City of Edinburgh Council has pledged to look again at cycle safety around its tram lines following the death of a cyclist on Princes Street last week.

 

Malaysian medical student Zhi Min Soh was killed by a road traffic collision with a minibus at the street’s West End junction on Wednesday morning after falling from her bike.

 

She was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment, however passed away a short time later. A Police Scotland investigation is still under way but reports suggest that the fall was caused by a bicycle wheel getting caught in the tram lines.

 

A City of Edinburgh Council spokesperson said: “We remain deeply saddened by last week’s tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the young woman’s friends and family.

 

“In light of this, and notwithstanding Police Scotland’s on going inspection, we will carry out a road safety assessment of the area, considering all users and aspects of the junction and its approaches.

 

“This will include consultation with key stakeholders and any findings that could lead to safety improvements will be carefully considered.

 

“Further, and more generally, we have invited Edinburgh Trams to review their day to day operations and consider any changes that can be made to enhance safety.”

 

The fatal collision has now prompted criticism that concerns voiced by cycling and pedestrian groups about the dangers of the tram lines were not sufficiently considered during the development of the tram system.

 

This also comes just weeks after Edinburgh Royal Infirmary consultant Professor Chris Oliver claimed to have counted hundreds of tram track incidents in the city, including 191 involving cyclists, in the past seven years.

 

Cycling group Sustrans Scotland’s director John Lauder commented: “During the consultations and design phases of the tram works we emphasised the importance of integration of the new trams with existing and future cycling infrastructure, and taking the opportunity to improve the streets hosting the tram line.

 

“In this regard, we echoed concerns made by other cycling and pedestrian groups of potential hazards to cyclists and pedestrians along tram tracks and emphasised the importance of segregated cycling infrastructure.

 

“We are disappointed to say that this did not result in significant action, especially segregated cycle lanes.”

 

Another cycling group, Spokes, is now calling for Princes Street to be redesigned “into a more people friendly place which incorporates segregated cycle provision”.

 

“Tram line crashes occur not just at junctions, but often too when a cyclist travelling parallel to the lines is forced by traffic pressures to move sideways, meeting the tram lines at a very bad angle,” it said. “Segregated cycle provision would eliminate this problem entirely.”

 

A one minute silence in memory of Zhi Min Soh and to call for safer cycling conditions took place at the West End junction this morning.

 

(Photo: Train Photos and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)