http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Keith Brown's reply to Kezia Dugdale en Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:58:53 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=4#post-139375 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 18:14:42 +0000 crowriver 139375@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>To be fair, he rode it uphill too. Also to be fair, he points out the issues of parking. loading and unloading south of Albion Road but doesn't see these things as (subjectively) unsafe. He's wrong about that, and the stretch north of Albion Road too: the junctions are pretty hazardous here. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=4#post-139368 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 18:02:26 +0000 PS 139368@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"I rode it downhill and it was fine". </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=4#post-139365 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:57:12 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 139365@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Oh good grief... "I rode it once and it was fine" is even worse than "One of my minions rides it and thinks it's fine". Nice to see the anti-cycling rhetoric continuing as well with the necessity to point out two instances of poor cycling. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=4#post-139342 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:00:39 +0000 PS 139342@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/john-mclellan-easter-road-no-cycling-death-trap-1-3263706">john-mclellan-easter-road-no-cycling-death-trap</a></p> <p>Well, at least it's keeping it in the news... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=4#post-139255 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 10:52:17 +0000 fimm 139255@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Ah, got it. Apologies. I just clicked the link, saw the top headline, and assumed it was the wrong article. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=4#post-139245 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 10:17:41 +0000 SRD 139245@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@fimm. It's a multi-topic column. If you scroll down you get to the text I lasted in. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139242 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 09:57:26 +0000 EddieD 139242@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The last paragraph... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139241 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 09:49:05 +0000 fimm 139241@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@SRD that link appears to be to an article about school dinners... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139160 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 16:49:48 +0000 SRD 139160@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>back on topic:</p> <p><a href="http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/gina-davidson-chips-are-down-in-meals-policy-1-3262365#.Us7Eky5fQfg.twitter">Riding into road cycling stooshie</a></p> <p>THE cycling battle has moved to new ground for the new year. Haymarket problems rumble on but now the focus is on Easter Road thanks to a spat between MSPs Kezia Dugdale, above, who believes the road is too dangerous for cyclists, and Transport Minister Keith Brown, who appears to need just the word of a single civil servant to pronounce it safe.</p> <p>I hope Mr Brown is the kind of politician who likes a challenge and we’ll see his bahookie on a bike seat sometime soon as he weaves between parked cars, islands, roadworks and, of course, rush-hour traffic.</p> <p>Remember your helmet, minister. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139141 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:13:35 +0000 Instography 139141@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's one thing to have to exist in a world that doesn't reflect your convictions and other to live in the world in active violation of them. I think wfb's point about taxis is that they are manky pollutants and easily avoided so for a green to be using them could be seen as a violation of the espoused green convictions in ways that sending your kids to school etc are not. </p> <p>Still, even if I agreed with that (I'll volunteer that I make limited special efforts at green living and have never made any claims to be green but I do use Irish Moss to clear the beer) I'd grant dispensations for some uses although they would be unlikely to qualify as an allowable member's expense. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139137 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:00:12 +0000 neddie 139137@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Public services are responsible for around 50% (or 5 tonnes annually) of an average individual's CO2 emissions, and another 30% (or 3 tonnes) is domestic energy usage.</p> <p>Does this mean Green politicians must not use schools, local roads, bin collection services, the water supply, the sewage system, the police, the fire brigade, and not heat their home either...? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139126 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 13:58:42 +0000 wee folding bike 139126@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Wine sometimes isn't ok for vegans because they use isinglass which is a fish product. It seems that some beer uses it too. </p> <p>The is no vegetarian Parmesan. There is Italian hard cheese </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139109 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 13:26:41 +0000 Instography 139109@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Taxis, solar panels, eating meat, not wearing sandals, shaving etc.