Cyclist blamed for Edinburgh tram crash

Police and workers survey the scene after the bus collided with the tram. Picture: Greg Macvean

The Evening News is reporting that the crash at West Maitland Street, in the west end of the city centre, occurred after the driver of a First bus had to swerve to avoid a cyclist who ‘jumped’ into his path from the pavement.

Both the tram and the bus sustained minor damage in the accident, which occurred during the morning rush hour on Friday.

While no one was hurt during the incident, the collision sparked long delays for commuters, with tram services disrupted for nearly three hours from 7.45am.

The bus was towed away while the tram was returned to the Gogar depot for inspection.

Witnesses reported seeing the cyclist weaving in and out of traffic before suddenly switching from the pavement to the road, before being seen leaving the scene following the crash.

One eyewitness told the Evening News: “The cyclist was weaving and navigating the traffic and jumped on to the pavement.

“They jumped just in front of the bus and the driver was obviously trying not to hit the cyclist and there was a bang.

“The cyclist wasn’t wearing bright colours or anything, no fluorescent vest.”

They added that they feared the bus driver was going to hit the cyclist.

Three fire tenders were sent to the scene while a cordon was established at the eastbound carriageway of West Maitland Street while engineers examined the damage.

A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed that inquiries were ongoing.

Edinburgh Trams apologised for the disruption, with a spokeswoman confirming that one of the vehicles had been hit by a bus.

She added: “We’ve reviewed our CCTV footage and are satisfied that our driver was not at fault and that our procedures for handling an incident like this were followed appropriately.”

First Bus confirmed that the company would be holding an investigation into the collision.

The accident is the second to affect the trams in the last few weeks, after a coach collided with a tram near the Shandwick Place stop, disrupting services for close to an hour.

• Disruption after Edinburgh Tram collides with bus