The Liberal Democrats in Edinburgh seem to have taken a political risk in unveiling
plans for extensions to the currently unpopular tram network before it has opened. At the present time the trams are deeply unpopular in the Scottish capital with the large disruption there construction has caused and the fact that the project has been beset with issues from the start including an ever increasing budget and shrinking line. Nevertheless the Lib Dems believe that the trams will prove to be popular with the public and as part of their election manifesto have pledged to extend the system down Leith Walk and to Little France.
Current leader of the Council, Cllr Jenny Dawe is quoted in the Edinburgh Evening News:
“The people of Leith Walk have had to put up with an enormous amount already because of the tram, and we believe there is still a strong business case for taking the tram down there. But perhaps fund it in a different way. There could be business interest in doing
that. We think it’s worth doing, and there was a strong argument for it originally, just as there was with a line to Little France because of the development of the BioQuarter. That’s now been given a further boost because it’s become an enterprise area, so there’s even more of a reason.”
Guess what? Leaders of opposing parties in Edinburgh have met Cllr Dawe’s suggestions
of extending the tram with anger. Once again the Edinburgh Evening News have quoted both Labour and the Conservatives and they both believe the people of Edinburgh will feel insulted by this suggestion after all the problems the current tram saga has caused to the public. The Council elections at the start of May will show which way the people of Edinburgh want to go.