Edinburgh Trams and Transport: What Do You Think?

Today the news gets even worse - if that is possible!   There are reports in The Scotsman and The Herald that "hundreds of thousands of pounds has been paid out in bonuses for work that was never carried out on Edinburgh's crisis-hit trams project" according to Christopher Mackie in The Scotsman.   We are also told that Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) has spent £2.5 million on consultants giving a 500% increase during the past year.   It is clear that the City Council are simply frittering away  taxpayers money in a totally irresponsible way.

It goes from bad to worse, doesn't it. I actually consider myself a supporter of the trams - not the people running it or the way they have gone about it. There's been so much waste and mishandling of the whole project. But then as the whole MPs' expenses saga has revealed, we are in the midst of unravelling ourselves from a tangled culture of political excess.

I also think tie's PR has been awful. Tie only seems to respond to public information requests and negative media stories (I know, when are they ever positive?). Not a good way to go about handling our money or gaining our trust.

So in answer to the initial question posed, I'd like to see the trams project finished asap, but with much better oversight and transparency in the process.

Stephen K. Amos the comedian as an outside observer, summed it up rather well when he said

"Went to see Edinburgh's tram the other day, looked good, but it did not go anywhere"

Steven K. Amos and the Editor must wait for the feature that tie forgot to tell us all about - the Power Cables strung from poles and buildings all along the tram route!

Probably the biggest organisational and financial muddle to afflict the Capital for some time.  Please tell me; who actually wants the trams? 

I cannot answer your question, but the politicians  who brought this scheme to you were the same ones who introduced the infamous rising bollards in an attempt to keep people from shopping in George Street, and who proposed a congestion charge which was voted down by the residents at the first opportunity. Do they have no common sense or feelings for those whom they were elected to serve?

What should the Council do?
Award me a highly paid consultancy.
As a former long term rate then council tax payer, I'd like something back before I sort out this muddle.
My first step would be to restore capital punishment and corporal punishment for local councillors.
Or is that too lenient?
Best,
JMH
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