THE City of Edinburgh Council agreed yesterday to undertake a report and full consultation regarding bus facilities in Ratho.
In a meeting of the transport and environment committee yesterday, councillors considered a petition to improve public transport to Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA), which comes after locals petitioned for improved services.
Locals raised that getting into the city centre takes two buses and some crucial peak-time routes only run every one hour and 15 minutes.
Councillors agreed that Ratho was one of the most poorly served communities for public transport in Edinburgh, with new services having been in talks since last year.
In December, a petition was opened to request a direct and efficient route from the city centre to the EICA.
It stated that it currently takes over an hour to reach the arena and two bus journeys, despite the EICA being one of Europe’s largest indoor climbing arenas.
This means that the centre is primarily accessible by car which the petitioner, Mr S Scott, states is a “surprise in a city committed to being net zero by 2030”.
The petition received 1,204 signatures in total, with many residents and local businesses supporting the idea of improved connectivity.
At the meeting discussing the petition, Kevin Lang, councillor for Almond stated: “I’m really pleased we’re revisiting this, because I think this is unfinished business from conversations we had last year.
He went on to say: “Lothian Buses has a responsibility to serve all parts of the city.
“It leaves Ratho as the poorest served community in the whole of Edinburgh when it comes to public transport”.
A representative from the Ratho Bus Working Group, Stacey O’Flaherty, stated: “The 70 is a route that Ratho residents were never consulted on.
“The service is run by Lothian Country and comes on time, which the residents are delighted about.
“But if you want to get to work, college, or school in the morning for 9am, to catch a tram you need to get a bus at either quarter past seven in the morning, and the next one is at half past eight – so it’s not even a 60 minute service at peak times.
“We are still paying for a service that only the few will use. We need meaningful consultation about this service.
“A starting point for me would be going back to Lothian Buses.”
Transport and environment convener, Stephen Jenkinson, concluded the discussion by saying: “I’m very proud to be a local councillor representing Ratho in my Pentland Hills ward, but I’m not particularly proud of the public transport links that Ratho Village has into Edinburgh.
“This is a problem that we do need to work hard together to solve.”
