CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
@K I don't honestly know, but I would guess the white line is just there to make the build-outs and associated kerbs more visible to the lazy eyed.
Given the staggering extent of double yellow line abuse in the city nowadays (I'd never dream of parking on a double yellow, but there's plenty out there who have other ideas), I doubt the road markings have any effect, unless a parking warden happends to stroll by.
White lines across driveways mean nothing, you can legally park on them so I would guess these are the same?
What's the status of those white lines around the islands? I thought they were equivalent of "no parking here, waiting, or stopping. Ever".
I wondered about that too. The solid white line is Diagram 1012.1 (TSR & GD 2002) and is to mark (a) the edge of the carriageway available for through traffic other than at a road junction, an exit from a private drive onto a public road or a lay-by, (b) the back edge of a hard shoulder, and (c) the edge of a footway where it passes over a railway or tramway level crossing. Diagram 1012.1 is not associated with parking restrictions.
A cycle lane with a continuous white line (Diagram 1049) is a mandatory cycle lane which would need signing and road markings in support of it as well as a TRO. The edge of carriageway markings are usually implemented to give the impression that the road is narrower than it actually is, with the aim of slowing traffic. Cyclists could ride inside the line if they wanted but the markings are not there for this specific reason, and so the cut-throughs in the build-outs are even more pointless than they seem.
And don't forget the Gugolmap of poor (and good) infrastructure in Edinburgh.
Why is there a need for a survey at all?
Surely we only need to find out what are the barriers to cycling by asking more advanced, more civilised nations like the Netherlands, Denmark, etc. and by looking at their best practice etc. This is where (future) transport planners need to look.
Why re-invent the wheel? Why make our own mistakes? Why not just learn from those that have the experience?
@edd1e_h Why is there a need for a survey at all?
So that the good Mr Weir can get his MSc in Transport Planning and Engineering (see 1st post).
I wish the good Mr Weir all the best getting his MSc :)
But why do transport planners think they can learn by asking Joe public, instead of simply following well-proven international best practice?
The problem with asking Joe public is:
It seems heavily reliant on planners thinking the right things. Haven't we seen enough of what happens when planners think they know best?
In general, you ask the public about things because they tend not to be bovine idiots and often have good, if unexpected and counter-intuitive, reasons for doing what they do even if those reasons and their behaviour are constrained by limited knowledge and/or experience and strongly influenced by other personal and/or social forces. Once you know what people think or how they behave and why they think and behave like that you can start to influence that, if that is what you want to do.
Anyway, I think for an MSc the design of the instrument and the process of collecting and analysing the data is more important than the impact of the research. Awareness of the data's shortcoming is often (and should always be) an important element of the analysis.
But why do transport planners think they can learn by asking Joe public
I think asking the user base about cycling infrastructure is a very good idea - lets face it, roads planners and engineers in this country have a pretty poor to non-existant reputation in putting in useful, user-friendly infrastructure. Surely it can't be any worse than maintaining the status quo!
Of course, we could just hire a few Dutch or Danish engineers and have it all sorted in a jiffy at 1/4 of the price.
Looking for around another 20 completed surveys, both cyclists and non-cyclists would be great. Could already make a comprehensive map of Edinburgh mapping specific problems with the data I have gathered so far. Taking a while to get through all of the responses, but the more the merrier.
Completed.
Thanks. 13 more and will have reached my target. Spokes are going to publish the final report, and will make sure I post my findings on here too.
My partner said big barrier is hair. If she goes naked on the head the complaint is too windswept, if she wears a bunnet her longer hair is squashed and she looks like she has been cycling rather than well groomed for work.
Ip so facto never going to be commuting to work, which as is ten minute walk away not great issue.
Mrs Gembo asserting she would cycle for leisure, butihave heard this sort of talk before. She has a lovely unused bike I bought for her about six years ago, unused, but my eldest will use it this summer as she is now big enough for it.
Issues appear to be worried about small technical things going wrong and not being able to fix them(inner tubes have gel in, all brakes as new). Still banging on about her hair, I have pointed out no need for helmet as on WoL path only, never road, and will be going very slowly. Could be pre-contemplative. Will need to buy another bike tho for my eldest in this instance as she refuses to use the rather clunky white one that was acceptable before she was a teenager. So if successful I have an old clunky Halfords hybrid suitable for 12 year old girl that will be available gratis to a good home.
Will try to get everyone in the family on bikes in Suffolk this summer as initial effort.
My better half, alas for this survey also reluctant to fill in a survey about being reluctant
Silk headscarf.
It doesn't squash your hair and you won't look windswept.
Problem solved!
That might work!!
hopefully if iweir1 is doing this survey for university he/she will not only be using quantitative data (questionnaire) but also qualitative results (interviews) ah the memories....
;-)
With the inclusion of the open questions in my online survey, I have certainly got enough qualitative data. Has taken me hours to get through the paragraphs for each question, so pleased with that. Regarding asking Joe public, I am very much for that. I have been involved in several projects where interviewing the public regarding sustainable transport has been the main approach and I have talked to thousands of people on their doorstep over the last couple of years, but in the end their views have counted for very little. Through this frustration, and maybe the fact that I have already secured a job, I am aiming to make my dissertation quite provocative and hopefully emphasise the importance of the views expressed by cyclists in Edinburgh as much as I can. Also not buying this idea that Edinburgh is hilly. Had to cycle 7 miles over proper hills just to get school where I came from. Need 21 gears just to go downhill, maybe. Anyway, have done most of my analysis now so any queries are welcome.
Silk scarves are not risk free.
How can Edinburgh not be called hilly?
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts