Edinburgh City Council is to consult on a plan to extend the operation of bus lanes from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week.
Bus lanes in the city are currently closed to general traffic during peak hours (7.30am to 9.30am and 4pm to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday).
Traffic is holding up buses in Edinburgh
The council said its plan to extend bus lane hours aim to improve public transport journey times, which have slowed over the last decade, with travel by bus taking longer in both peak and non-peak hours.
It said that while this is partly attributed to more people taking the bus, congestion throughout the week is also considered to be a key factor.
Transport and environment convener Cllr Lesley Macinnes said: ‘It’s essential that we incentivise public transport as a reliable, accessible choice. We aim to make travel by bus easier and even more attractive, in turn reducing high levels of congestion caused by single occupancy car use and its associated impact on air quality.
‘Bus travel is one of the most efficient ways for large numbers of people to move easily around the city, in stark contrast to the space taken up by private cars. Car ownership in cities across Europe is falling as more and more people vote with their feet to take more sustainable public transport options.'
The council said monitoring has shown that it is taking people 12% longer to travel by bus during peak times than in 2006 and 14% loner outside these times and that many areas, particularly routes leading to retail parks, are busier at the weekends than during the week.
The consultation will open on Thursday (31 October) and close on Friday 22 November and can be completed on the Council’s consultation hub.
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