'We’ll go under': Meadowbank businesses 'already feeling impact' of 7-7-7 bus lane trial
‘In 18 months my shop will not be here’
Businesses in Meadowbank have warned they are “already feeling the impact” of the 7-7-7 bus lane trial which came into force last Monday, with some saying they fear their businesses will no longer exist by the time the scheme ends.
Shops, cafés and restaurants in the Jock’s Lodge area said they were already noticing a fall in customers, while new restrictions on loading and unloading had made the day-to-day running of their businesses more difficult.
“We’d usually have 15 or so customers walk in the door, and today we’ve had one,” said florist Nikki Boyd, who runs Nikki’s Fleurs on Wolseley Place.
“The chances are my business is going to go under. In 18 months my shop will not be here.”
Ms Boyd, who started a petition opposing the plans back in August, said her business depended on the bus lanes to receive stock, load deliveries and welcome customers who parked on the street.
She said she now has a half an hour window to load her van with deliveries, many which are large, heavy flower arrangements for funerals.
“It’s almost impossible to do, because you can’t just run out with them,” she said. “The other day we parked down a side street and had to walk two at a time to carry the funeral tributes all the way down the road.”
She continued: “The reality is running a business doesn’t always fit neatly around a council timetable. Funeral directors have strict deadlines. Weddings have scheduled delivery times. Customers expect their orders to arrive when promised.”
She said she is in favour of efforts to improve and encourage public transport, but was worried about the knock-on impact on businesses and the wider community.
“I’m worried about what it means for the future of the local high street,” she said. “We can’t let it become a ghost town.”
Meanwhile, a few doors down at Açai Bros, owners Michael and Lynn said they had stopped operating on Deliveroo because drivers were worried about coming to the area to pick up deliveries.
They said the business was “already feeling the impact”, but that they would not know the full impact until a few weeks down the line.
“We know our customers are risking a ticket to park here. We’re actually looking at other premises away from the area,” said Michael.
“It’s going to hit small businesses the hardest,” added Lynn. “We’re not like Starbucks or other big businesses that are back from the road and have their own car parks.
“The council has said they are keen to hear feedback, but it sort of feels like the type of thing that will happen anyway regardless of whether we object.”
Carmin, the co-owner of dog groomers Paws Perfect on Willowbrae Road, agreed that fewer people had been walking in.
“It’s been really slow,” she said. “I think people are worried about parking here and are avoiding the area.”
“All of the businesses along the road have been talking about it and we are all feeling the same.”
Edinburgh council has been approached for comment.