Will the trams be good for business and tourism in Edinburgh

[Power Lunch Club]

This week it it reported that the trams are both on budget and time for opening in 2011.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh, East and Fife | Trams 'on schedule and on budget'

What are people thought's on the trams and do you think they will be good for both business and tourism.

Tell us your view?

[findnetworkingevents]

I'm sure once we get over the initial pain of the construction phase they will be a great asset for the city, just as they have been in other cities around the UK and Europe.

Stuart

[TFGtv.com]

My own opinion is that the whole thing is an expensive folly. A punishment for not letting the mandarins have their own way over congestion charging.

There can be little doubt that once the trams are operating they will serve a purpose. But at what cost? For many Edinburgh was already something of a no-go area in terms of shopping or entertainment. 25 years + of traffic mismanagement have seen to that. I find it hard to imaging how businesses are operating at all in Edinburgh and wonder what will be left when the weans finally get their trainset finished.

Did I mention we only make any marketing effort in the West of Scotland and the North East?

[barryhynd]

As Stuart rightly points out they are a great asset in other cities and I think they could be in Edinburgh as well. The last twice i've went to Edinburgh it's taken me almost three quarters of an hour each time to actually find some parking. I would maybe try and park at Ocean Terminal but I have no idea of where I will end up given the traffic measures that change almost daily.

I have to agree with Matt as well though, I do fear for what will be left once the trams are finally completed and given the current economic climate. A great tram system is all well and good but if you've driven away most of the business whats the point?

[stugster]

I'm yet to be swayed from my firm "nope, they're a waste of time money and effort".

Why do we need trams? Why not just invest in a better bus service? What benefit do trams offer that a bus doesn't? If the only answer is electricity, then that's just not good enough; all the buses in Edinburgh could easily be converted to electricity, and be run at a fraction of the cost.

The REAL reason we're getting trams is that Lothian Buses has their hand in the Cooncil's cookie jar. What they're going to get out of all of this is the ability to pay off 2/3rds of their drivers. All they needed to do was sugar-coat it with fancy words, and the daft eejits at the Cooncil let their tongues hang out.

My favourite is when the CEO of the buses recently quit from a £250k (and £100k bonus) salary. What did the board do? Agreed he wasn't actually needed, and didn't bother replacing him.

"Mr Renilson's annual salary, currently £250,000 a year, makes him one of Scotland's highest-paid civil servants."

Lothian Buses chief quits - Edinburgh Evening News

I also love how nobody has noticed the expected completion date has already changed from Feb 2011 to July 2011. Little and often, and Joe Public wont notice.

Don't go googling "Edinburgh Sh1tty Council" any time soon

[amestaper]

From what I'm led to believe Edinburgh once had the 5th largest tram network in the world until they ripped out the tracks in the late 1950's. The city has an old road infrastructure that was built for a horse and cart and can't cope with current levels of traffic so why jam the roads with even more vehicles like trams? ...especially when it's been tried before.

I think they have let the people and future generations of this city down by choosing a cheap and easy option.

They should have built a subway instead.