CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Improper use of steel plates

(35 posts)

12

  1. neddie
    Member

    Dear Sir

    IMPROPER USE OF STEEL PLATES

    I refer to your e-mails dated 1, 21 and 28 April and apologise for not getting back to you sooner.

    Following your first e-mail, the locations on Dundee Street and Lothian Road were inspected it was discovered that the work being carried out in Dundee Street was for Scottish Water. They have been contacted about the issue regarding the plate. The Lothian Road Plate was placed by the Council to make safe a low street gully.

    I want to assure you that road safety is taken very seriously and the Council do not ignore cases such as these. The plates recently placed in Leith Street were arranged to be placed by the Local Neighbourhood office. At the time of installing the plates there were none available, that had a skid resistant surface. The plates were required as an emergency to avoid serious injury to road users. The decision that was taken was appropriate in the emergency situation but should have been followed up with anti-skid treatment after installation. Arrangements are being made to replace these prior to remedial work to the road with plates that have a skid resistant surface applied.

    I have written to all Managers involved with the inspection of the road network reminding them of the requirements for steel and other road plates to be placed correctly and to the required standard. I have also followed this up with an instruction to carry out an inventory check on all plates currently in store in Road Services, and those on site, and make arrangements to apply a skid resistant surface to all plates.

    An instruction has been given to the staff monitoring Utility work in the city to request replacement of any plates they find as part of their inspections.

    The plates that are currently on the road that have been installed in the interest of road safety will be replaced when there are plates available that have an anti skid surface applied.

    As always should any specific location be found by either yourself or other members of Spokes, that causes concern, then please forward them to the Council. Specifically I request that they are passed through the Clarence free phone number 0800 23 23 23 to record the location and to ensure they are directed to the appropriate Service for action.

    If you would like any further assistance or would like to discuss this in more detail then please contact Stuart Harding on 0131 529 3704.

    Yours sincerely
    Euan Kennedy
    Road Services Manager
    Roads and Transport

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. steveo
    Member

    Its nice that their "doing something" but once again its after the horse has bolted and been processed into a crispy pancake.

    Presumably theses plates have but one use? If so why not ensure that they had the coating applied prior to them being ordered, or at least on receipt, not after they're in place.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. EddieD
    Member

    The Dundee Street plate has been there long enough to be on Streetview, and gives me the willies every time I go along that route - it's extremely proud above the road and extremely slippery when wet.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. neddie
    Member


    Steel plate - Dundee St 1


    Steel plate - Dundee St 2


    Steel plate - Dundee St 3

    The kerbside edge of this steel plate is approx 15mm high, and is angled at 10 degrees to the direction of travel. It is also right on the 'track' of where a cyclist would be.

    A cyclist catching their front wheel on the edge, would send the wheel to the left & the cyclist ino the middle of the road/traffic.

    Worse still - it has been here for *years*, as a potential death trap.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. neddie
    Member

    If anyone knows the location of any other steel plates, please catalogue them on this thread.

    Especially ones that are smooth (no anti-skid) or have sharp edges, or are angled badly.

    Thanks.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Snowy
    Member

    There's a smaller one about halfway up the southbound (uphill) carriageway of Cultins Road which gets very slippery when wet - no coating on it at all. It goes from the kerb to about a metre out into the road - again right on cyclist line. It seems to be pinned in place by matching steel hoops which sit up proud and are capable of turning a wheel.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    The Dundee Street plate has been there long enough to be on Streetview, and gives me the willies every time I go along that route - it's extremely proud above the road and extremely slippery when wet.

    This. I'm sure I've reported it on Clarence yonks ago. I did a whole load of them that were on my daily commute.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. steveo
    Member

    There is one on Lothian Road just after the junction with the WAR, it has been there a while now. There are others but I can't think of them just now.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Dangerous
    Member

    There is a 80cm x 100cm smooth steel plate next to the kerb on the Southbound Biggar Road as you approach the islands at the Swanston Avenue junction.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. steveo
    Member

    Another one west bound on Gorgie Road just after the junction with Chesser Ave, its been there for ages and is nicely slippy thanks to the buses.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Focus
    Member

    It beggars belief that these things are seen as acceptable even as a short-term remedial relief. That one in Dundee Street is particularly bad, I think, because of its size - have both wheels on that when it's slippy and the potential consequences don't bear thinking about.

    steveo, you're quite right that these should have been provided with a safe coating or at the very least coated before initial use. I'd actually prefer those big yellow things more often used for pedestrians but I suppose they may be too lightweight for road use and could shift or be stolen?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    If you look closely at the "big yellow things" (which I loathe), they always say "not for road use" on them.

