Public’s preferred tram route could put council on wrong side of the tracks
Methinks that Edinburgh City Council will soon, once again, find itself caught between “a rock and a hard place”.
As its 12-week public consultation exercise on plans to expand the city’s tram network kicks-off on the 25th of this month, it will await the outcome with some concern.
The plans for a new north-south tramline from Granton to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary have been mired in controversy since they first saw the light of day. Part of the route offers two options; either go along the Roseburn Path or build the track along the road at Orchard Brae and then over the Dean Bridge.
The public will be asked for its preferred route but its verdict may not be one that the council can readily comply with.
The Roseburn Path has emerged as a popular walking and cycling corridor which its users cherish and will campaign to retain – as is. They comprise of a powerful lobby of pressure groups and individuals that will inevitably double down and utilise their considerable lobbying skills to secure the desired result.
If they are successful the council will be faced with the dilemma of either respecting the outcome, despite the considerable engineering challenges and cost presented by going over the historic Dean Bridge, or turning a collective blind eye to the outcome and press ahead with the rejected Roseburn Path option.
Much will depend on the strategic business case currently being compiled by council officials for presentation to the Transport Committee next year but, if it concludes that the Roseburn Path is the only viable option – the cat will, well and truly, be among the pigeons.
The council does not exactly have a great track record (pun intended) of respecting the outcomes of consultation exercises, so more of the same might be in the offing.