- Summer events: EBUG will be at the Leith Festival Gala Day on Leith Links (10:00 to 17:00) on Saturday 13 June, and the Edinburgh Climate Festival at the Meadows on Saturday 27 June (12:00 to 19:00). Come along to say hello, chat about buses, and pick up some (non-edible) goodies.
- With the Scottish parliament elections over, the next Scottish Government is a minority administration again and will rely on support from other parties for any new policies and the budget. Transport did not feature significantly in the elections, despite being so important in daily life. All the more reason for EBUG members to get key messages across to the newly MSPs:
when building new housing encourage non- (or less) car lifestyles from the outset
reduce bus journey times
adapt to changed work patterns
improve bus infrastructure (bus lanes, bus stops, priority signalling)
improve geographic coverage, frequency and cost of public transport networksWe do welcome the £45 million for zero emission buses that has been made available by the (previous) Scottish Government. We understand, that Lothian Buses will be able to enhance their fleet further with a good chunk of this fund.
Meanwhile, the next Council election is less than a year away (6 May 2027). And with four Edinburgh councillors alone having been elected to Holyrood, there will be by-elections in some wards. So, EBUG’s lobbying role will be vital to keep our messages on the agenda.
- EBUG recently attended a stakeholder workshop on the Council’s Waverley Valley Strategy. We are quite clear that Princes Street’s role as the public transport corridor must be respected and improved, not least the interchange between buses, trams, rail and long-distance coaches.
- EBUGs’ views on public transport were stated in the recently concluded consultation on the North-South Tram
buses and interchanges must be planned in from the outset, not as an afterthought
bus priority lanes must be provided where buses are displaced to parallel corridors; this is particularly relevant for South Bridge
the costs for the preparation of the Strategic Business Case must not impact on maintenance and overdue improvement of bus infrastructure; this is particularly critical in the context of the urgent engineering assessment of the existing defects of all South Bridge spans. - Remember to complete the Bus Stop survey on our website if you’re affected by bus stops near you being closed by roadworks for extended periods or even permanently, please fill in this short form.
- A date for your diary: EBUG’s Annual General Meeting will be on Thursday 24 September at 6pm (online only). Plenty of notice and reminders to come!
- EBUG has an instagram account but lacks the bandwidth – and skills 🙂 – to operate it: are there any adept EBUG members out there who are willing to help? Please get in touch here. We also like to say thanks to Bob Moseley – one of EBUG’s founding members and Treasurer (twice!) – for his exceptional services. He recently retired from the EBUG Committee and we wish him all the best for the future.