I made the very rational decision just before the Beast from the East struck not to keep a car any longer. It's very handy to have one sitting at the bottom of the stair for when the travel bug bites but for the most part, given where I live and how I spend my time, it's money down the drain.

The first test of this brave new public transport only world came over the Easter weekend when I was due to take my sax to a country house in the Trossachs.  Research showed that it would be possible to get very close by train and bus but a lot of hanging about between stages would be involved so I decided to take a taxi from Stirling station.  Not cheap but just the job.

Coming back the weather was frightful.  Before Leith Street closed for the St James redevelopment I could nip over the road on leaving the station and get on a bus that would drop me at my door.  Now it's either walk home or go up to George Street for a bus.  I didn't fancy either prospect in the driving wintry rain.

I first thought to catch a tram at Haymarket.  Current roadworks there mean no bus passes the station going my way but the tram does.  Then I had what I thought was a brainwave.  Why not get the tram from Edinburgh Park since unlike Haymarket train and tram are on the same level.  Genius.

Not genius as it turned out since I had to cross the train lines which meant going up, along and down.  It didn't help that while I did so a tram arrived, stood for a bit then headed for town leaving me to the inadequate shelter of the tramstop for seven minutes.  My good humour was restored somewhat when at York Place I got onto a bus within seconds of leaving the tram.

But I will get off at Haymarket next time - no double entendre intended.

As it happens there was a consultation event at the library yesterday about the potential extension of the tram line to Newhaven.  It can't happen soon enough for me.  I felt it might be a bit cheeky to suggest they move the proposed Macdonald Road stop from the town side of the junction to my side but I did offer the thought that with all the construction going on at Granton they should take the line on to there from Newhaven.

Of course there will be inconvenence on Leith Walk again when work gets under way. (I can't believe that they will decide not to do it.)  The proposed construction plan means that for eighteen months I'll have to walk from an Easter road bus stop when coming home from town since buses will run on Leith Walk only towards town.  Not a major inconvenience.  Indeed probably a healthy one.