Improvements to the bus services running out to two major international sporting facilities on the western edge of Edinburgh are to be investigated.
A petition of more than 1,100 signatures calling for a direct bus link between the city centre and Ratho – which is the base for both the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena and the newly opened Lost Shore surf resort – was backed by the city council.
At the moment it takes two buses to reach either facility. Local councillors including chair of Transport and Environment committee Cllr Stephen Jenkinson admitted that Ratho had the poorest bus services in the city. It can take an hour to reach both the village and the sports facilities.
Councillor Jenkinson suggested calling on officers to prepare a report on options to improve bus services and said he was happy to accept addendums from the Lib Dems on ensuring that improved bus services benefited the wider Ratho community.
A spokesman for the Lost Shore resort said he believed there “is a lot of goodwill to improve services but translating that goodwill to deliverable status is tricky”.
He added: “I’ve yet to meet any local or politician who thinks this is a bad idea. I have no concerns at all that this can be a commercially feasible route for the bus company. Lost Shore whilst it is a private business it also has public purse involvement from Scottish National Investment bank and one of things we pride ourselves on is being a catalyst for local private businesses.
“We would put a lot of marketing behind this bus route. I don’t think routes have had this before.”
A deputation highlighted how difficult it was to reach either EICA or Lost Shore without a car. It requires two buses from the city centre and three from the east of the city.
The spokesman added that the last studies into the viability of the services to Ratho had been done six or seven years ago. Local campaigners from the Ratho Bus working Group had been looking at proposals of a part commercial/ part subsidised service.
The Lost Shore representative suggested that it was “intuitive” usage would increase because of both Lost Shore and the EICA which are premier sports facilities and among the best in Europe the climbing centre which is run bythe council’s ALEO Edinburgh Leisure is the largest indoor climbing centre in Europe.
Lost Shore is the world’s first inland surf resort, it includes restaurants and accommodation as well as controlled wave pools for surfers. The £60m attraction boasts Europe’s largest and most advanced wave pool, positioning Scotland as a new global hub for adventure tourism.
Councillor Kevin Lang for the Lib Dems said improving bus services to Ratho was “unfinished business.”
Councillors echoed that both facilities represented “a Jewel in the Crown” not just for Edinburgh but for eastern Scotland and agreed that more direct supported bus services should be investigated.
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
