Edinburgh bridge to shut again in speed bump row

A BRIDGE in the capital is to close for the third time in 18 months – due to a speed bump that is too big for buses.

Vehicles have suffered knocks and scrapes passing over the recently installed raised cobbled platform on Edinburgh’s Waverley Bridge.

Roadworks have been proposed for the end of the month to shave the speed bump and prevent more damage to vehicles. Talks are being held to try to avoid shutting the busy road and simply impose a lower speed limit.

The bridge and nearby Market Street were remodelled over the past year at a cost of £1 million to improve pavements, create taxi rank spaces and drop-off areas after banning cars from the train station.

A speed bump was installed on the bridge after Reverend Tom Sinclair died in May 2014 after he was struck by a car reversing out of Waverley train station.

Local councillor Nick Cook ha s bl a s t e d the proposed closures, adding: “Our city centre can ill afford further disruption.

“Given this latest closure appears to be entirely self inflicted, local taxpayers and visitors are unlikely to be at all sympathetic, especially given the relation to the controversial ban on vehicles in Waverley.

“Serious questions must be asked as to how such a big design faux pas made it all the way to construction and details given of how much money will now be squandered correcting this.”

Councillor Lesley Hinds, who suggested a lower speed limit instead of roadworks, said: “Since this has been brought to my attention I have asked for a decision over works to be held off in order to ask more questions about why we are doing this.”