Following a decision by the council to consult on two options for the part of the tram extension in the north of the city a three month long consultation will “go live” at 5pm on Monday on the council website.
Whether or not to extend the tramline is no longer in debate. It is the route which is being debated – and only in respect of the southern part of the route from Roseburn (where a spur was created on purpose during the initial build for any northward extension) to Granton where a regeneration project is by now well underway. The major part of the project in Granton is to build 3,500 homes, while the Gasholder park is central with the well-known gas holder completely refurbished with the help of millions from UK Government Levelling Up funding.
At the other end of the line the BioQuarter is designed as a tech led new area with housing and retail as part of the eventual mix. Only last month the University of Edinburgh held the official opening of the £50 million Usher Building where all kind of innovation is expected to take place. The area will become a major part of the city where people can both live and work – and people need good public transport if they are to stop using cars as a main form of getting around.
Bus services are impacted by the number of cars on the roads, with the service times increased as a result of delays. In a report authored by Jacobs, Steer and Anturas for the council dated January 2024, trams and Bus Rapid Transit were outlined. The City Mobility Plan states that: “Tram is an integral part of both the emerging City Plan 2030 and City Mobility Plan. However the delivery of a wider mass transit network, will require innovative implementation of other forms of mass transit, such as bus rapid transit and comprehensive bus priority.”
The report at page 617 in papers for the February 2024 Transport and Environment Committee also explained the possible tram route to the north of the city. It is the wording in this report that suggested a threat to cyclists.
The report said: “Previous work on the Roseburn tram alignment assumed a route from Russell Road / A8 to Ferry Road, west of Crewe Toll. The alignment is fully segregated, following an old railway track bed; it is currently an active travel corridor. From Crewe Toll, the route follows West Granton Access and Waterfront Avenue to Granton Square.
“This alignment is the safeguarded route for tram within the existing Local Development Plan.
“The emerging preferred tram alignment option is similar to the above but the route would divert to follow Telford Road to Crewe Toll, re-joining the original alignment at West Granton Access. The key advantage of this revised route is that it directly serves the Western General Hospital, improving connectivity for staff, patients and visitors.
“To minimise the required cross section on the Roseburn corridor, and the resulting environmental impact, it is proposed that a 3-metre-wide footpath will be provided adjacent to the tram alignment. This will be suitable for walking and wheeling, but cycling will be discouraged.
“Instead, segregated cycling facilities will be provided on Queensferry Road and Orchard Brae, providing a direct link to the city centre and improved connectivity to the Western General Hospital via Crewe Road South.
“Ecological impacts are currently being assessed but it is likely that significant tree loss will result from tram construction with necessary replanting following completion. New structural and geotechnical technologies may enable improved planting strategies, compared with previous proposals from the mid 2000s. Planting options will consider whether a natural approach to replanting or a more structured landscape / park solution is most appropriate. Replanting will consider the impact on habitats and the need to reintroduce and enhance wildlife and pollinating corridors.”
It was David Begg the former transport chief who told us decades ago now in a bold move that Princes Street should be pedestrianised. That did not come to fruition but when he spoke at a Spokes event in June 2018 he explained that public transport such as trams has to connect important locations such as hospitals, universities and railway and bus stations. The bold ambition for the tram is that it will connect two sides of the city with both hospitals being on the route.
The council is holding a media briefing on Monday 25 August to explain all the details.
Two options
The two options in the consultation are to consider whether to route the tram along the road down Orchard Brae (and over the 19th century Dean Bridge) or to use the former railway line which is part of the northern cycling and walking network.
“The routes were debated at a Spokes meeting in June 2024. We have a full report of that meeting here but this is an excerpt from our article written at the time: “The discussion was a little muted without many up to date details provided, and certainly without the high emotion which has been displayed on social media. The current Transport Convener, Cllr Scott Arthur, is out on the election trail as a candidate, and so could not be on the panel. If he had been – or if any councillors from the Transport Committee had been – then the discussion might, in our view, have been more meaningful and informative and might have produced some solutions or suggestions.
“Instead, some of the questions were light on detail, or even basic knowledge of the background of the project. Many answers can be provided from reading the February report by council officers putting forward the Roseburn Path as the preferred route, but it appeared that not everyone had read it. It is available here.“
Save the Roseburn Path campaign
In opposition to using the Roseburn Path the Save the Roseburn Path campaign has sprung up. We were approached by John Thomson who held himself out to be a supporter of the campaign which has been vocal for quite some time about the need to leave the Roseburn Path as it is – they call it a linear park, a haven for wildlife and a much used walkway and cycleway.
During the conversation Mr Thomson said that he does not use the tram as he uses his bike on the North Edinburgh path every day.
You can listen to our conversation with Mr Thomson here. He said that not all details are known ahead of the consultation going live on 25 August, and that the support for their campaign is around “95% positive”. He also claimed ahead of our meeting that around 15,000 trees will be removed to make way for the trams. He said: “The Council have admitted they’re going to have to take out all the trees, every single tree along the side, in order to put the overhead lines there. As you go down beyond here, you’ll see that there’s very steep embankments on either side. Once you take down all the trees, those will have to be reinforced as the trees which are here, are structures to support the embankments.”
Some campaigners accompanied Mr Thomson on Saturday wearing Save the Roseburn Path t-shirts but declined to be photographed.
The campaign has featured in an Edinburgh Outdoors podcast by former PR consultant Angela Casey who spoke to Euan Baxter who is also a member of Save the Roseburn Path campaign, where he talks about the path and the North Edinburgh path network generally.
We spoke to Mr Baxter about the Liberal Democrats petition. He said: “With regards the Lib Dem petition, this is not connected with our campaign. I think it was set up by the Lib Dems before our campaign was launched / around the same time. It has been shared on our Facebook group by supporters several times. We don’t have our own petition though it’s something we have thought about launching.”
Mr Baxter said in the podcast below that he began the campaign as he is a cyclist and wants to retain the space for the people in North Edinburgh. He said this has become an equality issue and that people in the area need access to a green space. He also says that a previous council report said that cycling would be discouraged if the tram and a walkway were to replace the former railway line as “there is not enough room for everything here”.
