Residents of Greendykes road hit out at state of road surface

Residents of Greendykes road have been angered by Edinburgh City Council’s refusal to repair the road surface.

Almost fifty households from a local residents WhatsApp group had expressed their concern with the Evening News this week.

Two residents had spoken of damage to their vehicles with others concerned that they do not know how long the road surface will be suitable for driving on without urgent attention.

The road is used for several bus routes but also acts as a main arterial route for ambulances travelling to and from the Royal Infirmary.

Sources said that the issue had been ongoing for the best part of three years as the Evening News had previously reported on the state of disrepair of Greendykes Road in 2018.

David Blyth, a local taxi driver, said he has battled the council regarding a sump repair.

He said: “I’ve got a fight on with the council regarding me taking my sump out on my taxi due to a hole in the road. It has cost me a £12,000 insurance bill as my taxi has been off the road for five weeks. I have photos and video of the day of the incident as well as photos 24 hours later when the Council decided to put up warning signs.

“Thankfully I have emails from the council admitting that there were defects on the road surface that caused the damage to the sump.”

Greendykes road

Another resident Alan Bongartz was left reeling after having to replace a tyre on his car after it was damaged by potholes.

The damage to the road is believed to have been exacerbated by property developers' heavy industrial vehicles operating in the area.

A resident who wished to remain anonymous added: “The road becomes really uneven from the Niddrie Mains end but is extremely bad by the residential tower blocks.

“This problem has been ongoing for three years now and the council are saying it will be another two before anything is done because there are scheduled gas works set to take place within 18 months to two years.

Greendykes Road

“I do not think that it is fair for the council to leave residents in this position. It is we who are stuck in the middle as neither the council nor the developers in the area are willing to hold their hands up and say this is our responsibility and we will fix it. It is a major issue when it falls between two agencies and residents get passed from pillar to post and end up suffering.”

It is understood that the gas works are planned to coincide with the resurfacing of the road. And that any circumstances where a newly resurfaced road is dug up to allow for utilities work to take place will be due to an emergency.

A council spokesperson said: “We’re aware of damage to the road surface on Greendykes Road, partly relating to construction in the area, which has been underway for some time. Unfortunately we won’t be able to carry any resurfacing of the road until construction, and planned gas works, are complete.

“We are inspecting the road regularly and carrying out repairs when needed in order to make the road safe, and thank residents for their patience.”

Potholes on Greendykes road

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