I wonder what the builders are thinking while they carry out the work
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Leith Walk Project
(1161 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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Is that a lamp post in the middle of the new segregated cycle lane? Hope they will be moving it before the tarmac is laid...
Posted 7 years ago # -
even moving the kerb and the cycle track by 30 cm would have been sufficient up to a point
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
IT has been dubbed the dirtiest street in Edinburgh – now a special task force will scrub Leith Walk clean from top to bottom as part of the latest council drive against litter.
City bosses said a squad of workers will carry out a “deep clean” of the historic thoroughfare this week as efforts continue to clamp down on rubbish, fly-tipping and dumped waste.
Will they clean up the cars littering the bike lanes?
Posted 7 years ago # -
"Will they clean up the cars littering the bike lanes?"
Ha ha oh very droll chdot. I think they're just talking about pavements...
Posted 7 years ago # -
"I think they're just talking about pavements"
Yeah, but acting as 'we'll sort everything out'.
Which will be hard enough just on the pavements!
Posted 7 years ago # -
"helping residents and businesses around Leith Walk to understand what can and can’t be disposed of in communal bins"
Good luck with that! Folk on Leith Walk and elsewhere "understand" damn fine "what can and can’t be disposed of in communal bins". Just as they "understand" you're not supposed to double park, park in the motorbike space, on the pavement, at junctions, etc.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I'm both pleased to see progress and really concerned by the work so far.
The city is not getting a stepped cycle path. What is being installed is a pavement level path demarcated by a 1 inch flush kerb. Standard nobbly kerbs are being used against the road giving a full height drop down unsuitable for many bicycles to bump up and down.
Compare with the two styles of path at St Leonards in this Street View angle and I think it looks exactly like the 'close' of the two visible
The new entrance to the cul-de-sac service road (drawing 02) at Shrub Place has been laid with black tarmac. Not even an attempt to give visual priority with a decorative table, much less continuous paving. Few who choose in two or three years time to move themselves and their cars, long after this lane is open, to Leith Walk will give way pedestrians or cycles here.
(note: this is one of the few points the lane is inset from the road)Finally for most of the length cycle lane appears to be directly adjacent to the new parking lane (bus lane at peaks only) with zero buffer. The entire width will be in the pedestrian side door zone, and those emptying their domestic waste will be stood in it for the entire time they are depositing their bags.
All stuff remarked upon in this thread during the planning stages.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@Klaxon <Long slow exhalation> Do you think they do it intentionally? Take feedback to ignore it?
Posted 7 years ago # -
These are things that can be fixed once people have got used to the path, in a few years time, at relatively limited cost.
Yeah. Who am I kidding...
Where are the tactile police who are doing their utmost to mess up the Meadows and other paths then?
Posted 7 years ago # -
@Klaxon, if you look at the revised plans for the RTO from 26 June last year, the cycle lane goes in the way to cross this junction, at the crest of the raised table in the road surface, inset from the main road. My guess is they'll do this with red surfacing and/or paint markings. There are give way markings shown and 'speed bump' chevrons too on the approach from Leith Walk and from the development.
The bit you've photographed adjacent to Leith Walk is not the cycle lane, but rather a floating bus stop, which acts as a buffer zone and will also contain bike parking.
So it is in line with the plans as published.
Oh and all the parking or loading bays are off-peak only. So with luck, cycle commuters should be relatively unaffected by passenger doors opening. In any case, I suspect relatively few cars will be carrying any passengers...
I suppose we'll have to just wait and see what it's actually like once completed. Shouldn't be too long now.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"I wonder what the builders are thinking while they carry out the work?"
Checked with Alan Dean:
"We are well aware of the lighting column’s position within the new off road cycle lane, this is not some sort of design flaw. It is certainly not staying there and will be moved from this location in due course."
Posted 7 years ago # -
If it's being moved, surely they should've done so before they started laying the tarmac?
