million passengers who rely on the buses every week in Edinburgh, particularly during busy peak hours.

"The type of reckless criminal behaviour carried out on South Gyle Broadway and in Roseburn is unacceptable, whatever you think of these measures. This damage to council property is shameful and not only does it cost the taxpayer to repair but causes disruption for all those who use this route.

“I know the police are already looking into this matter, and we’ll be speaking to them as investigations continue. I’d urge anyone who knows who may be involved in this criminal act to reach out to the police, and I hope those responsible are promptly brought to justice.”

And he said no-one had ever raised any concerns with him about bus lane cameras. "No-one has ever complained to me about these cameras.  If individuals have concerns about them they should just get in touch - I am happy to discuss it.

"The cameras are there through the democratic process - people have elected councillors and those councillors have decided cameras are the best way of ensuring that buses have priority. No-one has ever asked me for one to be removed, in fact often I get requests for them to be added because people get fed up with delays because of vehicles in the bus lane."

The Evening News revealed last year that the city council had raked in more than £2 million from bus lane fines in 2022/23 – a 20 per cent increase on the previous year – with more than 70,000 PCNs handed out to motorists for driving in bus lanes, a significant rise on the record 58,000 issued in 2021/22.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Shortly after 12.30am on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, we were called to reports of vandalisms to posts on South Gyle Broadway and Murrayfield Gardens, Edinburgh. Enquiries are ongoing."