</em></p> <p>Never mind all that. What about beer? I assume beer's OK, in green terms, especially if I make it myself. Although not green beer obviously. Mind you, I have some cider fermenting in a demijohn. I've never made it in clear glass before and to see it fermenting, oxidising and flocculating makes you wonder who first decided that it looked like a nice thing to drink. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139094 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 12:11:12 +0000 rust 139094@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>wfb, the best thing I did for my eczema was to go to an event hosted by the eczema society. Basically I came away with a massive bag of various emollient samples. Some would work when others didn't and I eventually found one that kept working rather than eventually irritating my skin.</p> <p>Now I rarely have to use steroid creams and can just get away with emollients - the exception to this is the change from autumn to winter when it seems to get a lot worse. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139053 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 09:09:40 +0000 wee folding bike 139053@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>He's got infected eczema to the point where he can't walk so they've got him in for serious antibiotics.</p> <p>She has pals from Coatbridge. I couldn't find the big bowls for my porridge this morning because they were in the book case… no, I have no idea why. They also put a box with toffee in it on top of the bread machine which was busy making a spicy fruit loaf for my dad.</p> <p>I wear sandals much of the summer. I have been shaving my head but the need for even that has been decreasing. I do need more hats now of course. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139052 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:22:28 +0000 gembo 139052@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Wfb hope no 4 on the mend</p> <p>I always eat my favourite chocs first. What size card can hide oven gloves? What sort of pals does your wife have?</p> <p>The greens are vulnerable to criticism over taxis, solar panels, eating meat, not wearing sandals, shaving etc.</p> <p>Mark Calcavechia who was a very good US golfer a while back, once caused a sensation by taking the train to the golf course, golf clubs and all. ,This was in Holland. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139049 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 00:42:46 +0000 wee folding bike 139049@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thanks, it's nothing serious but they want to watch him for a day or two. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139045 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 00:17:12 +0000 Cyclingmollie 139045@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@WFB: <em>"Number 4 is in the hospital over night"</em></p> <p>Sorry to hear that. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139041 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 23:34:13 +0000 wee folding bike 139041@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I did mention earlier that Mr H has the advantage on me by not having caused a number of little Harvies.</p> <p>I don't see how taxis as more green than a car. Busses and trains might be carrying lots of people (or might not at some times of day).</p> <p>I'm disappointed in the Greens because they're not more visibly on bikes. The transport minister wasn't elected on his greenness. They were. I've never been able to convince someone to ride a bike by telling them how fast, cheap and fun it is. I have sometimes convinced them by riding a bike to work every day and eventually they try it because they see it can be done.</p> <p>I'm not feeling charitable just now. Number 4 is in the hospital over night so I had to take stuff there (yes, in a car grrrrrr) and while I was out the memsahib's pals tidied up the house. This involved throwing out a box which contained a card from number one son's girlfriend, hiding the oven gloves so I had to use a towel to take the bread tin out of the machine and scoffing the last half dozen of my christmas specially very dark chocolates which I'd got from number one son. I'd left the specially darkest ones to the end but they are all gone now. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139037 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 23:21:43 +0000 allebong 139037@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Somehow people don't consider making other people as not being green.</em></p> <p>One of those people might discover a cure for cancer, or crack fusion energy, or any other number of amazing and positive things.</p> <p>Or they might end up head of an oil company, or leader of a global crime syndicate (obligatory lefty joke: aren't they the same thing!) so that's a bit of a risk.</p> <p>Right, let's get this back on topic, to erm, rocketry? Help me out here! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139036 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 23:19:59 +0000 Instography 139036@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If I had to make a choice between beer and cycling, I would definitely choose the beer. Hmmm. Beeeeer.</p> <p>I use taxis a fair bit. I never thought about it. If I'm going to VQ or Saughton House I can read the stuff I should have already read while I'm going or talk to the people who actually did the work that need to pretend to know more about when I get there. But I get the bus back because I'm never in that much of a hurry to get back behind my desk. Anyway, I'm not sure I'm following how there's something inherently not green about taxis but green about trains. And what's the position on buses? Green or not green? What about the car club? That's practically having a car and they seem to sit about as much as private cars. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139034 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 23:13:56 +0000 Baldcyclist 139034@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"number 4 son"</p> <p>Somehow people don't consider making other people as not being green. Thats 4 little CO2 factories and 320 years of consuming right there at ~10 tonnes of greenhouse thingmies a year.