Tram works ban is a hit with pedestrians
The number of people visiting Edinburgh’s main shopping thoroughfare has surged after tram works were lifted and the street was pedestrianised.
Traders have reported strong sales since the programme of events and activities on Princes Street got into full swing last weekend. New figures show that the number of pedestrians in the week up to last Sunday was up 21 per cent on the same week last year.
The news is a major boost to the city centre after much of the activity around Edinburgh’s Christmas lights switch-on ceremony had been cancelled the week before.
Activities are taking place on the street after the council offered up £80,000 from its £445,000 budget for promoting the city centre during the tram work.
Cllr Gordon Mackenzie, the city’s transport leader, said: “These numbers are encouraging and clear evidence that the £80,000 invested by the council has been money well spent.”
The main Princes Street footfall counter, outside Marks & Spencer, registered 243,726 people in the week from November 28 until December 4. However, it only includes people on the pavement on Princes Street so the true figure would be far higher if the people that walked on the pedestrianised road were included.
The figures are up against a poor week last year, when the city was hit by severe snow storms. But businesses say the extra activity has brought more people into the city centre.
John Lewis said that sales at its St James Centre outlet in the week to December 3 were 31 per cent ahead of the same week last year.
Operations manager Hazel Tierney said: “John Lewis is always supportive of initiatives which drive footfall to the city centre and the additional festive activities for families on Princes Street are certainly helping people to get in the mood for Christmas. Whilst our figures were flattered by the snow, which caused disruption to trade this time last year, trade has continued its strong momentum this week.
“It is not surprising that fashion has begun to take off as the weather becomes more truly seasonal. We expect to see continued strong sales growth as there is no escaping that Christmas is round the corner.”
Activity on Princes Street this weekend included African drumming and the Scottish Christmas Fair at the West End, a Santa “Zumbathon” and Santa Fun Run.
One shop to have benefited from the extra activity is the One World Shop at St John’s Church in the west end, which had faced closure two years ago after tram works were blamed on it recording a £60,000 loss.
Rachel Farey, the shop’s business manager, said: “I would say we have cautious optimism this year and the coming two weeks are what we hope will be the big ones but I’m delighted so far.”
Email to a friend
Print this page- Rangers takeover: Duff & Phelps threaten legal action against BBC
- Family mourn death of Glasgow ‘fight’ schoolboy
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Rangers administration: Fans fear Duff & Phelps claims could scare off Green
- Rangers takeover: triple penalty punishment enough, says Johnston
- Alistair Darling leads ‘No to independence’ fight over tea and biscuits
- Scottish independence: SNP flip-flops over Nato
- Scottish Independence: SNP ‘won’t be Yes campaign’s only voice’
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Scottish independence: ‘People here are best qualified to run Scotland’
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Edinburgh
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Comments
There are 33 comments to this article
Page 1 of 3
Dinnae pit that there
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 03:00 PMAs a proud and well educated Scotsman, I can't quite comprehend the lengths that a number of you appear to be going to to bicker like little old fishwives (no insult intended to the fishing industry or females) about the benefits we will reap from the luxurious advances in technology that allow us to have this tram in our glorious city. The revenue of the tourist industry alone alone will rocket. Enabling tourists with a comfortable mode of transport that will allow them to bypass the "less fortunate" and "homeless" people on our glorious cobbled thoroughfares. You complain about "our taxes" being spent? Would you rather "our taxes" were spent on comfier seats for you in your ivory towers to complain from?
Incandescent
Friday, December 30, 2011 at 04:06 AM"Smudge Member Is winding up Alternative numpty head and his associates a valid sport? (cackles) :-))"--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # Min Member Repetitive (Low intelligence) Car Face for First Minister!"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTED 1 MONTH AGO # Smudge Member "Not certain who Repetetive Car face is... but I have my suspicions! My masked alter ego will be obvious to anyone on here."----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Well I could take petty good guess
Incandescent
Friday, December 30, 2011 at 03:48 AMThat would've been such a more satisfying victory if this site still allowed paragraphs.
Incandescent
Friday, December 30, 2011 at 03:41 AMOh Smudge, you apparently believed that I would join that forum specifically to engage in debate with you? Now that IS narcissistic personality disorder.
