What is worst about that junction is that there is no way for those coming along Gilmore Place to know that traffic leaving Tarvit Street has a green light phase that is longer than theirs
Seriously?! What half wit thought that up!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Edinburgh's worst intersection?
(43 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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Is this true?
Not doubting regular users.
Coming out of Tarvit Street, it's red while the filter is on for vehicles turning left out of GP.
Then goes green, usually still vehicles coming out of GP, but I'd never noticed/realised lights in GP then went red.
Shutting TS still best option keeping light phase for bikes - possibly even extended?
Other local issue is that there really ought to be cycle contra-flow on Valleyfield Street.
Might be part of Family Network redesign??
Posted 11 years ago # -
Red light cameras might help for the ones jumping the lights to turn right into GP.
If we were giving the benefit of the doubt, the junction design is dreadful and I suspect that a lot of the RLJs feel that that they have already crossed the stop line and are somehow 'entitled' to keep going (or set off again) and complete their turn.
But, in reality, I use this most days to turn right out of GP and I see a lot of blatant genuine RLJs.
But let's face it, that's a sticking plaster solution. The light phasing needs a complete overhaul.
Oh, and could someone please fill in the craters?
Posted 11 years ago # -
If the definition of "worst intersection" were to mean the greatest likelihood of being hit by a car in proportion to the number of times using the junction, then the junction highlighted by the green arrow (not the red marker, damn you Google Maps) is vastly worse than any other in Edinburgh, IMHO:
If you are heading west from Ocean Terminal, and are *not* turning left up North Leith Sands but are instead heading west straight on towards ASDA, then you are in grave danger of being t-boned by a car coming northwards downhill on North Leith Sands. The reason for this is that virtually no-one goes straight on (i.e. continuing west towards ASDA), since it is a cul-de-sac for cars, but there is access at the end for peds/cycles. Every day I go through this junction, and almost every time a car comes down that road, I have to be very aware that they are almost certainly going to go straight over, turning right towards OT, as they will assume I will be turning left. Indeed, yesterday someone actually stopped correctly, and I thanked them because it is such a rare occurrence. I'm very surprised no-one's been killed or seriously injured there (or maybe they have and I am unaware of it). Dave and I have both had very close calls at that spot.
Beware.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"
Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4)
08/06/2013 11:31
Is London's Haymarket the most potholed urban road surface in Britain?..Has Wedtminster City Council (UKs richest) run out of cash?)"
Posted 11 years ago # -
Was going to put this in the rubbish cycling thread but it's probably more relevant here. Also might not be rubbish cycling as such depending on your perspective...
So, I'm approaching CCEs most favorite junction, the jewel in Edinburghs model cycling city crown, the shining beacon of national cycling infrastructure, the place everyone just relishes to breeze effortlessly through during rush hour while accompanied by several black taxis, HGVs and double deckers. Yep - Gilmore place at the Kings theatre. I'm doing the standard route to Valleyfield St so right lane for me. Roads were quite quiet, this was 4:30ish on a Sunday after all. Car had already placed itself strategically in the ASZ of course. Guy with a child in a trailer was behind the car and I stop behind him.
3 (or maybe 4) 'young people' on various hybrid and mountain bikes are also trying out this junction, from their behavior I'm guessing their first and only time. Given that they did stop for the light I don't want to be too harsh on them but they were clearly not all that experienced or indeed committed to the whole riding on the roads thing. Picture wobbling slowly about everywhere while looking at each other far more than the road and sharing in some sort of joke all the time. Mostly harmless I'd say in the grand scheme of things. Up to the point where they wobbled into the left lane, and then decided to go right when the lights went, thus cutting up the car (yeah, the one in the ASZ, I know...). Caused a bit of a mess for me and trailer guy as you can imagine. OK that car shouldn't have been there but if he'd been outside the ASZ he'd only be a couple of meters back and the same thing would happen, or I might have been in the ASZ and have to deal with getting left hooked by a bunch of bikes of all things.
Not really the best move in my mind but they do say 'never assume malice where stupidity will do' (or thereabouts) and I don't think these guys had set out to be problematic, they seemed blissfully ignorant of everything going on. I almost envy them.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The roundabout with appended t-junction at the foot of Easter Road/entrance to Leith Links has got to be a contender for worst interesection in Edinburgh. Pelican crossings across three (out of four) roads converging on this roundabout are the only factor calming the traffic here.
Not very nice on a bike, but I'm so used to it I sometimes forget how hazardous the junction is...
Posted 11 years ago # -
This is what is needed on mkns' intersection.
At the end of April a bill to this end was approved, officially paving the way for a new traffic sign with symbols that indicate that the road is a blind alley except for cyclists and pedestrians. A sampling done by the Pedestrians' Movement indicates that 70 to 75 percent of all “blind alley” streets in Belgium allow, in fact, through passage.
In the meantime an “action kit” has been made ready for municipalities, containing an instruction and a set of stickers. These stickers portray the symbols for a cyclist and a pedestrian and can be applied to the front of the “F45: blind alley” traffic sign to indicate to cyclists and pedestrians that the road allows through passage for them. The idea is not entirely new. The International Federation of Pedestrians (IFP) had previously suggested that the 'Living End Road' be made known. The road authorities themselves will decide if they wish to make use of this possibility.Posted 11 years ago # -
I wonder if we could have some stickers made up to amend all the T signs in Edinburgh. Though where the T is on a cycle route there are signs indicating a through route.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The King's junction is just too dangerous to wait until 2014/2015 when they connect the 'family network' through here (if it even comes through here at all?).
Why can't CEC just add another phase to the lights to allow cyclists through on their own? Or at least just do something about the horrific right turn?
Andrew Burns cycles through there every day. Why isn't he kicking up hell about it?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Hazardous sunken drain cover on the road adjacent to tram tracks at Shandwick Place junction, just before House Of Fraser eastbound.
That's directly across the road at the same spot where Zhi Min Soh died a year ago.
Almost caught me out, who knows how long its been like that.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@bax - things happen slowly in the world of cycling.
Thread's previous post by @neddie was 5 years ago.
"The King's junction is just too dangerous to wait until 2014/2015"
(!)
Posted 6 years ago # -
Thread's previous post by @neddie was 5 years ago.
"The King's junction is just too dangerous to wait until 2014/2015"
Cool. Well spotted
Posted 6 years ago #
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