Edinburgh trams: Three years of hurt for nothing

Published on Friday 8 October 2010 18:56

TRADERS whose livelihoods have been blighted by the trams project have spoken of their anger over the news that the route could be cut short at St Andrew Square.

Business owners on Leith Walk, who have suffered three years of disruption as tram works were carried out outside their premises, were last night facing up to the news that an extension to the route that would past their premises may be delayed indefinitely.

"We have had three years of disruption and now ultimately, we will have no benefit for that and have just suffered the cost," said Alan Rudland, a member of the Leith Business Association and owner of Arkay Imaging. "That hurts."

The Leith Business Association has estimated that more than a dozen businesses on Leith Walk and Constitution Street were forced to shut as a result of the tram works. But Mr Rudland warned that it could take years for trading in the area to return to normal.

"Latterly, when there has been no tram works, it has been a lot easier, but but it is hard to change people's habits," he added. "Just because there is no-one currently working on the tram lines doesn't mean shoppers suddenly come flooding back."

Alan Myerthall, whose family founded the Pipe Shop on Leith Walk more than 50 years ago, said he had seen businesses around him collapse, while some traders had suffered disruption to utilities as pipes and cables were moved to make way for the trams. "I have friends who trade further up the street who have been unable to get deliveries, they've seen their customer numbers suffer and now we've had all of that suffering for what?" he said.

"I'm slightly protected because I'm a specialist shop and I do a lot of trade online, but we've had some rough patches too.

"I'll believe it when I see it that any sections of the route will ever actually be built. All that money has been thrown away on the trams that could have been used to build new schools or hospitals."

"The signs have been telling us throughout the whole thing that the trams will be 'taking you to the shops in 2011'," added Gordon Burgess, chairman of the Leith Business Association, who runs The Bed Shop in Leith Walk. "It's been a long time that we've been telling them 'no they won't'.

"No level of compensation is ever going to bring that footfall back to Leith Walk."