http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Decoy landing lights on canal? Hun bombers sighted! en Sat, 16 May 2026 09:35:08 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145525 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:13:59 +0000 chdot 145525@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>42 </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145523 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:11:54 +0000 allebong 145523@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There's a bit along the Brunstane Burn path where there's a tunnel for the burn, then the path proper above that, then the railway on a bridge above that.</p> <p>What's the maximum number of trolls that can be sustained by that arrangement then? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145522 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:10:34 +0000 Nelly 145522@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"what is under the bridge is infact the domain of the trolls"</p> <p>I thought that was the comments section of the EEN </p> <p>;-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145521 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:00:02 +0000 kaputnik 145521@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>According to my understanding of the relevant laws, what is under the bridge is infact the domain of the trolls. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145518 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 13:45:24 +0000 Snowy 145518@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I think the bits under the bridges are, oddly, not owned by the Waterways people, but by the owners of whatever goes over the bridge be it rail, road.</p> <p>So probably simply a question of permission (and therefore interminable red tape).</p> <p>Anyway, glad they've done what they have!</p> <p>EDIT: Just realised that @iwrats made the same point above </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145517 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 13:15:43 +0000 I were right about that saddle 145517@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Structural glass canal flyovers! We could peer up at the goosanders as they hunt around for abandoned Fillet O'Fishes... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145512 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 13:05:02 +0000 kaputnik 145512@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>The obvious solution is just to have the bridges rebuilt using structural glass."<br /> </em></p> <p>Far more obvious in my opinion to dispense with bridge entirely, and build canal flyovers at each obstruction. That way the towpath will never be obscured by overhead structures. Plus it introduces some variety to the otherwise (and frankly unneccessary) flatness of the path. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145510 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:55:31 +0000 chdot 145510@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"The obvious solution is just to have the bridges rebuilt using structural glass."</p> <p>Sounds good. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145509 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:49:45 +0000 I were right about that saddle 145509@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@kaputnik - don't underestimate the human eye's ability to compensate for huge changes in illumination. If you look at the canalside vegetation under bridges 8 and 8a you'll see that, well, there isn't any. There's just bare earth, even though we can see quite well. The growing season in Scotland is short, and it doesn't take much to reduce it to zero. Even a healthy mature tree can cast enough of a light and rain shadow to produce bare earth underneath.</p> <p>The obvious solution is just to have the bridges rebuilt using structural glass. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145505 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:13:53 +0000 kaputnik 145505@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The lights perform well enough after a dull, Scottish winter day, so I'm sure those under all but the widest of the bridges would work. Failing that, path-edge reflectors would be useful. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145504 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:46:55 +0000 fimm 145504@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I was going to find this thread and post that I went running out the canal towpath last night and the lights go further than I ran - but kaputnik has more accurate information. </p> <p>They're very pretty. There was a lovely moon in a clear sky last night, it was very nice to be out. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145501 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:36:25 +0000 chdot 145501@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"I doubt that the railway bridges are listed."</p> <p>No, but it's about the towpath. </p> <p>"lights installed under a bridge would probably never light up...."</p> <p>Good point!!! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145499 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:31:04 +0000 I were right about that saddle 145499@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I doubt that the railway bridges are listed. Almost certainly they're owned by someone else. The tarmac path turns to cobbles under the railway.</p> <p>Also, the lights seem to be solar powered - no cable trench was cut - so lights installed under a bridge would probably never light up.... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145498 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:25:36 +0000 chdot 145498@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"isn't it because bridges are listed?"</p> <p>The whole canal is listed, though no doubt it's 'harder' to get permission on the stone bits. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145497 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:25:04 +0000 wingpig 145497@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Listed or monument status or something like that. Don't know whether it means that you can't install lights flush with the cobblesurface (though solar-charged lights would maybe need a charging surface somewhere out of the shade under the bridge) or whether no illumination of any kind is allowed, even if it was sort of clipped to the outside edge of the bank. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145495 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:18:59 +0000 SRD 145495@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>isn't it because bridges are listed? