http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: A depressing place en Thu, 21 May 2026 05:48:45 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=21371#post-370571 Tue, 19 Sep 2023 21:57:36 +0000 edinburgh87 370571@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote>if this was any workplace, there would be a management bloodbath. Instead it seems like councillors can fail without consequence. MSPs are no better.</blockquote></p> <p>A million likes, Dave! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=21371#post-370562 Tue, 19 Sep 2023 14:49:32 +0000 Yodhrin 370562@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I feel that pain. A friend invited me to come and stay with them in the Netherlands over the summer and frankly I was relieved when family troubles gave me an excuse to say no - not because I didn't want to, but because I genuinely think if I had spent two lovely weeks in Groningen and beyond and then had to come home to Edinburgh I might well have just walked into the waves at Granton Harbour. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=21371#post-370561 Tue, 19 Sep 2023 14:34:27 +0000 chdot 370561@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yes to all that. </p> <p>I did leave to reduce my direct exposure to daily reminders of CEC sloth and political timidity. </p> <p>I left when the politician in charge was perpetuating the ‘we have to balance the needs of <em>all</em> road users’ myth. </p> <p>Then somehow she ‘got the message’ and there was a brief window of hope. </p> <p>Following a relatively conclusive election the minority party in the (until then) ruling coalition staged a coup, largely because HQ said ‘no cooperation with the SNP’. </p> <p>Whatever anyone’s views on ‘Indy’, it’s not hard to argue that this has had a negative effect on Edinburgh. SG wasn’t particularly sympathetic to CEC even with the same party partly in charge, so now?…</p> <p>All compounded by Transport now having an egotistical Janus ‘in charge’. </p> <p>In parallel, the climate of ‘what about the poor hard done by/persecuted motorist’ distraction has been ramped up - making things worse for everyone. </p> <p>What’s to be done?</p> <p>Hard to say!</p> <p>Minor Edinburgh detail is that a small number of people are progressing the schools’ Bike Bus idea. Such things are valuable in themselves and <em>do</em> have beneficial ripples. </p> <p>I hope the Roseburn to Dalry link <em>does</em> make a noticeable difference. </p> <p>As ever, expensive projects without adequate connections are unlikely to realise their true potential. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=21371#post-370559 Tue, 19 Sep 2023 13:06:51 +0000 neddie 370559@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It could be worse. Aquaintances from Birmingham were saying how wonderful Edinburgh was, and how much progress we'd made reducing cars in the city centre.</p> <p>I did roll about on the floor simultaneously laughing and wincing with pain.</p> <p>But yeah, I also often comtemplate giving up and moving somewhere nice and mostly car-free </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=21371#post-370558 Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:41:12 +0000 Dave 370558@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>We spent a long weekend in London for various reasons. I don't know it all that well, but there does seem to be a real explosion in filtered roads, segregated lanes, and people using hire bikes are everywhere.</p> <p>Got off the train at Haymarket and jumped on the bus home. As the journey progressed I got more and more depressed at how bad a job our politicians have done. Literally every street has some deep failure or other. We aren't likely to see any significant drop in car dominance, congestion, air quality.</p> <p>We aren't even moving in the right direction. Our kids are nearly halfway to adulthood now - if this was any workplace, there would be a management bloodbath. Instead it seems like councillors can fail without consequence. MSPs are no better.</p> <p>Very frustrating. I got nothing done last night, it felt like I was physically weighed down by the experience. There's no real point to this rant... sorry! </p>