Edinburgh streets: No further action planned over residents' complaints on bus noise in East London Street

People living in East London Street, round the corner from Lothian Buses' central depot in Annandale Street, have been complaining for five years about the noise caused by buses driving over the cobbles as they set off early in the morning or return late at night.

There have been discussions, traffic counts, speed checks, noise monitoring and a search for alternative routes.

But now an update for the council's transport and environment committee says Lothian Buses has reduced the number of buses using East London Street to a minimum; thee is no early prospect of resurfacing the street; and the latest suggestion for re-routing buses has no support.

It concludes: "It is not proposed to take any further action at this time."

The update says council officers looked at Green Street - which runs parallel to East London Street on the other side of the bus depot - as a possible alternative route, but the layout of the junction with Annandale Street does not allow buses to turn without potential conflict with vehicles travelling in the opposite direction.

Any redesign of the junction would mean the loss of both trees and parking spaces; the road goes past Drummond Community High School; and buses using it as a regular route would likely result in complaints from residents there. Discussions with local councillors found no support for pursuing a Green Street option.

The update notes that the number of buses using East London Street in autumn last year was 56 leaving the depot and 37 returning per day, but that the current schedule indicates the figures have come down to 26 and 27. And Lothian Buses believe they have reduced the use of the street "to the minimum level".

The update adds: "Lothian Buses are aware of the noise complaints and feel they have done all they can to reduce the impact. Any further reduction would carry a significant cost implication as additional resource of both buses and drivers would need to be added to the network to meet service schedules."

One option which was previously floated was to tarmac the central carriageway of East London Street while retaining the cobbles or "setts" on either side, close to the pavement, a move which would be controversial.

But the update says: "East London Street does not currently feature in the three-year programme of sett renewal schemes. Any decision to remove or overlay existing setts would need to be considered by committee at a time when the noted scheme has been prioritised for capital investment."

It adds that East London Street will continue to be inspected, with repairs prioritised in line with the timescales set out in council guidance, but no further action is planned for now.

Committee convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “We've looked into this and considered all the various options. Unfortunately this street doesn’t form part of of the three year programme for sett renewal. It may be something that can be tackled further down the line, but in the short term there's no further action proposed.”