http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Tag: MMW - Recent Posts en Sun, 17 May 2026 05:30:31 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13239#post-161984 Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:13:48 +0000 cc 161984@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>News from a colleague this morning:</p> <p><blockquote>"Obviously the police don't think much of the one way system in Crichton Street. I've just spotted a police car driving from west to east."</blockquote></p> <p>Also big plastic snaky barriers have appeared. Bit more effective than blue string at massively cutting the width of the road - they do at least seem to slow drivers down. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13239#post-161729 Mon, 11 Aug 2014 10:18:49 +0000 cc 161729@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Those barriers also prevent people crossing the road to/from the access ramp to the main entrance of the Informatics Forum! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13239#post-161634 Sat, 09 Aug 2014 21:29:39 +0000 neddie 161634@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I know, let take a reasonably pedestrian friendly street like Charles St, wait until it's absolutely thronged with people at festival time, then put up some extra barriers and signs to keep people off the "road"</p> <p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/0MegCaN.jpg"><br /> <a href="http://i.imgur.com/0MegCaN.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://i.imgur.com/0MegCaN.jpg</a></p> <p>Add on top of that a few vans and Taxis aggressively 'beeping' people out of my "God given right of way"...</p> <p>TIE</p> <p>Thankfully it was largely being ignored </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13239#post-161242 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:35:29 +0000 wingpig 161242@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Does the procession of Tattoo artists' buses still bung up Buccleuch St/Causewayside/G4B every afternoon and evening? I've not attempted to try and go home that way for four years. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13239#post-161238 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:20:40 +0000 cc 161238@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Absolutely! Bit odd too that so much traffic is using Meadow Lane when it could instead use Buccleuch Place, which is far bigger.</p> <p>I'll just warn folks again that a temporary one way system suddenly appeared this week, and lots of drivers are totally ignoring it. Avoid.</p> <p>Oh, also, high walls have gone up along the pavements, preventing people from crossing the roads, except at the busy junctions. Yesterday a lot of folk just walked in the road instead. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13239#post-161193 Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:35:09 +0000 Snowy 161193@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Ah. The one-way thing might explain why Meadow Lane was full of traffic when I was out running the other night! Seems highly unlikely it's a lawful restriction. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13239#post-161170 Tue, 05 Aug 2014 13:59:58 +0000 cc 161170@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>George Square and Crichton Street are more chaotic and dangerous than usual this week:<br /> <ul><li>Lots of festival related traffic;</li><li>Lots and lots of festival related people, far too many for the narrow pavements so they stroll along the road;</li><li>Crichton Street has been narrowed by the BBC's occupying forces;</li><li>Crichton Street has been narrowed on the other side by means of a line of cones and blue string;</li><li>Someone has erected prominent "No Entry" signs at the corner of George Square which make Crichton Street into a one way street westwards (away from the mosque, towards the square);</li><li>These are being ignored by many locals (bin lorries, taxies, delivery drivers, etc.);</li><li>A colleague searched and failed to find any traffic order related to this on the council website so suggests that the restriction is illegal;</li><li>Rumour has it that George Square is also now a one way street, but there are few if any signs saying so and it has two way traffic on it;</li><li>and happy festival crowds all over the street;</li><li>and of course the world's bumpiest setts;</li><li>Oh and a few yards away, performers on Middle Meadow Walk are drawing crowds which block the footpath entirely and threaten to block the cycle path too.</li><br /> </ul> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-113105 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:54:47 +0000 cc 113105@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Today at lunchtime I used something like the Wilmington's Cow / Blueth technique: wait for green; cross the crossing and enter onto the road, then stop; wait for their car-borne lordships and ladyships to finish going past safely; then proceed into Forrest Road. There were only three cars in the queue so not much of a wait and no drama. I did first have to politely assert my place in amongst the gaggle of dozy walkers waiting at the cycle crossing, but hey ho, used to that now.</p> <p>Earlier in the day I tried an alternative route, round the south and east sides of George Square - doable OK until I got to the cobbles at the north east corner, *ouch*. And I got the impression that I was the last cyclist through from the Meadows to the south east of George Sq for the next week or two as that's where the rolling path upgrade has reached.</p> <p>@SRD I may try your route suggestion once the NMW resurfacing has finished just for the pleasure of the lovely new path :-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-113099 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:02:55 +0000 mgj 113099@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Weird; I go this way every day and I've never had any conflict with cars coming from my right, but then I'm not going down Chambers St (prefer to go down the High St) I'd like better enforcement of the parking regulations but to be honest its not the worst part of my commute by any stretch. