An open letter to Jenny Dawe, leader of Edinburgh council

Published on Monday 15 February 2010 21:33

DEAR Ms Dawe: In your article published in Outlook for winter 2009, you stated that you wanted to hear the views of the citizens of Edinburgh. I am happy to accept that invitation.

The same article stated that your information indicated that 50 per cent of the people of Edinburgh did not want the trams, while the other 50 per cent were in favour of the trams provided the project was completed on time and within budget.

As it is already over budget and late, one must presume that there must now be a very significant majority against the tram project. I challenge the council to take a proper poll.

But all Edinburgh residents should be increasingly concerned about the profligate expenditure on the trams project. With estimates from some authoritative sources being quoted as saying that the cost of the project is now running at more than 750 million, where is the additional money coming from to complete the work?

Everyone has been told that there is only a finite amount of money available. Surely it is high time for the council to provide some updated and guaranteed budget figures for the project?

The original drive to set up a new "trams project" was based on the justification that the envisaged major residential developments in Newhaven and Leith would require a much increased public transport link capacity to Edinburgh Airport.

However, the recession has resulted in a lessening of activity, which leaves the city implementing a hugely expensive transport plan for which the key economic justification has disappeared.

The projected passenger figures must now seem somewhat fanciful and there is the prospect now of fares having to be raised to compensate.

Much has been made by the city council that the tram project is a "state of the art" system. Why then has the same system been rejected by both Rome and Bordeaux as being out of date?

Why has no opportunity been taken to preserve the world famous attractive vista of Princes Street by routing power sources underground as the French have done in Bordeaux?

A "state of the art" transport system requires to be integrated, but this aspect does not seem to have been thought through. For a start, with only one stop for the trams in Princes Street (west of Hanover Street) all those arriving by train at Waverley will have a very long walk with their luggage to catch a tram.

However, they could struggle uphill to St Andrew Square. For those coming down Lothian Road and going to the airport there is an interesting walk along Shandwick Place to the tram stop at Atholl Crescent.

I hope all our visitors are going to be warned to bring the minimum of luggage!

Anyone who is elderly or disabled will have to take a taxi. Residents of Newhaven would themselves be quicker to take a taxi to the airport rather than endure a 45 minute clanking journey through the city.

A properly integrated system should employ the technology which is currently available to identify a passenger's destination and then produce a through ticket. It does not appear that Edinburgh will have this technology available.

Finally we have been told that the first of the Edinburgh trams has been produced. Many will not have realised that although the capacity will be 250 passengers, only 78 will have seats.

However, in line with your Outlook article I would welcome your response to the matters raised in this letter. Unless you have some really good answers which will satisfy the citizens of Edinburgh, I suspect a large majority will still prefer the existing excellent bus service!