'CHALLENGING' HINDS RESPONDS TO DIVERSION CONCERNS

Submitted by Editor on Wed, 08/08/2012 - 11:29

Monday night's emergency session of the New Town and Broughton Community Council to discuss York Place tram works diversions suggests that the tram team has learned lessons about presentation from the last meeting (Breaking news, 3.7.12), writes David Sterratt.

There was – for a community council meeting – a phenomenal attendance of around 60 people (including Council officials and local councillors), mostly residents of Albany Street, Abercromby Place, Heriot Row and surrounding streets which have all been affected by the diversion of non-bus traffic from York Place that started last month (Breaking news, 16.7.12).

Need for culture change
The atmosphere in the audience was initially hostile, but in her introduction, CEC Transport Convener Cllr Lesley Hinds showed that she was onside, laying down 'challenges' to contractors and Council officers:

'I won't satisfy everybody this evening – but I am trying to listen to people and make changes where possible. You may be for against the trams, but we are where we are … I have been challenging the team very hard to come up with solutions.'

She wanted to change the contractors' and Council's culture from 'can't do' to 'can do' and recognised that the diversions had been a change and a disruption.

Facts and figures
[img_assist|nid=3230|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=101]Colin Smith, senior advisor to the Council and present at the July meeting, told the meeting that work in York Place is going well – better than expected. The contractors are trying to deliver ahead of the programme agreed in mediation.

Alasdair Sim, the Council's tram 'interface manager' explained how he and his team were 'challenging' the diversions that have been in operation since 16 July, again recognising the audience's concerns. He then established the facts, i.e. the volumes and average speed of traffic along Albany St as measured by traffic sensors.

In Albany St, the peak volume was 450 vehicles per hour with a minimum (in the early hours) of 50 vehicles per hour. The average speed was fairly consistent, in the range 20–5mph. These levels were considerably less than the worst-case scenario of 1,000 vehicles per hour as envisaged by the planners, though volumes might increase as people return back from holiday and the schools go back.

A counter on Northumberland Street shows a peak volume of just over 185 vehicles per hour, with a mean speed around 22mph (see foot of page).

Sim's answers to a barrage of questions revealed that:

Traffic levels in Albany Street before the diversion were around 150–200 vehicles per hour (see foot of page).
Any vehicles travelling over 30mph were hidden because this was the averaged data; commendably, Sim would be happy to share the raw data with anyone interested.
The left-turn from Howe Street to Heriot Row is banned so as not to conflict with the pedestrian crossing across end of Heriot Row. The number of vehicles per hour making this movement (50) is relatively small.
Similarly, a number of turns between Abercromby Place and Dundas Street/Queen Street Gardens are banned to accommodate pedestrians. Again, there are relatively few of these movements.

Re-opening Princes Street
[img_assist|nid=3231|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=187]At this point, the first main proposal, the 'Princes Street General Traffic proposal', which has been championed by Councillors Hinds and Mowat, was presented.

Around the end of November, the 'plug' (i.e. the closure of Princes Street in front of the Princes Mall) will be removed. The plan had been to allow only buses to use this stretch of road thereafter, but Hinds has 'challenged' the tram team to explore the effects of opening up this section to all traffic, so allowing eastbound traffic to travel from Queen Street via North St David Street, St Andrew Square, South St David Street onto Princes Street and Leith Street (and letting westbound traffic do the same in the opposite direction).

When this happens, the current Abercromby Place–Albany Street diversion will be 'downgraded', i.e. eastbound motorists won't be signed left at Howe Street.

Stimulating simulation
To back up this proposal, Sim and analyst Grant Davidson demonstrated the traffic department's computer 'micosimulation model'. The audience was somewhat quieter and appeared not unimpressed as it observed small dots (almost invisible from the back) representing cars, buses, taxis and other vehicles move around the road network. The traffic signals are implemented as on the street.

Simulation of the morning peak showed traffic queues building in the expected places, such as the top of Leith Street and on North Bridge. Although there are some uncertainties about how drivers will change their diversionary route, Sim was confident that the simulations give a good idea of what will happen once diversions are in place. Traffic along Albany Street and Abercromby Place will diminish over time, he says.

York Place closure in September
However, on 16 September, before the plug is fully open, York Place will close to buses. The contractors have been 'challenged' to open a single contraflow lane along Princes Street for buses from this date, so no more buses should have to run along the Albany Street–Heriot Row route. Once the plug is fully removed in November, there will be two lanes in each direction along the St Andrew Square diversion route.

Broughton Street/Albany Street junction
The second main proposal was to introduce, around mid-September, traffic signals at the Broughton Street/Albany Street junction. This would allow traffic (including the No. 8 bus) to go down Broughton Street. However, this will have pedestrian lights, which will cause more queues in the vicinity.

No objections ... even support
[img_assist|nid=3202|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=195]The current arrangements were derided from the floor and there was surprise that 'no-one has been killed' by dangerous manoeuvres such as U-turns in Albany Street or crossing onto the wrong side of the road to go down Broughton Street.

The main business of the meeting was to decide whether to accept the two proposals or whether anyone had any better ideas. Ian Mowat (Chair of the Community Council) expressed his pleasant surprise at being asked to help the Council. In the course of an animated discussion many other issues were raised, but no-one opposed either proposal (the main complaint was that things should happen faster) and some even expressed their support.

Further pledges

Arising from the audience's concerns, a number of other pledges were made:
Advisory 20mph signs and painted roundels on the road surface will be introduced in Albany Street, Abercromby Place and Heriot Row. There was a strong feeling that the 20mph signs should be introduced in all streets in the area (cries of 'Northumberland Street', 'Great King Street' were heard), and this will be looked at.
After the November changes, the restoration of nose-in car parking in Albany Street will be looked at. Hinds recognised that this is a safety issue for children getting in and out of cars.
Hinds will look at the possibility of reinstating the road surface in Albany Street after the November changes.
Hinds will look at more policing of the Albany Street–Broughton Street junction before the signals are introduced in September.
A new traffic detector is going up at No. 50 Northumberland Street. This will measure traffic volume and speed going in both directions. Sim will undertake to provide raw data from the sensor.
Hinds will Challenge Lothian buses et al. on the possibility of opening Princes Street to cars in the evenings. Her understanding is that doing so during the day would lead to a Princes Street full of log-jammed buses.

And to conclude ...
The point was made that the traffic levels endured in this part of the New Town are relatively small in comparison with some parts of the West End. Other residential areas such as Leith Walk, which have large traffic flows – albeit with fewer car-owning occupants – also spring to mind.

In her summing-up, Hinds agreed with the sentiment that communications about the tram project had been bad. She'd been 'going on and on about this' and believed far too much had been done by email and new technology. More knocking on doors and speaking with people is needed. Spurtle agrees wholeheartedly with this sentiment – and hopes the new approach will extend to all areas covered by the tramworks in future.