Tram line chaos-published in Student 14/10/2008.

EDINBURGH’S RECENT tram development is set to cause further chaos with Princes Street , Edinburgh’s main retail street, set to close for six months.

MSPs unanimously voted for the Edinburgh Tram Bill in March 2006, claiming that the tram line would decrease inner city congestion, entice tourists to visit the city, help local business to thrive and would be also be a more eco-friendly form of transport than travelling by car or bus. Work began on the £512 million public transport investment in March 2008.

Edinburgh has seen problems already beginning to rise in the early stages of the estimated three year project. There has been an increase in traffic congestion with Leith Walk and, most recently, Princes Street reduced to one lane.

Local businesses have claimed that their trade has declined by approximately 25% since the tram work began. The government has offered all independent businesses a £4,000 compensation grant, however this is not covering the extreme losses that businesses are facing.
Tram developers, Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE), are planning to fully close Princes Street from January to July 2009 in an attempt to keep the project on track in the hope of meeting the 2011 deadline. This has provoked outrage from shop owners and commuters with the problems already caused by the tram work set to escalate.

It is expected that the complete closure of Princes Street will result in rocketing congestion with all traffic being diverted to George Street. As well as excessive congestion, University of Edinburgh students can also expect irregular bus routes to and from their part-time jobs. The result of the tram work is going to increase commuting time for all inner city workers.

It seems that the Edinburgh trams are creating more problems than the line is set to solve. The tram service will only operate a limited line from Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven, Leith. Therefore the trams will not be a solution for those who live outside of the city who continue to face limited public transport into the centre.