Revealed: The worst pothole black spots around Edinburgh

Craigentinny Road, Portobello. Picture: Stewart Attwood

We asked for contributions to a gallery of the city’s “holiest sites” and were inundated.

Included in the stories and snaps of potholed streets were tales of long-awaited and botched repairs.

Scott Dixon posted on our Facebook page: “This one is on the junction in Leith – as you’re heading to Ocean Terminal... you can see it from space on Google Earth.”

Others picked out Craigentinny Road, among others, for particular attention.

Nicola Duncan posted: “Craigentinny Road is awful but roundabout at top of Lochend Road is a disgrace and totally unavoidable!”

Louise Park said crater-laden Rosebery Avenue in South Queensferry was a persistent problem.

“The man with the bucket of tar and spade fixed some but tar just comes back out,” she said.

“Fire station at one end, school at the other. Not kidding if I say at least 50 potholes in the one street!”

Leanne Ayton said: “Roundabout at the very top of Lochend Road is shocking and because it’s right on the roundabout it’s completely unavoidable.”

Lotte W Leith mentioned The Shore and said: “There are several huge sunken bits of road, the council filled in one, but the tarmac is breaking up since the snow. The buildings shake as the bus goes passed.”

Kevin Rafferty, vice chair of Edinburgh Private Hire Drivers Association, said drivers are reporting problems.

His own car recently suffered a blow-out after driving over a pothole.

“Some of the roads are just shocking,” he said. “You’re literally bouncing from pothole to pothole in Edinburgh.

“There’s a huge amount of wear and tear on our vehicles. They’re designed to take a significant amount but they’re getting even more.

“The weather is not helping with snow, ice and salt going down on the roads – it’s a bad winter.

“Where are the people doing the repairs, we rarely see them. Even when they are repaired, it doesn’t look that professional.”

Mr Rafferty blamed a “complete domino” effect of roadworks on major routes pushing heavy traffic onto side roads and ripping up surfaces.

Ongoing works on routes including Haymarket Terrace, Lothian Road, Clermiston Road and Balgreen Road were having a knock-on effect, he said.

“It’s funnelling people into shortcuts and on roads that are not really designed for people travelling in and out of Edinburgh,” added Mr Rafferty.

“These are housing estates, effectively, that people are going through to avoid chaos elsewhere.”

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