The council is to introduce a pilot scheme trialling 7-7-7 bus lanes. This means bus lanes which will be enforced from 7am to 7pm, 12 hours every day.
While the consultation carried out last year attracted a mixed response and so council officers have proposed a trial on the route of the Lothian bus service 44 which travels from Balerno to Wallyford, a journey of one hour and 16 minutes.
The bus signage will be altered along the route and then the time plates advising drivers that it will be enforced all day will be put up.
This will run for 18 months under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), and will be monitored and evaluated before any other 7-7-7 bus lanes are introduced. The council would look at passenger numbers and vehicle speeds, bus reliability and reduced journey times.
Cllr Scott Arthur Transport Convener said: “If you live somewhere like Balerno where it can take so long to get into the city using public transport. With or without 7-7-7 improving public transport connectivity into the city right along that Lanark Road route is really important. It can be a real bottleneck in parts, and it only takes one set of roadworks and the whole thing grinds to a halt. A lot of people don’t have alternative routes so improving public transport along that route is absolutely key.”
Bus lanes also feature in the West Edinburgh Transport Improvement Plan where they will be a core part of the £36.6 million public transport and active travel improvements which itself is a part of a larger scheme costing £72.3 million. It is recognised that bus lanes and bus priority would improve access to several rural areas on the outskirts of the city. It is hoped that bus journey times would also be reduced.
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