Incandescent
Friday, December 30, 2011 at 03:39 AMFor those that can't be bothered with the link: Smudge Member Spodding during the holidays (waves). Incidentally, I appear to have annoyed "Incandescent" on the Evening News forums to the point where he's gone searching and found my alt fule head thread. If he appears on here then my apologies in advance :-o :- POSTED 1 DAY AGO # anth Member Ooh - t'was always a possibility. Which news story was that on? POSTED 1 DAY AGO # Smudge Member The one about the possible car ban in the old town, http:www.scotsman.comedinburgh-evening-newstransportmotorists_facing_old_town_ban_under_latest_city_plans_1_1991403 I've been answering him back and refusing to let him get the last word in and it seems to have really wound him up. He seems to reckon I'm a bully now! (as well as self obsessed for daring to challenge him) POSTED 1 DAY AGO #
Incandescent
Friday, December 30, 2011 at 03:35 AM"no, I fired up my computer to do useful things before work and decided to have a look and see if you were still obsessively trying to get the last word, looks like you were :-)))" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ so, by your own words, you define checking on a supposed obsessive before work as "useful"? Hmm. ---------------------------------- Your compulsive fixations are indeed predictable lol.------------------------------------------------ Accusing others of your own inappropriate behavioural traits in childhood is "naughty": in adulthood, it's "schizophrenia". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Evils of private car use"? I hardly think so, otherwise I wouldn't use them would I? -------------------------------------------------Do you? Your posts on Cycling Edinburgh Forum suggest otherwise. They also clearly state that you live in a country location, which Edinburgh is not. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bet you can't resist another irrelivant attack now, or are you feeling bullied because I wont sit back and allow you to rant unchallenged? -------------------------------------------------as I pointed out earlier, your spelling and grammar deteriorate when you show your rage under pressure. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I was disappointed to see that you've attempted to gather a posse against me - http:tinyurl.comcydxkhp. Thankfully, it's evident that your good buddy Anth, with whom I recall having some good, logic-based debates in the past, is reluctant to join your gang, mainly by not responding to your petulant rants. In fact, you come across on that forum like an angry child at a family gathering, tugging on the clothes of adults for attention. I genuinely feel sorry for you and hope you can just let it go and find some peace.
Smudge H-S
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 09:48 AM#26, no, I fired up my computer to do useful things before work and decided to have a look and see if you were still obsessively trying to get the last word, looks like you were :-))) Your compulsive fixations are indeed predictable lol. "Evils of private car use"? I hardly think so, otherwise I wouldn't use them would I? Bet you can't resist another irrelivant attack now, or are you feeling bullied because I wont sit back and allow you to rant unchallenged?
Incandescent
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 12:22 PMSo, by your own admission you fired up your computer at 6am, specifically to check if someone you accuse of being "desperate to get the last word" had left a post...then left a post yourself, yet you fail to see the irony of the situation? That's pretty sad really. Evidently your compulsive fixations encompass more than the evils of private car use.
Smudge H-S
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 05:19 AM#24, exactly as predicted, and as usual wandering off on unrelated subjects attempting to continue your argument. My timekeeping is no business of yours, and hardly ironic, suffice to say some of us have to get up to go to work in the mornings, so I thought I'd have a look and see if you were still as desperate to get the last word, sure enough here you are engaged in the usual hopeless self justification followed by random off topic attacks. Go on, I bet you can't resist having another go... your self obsession simply wont let you leave a thread once someone has noticed you :-)) Incandescent? More like a guttering candle in a draught!
Incandescent
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 01:18 PM"So you believe numbers of vehicles in use have no relation to volume of traffic? Sweet." ---- That's quite an extrapolation, to say the least. There is of course some relationship. However, without correlation between actual number of vehicles in the city centre at given times and drivers' reasons for being there, your "impossible dream" comment remains pure speculation on your part. Given your previous enthusiasm for scientific rigour, I would have thought you'd understand this fairly basic aspect of research.--------- --------------------------- "I didn't ask you one either, but your self obsession wont let you stay quiet will it, I expect you'll be on shortly, frothing at the mouth, desperate to get the last word in and accusing anyone who disagrees with you of some psychological problem you just looked up on google" ----- And yet, ironically enough, you were logged in before the crack of dawn this morning (5:56) on both this and the Old Town traffic ban thread, very ably displaying the very traits of which you accuse me. You must have been like a kid on Christmas Eve trying to get to sleep last night so the morning would come sooner. Touching, if more than a little sad.
Smudge H-S
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 06:08 AM"The volume of traffic was much the same as today," yup, and that is after large numbers of drivers have been dissuaded from driving into the city centre. So you believe numbers of vehicles in use have no relation to volume of traffic? Sweet. You then ramble "your response (which was unnecessary given that I didn't ask you a question)", and I didn't ask you one either, but your self obsession wont let you stay quiet will it, I expect you'll be on shortly, frothing at the mouth, desperate to get the last word in and accusing anyone who disagrees with you of some psychological problem you just looked up on google :-) Never mind, keeps you happy I suppose :)
Incandescent
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 12:59 AM@20 Smug H-S ------- You do realise that, once again, your response (which was unnecessary given that I didn't ask you a question) had nothing whatsoever to do with my statement, right?
Incandescent
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 12:54 AM@20 Smug H-S ------- I have personally driven many times to Princes St, parked legally on Princes St, and purchased my objective within the 20 minutes allowed. The volume of traffic was much the same as today, the difference being that, prior to Begg and his vile dogma, said traffic was allowed to flow to the proper capacity of the roads. Buses were also regulated properly. Car ownership is irrelevant, unless of course you can somehow correlate it with the number of owners wishing to shop in Edinburgh city centre. :-)
Smudge H-S
Monday, December 12, 2011 at 09:05 PM@incandescent, still believing anyone cares enough about your ramblings to switch usernames? Car ownership increases every year but still you believe the impossible is possible. Sweet, but deluded.
Hazelkaye
Monday, December 12, 2011 at 07:15 PMNo mention of the tram trundles at Gogar Depot?
Page 1 of 3
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.