Cheeky Edinburgh swan brings traffic to a standstill on busy bridge

Edinburgh residents are well versed in sitting in traffic, after all it comes with the territory of being a capital city.

Often it can be roadworks or perhaps an unfortunate crash that leads to your journey being delayed.

But that was not the case for a group of commuters on a Lothian Bus in Leith on Tuesday July 2.

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Elaine Wyllie was able to capture footage of a careless swan preening its feathers in the middle of Great Junction Street Bridge.

A bus was forced to come to halt as it waited for the swan to leave the road and waddle onto the pavement.

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Elaine added that a group of six ‘concerned Leithers’ were able to safely guide the bird down to the canal below where it rejoined its family.

"It lasted about half an hour in total by the time the people got the swan back in the water," Elaine said. "It was quite a spectacle.

"The traffic, including a Number 10 bus, was backed up in three directions but the swan was completely unperturbed for around four minutes. It even started preening itself quite happily and was in no rush to get off the road.

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"A group of six people slowly managed to herd it down Coburg Street and a van helped out by blocking its way so that it had to go down the path through the woods to Coalie Park. It then jumped into the Water of Leith.

"Today I saw it with its partner and nine cygnets swimming serenely along towards the Shore. Everone involved - drivers and citizens, played their part in making sure the swan came to no harm.

"Well done Leithers!"