13 Edinburgh transport projects which never made it, including Princes Street motorway and bulldozing airport
Transport projects – whether it's trams, pedestrianisation or low emission zones – are almost always controversial.
But take a look at these ones which were abandoned before they were implemented. You might think some, like the hovercraft perhaps, were good ideas. Others now seem bizarre, not least the mind-blowing 1949 Abercombie plan, which would have demolished swathes of the city centre to build an inner ring road.
They offer a fascinating insight into the priorities of the past – sometimes the quite recent past – and how much thinking has changed.
They offer a fascinating insight into the priorities of the past – sometimes the quite recent past – and how much thinking has changed.
13. Underground car parks
It may seem unthinkable now, but it's not that long ago that the city council was looking into the idea of underground car parks in places like George Street or Charlotte Square (pictured) to help meet demand for parking. In 2007, a plan for a car park under Chambers Street got as far as more than a dozen firms bidding to build a £4.5m facility where cars would be lowered automatically to the subterranean parking spaces, but the proposal ran into legal problems about land ownership. Features 08/01/09 Charlotte Square. There are plans to build an underground car park beneath the park in the Square Edinburgh New Town Photo: Dan Phillips