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-113041 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 09:36:31 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 113041@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I rode this way last Friday and the same thought came to mind. I stayed in the (surprisingly initially clear) cycle lane to merge, but thinking on it afterwards figured safer would be to use the cycle green to get across, but then wait for the motorised traffic from the right to get its red, and set off just before the traffic now behind you gets its green (as you are passed the stop line (legally) and so can go.</p> <p>But really, it's ridiculous to have to come to this sort of solution. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-113017 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:29:06 +0000 LaidBack 113017@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>cc - I agree that this layout is designed to promote conflict.</p> <p>The fact is that 90% of drivers probably think you've cycled over a pedestrian crossing. This was brought home to me when I got a mouthful from a driving instructor.</p> <p>Many other instances in town where bikes can enter from a pavement but this is only one with a merge and buses trying to go round whilst avoiding parked cars.</p> <p>I give it five stars for risk and one for usability. Add in pedestrians wandering about over it just to make it trickier (and to make it more like a pedestrian crossing). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-113001 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:05:11 +0000 bdellar 113001@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That junction would be fine if the cycle path wasn't buried under parked cars. I do t heading for Chambers Street, and it's not fun. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112984 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:53:43 +0000 SRD 112984@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@CC - have you tried MMW - NMW - Buccleuch st? </p> <p>works for me </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112979 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:43:57 +0000 kaputnik 112979@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It is slightly confusing to find yourself merging into moving traffic on a green like this, and as blueth advises the best approach is to "proceed if it is clear [safe] to do so". I had an LB driver almost flatten me on the Mound once as he turned across my path into me "because he had a green". Of course I was on green to and had priority as I was going straight on and up hill, he was coming down and turning across stream of traffic. But he HAD A GREEN. And therefore the right to try ending my days.</p> <p>Anyway... My main irk with the junction is dosy pedestrians milling around all over it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112978 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:40:37 +0000 cc 112978@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@SRD I went up MMW and (when the light went green) carried straight on into Forrest Road, with the intention of then turning the corner to the right to go back along Bristo Place to Bristo Square and the cycle storage just beyond it. (I can't see any other legal way of doing this which doesn't involve cycling on the surface-of-the-moon George Square cobbles.)</p> <p>@Blueth Thanks - that's a good point. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112975 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:23:26 +0000 Blueth 112975@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I know you reacted whilst a bit frazzled, though we criticise motorists for yeilding to such influences, but, regardless of layout is the answer not to treat it the same as every green light should be treated ie (and I paraphrase the Highway Code)green means you may proceed <em>if it is clear to do so</em>. </p> <p>Most green lights involve vehicles coming from two different directions after all; the angle of those directions really should not alter the basic rule. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112974 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:18:17 +0000 SRD 112974@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>tbh cc i'm confused was the van coming along teviot place? where were you trying to go? </p> <p>My option to get to bristo square in the morning for a doctor's app, was to go across NMW and up Buccleuch street. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112972 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:14:39 +0000 BaseCut 112972@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The best option for me seems to be going through the MMW red cyclist light and merging in with the traffic coming from Lauriston Place. Need to watch out for the peds, but generally ok. It's never really an option though when I'm going through at 0815 ish as there is so much traffic coming from Teviot Pl. When going through a MMW green light, the drivers from Teviot Pl probably justifiably think the cyclists coming off MMW and then from the direction of Lauriston Pl are jumping a light in some way. Merging is normally quite easy though due to the low speeds and congestion in the morning. Agreed, though, that a junction designed to have two sets of traffic from different directions both having a green light is a bit mad. Bring on the designated George IV route! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112970 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:10:14 +0000 cc 112970@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If you cross the red light when there's a long quiet gap between the traffic flows you can get a traffic-free entry to Forrest Road. By contrast if you go when the light goes green you always face motor vehicles bearing down on you from Teviot Place.