Edinburgh's East London Street: Average noise levels 'within acceptable limits' despite residents' complaints

Noise checks on a cobbled street where residents claim buses are disturbing their sleep found levels were generally within acceptable limits, according to a report for councillors.

Residents in East London Street, on the edge of the New Town, presented a petition to the city council last year, complaining of excessive traffic, particularly out-of-service buses, using their street to avoid road works and street closures. Locals said they had seen more than 300 buses using East London Street in one day, even though there are no bus stops there. And one resident said the problem was so bad he had left his flat and lived elsewhere for a few months.

Now a new report to Edinburgh's transport and environment committee says that although the number of buses scheduled to use East London Street – which is just round the corner from Lothian Buses’ central garage in Annandale Street – had increased in 2022, by March this year it had reduced to less than 2019 numbers and reduced further with autumn timetable changes in September.

Speed checks showed the average speed of buses using the street was 12.5mph and the maximum 19mph. And average noise levels outside were below 68 decibels, though there were peak levels above that, many recorded between 11pm and midnight or 5:30am-7am. The report added: "Given that both day and nighttime levels were generally below 68dB(A), there are no proposals for any on-street interventions at this time."

Transport convener Scott Arthur said: "Both the council and Lothian Buses have taken this really seriously. The number of buses going down the street seems to have reduced considerably and the speed is in line with what we would expect. And it seems that the noise levels in the street are broadly acceptable, though some of the peaks people might feel are too high."

He said the underlying issue was the condition of the road. "It is a setted street and there might be some feeling we should move away from that, but that's not a cheap option either." He said the council had a budget of £1 million a year for setted streets and the earliest anything could be done in East London Street would be in four years' time.

He added that there was an established policy for prioritising roads to be resurfaced and he was reluctant to make exceptions to that. "We know what would happen – those who shout loudest would get their street done."

Cllr Arthur said that traffic monitoring would now be carried out to look at the number of vehicles using the street and how fast they were going. "My perception is the fastest vehicles on the street are cars, so we can look at whether or not there is a general speed issue on the street and it will also give us an idea of the mix of vehicles. Based on all that, we will have a much more solid basis for decision-making."