Misery for drivers as half-hour tailbacks hit Haymarket works

Published on Friday 29 August 2008 10:21

DRIVERS are facing delays of up to half-an-hour around Haymarket as a result of the tram works.

The worst tailbacks caused by the roadworks – which are set to last seven months – have been at rush hour on Dalry Road and Morrison Street.

The jams are adding to misery for drivers facing a series of other roadwork delays across the city.

Drivers have had to cope with a series of diversions, no-entry signs and one-way systems since work started ten days ago.

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Tram chiefs said they were monitoring traffic flows to see if anything could be done to ease the congestion.

First Bus – which routes most of its services through Haymarket – said it was facing delays of up to 30 minutes at Haymarket junction.

Juliette Turner, operations director for First in Scotland East, said:

"We understand how frustrating it can be for our passengers for their journeys to take longer than usual, and we want them to know that we are deploying staff to monitor the situation.

"Unfortunately, in these circumstances, there is very little that anyone can do. Everyone travelling on these routes will be affected by these works – car drivers, bus operators, delivery drivers and other road users."

Taxi drivers have been reporting regular hold-ups of 15 to 20 minutes.

Raymond Davidson, secretary of the Edinburgh Taxi Association, said taxis had been hit particularly hard because they have been restricted to only westbound access to Haymarket Station.

He said: "There is no doubt things have got worse since the Haymarket work got under way.

"Of course, it is not just at Haymarket, there are problems all over the city with roadworks."

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

Initially, all eastbound general traffic coming from Roseburn is being diverted around Eglinton Crescent, while eastbound bus services avoid Haymarket on a diversion along Lansdowne Crescent and Grosvenor Street.

George McKendrick, Lothian Buses operations manager, said: "It is hard to predict where and when the traffic delays will occur and how long they will last. Most will be clear in a matter of minutes but others, as we've seen recently, can turn out quite lengthy.

"We regularly have to deploy up to 15 additional buses each day to maintain as reliable a service as possible."

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

A spokesman for TIE said: "TIE is committed to ensuring that the traffic management around its work sites is well planned and executed.

"The process does not end once the measures are in place. TIE employs traffic modellers to constantly monitor the traffic and works to ensure that should changes be necessary, they are made quickly and efficiently."

START DATE FOR MOUND JUNCTION PROJECT

WORKS for the next round of tram utility diversions on Princes Street will get under way next week.

The work at The Mound junction of Princes Street will get under way in October and is expected to involve significant diversions for bus passengers.

However, tram workers will be out on the street from next week preparing for this project. This enabling work will include removing parking from along the south side of Market Street from The Mound to Cockburn Street, as well as traffic signal work at The Mound. Work will also restart outside Fraser's department store.