Picture of ghost bike at West End, memorial to Zhi Min Soh, killed in a 2017 crash here, hit by a Rabbie's bus, and probably involving the tramlines
Council project page for Lothian Road, including West End jn How we will transform Lothian Road Lots of people waiting to cross the street at the Lothian Road and Bread Street junction This will involve: creating more space and a better environment for those walking or wheeling building a north-south segregated cycle connection improving the efficiency of existing bus services maintaining access for loading vehicles and those with blue badges. making sure everyone is able to access the street We are also proposing to improve key junctions on Lothian Road, making them safer and easier to use. These are Tollcross West Approach Road west end of Princes Street/bottom of Lothian Road We also plan to improve public areas including: west end of Princes Street Festival Square Tollcross and west Tollcross some of the surrounding streets In line with wider proposals across the city centre, Lothian Road will remain open to general traffic and remain a strategic transport link. How we will fund this stage of the project The Council has been awarded funding from Transport Scotland under Sustrans’ Places for Everyone grant programme to develop a design proposal for Lothian Road. Places for Everyone is an active travel infrastructure fund supported by Transport Scotland which helps deliver walking, wheeling and cycling improvements across Scotland. Key project dates Current – preparation and local engagement 2025 – develop design proposals and consult on these 2026/2027 – Further develop the design proposals based on feedback from the previous consultation 2027/2028 – Develop the technical design, including statutory Traffic Orders 2028 – Construction expected to start
Council project background... Why we need to change Lothian Road Lots of people waiting to cross the street at the Lothian Road and Bread Street junction Lothian Road is a key transport link but currently the street is dominated by vehicles to the detriment of those walking, wheeling and cycling pavements vary in width and can be cluttered there is no dedicated cycling infrastructure there are issues with parking and loading in bus lanes during bus lane operating hours crossing the street can be challenging and inconvenient 66% of Edinburgh residents walk or wheel at least five days a week (Edinburgh Walking and Cycling Index 2023, Sustrans), and given the city centre location and key attractions, there is a significant volume of people walking and wheeling for everyday journeys. Despite there being no dedicated cycle infrastructure on Lothian Road, cyclists continue to use it as a key north/south route. Data from March 2024 identified that during the peak periods over 630 cyclists were recorded at all locations on Lothian Road and Earl Grey Street. Given that road safety/personal safety is the single largest barrier to cycling for Edinburgh residents (Edinburgh Walking and Cycling Index 2023, Sustrans) and there is already cycling demand on this corridor, it is likely that improved cycle infrastructure would encourage further users of the route.
From Spokes article... http://www.spokes.org.uk/2022/06/zhi-min-soh-tramline-safety/ A picture of Zhi Min Soh Tramline safety Countless people on bikes have come off on the tramlines Between 2009 and 2016 nearly 200 victims were hurt badly enough to attend A&E By 2015, nearly 100 victims had contacted Thompsons Solicitors alone In a test case brought by Thompsons Solicitors, Lady Wolffe at the Court of Session in 2019 awarded damages to 2 victims, stating that the road layout and tramtracks design were to blame, creating a “hazard” which posed a “significant risk of accident.” More on this in para 1906 here. When the original tramline layout was being devised, Spokes unsuccessfully urged safer layouts, such as the tramlines on one side of Princes Street and a segregated cycleroute on the other side, or other means of keeping cyclists and tramlines apart wherever possible. We even brought over a Dutch expert who did a brief report on layout options for Princes Street and for Leith Walk.
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renewing #WestEnd #ghostbike for #ZhiMinSoh 2017 death
History-> www.spokes.org.uk/2022/06/zhi-...
☹️ No 2025 consult; action now 2028+
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