Crown investigating Edinburgh tramline cyclist death

The Crown is investigating how a young woman was killed by a bus after her bike was trapped in a tramline in Edinburgh.

Zhi Min Soh, 23, was riding on Princes Street when she was hit by a tour bus.

She later died of her injuries at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and was cremated this week in her home country of Malaysia.

The Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) is carrying out an inquiry into her death, which came on exactly the third anniversary of the opening of the tram lines.

A Crown spokesman said: "The procurator fiscal received a report in connection with the death of a 23-year-old woman on Princes Street, Edinburgh.

"The investigation into the death, under the direction of the SFIU, is ongoing and the family will be kept updated in relation to any significant developments.”

As we recently reported, Edinburgh tram bosses ignored warnings that cycle lanes should be installed along the length of the network, two years before Soh was killed.

Hans van der Stok, a Dutch consultant, told Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) that cyclists needed to be a priority, and even busy streets like Princes Street and Leith Walk could accommodate the infrastructure.

Ian Maxwell, of campaign group, Spokes, said that Stok’s report was “largely ignored” by TIE, the now defunct agency that spearheaded the Edinburgh trams project.

Princes Street was never furnished with cycle lanes.

Since 2009, however, at least 220 cyclists in Edinburgh have reported tram-related accidents, which typically occur when bicycle wheels slip on the smooth rails or become wedged in the grooved tracks.

“It was our idea to bring over Stok and after his visit, we had a series of meetings with Edinburgh council and TIE, but the end result is that they didn’t take heed of his suggestions,” said Maxwell. “It was very frustrating. The cycle lanes were lost on Princes Street because of the trams.”