Edinburgh Council officials are launching the new trial to extend bus lane operating hours along a major city route.
Starting on Monday, 12 October, the bus lanes situated between Milton Road East and London Road will operate from 7am until 7pm, seven days a week.
The move marks a significant shift from current restrictions, which only apply during peak commuting hours of 7:30am to 9:30am and 4pm to 6:30pm from Monday to Friday.
This extended operation aims to address increasing delays faced by bus services outside of traditional rush hours and encourage more residents to utilise public transport.
The route chosen for the trial is heavily utilised by several key services, most notably the number 44 operated by Lothian Buses.
Transport officials have identified this specific service as being particularly vulnerable to delays and reliability issues during the periods when the bus lanes are not currently enforced.
Initial data analysis conducted ahead of the trial has revealed a stark increase in congestion, with bus journey times on sections of this route having increased by 22% since 2019.
By implementing the extended hours, the council hopes to give buses priority over general traffic for a longer portion of the day, smoothing out these delays and providing a more consistent service for passengers.
The initiative will be implemented through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, which will remain in place for a total of 18 months.
This framework allows the local authority to make temporary changes to the road network while actively monitoring their impact in real-time before making any final decisions on permanent infrastructure.
The first six months of this 18-month period will act as a formal public consultation, during which time residents, businesses, and transport users can submit their feedback on the changes.
Throughout the trial, a comprehensive monitoring programme will be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the extended hours.
This analysis will incorporate a variety of metrics, including tracking bus journey times, conducting general traffic flow surveys, and monitoring parking and loading patterns along the route.
Additionally, the council intends to gather qualitative data through surveys with local businesses and feedback from residents living in the affected areas.
The implementation of the trial will also necessitate alterations to some existing parking and loading restrictions along the route between Milton Road East and London Road.
Road users and local residents are being urged to carefully check the new signage and road markings that will be installed to indicate the revised operational hours and restrictions.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “Edinburgh is lucky to have a first-rate public transport system, which hundreds of thousands of people rely on every day.
“We want to make travel by bus an attractive, accessible and reliable alternative to the car and bus lanes support that. However, travel behaviour is changing and bus demand is increasing, leading to delays outside of traditional peak periods.
“This trial will help us to assess whether extended bus lane hours can reduce journey times on one of our busiest routes. Thanks to the nature of the trial we’ll be able to carry out real-world monitoring of traffic impacts and network performance, alongside feedback from the public.”
The data collected during the experimental period, combined with the feedback received from the public and stakeholders, will ultimately determine whether the extended bus lane hours are retained on a permanent basis.
Further details regarding the trial, including specific changes to parking and loading times, can be found on the local authority’s official website.
