Railings blocking Edinburgh bus passengers when exiting middle doors of new 100-seater vehicles

PASSENGERS trying to get off Edinburgh’s new 100-seater buses are being left confused at some bus stops when the middle doors open and their exit is blocked by railings.
The new 100-seater buses.The new 100-seater buses.
The new 100-seater buses.

Lothian buses said it carried out a detailed route evaluation before introducing the eco-friendly double deckers.

But former councillor Dom Heslop said there were several stops along the Lothian Road corridor where the exit doors open directly onto kerbside railings.

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“The first one I noticed was near South Morningside Primary School,” he said. “And there’s another near the Caledonian Hotel.

“The railings are right there when the doors open. Some people – if they’re slim enough – try to get out and squeeze between the railings and the side of the bus.

“And the driver has to shout ‘Can you use the front doors please?’ which defeats the point of having middle doors.

People are just getting used to getting out the middle doors and it seems strange the driver then has to shout ‘Use the front’ at some of the stops.

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“At busy times it’s not always easy to push your way to the front at the last minute.”

A fleet of 42 of the new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 XLB buses were introduced on the 11 and 16 routes in March, but they have been at the centre of a row over a lack of space for buggies.

And the Evening News reported earlier this week how 87-year-old Margaret Lindsay was left bleeding and bruised after stepping off one of the double-door buses.

Labour councillor Scott Arthur, who represents Colinton/Fairmilehead, warned in advance of problems over lack of buggy space on the new buses. And he said his attention had also been drawn to bins and railings making it difficult to use the middle doors.

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“Quite a few of my constituents have commented that the exit door of the new 100-seat buses is often blocked by obstacles.

“This feels like yet another problem with these vehicles which could have been solved if Lothian buses had consulted with users and disability groups prior to their introduction.

“I hope to bring a motion to the next transport committee which will ask [Lothian managing director] Richard Hall to sit down with bus users and listen to their very real concerns about the accessibility of these buses.”

Lothian buses said it checked the routes before the new buses were introduced and there were very few bus stops where the middle doors could not be used safely, provided bus stops were left clear by other road users. “Unfortunately the behaviour of other road users often has a significant impact on our ability to serve stops safely.”

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If there were an obstacle to using the middle doors, drivers would advise passenger to get off at the front instead.

Mr Hall and city transport convener Lesley Macinnes will speak at a public meeting tonight at 6pm in Friends Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, held by Edinburgh Bus Users Group.