Buses at Leith Links
Monday 12th September – Due to the momentous events today, causing massive traffic congestion, buses are being delayed all throughout the city.
We have so far still not been able to meet with Lothian Buses to discuss our local bus route changes, but have continued to press for a meeting. UPDATE – new Managing Director Sarah Boyd has now been in touch to indicate that a conversation may be possible next week sometime, after this period of exceptional transport arrangements, in which Lothian is heavily involved of course, surrounding the death of Her Majesty the Queen.
What we know –
- The changes did start on Sunday 11th September – i.e. the 25 and 21 using Lochend Road, and the 34 and 49 using Restalrig Road. The bus stops reflect this change and provide some basic paper-based information.
- For the moment, the 34 will go from Restalrig Road to Ocean Terminal (and same route coming back from OT into town) via Links Gardens, Salamander Place, Baltic Street, Bernard Street, Commercial Street.
Apparently Lothian Buses DID NOT CHECK with Trams to Newhaven that the route they wanted to use, i.e. Constitution Street and Queen Charlotte Street, would be open for traffic on 11th September. (Of course, those of us who live here always knew it would not be ready.) In our view, this reflects a shocking lack of coordination between key transport operators (and overseers) in our city.
The Salamander Place route will be used until Constitution Street is available, which Trams to Newhaven tell us may be some weeks away.
Since congestion on Baltic Street (& Bernard Street, Commercial Street) is already horrendous, and the road surface in Salamander Place is in extremely poor condition (understatement!), passengers are in for a slow and bumpy ride. We also feel that the junction at the top of Salamander Place, turning in and out of Links Gardens, is potentially problematical, even dangerous.
So how’s it going so far? One day into the new service, we’ve seen buses letting passengers off on Links Gardens (presumably because the bus stops at the top of Salamander Place are awkwardly placed), and several occasions of buses stopped at the junction, ‘negotiating’ with other drivers as to who would go first through the narrowed turn. And the poor lollipop man at this junction has seen his job suddenly get a lot more complicated!
We’ve also seen at least one No, 21 sail on down Restalrig Road as previously, instead of crossing into Sleigh Drive, much to the distress of passengers waiting to board the new service along Lochend Road, who had a very long wait for the next bus. Was the driver not told about the change?
And we have received a number of emails from members of the local community finding the changes difficult.
We would be grateful to hear from any of you (in the comments below) of any problems you experience or observe in that area, and/or photos, so that we can pass these on to Lothian Buses (in Comments, below, or send to contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk).
You can read the entire correspondence here (start from the bottom and read upwards, to get correct order) between Leith Links Community Council and Lothian Buses. All correspondence has been copied to our Leith Ward Councillors, and Craigentinny / Duddingston, and to the Convenor of the Transport and Environment Committee.