Green Street and Bellevue Place shoudn't be made rat runs

For the past year, I have consistently raised concerns at the proposal to re-route of off-duty buses down Green Street and Bellevue Place. A recent Green Party amendment requested this street was explored. I'm pleased that it has been ruled out for just now as per the update in a recent Transport committee Business Bulletin.

For transparency, below were the 9 points I flagged this option as being unsuitable on.

a) Contradiction with Council policy:

1. Reduction of pavement space (on the corner of Annandale Street and Green Street) is counter to Council policy. These pavements are very busy at the start and end of the school day and are designed in such a way to facilitate easier crossing for school pupils ages 12-18.
2. Reduction of pavement space to vehicle use is contrary to the transport hierarchy, which has been long adopted as a standard the Council strives for.
3. The reduction of mature street trees to be turned into road space is contrary to Council policy of retention, particularly Tree Policies 9, 40 and 43.
4. Further to this, although it first appears that tree numbers in Options A and B are retained, there would in fact be one less tree as the tree planter in the south west corner of Green Street would not be replaced. This would be a net reduction of street trees and thus would be contrary to Edinburgh’s Million Tree City target and policy.
5. The Council recently passed a motion to reduce bin lorries from outside school gates. Encouraging buses to use that route is counter to the spirit of that passed motion.

b) Lack of consideration for high school:

1. The report does not once mention that all gates to Drummond Community High School are on that route, therefore I am not satisfied it has taken into account the safety aspect outside the largest school in the area.

c) Local / Traffic Calming considerations

1. The street trees have been strategically planted there to allow natural traffic calming at that junction, not necessarily for aesthetic reasons.
2. There is currently no crossing outside Drummond Community High School on Bellevue Place. Increasing heavy traffic here while that is a material truth would not be responsible.
3. Speed bumps at Bellevue Place (street next to Green Street) are not taken into consideration. During Trams to Newhaven works, when buses were diverted down nearby Bellevue Road, the exact same models of speedbumps had to be removed due to the vibrations buses were having on tenements. This would almost certainly be the case here too, and further to this, the removal of speed bumps outside a high school would not be appropriate.

The full Business Bulletin update is as follows:

Green Street Bus Route
Further to a petition and complaints from residents regarding noise created by out of service buses using East London Street, officers have been investigating the possibility of Green Street as an alternative route. The junction of Annandale Street and Green Street does not currently have a layout that allows buses to turn without potential conflict with vehicles travelling in the opposite direction. Design options were drawn up with associated cost considerations for discussion with City Centre and Leith Walk ward Councillors on 2 December 2024.

Although Green Street and Bellevue Place are not setted streets, they are traffic calmed and it is very likely that noise and disturbance complaints will be received from the residents in this area if some buses were re-routed. All the possible junction design amendment options would result in the loss of some trees and parking spaces, while the proximity of Drummond Community High School was also recognised.

The conclusion of the workshop was that there was no support to continue consideration of Green Street as an alternative route for buses accessing and egressing Lothian Buses’ Central depot at Annandale Street, but officers were requested to give further consideration to both the necessity of current level of use by buses on East London Street and the priority status of road resurfacing work there.

Lothian Buses were subsequently contacted and confirmed they believe they have reduced the number of buses using the street to the minimum level, after considering the needs of their network efficiency and associated cost.

Some improvement of the surrounding road network, with traffic signal optimisation work on Leith Walk and the re- opening of the left turn from Leith Walk into London Street, are easing congestion at Picardy Place. However, Lothian Buses insist that East London Street remains a vital route. The number of buses using East London Street, as noted in the report to Committee in Autumn 2024 was 56 leaving the depot and 37 returning per day. The current schedule now indicates the number of buses has reduced to 26 and 27 buses respectively. Many of these use the street in the early morning and late evening to coordinate services (despatch and receiving) within allotted time constraints associated with driver hours and operating costs. Lothian Buses are aware of the noise complaints and feel they have done all they can to reduce the impact. Any further reduction would carry a significant cost implication as additional resource of both buses and drivers would need to be added to the network to meet service schedules.

Resurfacing of setted streets is assessed and prioritised across the city using an approved capital investment prioritisation procedure. East London Street does not currently feature in the three-year programme of sett renewal schemes. In addition, Setted Streets are protected within the context of the Council’s Setted Street Policy. Any decision to remove or overlay existing setts would need to be considered by Committee at a time when the noted scheme has been prioritised for capital investment.
East London Street will continue to be inspected, in line with the Council’s Risk-Based Approach to Safety Inspections. Repairs are prioritised in line with the timescales set out in the guidance. It is not proposed to take any further action at this time.

Lastly I understand ward councillors for City Centre ward are working on options to try and improve the situation on East London Street. I appreciate residents' frustration as this being put as a potential option with lots of works and changes being realisitc while exisitng infrastructure like the above traffic island has been broken for around two years.