It looks like the Scots are beginning to rumble how the Congestion Charge con works...
Letter to The Evening News, 10/3/04
JIM TAYLOR is absolutely correct in his letter of March 1. Many of the congestion problems in the city are council-inspired to create the illusion that Edinburgh has a traffic problem.
There was never a real problem until David Begg came along and said that you could drive west along Princes St but not east and decided that drivers could not turn right off Charlotte Square into George Street thereby forcing huge amounts of traffic in to Queen Street.
Councillor Andrew Burns has merely embellished the illusion by creating even more one way systems, widening pavements and narrowing roads so that traffic can’t filter.
We have bus lanes, zebra crossings at roundabouts, changes of traffic light sequences, road bumps and many more measures deliberately put in place to impede traffic flow in the city.
There is also a massive flat building programme ongoing on former brownfield sites and a good percentage of these new city residents will have cars.
Probably the worst effect of all of course are these appalling ambassadors for the city, the dreaded traffic attendants. They are crippling local trade forcing us all to forsake the nearby shops and drive to out of town to malls with car parking increasing car use and causing more pollution.
When are the voters of Edinburgh going to rumble this bunch of imposters?
R Simpson, Cluny Drive, Edinburgh
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