From:
Lothian Buses
Sent: 07 October 2015 18:00
To:
City of Edinburgh Council
Cc:
Subject: Roseburn - York Place cycle path

It was good to meet up to go through the proposals for this cycleway. Hopefully you are able to find
a resolution to my concerns, the most significant of which were:





The apparent disregard shown for the transport interchange that has been created on
Haymarket Terrace to make way for a through cycleway. The interchange is working well
and is the only place in Edinburgh where there is a true interchange where the public
transport user can choose and link between train, tram, bus and taxi. While bicycles require
a route to Haymarket Station, Haymarket Terrace does not readily provide the space to
accommodate it. A better routing between Wester Coates and Melville St for the cycleway
would be via Magdala Crescent and Eglinton Crescent to Chester St as it avoids congestion
(particularly on West Maitland St), has only 2 sets of traffic signals (compared to 5 on the
proposed route) and is shorter; this route would provide a sensible link with the cycle
access that forms part of the Donaldson’s School development. – should the developer be
encouraged to enhance their cycle access? If the cycle lane does remain on Haymarket
Terrace and the taxi rank is removed, my concern then becomes what happens to the taxis.
Clearly the main demand in this area is from the train station and if an adequate rank is not
provided in this area the taxis will just pick up from the kerbside obstructing access to bus
stops and preventing through flow of traffic.
The lane widths at Haymarket Station which, as drawn, are 3.5 m, 2.5 m and 3.5 m. As far as
buses are concerned, this road needs to accommodate buses stops on both sides of the
road and for these buses to be passed by other buses and general traffic. By staggering the
bus stops (e.g. where they are currently located) there is in theory only a need for the
equivalent of 3 lanes but as buses are 3 metres wide overall roadwidth needs to be
increased to a minimum of 9.5 metres; however to accommodate a taxi rank the road width
will need to remain at its current width.
The drawing of York Place which shows a cycle lane in place and a bus stop removed. There
are two main concerns here:o There is no indication of an alternative location for the eastbound bus stop. In the
past it has been mooted that the bus stops on York Place would be moved to
Picardy Place and in front of the Cathedral to provide an interchange with the
tramstop. The proposals at the time gave limited capacity for buses and later work
associated with the proposed development of the Hotel in Picardy Place showed
that most of the roadspace proposed to be used as bus stops was required to form
traffic lanes to maintain traffic flow. Until such time as an alternative location is
agreed for the bus stop, the design for the cycle path needs to accommodate the
bus stop in its existing location. (It should be noted that this is a busy bus stop
because of its proximity to the desire lines created by Broughton St, Picardy Place
and the Bus Station – the stop that used to serve the Bus Station was removed to
accommodate the tramline.)
o The St James’ development is going to change the traffic flows along York Place with
a requirement already identified for there to be two lanes westbound on York Place

 on the approach to Elder Street. There needs to be an acknowledgement within the
cycle lane proposals of the requirement to find a solution to the conflict between
traffic lanes, cycle lane and tramline.
Both these concerns highlight my frequently voiced view that there needs to be a
coordinated approach to all proposals that will affect roadspace in the York Place - Leith St
- Leith Walk area so that no proposal is seen in isolation to any other.

Other concerns that I have, which are less fundamental and should be able to be designed out are:


the right turn lane from Roseburn into Roseburn Street is very short and a solution
presumably involving the traffic signals will need to be found to prevent right turning
vehicles blocking the straight ahead filter lane
the current plan for placing temporary bus stops for an emergency closure of the bus station
involves the pavement in front of the Portrait Gallery and St Andrew Square; this would
appear to be compromised by the design

I accept that: the westbound bus lane on Wester Coates may be lost
 the middle westbound stop on Wester Coates may be removed
 the layby at the Apex international may be filled in (the layby is more of a problem for buses
than a help); the bus stop needs to remain especially as it will meet one of the desire lines
for the new Donaldson’s development

I hope this helps

Regards

Operations Infrastructure Manager

From:
Lothian Buses
Sent: 04 September 2015 18:48
To:
City of Edinburgh Council
Cc:
Subject: RE: Roseburn to Leith Walk Cycle Route - West Coates Bus Lane

17th am is best for me

 From:
City of Edinburgh Council
Sent: 04 September 2015 15:51
To:
Lothian Buses
Cc:
Subject: Roseburn to Leith Walk Cycle Route - West Coates Bus Lane
Hi
We have developed proposals and undertaken the modelling and traffic counts for the proposed new cycle
route from Roseburn to Leith Walk.
Are you available to have a meeting to discuss the changes required to the public transport network?
Available dates are as follows;
Wed 16th Sep – All day
Thurs 17th Sep – AM
Friday 18th Sep – AM
Regards

From:
Lothian Buses
Sent: 02 March 2015 11:23
To:
City of Edinburgh Council
Subject: RE: Roseburn to Leith Walk Cycle Route - Roseburn & Haymarket Area Workshops

I will be available for both workshops.

From:
City of Edinburgh Council
Sent: 02 March 2015 11:01
To:
Subject: Roseburn to Leith Walk Cycle Route - Roseburn & Haymarket Area Workshops
Dear Stakeholder,
You are invited to participate in two stakeholder design workshops as part of the Roseburn to Leith Walk Cycle
Links - Route Development Study.
The Haymarket Area workshop is taking place on Thursday 26th March from 9:00 to 13:00 at the Arthur Conan
Doyle Centre, 25 Palmerston Place EH12 5AP.
The Roseburn Area workshop is taking place on Tuesday 31st March from 9:00 to 13:00. The venue is to be
confirmed but will be close to the Roseburn Area.

 The Council’s is developing a new cycle route and associated improvements between the Roseburn area and
Leith Walk. This will provide a major strategic link within the Council’s ‘family-friendly’ cycle network and
would link the north and west of Edinburgh to the City Centre and beyond. We want to involve the local
community and stakeholders to influence key decisions at this early stage of the project.
The Design Workshop will present a range of potential solutions within the route which will be considered and
discussed in detail. In particular, Haymarket Terrace has many constraints and competing priorities that will
need to be carefully considered. The project will also aim to improve the pedestrian facilities and enhance the
quality of the visual environment of the area. Your views are critical in this process. You will join
representatives of community groups, local businesses, interest groups, public agencies and Council Officers.
Please confirm by 12.00pm Thursday 12th March 2015 if you are able to join us for both or either of the
workshops. If you would like to recommend someone else from your organisation or team to attend either of
the workshops please let me know.
It would be most beneficial if all participants selected are familiar with the area or represent the key cyclist and
pedestrian user groups. Further information will be circulated in advance of the workshop.
Finally, I attach a Briefing Note for your information which outlines some more information on the
project. Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you require any further information or would like to
discuss further.
Regards