Thursday 19 June 2008

TIE Edinburgh: Save the 10

At the TIE show-and-tell regarding the Leith walk tram route this evening , it was revealed that in order to get people to use the tram, three bus routes are to be axed, the 10, the 12 and the 22. For readers who do not know Edinburgh bus routes, the tram route duplicates much of the 12 and 22 routes, but not the 10. This will cut off Leith from Polwarth, Craiglockhart and Colinton... so no Ocean Terminal for the unlucky citizens of these suburbs. Save the 10.
Also, it is not commonly known that the "Interchange" intersections shown on the tram diagram are in fact "Interruptions". What wil happen is, passengers on the bus routes to the North end of Leith Walk will have to get off their bus, get on the tram up to St Andrew's Square where they will be able to get on another bus and resume their journey. This is justified as a marvel of travel planning.
One thing of note, the TIE staff had swapped name-badges. Perhaps this started as an office jape, but is reveals the underlying contempt they hold for the citizens of Edinburgh.
Verdict: White Elephant cum Vanity Project cum Gravy Train. No surprise there then ( see Scottish Parliament building)