Readers' letters: Road changes add to pollution and risk

Last year, the City of Edinburgh Council made a number of changes to the road lay-out centred on the junction between Lothian Road, Earl Grey Street and Fountainbridge.

The junction between Lothian Road, Earl Grey Street and Fountainbridge.

Pavements were broadened at pedestrian crossings, which meant that road space for vehicles was restricted. This has had a number of presumably unintended consequences.

At several times during the day, traffic is ‘jammed’ up from Tollcross as far as the West Approach Road. It is quite usual to find that vehicles are parked across pedestrian crossings when the ‘green man’ is showing.

This route is a major one for emergency vehicles and it is clear that they are finding it increasingly difficult at times to thread their way through.

The council responded to my complaint with a letter which included the following:

“Firstly, we know that the new junction layout would have a small effect on traffic flow but the benefits from the introduction of new enhanced pedestrian and active travel facilities will prove far greater long term and are all in line with the council’s commitment to reducing through traffic in the city.”

It is clear, therefore, what the council’s priorities are.

Sadly it seems that the council’s campaign against through traffic in the city is resulting in more risk for pedestrians and increased pollution levels as traffic is unable to move as freely as before.

Michael J Gilmour, Edinburgh

Bus passengers deserve heating

During the recent cold spell the 41 buses to Cramond were freezing due to lack of heating.

One day when I boarded there was Ice inside the top deck windows.

They are old, clapped out buses from other routes such as the No 29, which now has lovely warm buses, while the ones we have are not fit for purpose, most of them have no heating in them.

We pay Edinburgh council tax in Cramond, the same as people in Trinity, Morningside, East Craigs and Silverknowes and are treated like second class citizens in Cramond with a second class bus service.

Bus companies should be fined for running buses that don't have adequate heating.

Fred Mobeck, Edinburgh

Anderson paints over tram inquiry issue

Donald Anderson’s views on the potential findings of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry are ironic given his control (or lack of it) during its formative years (News, 20 December).

Lord Hardie’s task only covers the issues of delay, cost overrun and reduction of scope. What it does not cover is the indelible damage that he, as leader of CEC, did to said council.

During his tenure the project went from an all-up cost of £375m for 28km of what was at that time a network, to what laughingly is called Phase 1, from the Airport to York Place at a cost in excess of the current figure of £778m for 14km, a cost the inquiry found was grossly understated. This equated to an increase of six times the cost per kilometre.

The original £375m was covered by a grant from the Scottish Government. What he paints over is the complete 28km network was to be built for the grant. He set up TIE, controlling them through the Bill Stage and into the final design that was supposed to give the people of Edinburgh a free tram network, not the current dire situation where council taxpayers are landed with a debt in excess of £0.5billion, which they will end up paying for the next 30 years and for only a small part of the original network.

Since then, he has supp-orted the contractors who unwittingly undertook to build his disaster.

John RT Carson, S Queensferry

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