</p> <p>Candlemaker Row - lol :-)</p> <p>I really dislike that bike lane - even when I only used to cycle to Forrest Hill (the lane on the left halfway along Forrest Road) I had frequent run-ins with dangerous buses, dangerous pot-holes, dangerous idiots in dangerous cars or dangerous vans, people wandering in the cycle lane, you get the idea. In the absence of a segregated path I feel safer in the middle of the road - as long as I don't have to compete for the space at the traffic lights with violent Grand Prix drivers. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112969 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:05:05 +0000 wingpig 112969@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote><em>"...but here I can't see a reasonable alternative to cycling through the red light at the top of MMW..."</em></blockquote></p> <p>As there is no point in the light sequence when there is no traffic being given green to enter Forrest Road then there's no point disobeying the (previously discussed and definitely red-means-red-for-cyclists) mandatory cyclist red when it still means you have to merge with flowing traffic at some point. I think cyclists are meant to go straight into the bike lane at the left of Forrest Road and run away down Candlemaker Row without ever having bothered any cars, whilst cars of course keep well clear of the left-hand side of Forrest Road so that they barely have to notice the cyclists appearing on their left. In reality I always just wait for a bit of space and eye contact with a driver coming from Lothian St before leaving the island and merging. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10359#post-112967 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:56:24 +0000 cc 112967@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Lots of people walking obliviously up and down the MMW cycle path today. Most moved out of the way when I gave them a bell ring and a thank you. By the time I was at the top and heading onto Forrest Road (here's a <a href="http://opencyclemap.org/?zoom=18&amp;lat=55.94533&amp;lon=-3.19086&amp;layers=B000">handy map</a>) I was fed up enough of the thank yous to be quite irritated when the driver of a blue van, maddened by my entering the road during his green light, did mad slalom overtaking manoeovres and yelled at me about green lights. I gave him both barrels back, full lung power. In that sort of situation there isn't time for much of a reasoned argument so I just yelled I HAD A GREEN LIGHT and added a banned word.</p> <p>But really, he was right to object, why on earth should traffic coming from two different directions both get green lights at the same time? Completely crazy and dangerous as anything. I mean, I know that the idiot who designed the junction must have assumed that all bicycles would go into the bicycle lane, but (a) that's only any good if you're heading straight on at the end of Forrest Road, (b) the cycle lane is usually lost underneath parked vans and cars, (c) even if you make it as far as the bus stop you'll get squashed by a bus. </p> <p>I go Middle Meadow Walk -&gt; Forrest Road -&gt; Bristo Place -&gt; Bristo Square. For safety's sake I reckon I have to change to one of these alternatives to that green light. Which one would people recommend?</p> <p> - going through the red light at the top of MMW instead of the green (as long as I avoid the traffic coming from Lauriston Place to Forrest Road and the traffic going straight from Teviot Place to Lauriston Place). Most of the pedestrians there cross towards Forrest Road on the red man and quite a few of them walk straight across the cycle path to do so. I could go at the same time as them (and most of the other cyclists).</p> <p> - turning right at the top of MMW and cycling along the pavement at the side of Teviot Place - which will lead to just as many arguments</p> <p> - turning right lower down MMW and cycling through George Square - which will lead to me losing all my fillings and my bike falling to bits clown style</p> <p> - Ditto George Square, only cycling on the pavement, which will lead to me being pushed onto the road (this happened when I tried it).</p> <p>I try to be careful to obey the law but here I can't see a reasonable alternative to cycling through the red light at the top of MMW? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9604#post-102590 Sun, 03 Mar 2013 12:12:23 +0000 cc 102590@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Oh, also - the temporary pedestrian crossing near Argyle Place had been either trashed or partially dismantled. The south side of Melville Drive is closed at Argyle Place - possibly the workmen have switched off the pedestrian crossing so they can put in a one-way-at-a-time set of traffic lights.</p> <p>So, the good news is that Melville Drive is only half as wide at the moment. The bad news is that anyone who wants to cross it there has to play Frogger with the traffic. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9604#post-102589 Sun, 03 Mar 2013 12:00:01 +0000 cc 102589@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yes, including both of those. MMW is closed at Argyle Place (I just thought it was the normal closure so went round the barrier) and then closed again from the central all-paths-meet junction all the way up the hill to the top. In that closed section the middle bit is full of people running and the rest is taped off and full of people not running. It looked as if large parts of NMW were completely closed too. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9604#post-102587 Sun, 03 Mar 2013 11:41:11 +0000 chdot 102587@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Inc MMW + NNW? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9604#post-102586 Sun, 03 Mar 2013 11:31:40 +0000 cc 102586@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>... for an athletics race.</p> <p>Of course there's no diversion, and there was no advance notice posted in the Meadows!</p> <p>I took a creative route across the grass and round the south side of George Square to avoid the Quality Bike Car Park. </p>