TIE launches tram charm offensive ahead of Mound closure

Published on Thursday 22 January 2009 09:17

NEW images of how Edinburgh's trams may look on the city's streets have been released as motorists brace themselves for the closure of The Mound on Saturday.

The computer-generated images – showing the trams gliding past the National Gallery and through Leith – are the latest stage of a charm offensive by tram firm TIE, aimed at persuading the public of the benefits of the project.

The closure – which begins on Saturday and will last until the end of May – takes place ahead of work on Princes Street which will see the road closed to traffic for eight months from late February.

Motorists are hoping there will be no repeat of the gridlock which brought the city centre to a standstill when The Mound was shut in October.

The basic arrangements for this weekend's closure will be similar to those brought in before the Christmas embargo on tram works, with traffic being diverted along George Street.

However, transport bosses hope that changes to traffic light sequencing and the suspension of some city centre parking bays will help keep traffic flowing.

The closure of The Mound and Hanover Street between Princes Street and George Street will allow for utility diversion works.

Councillor Phil Wheeler, the council's transport convener, said: "Diverting traffic away from The Mound is a monumental task and requires rigorous planning. Extensive traffic modelling has been undertaken to prevent the problems that occurred on October 1.

"This process ensured that traffic flowed well after the initial setbacks and I'm confident that this will be the case again."

Tram bosses were forced to apologise after the initial closure of The Mound on a weekday in October led to delays of up to an hour as the diversions, coupled with a number of traffic light failures, resulted in chaos.

Colin McLauchlan, director of HR and corporate communications for TIE, said: "The project is a complex and ambitious undertaking, with work taking place across the city.

"It is vital that we are able to communicate clearly with all residents, road-users and other stakeholders to ensure that they are kept fully up to date."

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