Questions can still derail city's trams

Published on Tuesday 28 November 2006 12:36

TWO hundred and fifty engineers are currently working on the Edinburgh tram projects, which will have cost the public purse £62 million by Christmas.

The bulk of this 62m is an advance on the capital grant of 375m awarded by the Scottish Executive to construct Edinburgh Tram Lines One and Two.

This spending has occurred despite the stipulation of the then-minister for transport, Iain Gray, that the grant was "subject to a robust business case". Only now is the business case coming forward - as a draft. It will be presented to full council for approval on December 22.

Tomorrow evening, the Edinburgh Traffic Forum is hosting a public meeting on trams. This is a welcome opportunity to put questions to the new convener of transport, Councillor Ricky Henderson, before our elected representatives vote to reintroduce trams (or not) in December.

It has been a lengthy and costly process as the Edinburgh Tram Bills journeyed through the Scottish Parliament. Managed by the council's arm's length company Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE), this process required broad-brush information from experts as well as a legal team, including Queen's Counsel. Much of the important design detail, such as noise and vibration mitigation, was missing. Once the Edinburgh Tram Bills had parliamentary approval, new engineering and design consultants were appointed.

Frustratingly for those who have followed the tram project closely, legitimate design and funding questions remain unanswered.

The public still can't see exactly how the system will operate, or what it will look like, or how the overhead line equipment will be fixed to listed buildings, or whether traffic will be diverted away from the tram route into residential streets. How will major city junctions such as Haymarket Terrace and Leith Walk work when trams are added into the traffic management equation?

The funding short-fall is well-documented, but where will the missing millions be found if the project is to be afforded? Exactly how many bus services will be re-routed? Can the new council arm's length company, Transport Edinburgh Ltd, which is charged with integrating trams and buses, ensure that passengers do not have slower, more complicated journeys, changing from bus to tram to bus? Will buses be removed from Princes Street? Can double-decker buses get under the overhead wires?

For non-professionals, it is hard to understand the logic of how big transport infrastructure projects are pursued by governments all over the world. First comes the "big idea"; then comes a rough estimate of cost (which is often deliberately underestimated by consultants in order to hook politicians in). A large amount of money is then spent on more experts and on promotional spin, as projects and their benefits are talked up. Politicians rubber-stamp projects at various points. The final business case comes very late in the process, by which time politicians are too far in, and too much public money has been spent, to lose face by pulling the plug.

On December 22, we will be at precisely this point when our city's councillors vote on the draft business case for the tram projects. If the green light is given, construction tenders will be sought. To date, every councillor has voted in support of the tram schemes. It is unlikely that there will be renegades, although the SNP's Steve Cardownie (who voted for the trams when he was still a Labour councillor) may break ranks.

The timing of this vote is extremely worrying. How can the business case be robust if the design detail will not be available until January 2007 at the earliest?

In effect, our councillors will be voting blindfolded. Supposing some of the engineering solutions are publicly unacceptable? What happens if they are prohibitively expensive? Will a curtailed route be proposed? Can the project represent value for money if traffic management solutions cause journey delays or impact on businesses?

The most important unasked - and unanswered - question which has been missing throughout the tram debate is: do Edinburgh residents want this tram scheme? Have the vigorous publicity campaigns been enough to persuade people that they support the project? There is considerable public scepticism about the tram projects, because there is no obvious purpose to the chosen alignments. They do not address Edinburgh's key public transport needs - to access the new Royal Infirmary at Little France and to alleviate commuter traffic.

Whilst Edinburgh residents will have the chance to put their questions to Cllr Henderson tomorrow evening, they will ultimately be able to have their say at the ballot box during the council elections in May 2007. By then, the detailed design should be available and we will have a clearer picture of the tram scheme. Trams are likely to be a hot election topic.

Kristina Woolnough is chairwoman of the Edinburgh Traffic Forum, which is hosting a tram special public meeting with convener of transport Cllr Ricky Henderson tomorrow at 7.30pm at Davidson's Mains Parish Church. All are welcome.