Following the closure of Princes Street to all forms of traffic between Frederick Street and Castle Street, Edinburgh Bus Users Group say that the council must act to make life easier for bus passengers.
The group has today issued an open letter to the council demanding that they establish additional temporary lanes. Nobody knows how long the street will be closed. If we take Glasgow as an example, Union Street there has been closed for months following the devastating fire which resulted in the demolition of the building on the corner of the street. The council has advised that the junction of Gordon Street and Union Street will reopen on Friday.
Edinburgh Council has said that it must be led by police and fire services first of all as to the safety of reopening the street, the northern side of which now appears to be in control of a demolition company. A crane was put up over the last few days and appears to be taking the strain of the facade of the building.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Trams said on Monday morning: “We appreciate that this is frustrating for our customers. The restrictions are in place by the organisations responsible for public safety while the condition of the affected building is assessed. We have also been instructed not to move trams through the closed area because of concerns that vibrations could affect the stability of the building, and because safety cordons have been established in case the situation changes.”
This is the letter that has been despatched by EBUG to Edinburgh Council this morning:
An Open Letter to the City of Edinburgh Council: Urgent Temporary Bus Priority Needed Following Princes Street Fire
Dear Councillors and Council Officials,
The recent devastating fire at the former Debenhams building on Princes Street has presented Edinburgh with an unprecedented transport challenge. With the Princes Street public transport corridor disrupted by a complete closure to all vehicle traffic between Frederick Street and Castle Street – possibly lasting for some time – public transport in the city centre is under severe strain.
While Edinburgh Trams are terminating at the West End, the overwhelming burden of moving residents, workers, and visitors has fallen back onto our bus network. Tens of thousands of passengers are being diverted daily via George Street and surrounding First New Town corridors.
The Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group (EBUG) is calling on the City of Edinburgh Council to implement immediate, temporary bus priority measures in the First New Town to prevent gridlock.
Gridlock on Diversion Routes and the Summertime Streets Impact
George Street and the surrounding New Town grid are already busy corridors. Forcing hundreds of diverted bus services into a standard traffic layout without intervention will lead to severe network delays and bus bunching.
This friction is set to intensify drastically with the return of the Council’s Summertime Streets programme on Sunday 19 July. The upcoming festival closures and traffic restrictions on George Street will reduce available road space just as bus volumes peak. Without proactive management, a major drop in public transport reliability is guaranteed at the absolute height of Edinburgh’s summer season.
EBUG’s Call for Immediate Action
We therefore urge the Council to implement a rapid-response emergency traffic management plan using three temporary measures, carefully integrated with the upcoming festival layout:
- Temporary Bus Priority Lanes on George Street
George Street is bearing the brunt of the diverted traffic To keep public transport flowing, install temporary, bus lanes along key operational sections of George Street. - Strict Parking and Loading Restrictions
To keep the diversion routes flowing, a temporary ban on daytime parking and loading should be enforced on George Street, South Charlotte Street, and South St David Street. Delivery windows must be strictly limited to off-peak night hours to protect bus corridors. - Traffic Signal Priority at Key Junctions
Temporary adjustments should be made to traffic signal timings at critical bottlenecks – specifically the intersections of George Street with Frederick Street, Hanover Street, and Charlotte Square – to give longer green phases to public transport.
Buses carry almost ten times more passengers in Edinburgh than any other form of public transport. When Princes Street closes, the city’s mobility depends entirely on keeping buses moving.
We appreciate that Council teams are working under immense pressure to assess the building’s structural safety. However, transport policy cannot sit on the sidelines during a long closure. We must protect the reliability of the bus network and ensure that Edinburgh keeps moving during this crisis.
Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group (EBUG) Representing Edinburgh’s bus passengers.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “We will reopen Princes Street as soon as it’s safe to do so but, with investigations ongoing at the site, it’s too early to say when that will be.
“This is one of our main thoroughfares, so I’m afraid it’s inevitable that its ongoing closure will lead to travel and other disruption in the city centre.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep the city moving and are working closely with our bus and tram colleagues to keep delays to a minimum.
“We also recognise the effect this is having on city centre businesses and have been in touch with them to offer our support.
“I would urge people to plan ahead and continue following advice from the emergency services and transport operators.”