Hope this doesn't end up going the same way as the telecoms cabinet left in the middle of the cycle side of the path near South Gyle Access. We were promised it would be moved once the tram work was finished - instead, they painted some stripey white lines around it to let cyclists know they shouldn't try cycling into it and left it at that. Probably whilst sniggering and saying "Ach, it's only cyclists. Who cares?"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Like I said, (this is one of the few places the lane is inset) ;)
On a side note to me it is insane both Albert Rd and Shrubhill city bound stops are being retained. They could have split the difference and barely anyone would notice.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Its going to be a midden; parking restrictions just seem to encourage double parking as that is not a police priority to address.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"parking restrictions just seem to encourage double parking"
Well they might do that at the foot of the walk, where there are still two lanes of traffic each way (one an off-peak bus lane). Parking in the bus or advisory cycle lane is one thing: however you'd have to be a very bold driver to consider blocking off the entire carriageway in one direction. Anyone who did so would soon feel the wrath of other drivers, so I think it unlikely to happen.
What I can see happening is pavement parking, including on the cycle lanes. However the presence of bins, bus stops and legitimately parked vehicles will largely deter this behaviour, except perhaps near junctions. The presence of double red lines at those points means that offenders' vehicles could be given parking tickets at least, perhaps even towed away.
"If it's being moved, surely they should've done so before they started laying the tarmac?"
Have they started doing that yet? Can't say I've noticed.
Posted 7 years ago # -
---
Stakeholder Update 92
Phase 4 (Pilrig Street to McDonald Road)Current progress
As we’ve highlighted in previous updates, the phasing of the work our contractors, Land Engineering, originally intended to carry out in delivering Phase 4 has been impacted upon by circumstances outside of their control. The upgrade of the Pilrig Street junction not commencing when originally planned, due to the mains replacement works being carried out by Scottish Gas Networks taking longer than anticipated, being the main example. In addition, their progress in relation to the installation of the new footway and cycleway adjacent to the former Shrubhill depot site has also been impacted upon by Scottish Water sewer infrastructure works connected with the new Places for People housing development. We are pleased to inform you that, following the relevant Shrubhill section becoming available to our contractors on 7 November, they have been busy working to finalise the new access route into the site and are looking to complete this work by 2 December. On the east side of the street, the contractors are also looking to complete the majority of the works on Crighton Place by 2 December. After the new year, there may be an element of slabbing still to complete adjacent to some shopfront areas but they will endeavour to keep this to a minimum. Overall, local people should see a significant improvement in progress over the next fortnight as the contractors have access to the full area to work in and look to complete, as much as possible, the current sites at Crighton Place, Shrub Place, and north of Middlefield.Future plans
Early in the New Year, as of 9th January, Land Engineering plan to commence the Pilrig Street junction upgrade and details of the associated traffic management arrangements, including the closure of Pilrig Street at the Leith Walk end, will follow in a future update. In addition to the junction site, they also plan to press ahead working in the following areas:
· South of Middlefield
· Albert Place
· Croall Place
The activities and work sites from January will allow the Contractor to maintain their programme obligations that had been impacted due to unforeseen SGN works within Leith WalkDrop-in Surgery - Thank You!
Leith Programme Phase 5 (Brunswick Street to Montgomery Street) Traffic Regulation Order (TRO)
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who attended our informal drop-in surgery at the McDonald Road library on Thursday 10 November to get more information on and discuss the future Phase 5 draft TRO proposals. The Council officers in attendance on the day had a number of informative discussions, listened to a variety of opinions, and gathered valuable information from those who came along. Some of the feedback received can help us refine, where we can, the final designs for the next phase of the works so many thanks again to everyone for their time.Posted 7 years ago # -
From CEC
"
From building line, the way the layout is to be constructed is pavement, then segregator strip, then cycle track, then .5m buffer, with kerb drop at the edge of the buffer, down to road level.
Obviously the buffer width increases when you come to bus stop areas which require a different layout, based on the fact of numbers pedestrians and bus passengers in this area. So in such areas, the cycle track bends back away from road to create a wider area to accommodate those waiting / dismounting from buses.
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Well...
"
And social media users have been quick to paste bungling workmen for what seems, on the face of it, a pretty dim move.
But city chiefs insist no mistake has been made – and that the apparent blunder is all part of their overall plan.
