MASSIVE disruption in Edinburgh city centre has been predicted by traders and transport firms as a key route is closed for five months for tram roadworks from next week.
Taxi drivers fear traffic gridlock when Shandwick Place is shut from Monday, and bus operators have warned passengers of "significant disruption".
Business leaders said shops would lose trade and face supply problems, and called for the work to b
e finished quickly.
In one of the most significant temporary street closures in the capital for years, Shandwick Place will be shut until the Edinburgh Festival in August for preparatory work for trams.
Underground pipes and cables will be moved so they can be accessed without disrupting trams, which are due to start running between Edinburgh and its airport in three years' time.
The second stage of the work, to build the tramlines and overhead power cables, will follow later this year.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said traders in Shandwick Place wanted this work to follow on from the first stage to minimise overall disruption. Graham Russell, the FSB's Edinburgh chairman, said: "We hope that this won't bring the centre of Edinburgh to a standstill.
"Our members are extremely concerned about trade, but it has been much better planned than similar work in Leith Walk."
During the closure of Shandwick Place, between Manor Place and Princes Street, traffic will be diverted via Melville Street or Morrison Street and the West Approach Road.
More than 100 parking spaces will be suspended and eastbound buses will be switched from Princes Street to George Street.
The permanent closure of Shandwick Place to cars is also being considered.
Jim Muldoon, the Edinburgh representative for the Scottish Taxi Federation, said: "Taxi firms are very fearful because this (work] could not come at a worse time – one of the quieter times of the year. It will have a serious effect on business.
"Traffic is going to be gridlocked and people won't use taxis in case they get stuck. It could add £1 to £5 to fares."
Bus firms said their services would also be badly hit.
Juliette Turner, the operations director of First in Scotland East, the main operator of buses into Edinburgh from other areas, said: "The closure of Shandwick Place is going to cause significant disruption to our services."
Bill Campbell, the operations director of Lothian Buses, the city's main operator, said half its routes would be diverted, adding: "Some disruption at the beginning (of the work] is probably to be expected, but we will be doing everything we can to keep this to a minimum."
Willie Gallagher, the executive chairman of city council firm Tie, which is in charge of the scheme, said it had consulted residents and businesses over the work.
He said: "The successful construction of the tram project and the necessary utilities diversions require significant temporary traffic diversions. We have identified the optimum traffic-management solution that ensures optimum vehicle flow for public transport and other traffic."
The full article contains 507 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
