Delays as tram works begin

Published on Monday 18 August 2008 10:39

COMMUTERS faced rush-hour delays as tram works got under way in earnest around the Haymarket junction today.

Dalry Road and Morrison Street were among the worst-hit areas for congestion this morning.

Car drivers, bus and taxi passengers, and cyclists all had to cope with a series of diversions, no-entry signs and one-way systems during the first rush-hour test of the seven-month project.

Lothian Buses today reported delays of up to ten minutes on its services through the west of the city at the height of rush-hour at around 8.30am but it calmed down after this.

The biggest tailbacks were seen on Dalry Road – which has been reduced to a single lane contraflow system – and also on Morrison Street.

However, Clifton Terrace, which has also been made one way, was moving freely.

There will be five separate phases of the Haymarket project, each with minor traffic changes, before the work is finished in February – with a break for the Christmas holidays.

Taxi drivers at Haymarket Station were less than impressed with the organisation of the roadworks, describing it as being an absolute shambles and saying they would be badly hit by the roadworks because of the restrictions that were placed on cars leaving the station which can now only head west on Clifton Terrace.

A taxi driver, who asked not to be named, said: "It's a real disaster for us. This is normally one of the busiest ranks in Edinburgh but we are losing out on a lot of the short-haul fares that we would normally get every morning from commuters going to work.

"People who would normally come out the station and get a taxi up to the office are choosing to walk because we can't go straight there and have to take a large detour.

"I've had several passengers who have been a little bit surprised that their fare is larger than normal because of the detour we have to take and there's no question that we will lose more business from this."

Utility pipes underneath road surfaces are being moved to make way for the 512 million line from Newhaven to Edinburgh Airport.

The works mean drivers heading from Corstorphine Road will be diverted north along Magdala Crescent, which will become one-way, then along Eglinton Crescent, which along with Glencairn Crescent will operate as a clockwise one-way system.

From there, they can travel south-east along Palmerston Place to Torphichen Street, or along Chester Street. West Maitland Street will remain open to vehicles, with access from Dalry Road and Morrison Street. However, motorists are still banned from Shandwick Place and are re-routed via Melville Street.

Drivers heading away from the centre will still be able to travel from Morrison Street through the Haymarket junction to Haymarket Terrace or Dalry Road. Tram firm TIE today said it plans to keep this arrangement in place throughout the works.

Drivers will also be able to use Palmerston Place or Manor Place to reach Torphichen Place.

A spokeswoman for TIE said: 'The traffic management measures that we have put in place have been successful in minimising disruption over the weekend and during this morning's rush-hour.

"We are confident that as road-users become more familiar with the diversions in place, any disruption will be further reduced.

'We are carefully monitoring the traffic situation and will make any improvements as necessary."