They explained a contractor would remove the lamppost in the New Year alongside others in the area, after the “festive embargo” on roadworks came to an end.
What’s more, they said, the tarmac recently laid down is only temporary – and will be covered with a “distinctive red chip surface” early next year.
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
Cllr Adam McVey (@adamrmcvey)
14/12/2016, 09:03
Consequence of stories like this will be pressure to keep fencing around sites until 100% finished to avoid confusion. Unhelpful non-story.https://twitter.com/edinburghpaper/status/808950169362460673
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Yeah - it's quite clearly not open yet. It's important to keep the pressure up on these things if there's a chance they won't be fixed but there's been repeated assurances that it will and now that we know the tarmac is only a temporary measure to keep the pavement open during Christmas (good!) I think we've better things to critique (like the wider layout and design standard of the path.)
Posted 7 years ago # -
This complaint is a little academic as it's not finished or connected to anything, but the new lane on the east side outside Ladbrokes is now being parked in by drivers bumping up two wheels.
Where does the groupthink come from that bumping up a kerb to 'only' block half a road lane is better than just parking normally?
Posted 7 years ago # -
"This complaint is a little academic as it's not finished or connected to anything, but the new lane on the east side outside Ladbrokes is now being parked in by drivers bumping up two wheels."
Anyone really think drivers will stop this behaviour once it's open? On Leith Walk? Not without proper enforcement and/or BOLLARDS.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
Spokes CycleCampaign (@SpokesLothian)
16/01/2017, 17:24
#LeithWalk phase 5 delay 6-12 months due to objections which legally have to be referred to @scotgov -->@CyclingEdin
http://pic.twitter.com/AEWxGBs18M
"
Posted 7 years ago # -
Calling it a 'delay' is almost academic as the likelihood of an RSO in the area not getting a single objection is low.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Was it PG Tips objecting?
Posted 7 years ago # -
Stakeholder Update 93
Phase 4 (Pilrig Street to McDonald Road) & Phase 5 Traffic Regulation Order (Brunswick Street to Montgomery Street)
The contractor commenced back on site on 5th January carrying out site set-up on Iona Street as before and stakeholder communication, following which the works to the Pilrig St junction commenced with a closure of Pilrig St as of the 9th January for a period of around 8 weeks (early March completion). These works will also include works to the Iona Street junction and the surfacing of Leith Walk at these junctions. This will be the main focus of our Contractors work at this time as we seek to minimise disruption to pedestrians and traffic by opening a number of work sites concurrently. Work sites will then progress South on Leith Walk from Pilrig Street to McDonald Road as originally envisaged, with any additional work sites being opened only where it is felt there is a benefit to the Project without adversely affecting the use of the street.
Progress towards the end of last year was disrupted by 3rd party utility operations, and we will again be required to accommodate their works during the course of the Phase 4 Contract, while trying at all times to minimise the impact on the Programme.
A report detailing the responses from the statutory consultation on the Leith Programme Phase 5 will be considered at the Transport and Environment Committee on 17 January.
Annandale Street / Montgomery Street Investigative Works
As part of the detailed planning underway ahead of a Council decision on whether or not to extend the tram line, Ground Penetrating Radar Survey at the Annandale Street / Montgomery Street junction on Leith Walk was scheduled, and did, commence on Monday 16th January for a period of four night shifts, two of which will require the closure of Annandale Street and two of Montgomery Street, with appropriate diversions being implemented during this time.
We hope you find this update useful if you have any queries or require any additional information then please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Regards
Michael
Leith ProgrammePosted 7 years ago # -
"
EdinburghTravelNews (@edintravel)
06/02/2017, 07:14
New layout Leith Walk at Pilrig Street - single lane traffic and 2-way temporary lights. Thx @Beagle2 & @zoemeg for the updates #edintravel"
Posted 7 years ago # -
I've been generally unimpressed by the progress of the project, nearly six months now and there is no single complete area of pavement or road. It's just a patchwork of half finished jobs to come back to.
One of the big problems was they tried to start up at Shrub Place at the same time the SGN gas main renewal over-ran by weeks, but still.
Posted 7 years ago #
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