</p> <p>Of course it would be a perfectly valid response to tell someone their 'life choices' are nowt to do with anyone else but them.... ;-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-139030 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 22:57:31 +0000 Cyclingmollie 139030@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Eric Schlosser wrote a book about, in part, what happened when a fuelled Titan II in an Arkansas silo was punctured by a dropped spanner. (If you buy it I think you should do so through chdot's link on the left). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-138991 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 17:43:28 +0000 allebong 138991@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I think the USSR used something particularly nasty as rocket propellant but I can't remember what it was.</em></p> <p>Plenty of contenders for that from having a read through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_rocket_propellants">this</a>. Not that there's really such a thing as a friendly rocket fuel but some of them were the stuff of nightmares. The Russians also just had to build their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RD-0410">own version</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA">this delightful thing</a> - I mean, if you have a rocket that is essentially one long tube of explosives waiting to go boom, you might as well go the full distance and try to put a nuclear reactor on top as well.</p> <p>Apologies, I've not had the energy to get into the political debate here, but I have become obsessed with reading about various crazy spaceflight schemes over the years. If you ever need to leave the planet in a hurry you know who to call.... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-138985 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 17:09:33 +0000 wee folding bike 138985@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There is a space when you write it on an i Pad.</p> <p>I think the USSR used something particularly nasty as rocket propellant but I can't remember what it was.</p> <p>I was told off at lunch time for being too mean about number 4 son who got wheeched into hospital with sore skin. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-138969 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 15:32:36 +0000 wingpig 138969@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There's no space in wingpig.<br /> Rocketry <em>could</em> be sort of described as:<br /> -confine some chemicals<br /> -make them expand<br /> -allow them to escape only in the direction you want something to be pushed away from<br /> but it doesn't really do justice to the fine details. Similarly aerobic respiration is not really just oxygen + glucose = carbon dioxide + water, even if you balance the equation. Our biology teacher's favourite expression for having to tell us this sort of thing because the syllabus required it was "over-simplification to the point of lying". Similarly cycling is, at one level, rotating the crank on a bicycle to make the wheel push you along, but this omits to mention things like fast-moving motor vehicles, falling off or the cost of purchase, which might be relevant in a real-world application. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-138963 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 14:52:04 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 138963@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"<em>I don't know that it means you have to like bikes but I would have expected them to use them</em>"</p> <p>I do hope there are no blind members of the Green Party....</p> <p>Okay, flippant I know, but what about those people who are too scared to cycle (one of the things that started this whole thread). They don't cycle because they feel the roads are too dangerous, but want to make things better for people to use them.</p> <p>"<em>I asked the memsahib to stop getting wee yoghurt drinks because the use of plastic seemed excessive</em>"</p> <p>Like I said, there aren't many people as green as that, I'm certainly not. But then again I ride a bike, so am I greener than Patrick Harvie?</p> <p>I do genuinely think you're being a little harsh, and a little unrealistic, in your expectations of Green Party members, and it's certainly worth bearing in mind that just because some people do different things than you (as in the general people 'you', not you personally) doesn't mean they are 'wrong' (just had a long conversation about 'tolerance' at lunchtime and I've pinko liberal coarsing through me just now). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-138959 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 14:02:51 +0000 PS 138959@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Jeezo, imagine the environmental impact of rocket science. Where do the Greens stand on that? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-138957 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 13:55:38 +0000 wee folding bike 138957@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Dang. A cow-orker says I might need to get a taxi to the Uni with the advanced higher. I tried to claim there would be I room but they do 7 seaters. </p> <p>Wing pig, it's not rocket science. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11903&page=3#post-138952 Wed, 08 Jan 2014 13:32:55 +0000 Baldcyclist 138952@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Hmm, any time we have to go down to Holyrood from George Sq, it's either bike, or howf it if more than one person*.</p> <p>However we do 'bill' 15 mins time e/w against projects etc so the accounted for cost might actually be more than the taxi fare Mr B is paying when you consider 10mins against 30. Perhaps in some cases taxi could be considered a better use of time, and perhaps public money?</p> <p>*Unless on the rare occasion our line manager is going, then it's taxi. </p>