CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: “Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority”

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: “Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority” http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: “Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority” en Sun, 31 May 2026 12:44:48 +0000 crowriver on "“Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority”" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19712#post-310312 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 20:07:45 +0000 crowriver 310312@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ In fairness, LS do make that point in the article too, and lament that space is not being taken away from the road instead of from pavements. " It is to the discredit of local authorities (and central government funding) that walking and cycling interests are forced to fight over the scraps, in terms of space and funding." However I am still disappointed with the overall thrust of the article, which comes across as pushing for cycling to be de-prioritised in favour of walking. neddie on "“Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority”" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19712#post-310310 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 19:39:11 +0000 neddie 310310@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ It is also pedestrians and cyclists fighting over the scraps. If you kicked private cars out of cities, most of these problems would disappear neddie on "“Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority”" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19712#post-310309 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 19:37:57 +0000 neddie 310309@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ LS have some kind of unfounded, massive issue, with floating bus stops. Even though they've been used successfully the world over, albeit with 1-way cycle lanes behind them. 2-way behind a floating bus stop only works in a limited set of circumstances, namely: very large bus stop island and cycleway so wide it looks like a road (see London). LS don't like 1-way cycleways either, presumably because with 2-way it means at least 1 side of the road doesn't have bikes on it! When pushed on what realistic alternative to floating bus stops LS would propose, surprise, surprise, they have none: <a href="https://twitter.com/edd1e_h/status/1146751363868712960" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/edd1e_h/status/1146751363868712960</a> crowriver on "“Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority”" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19712#post-310305 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 18:03:19 +0000 crowriver 310305@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Sigh. The uneasy truce between LS and "the all powerful cycling lobby" had to end some time. I get a sense of the walking lobby looking on jealously at the modest funding going into provision of cycling facilities in Edinburgh (most of which are not very good anyway). See this quote for example: --- As cycling has a very strong ‘identity’ factor – whereas people on foot tend to take their mode for granted – there is a tendency for consultants and local authority active travel officers to view the street (perhaps unconsciously) from a predominantly cycling perspective. Frequently this translates into poor progress on the delivery of crucial – but typically prosaic – walking enhancements on the ground, compared to the more eye-catching nature of, for example, new segregated cycle routes. --- Take "cycling" out and substitute "motoring" and you'd have a much more accurate picture of the reality... So now we're going back to the future? To the "bad old days" when LS would loudly oppose cycling improvements and the council could easily play off one "active travel" lobby against another? I mean, ultimately they are right: walking does have to be a higher priority. However pedestrians already have a large network of segregated infrastructure. Some/much of it not fit for purpose, but not all bad. In comparison cyclists have hardly anything. Ah well. The truce was nice while it lasted... chdot on "“Yes cycling is important, but walking should be every council’s top priority”" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19712#post-310304 Mon, 08 Jul 2019 17:43:56 +0000 chdot 310304@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <a href="https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/comment/61543/yes-cycling-is-important-but-walking-should-be-every-council-s-top-priority/" rel="nofollow">https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/comment/61543/yes-cycling-is-important-but-walking-should-be-every-council-s-top-priority/</a>