Traffic chaos

In the midst of another festive sales rush, I sincerely hope that the City of Edinburgh Council has had time to address the 
appalling lack of traffic control currently evident in the city.

While it is a laudable step to encourage and attract visitors and shoppers to the city centre, that must surely go hand in hand with addressing even the most rudimentary traffic controls, particularly with regard to York Place and the St James
Centre.

On Monday afternoon traffic approaching from the west queued in an unbroken line of almost two miles down Queen Street, round Randolph Crescent and back to Stocksbridge.

In the other direction a 
shorter queue backed along
London Road.

The main reason appeared to be simply a backlog of traffic 
waiting to turn right or left into the multi-storey car park – an issue which could have been managed smoothly and efficiently by simply having a traffic warden controlling the flow of traffic. Possibly they were too busy ticketing errant motorists, who were still willing to bring their trade to the city, despite the chaos they are forced to 
experience.

Or more likely it is just another example of how the unabated rush to privatise any lucrative source of income sounds the death knell of any sense of civic responsibility.

David Ferguson

Rankeilor Street

Edinburgh