    Which reminds me;


    Just when you thought it was over...

    Laughable attempt at a diversion from Clancy-Docrwa, having their fun on the Broomhouse Path now that trambles have finished (for now) messing it around.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. wingpig
    Member

    Colourful, at least. Nice big red pipes in their hole, yellow things and weird bendy green stuff over the grass. Just needs a nice blue "CYCLISTS DISMOUNT" sign to set it all off.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. Dangerous
    Member

    Atholl Crescent

    There are NINE steel plates on south western side of Atholl Crescent.

    All are next to the kerb. Largest approx 100 x 100 cm. Rest approx 35 x 35 cm

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. Dangerous
    Member

    Lauriston Place

    South Side 40m west of MMW next to kerb 100 x 100 cm steel plate in Bus Stop

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. chdot
    Admin

    Two more on Leith Street (near John Lewis) both carriageways.

    Don't know what this one is over - but perhaps it should be bigger!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. wingpig
    Member

    Two or three of the big drain-proximal sinkholes on Princes Street were being barrier-ed-off and excavated this afternoon, so perhaps Leith St is due to get the same...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. chdot
    Admin

    "big drain-proximal sinkholes on Princes Street"

    WOT, you mean P. St. wasn't fixed properly at the second tram related attempt??

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. chdot
    Admin

    "
    EdinburghTravelNews (@edintravel)
    17/05/2013 18:21
    Princes Street – overnight maintenance works from 10pm on Mon 20th for 3 nights. Closed from Sth Charlotte St to Sth St David St #edintravel

    "

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. Dangerous
    Member

    Morrison Link

    East side at Morrison Street Junction 70 x 70 cm smooth steel plate next to kerb

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. allebong
    Member

    The one on Gorgie road/Chesser is an absolute cracker. It's right at the edge of the road at the bus stop, and I'm guessing it's the endless battering by said buses that has caused the formation of some serious potholes on each side. The whole road surface is disintegrating away - I'm fairly sure the plate itself is actually sinking into the ground since there's increasingly little support round the edges. The only saving grace is that it's easy enough to avoid, though the pinch point immediately afterwards at the WoL path crossing makes this whole area quite hazardous.

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=55.930732,-3.254018&spn=0.002389,0.006968&t=m&z=18&layer=c&cbll=55.930775,-3.253877&panoid=761qyDxHtY9rW9N39lW4NQ&cbp=12,165.95,,0,18.15

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. neddie
    Member

    They've finally repaired the road properly, and removed the one on Dundee St.

    HOORAY!

    It couldn't have been very difficult to do, as it was done in less than a day - so why did they feel the need to wait 2 years to do it?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  23. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Noticed new plates on Gilmore Park (between Leamington lift bridge and Fountainbridge) and also on Dundee Street in the outside lane if you are turning right at the Diggers.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  24. fimm
    Member

    @kaputnik that Dundee St one is a PTA - I've been meaning to mention it for ages. I've no idea if it has a skid-resistant surface because I keep well clear of it as the edges would undoubtedly bring me off if I clipped them...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  25. crowriver
    Member

    There's been a plate at the side of Easter Road going south for as long as I can remember. Several years at least.

    It has the 'anti-slip' coating which is wearing off. IIRC near Scotmid at the top end just after Edina Place (I will check this though). If you are filtering past traffic or in secondary you will inevitably ride over it.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  26. DaveC
    Member

    Cheap matt paint (bright colour?) and a small amount of sharp sand, guerilla non slip surface.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  27. neddie
    Member

    There is also a nasty one on Leamington Tce, right where you need to be to avoid clattering over a speed hump as you descend. The whole of Leamington Tce surface is pretty broken actually.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  28. algo
    Member

    Here's another one on the junction of Nicholson Street and West Crosscauseway:

    Posted 11 years ago #

  29. ARobComp
    Member

    The one by the Caledonian Hilton/Waldorf or whatever it's called at the bottom of lothian road. Absolute death trap which forces you into real conflict with buses and cars. It's been there for over a year I think.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  30. fimm
    Member

    The Dundee Street one doesn't have anti-slip as far as I could see in the dark and with other things to think about as well last night.

    Should we all be emailing the Euan Kennedy quoted in the O.P. about the various plates? I assume he's a Council bod. @Edd1e_h how did the email exchange start, can you recall?

    Posted 11 years ago #

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