It'll be on the same planet!
Despite fears that fans will face a mammoth trek to get there, Straiton isn't so far out - but work still needs done!

AS A FORMER INHABITANT OF THAT BACKWATER with no pubs called Loanhead, I've read post after post, e-mail after e-mail about what a nightmare it is to get to and how just a few thousand fans will turn up and have to forego their traditional pre and post match pint or three.  I'm not going to sit on the fence here - utter tosh!  Yes there is an issue with the transport infrastructure out at Straiton but at the moment.  Should the move be given the go ahead, this will not just be the building of a football stadium, but the building of a football 'village', a village that will no doubt incorporate leisure and drinking establishments

One thing that villages need to survive though is the ability of the villagers to get around, not there but to and from the village.  The current Public Transport setup has dwindled since the Lothian Regional Council deregulated the buses back in the 1980's.  At that time, Loanhead itself had eight buses an hour running to and from the East End of Princes Street with a further bus an hour running to Dalkeith and one to Pilton.  Straiton itself had at least another four per hour which bypassed Loanhead completely on their way from the centre of the Capital to Penicuik and beyond.  Times were easier then by car - No Pentland Retail Park, No Ikea, Costco and the like.  However, as the relevant bus companies have looked to their more profitable route and those that have moved out of town have started to use their cars more, these frequencies have reduced substantially.

I had reason to get the bus from Edinburgh to Loanhead on Monday evening.  No, it wasn't in preparation for this article but a pre-planned appointment with my dentist!  As I can't take my car to work, this proved a useful fact gathering exercise in how it will be to travel there using the bus.  The verdict?  Not bad but could have been better, but it could also have been a lot worse!  Thanks to the service cutbacks, I had a twenty minute wait for a bus that actually took me into Loanhead itself, although there were three others that went via Straiton as I stood there.  Twenty five minutes later and I was in the heart of Loanhead.  Not a bad journey time considering it was 4.20 in the afternoon and some workers were now starting to make their way home by bus and car.  Would I be happy with that sort of journey time if travelling to a game?  Too right I would as it currently takes me almost an hour to get from inside Edinburgh itself!

Building work to begin again?

Let's make no mistake here, 4.20 on a Monday afternoon is not the same as a busy Saturday lunchtime.  However, with the correct arrangements in place, things could be made much easier for fans.  We've heard from Chris Robinson and from Rod Petrie on how the plans will include rail and tram halts as well as ample parking for cars and buses.  Forget the trams and trains, these aren't going to come to fruition for at least a few years after the stadium is completed should it go ahead.  What both clubs, and Edinburgh and Midlothian Council's need to look at first is the provision of adequate bus travel for those wishing to have their traditional drink. I would hope that the following get serious consideration:

These are what I feel are the immediate issues that need to be addressed with regards to transport.  Trams and trains can follow on from this but it's cars and buses that will serve this stadium in it's infancy, assuming the timetables indicated are met.  Both councils already subsidise services which are not as lucrative as the bus companies would like them to be.  Football shuttles could prove extremely lucrative for the company, or companies, that are willing to take the chance of running football fans to and from games!