In mid-2023, an independent Stage 3 Road Safety Audit of the Trams to Newhaven project was undertaken once construction of the new extension had finished. This made 145 recommendations to improve the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
Edinburgh Council (CEC) and the contractor SFN responded to the RSA in November last year, but the contents of that report have only just been made public after persistent badgering by the Community Councils Together for Trams group (CCTT).
It turns out that CEC and SFN have agreed to act on only 44 of the recommendations and have not indicated whether work on these has begun or finished.
Writing on behalf of CCTT, Harald Tobermann (acting vice chair of Leith Central Community Council) said this morning, ‘We believe that the Report makes disturbing reading. The independent auditors had identified 145 recommendations to address concerns for the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users, but in less than 50 cases have actions been taken or agreed to address these concerns.
‘In the remaining nearly 100 cases, apart from some monitoring of the issues raised by the auditors, neither the Council nor SFN will be undertaking any action.’
More information is expected to be made available at the next Transport & Environment Committee meeting on 10 October. But for now, CCTT:
seeks assurances that issues raised in the RSA will be resolved quickly
calls for the next RSA (undertaken after operation of the line began) to be scheduled and reported back on promptly
insists on the need for far greater transparency on the extent of outstanding remedial work, available resources, progress made and any changes to the scope or design of agreed work.
Much of this article paraphrases a briefing by New Town & Broughton Community Council’s transport convener Mike Birch published online today. You can read it in full HERE.
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