Rising costs see halt called to series of Edinburgh road plans

PLANS for a series of bus lanes in the south-east of the city have been scaled back following concerns about rising costs.

More than 600,000 worth of new bus lanes were to be built at Lady Road, Liberton Road and Newcraighall Park and Ride.

Up to 750,000 was also to be invested in a new segregated bus lane at Old Dalkeith Road, which would have been one of the most expensive ever built in the city.

But the city council said that estimated construction costs had "increased significantly", meaning the three smaller new bus lanes were no longer value for money.

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And the Old Dalkeith Road plans have been downsized amid fears that it would have not made a big difference on bus journey times – despite the substantial cost.

Under the initial scheme, the existing bus lane would have been turned into a new lane of traffic, giving more car capacity, while the new segregated bus lane would have made it easier for buses to get around the Cameron Toll roundabout.

Instead of widening the road, there will now just be a lengthening of the existing bus lane for part of the route between Cameron Toll and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. It means there will no longer be any loss of resident parking bays.

Local councillor Ian Murray said he hoped that the proposals at Lady Road, Liberton Road and Newcraighall were not mothballed indefinitely. He said: "Lady Road is difficult at the best of times for traffic and the infrastructure there is complex, which is why it would be expensive.

"But I would like the council to go back and look at this again in the future – likewise with Newcraighall Park-and-Ride."

However, he welcomed the news that officials had scaled back the Old Dalkeith Road proposal. "I just think this was madness," he said. "It has already got a greenway and it would only have taken about eight seconds off a bus journey. Changing it is a bit of common sense."

A smaller programme of bus lane works will now go ahead instead, including the project at Old Dalkeith Road, as well as other bus lanes between Inch Park and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Cameron Toll to Niddrie.

It is estimated that the total costs will be 1.1 million. The parts of the scheme that are to be cancelled or scaled back will save 1m, which will be able to now be spent on other transport capital investments in the city.

Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, the city's transport leader, said: "We have scaled back the scheme to ensure we get better value for money and, at the same time, save the taxpayer over 1m."