The following is taken from a document issued by the Community Councils Together for Trams group following the recent publication of a report regarding the Trams to Newhaven Project Road Safety Audit.

The independent Stage 3 Road Safety Audit of the Trams to Newhaven project recommends 145 changes to improve the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users. In their response, the Council (CEC) and the Contractor (SFN) have agreed to implement only 49.

After several direct requests and two Freedom of Information requests over a 12 month period, a report responding to the independent Road Safety Audit (RSA) of the project undertaken in mid 2023 on completion of the construction phase has just been published.

The RSA makes 145 recommendations to improve the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users. Of these recommendations, 91 were carried over from the Stage 2 RSA conducted in 2021 which examined the project’s detailed designs.

In response to the RSA’s recommendations, SFN and CEC have agreed to undertake remedial work on only 44 of the recommendations. In a further 5 cases, it was reported that the recommended work had been already completed by the time that this report was approved in November 2023. This leaves just less than 100 recommendations for which the Council intends to take no action (apart from some monitoring) nor require the Contractor to take any action.

The recommendations include areas that have been identified as being serious safety concerns by the community councils, active travel groups and accessibility groups over the last two years. Issues highlighted by these groups and now confirmed by the RSA include:

● Lack of tactile paving to warn visually impaired pedestrians of crossings,
● Risks to cyclists crossing tram tracks,
● Poor signage and lack of clear visibility for vehicles emerging from side streets,
● Uneven surfaces on cycle paths leading to loss of control,
● Excessive surface water due to poor drainage leading to increased risk of skidding,
● Narrow pavements and poor segregation resulting in an increased risk of pedestrians being struck by cyclists

Although the report is dated November 2023, it remains unclear how many of the 44 recommendations agreed to be actioned by SFN or the Council have been completed since then. We have certainly not seen evidence of much work being undertaken despite promises made by the Council on several occasions.

The Trams to Newhaven team are due to be providing the Transport and Environment Committee with an update on their progress on resolving the many issues identified as requiring attention at their October meeting.

We will be making representations to the Council seeking assurances that the issues identified in the audit and by the local community will be urgently resolved to limit the risks to all pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.

We will also be seeking assurance that the final RSA, usually undertaken one year after operations commence, is scheduled and reports back promptly. There needs to be much greater transparency about the work that remains to be completed and the resources available to do so. In addition to the safety issues raised by the RSA, progress on defects remediation by the contractor, scope changes and design adjustments all require to be put in the public domain for scrutiny.

If you have direct experience of problems with the design and construction of the public realm surrounding the new tram extension, please let us know and contact your local Councillors.

Further information about the RSA can be found in the attached CCTT-Briefing Note on Stage 3 Road Safety Audit for Trams to Newhaven Project.

Community Councils Together for Trams (CCTT) is a coalition of the four community councils on the tram extension route:

• Leith Central Community Council

• Leith Harbour & Newhaven Community Council


• Leith Links Community Council


• New Town & Broughton Community Council  

25 September 2024