Trial of 7:7:7 bus lane along London Road corridor, will this affect you?
Please be aware of a new trial starting of a bus lane operating on a 7:7:7 basis (7 days a week, from 7am to 7pm) along the traffic corridor from Leith Street / Leith Walk along London Road towards Portobello. (bus routes include 4, 5, 15, 26, 44, 45, 106, 113, 124, X4, X5 and X7). This may affect your journey / journey times, or your parking or loading practices.
LLCC has received the following information from the Council:
The Bus Lane Trial between Milton Road East and London Road is scheduled to start on 12 October 2026.
Signage, lining and advanced warning signs will be installed ahead of the project going live.
Detailed below is an overview of the trial with further details available on the project webpages.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the project team.
Case for a Trial
Reasons behind this trial include:
- Bus demand on key radial and orbital corridors is growing across Edinburgh and the region,
- Travel behaviour has changed since 2019 meaning delays are no longer limited to the traditional peak periods (when existing bus lanes operate), and
- Bus journey times are steadily increasing with data analysis showing that that since 2019 bus journey times on the A1 have increased by 22%.
The trial is also a commitment from the City Mobility Plan following improvements to public transport being strongly supported during consultation.
A key part of assessing this trial will be its impact on residents, and business access for customers, deliveries, and collections. This route is a major public transport corridor with parking and loading restrictions already in place, which will now be amended from 12 October 2026.
Monitoring analysis will include bus journey times, traffic surveys, parking and loading surveys, business surveys, along with feedback from residents and other stakeholders.
Assessment of impacts
The trial will be introduced through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) for a period of 18 months. The ETRO provides an opportunity to monitor the effects of the changes and gather evidence before recommendations are made on the longer-term arrangements.
Access, Parking, & Loading Restrictions
These are quite detailed and can be found listed on the Council website at https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/buses-coaches/bus-lane-trial/4
Blue badge holders
Blue Badge holders will continue to be able to use their Blue Badge in accordance with the Blue Badge scheme. However, they must comply with loading restrictions and cannot park where a loading restriction is in force as detailed on the web site.
Engagement, Communications and Next Steps
Engagement in advance of this trial has included resident and business letter drops, a dedicated business information event and public drop-in sessions.
An Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) has also been completed as part of the development of the trial. The IIA will be reviewed throughout the duration of the trial. The IIA can be viewed on the project webpages.
The first six months of the trial period serve as a consultation period, providing the public and businesses with an opportunity to submit formal comments, objections, or support for the trial at any point during that period. These findings will be reported to Transport and Environment Committee. Please note the ETRO will formally go live on Monday 12 October 2026 at which point opinions can be submitted in writing or via email to:
Traffic Orders
3.3 Waverley Court
4 East Market Street
Edinburgh
EH8 8BG
Email:TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk
