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SEStran considers Edinburgh orbital bus rapid transit report

Date: 12th October 2009

SEStran’s board is to consider a report recommending pressing ahead with a project to establish an Edinburgh Orbital Bus Rapid Transit system (EOBRT), linking up economically important areas around the capital. 

 

The core route of the new service would be from Edinburgh airport in the west, via Edinburgh Park and the city bypass corridor to a new park & ride site to be built at Millerhill, where cars would be able to access the new site, directly off the junction between the A720 an A68 bypasses.

 

Once established, the EOBRT would integrate the growing network of park and ride sites around the south of the city, giving increased access to key destinations such as; Edinburgh Park, Queen Margaret College, The Gyle and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (ERI).

 

The possibility that the service could also serve the proposed airport tram/rail interchange at Gogar, with a spur to service Hermiston Park & Ride is also being investigated.

 

A key element of the study is the use of the hard shoulders on the bypass.

 

SEStran Chair, Cllr Russell Imrie said:

 

“The EOBRT will link up the growing network of park and ride sites around Edinburgh and provide quick, convenient, access to economically important locations on the outskirts of Edinburgh”.

 

“At present, the only way to get to these locations by public transport is to travel right through Edinburgh city centre, which is inconvenient and time consuming. The alternative of driving around the ring road only adds to the region’s overall traffic congestion problems”

 “The proposed EOBRT system will serve up to 6 million travellers a year; this represents a major contribution to SEStran’s goal of getting people out of their cars and onto public transport, while ensuring that the needs of business are well served”.  

ENDS

SEStran - South East of Scotland Transport Partnership - is one of seven new Statutory Regional Transport Partnerships (RTP) created by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 and is a partnership of eight local councils covering the Borders, the Lothians, Edinburgh, Fife, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Dougal, SEStran Communications Officer

T: 0131-524-5161

M: 07889-010-291

E: Andrew.dougal@sestran.gov.uk