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-145494 Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:07:36 +0000 kaputnik 145494@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>They have currently reached all the way to Cultins Road, bar a last few which were in the process of being installed this morning.</p> <p>I still think it's daft that there are none under the bridges, exactly where the lights would be most useful to demarcate the edges. The principle of marking out hazards by the absence of a warning is not brilliant. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-144443 Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:05:21 +0000 jdanielp 144443@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>They managed to reach Slateford Aquaduct yesterday and are now working back towards Wester Hailes. The markings currently extend to the towpath access path just beyond the Calder Road bridge, but short of the Scott Russell Aquaduct, so I wonder if they will be leaving it there? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-144436 Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:18:19 +0000 chdot 144436@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Though as you know -</p> <p>"</p> <p>"Carrots Help you See in the Dark" was a popular saying at the time and people eagerly tucked in to carrots, believing this would help them to see more clearly in the blackout. This ruse not only helped reduce the surplus vegetables but also helped to mask the chief reason for the RAF's success in night time air battles - the increasing power of radar and the secret introduction of an airborne version of the system.</p> <p>"</p> <p><a href="http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history4.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history4.html</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-144434 Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:14:33 +0000 chdot 144434@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"I must be losing my night vision."</p> <p>More carrots. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-144433 Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:10:18 +0000 SRD 144433@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I was on the canal - just from meggetgate to Harrison park last Friday, around 7pm. Terrifying! People all over the place (there was something on at meggetland). We got off as soon as we could and took the road home from Ashley terrace. We were moving incredibly slow because even if you could see people were coming, it was impossible to predict what they were doing, or see if there was room to pass them. </p> <p>I must be losing my night vision. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-144430 Wed, 05 Mar 2014 12:57:09 +0000 allebong 144430@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Work is currently just shy of Hailes Park. I was excited enough this morning to stop and get a couple of pictures, my usual hosting service is being funny at the moment so if you really want the thrill of seeing them you can try <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6dt2pbuic0u95nr/pONz0a1lbK">here.</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-143719 Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:09:03 +0000 kaputnik 143719@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I took the canal home on Monday for a bit of a test, as I was leaving a bit later than normal.</p> <p>The main difficulty I had was unlit and unreflective joggists. I wasn't in a hurry so was taking it fairly slow. Some people were in more of a hurry and passed me after the viaduct (I had walked across).</p> <p>Don't recall any unlit cyclists, but some appeared "out of nowhere" as they went around a joggist they had been following. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-143712 Wed, 26 Feb 2014 14:34:19 +0000 I were right about that saddle 143712@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Well I'm turning my lights off on that section next time there's a full moon. Health and safety can both go hang. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-143700 Wed, 26 Feb 2014 13:57:32 +0000 jdanielp 143700@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yeah, there was a coned section of the path (effectively one way) beyond the railway bridge going out of town at about 9am today with a guy using a cutting device at one end and another couple at the other end looking out for traffic/possibly installing the actual lighting. I guess it makes sense to follow this through, but I don't look forward to having to avoid even more people out at night without lighting or reflective clothing, as has been the case closer to town since they installed the first batch. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-143698 Wed, 26 Feb 2014 13:41:49 +0000 Greenroofer 143698@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I wasn't on the towpath yesterday, but there were 'operatives at work' signs up this morning, and when I went by at 0745 the first cores had been cut by the Kingsknowe road bridge.</p> <p>So it looks pretty clear to me that lights are being installed now, rather than this being a tender exercise. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-143501 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 22:49:30 +0000 chrisfl 143501@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I had heard that they were planning on extending the lights this year.</p> <p>I have to admit that I really enjoy that dark section of the canal late at night. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-143495 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 21:55:26 +0000 Snowy 143495@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Sounds good. The section just east of Hailes Quarry Park is probably the darkest canal section inside the bypass. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696&page=2#post-143494 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 21:47:14 +0000 gembo 143494@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Sounds promising </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2696#post-143489 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 20:18:07 +0000 Greenroofer 143489@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Today the towpath has been marked with yellow splodges all the way from Hailes Quarry Park to the aqueduct at Slateford. These are spaced like the LED lights closer to town, with a circle for most marks and a cross where I'd expect a red LED.</p> <p>I don't know if these are to mark installation, or part of a tender process, but either way it's clear that someone is thinking of taking the lights all the way to Wester Hailes. </p>