CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years 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.
"RESIDENTS of Edinburgh New Town will today call for the re-opening of a key city centre artery to lorries to reduce pollution and noise from traffic diverted past their homes."
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/New-Town-residents-demand-main.6440654.jp
Time for serious attempts to restrict vehicles in town centres, rather than spread it around.
Might even encourage a significant increase in walking and cycling.
But this is the UK.
On Treehugger, there's an interesting article about polystyrene hats vs safety vs numbers of cyclists, which isn't really relevant to this topic. But buried away in the raft of very reasonable comments is this classic statement:
"Everything you do to make driving a car more annoying is beneficial to the whole society."
If only this could happen! But this is Edinburgh...
"Everything you do to make driving a car more annoying is beneficial to the whole society."
Sounds like Critical Mass to me
And bravo for mentioning polystyrene hats... sounds a lot like a helmet to me. Very brave and gutsy move there
So let me get this right in ma wee brain... all the 'Wigs' in the New Town are concerned about double the fumes to their normal intake (do we include cigars in the Signet Library?); but they have no concern about a restored manky fume-filled corridor in Shandwick Place populated by shop-workers, commuting pedestrians and cyclists, all breathing in the same volumes of particulates freely dispersed by the buses, lorries and other assorted traffic? Time for the trams to be finished ASAP! Who mentioned the trams?
"'Wigs' in the New Town are concerned about double the fumes to their normal intake (do we include cigars in the Signet Library?); but they have no concern about a restored manky fume-filled corridor in Shandwick Place populated by shop-workers, commuting pedestrians and cyclists,"
It would be hard to avoid coming to that conclusion...
"City centre Liberal Democrat councillor Charles Dundas, who proposed the move, said extra traffic was using Randolph Crescent, Great Stuart Street, Ainslie Place and St Colme Street because of the closure."
On the big scale of things this is really of little consequence. More people will live in these streets than in Shandwick Place but...
'The issue' remains - too much traffic in the city centre. The tram works have done quite a lot to discourage people from driving into the city (any figures?) but Queen Street is certainly not much fun at various times of day - notably around 'rush hours'.
Where are all these cars going/parking?
Letting them them go along Shandwick Place as well is hardly going to make things better - even for the residents of the few streets mentioned.
Cllr Dundas doesn't even know where Shandwick Place is most likely; as he still thought there was a nice big circular seated area on the mega-pavement outside Frasers Store long after the TIE people took it awa'!
I agree too much traffic comes in to CC via Haymarket and Shandwick and the trams will help remove a little of that eg belchy buses; unfortunately deliveries, plant and other things still have to come by HGV. Ban the cars!
Maybe we should open up a bypass through Moray Place to Heriot Row and send the buses that way. T'would give even more 'Wigs' an opportunity to 'hop a bus' to the delights of the Leith saunas...
If only Cllr Dundas could get his heid round the idea that reducing car use across the city would benefit the Wigs in the New Town, we would all be better off!
"
The council has ordered a report into the reopening of Shandwick Place to cars after residents complained about an increase in pollution in surrounding areas.
Ashley Lloyd from the Moray Feus Residents' Association told the committee that people living in nearby Randolph Crescent and Great Stuart Street were exposed to high levels of pollutants on a 24/7 basis as a result of the closure. Lloyd pointed to the number of young children and older people who are in the area during the day, saying that they are more at risk than occasional shoppers in main thoroughfares such as Princes Street.
The group's presentation also contested that wider streets like Princes Street dispersed pollutants more easily because of their width- a so-called canyon effect. This is a contrast to the narrower streets which traffic is being forced onto in the West End.
The council has accepted a recommendation from the group that reopening Shandwick Place- which was originally shut to allow work on the tram project- should be considered. STV covered some of the residents' concerns in the run-up to this morning's meeting.
"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/edinburgh/2010/jul/27/edinburgh-bus-cameras-council-moray-feus
"Ashley Lloyd, a spokesman for the residents, had earlier claimed that the council's own figures had shown Great Stuart Street was now the second most polluted street in the city."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Closed-road-may-reopen-to.6443554.jp
"second most polluted street in the city"
Really??
Better do more about traffic reduction than move it somewhere else!
Great Stuart St is a bl**dy dead end for traffic and is full of 'Wigs'! So it must be the cigar and pipe smoke causing the grief, or the Cooncil's air pol monitors have been spiked! Ashley, Ashley where are you?
Just to clarify: 'canyon effect' would apply to streets like George St, Shandwick Pl etc etc as they have 2 fairly high sides generally in an east/west direction, ergo wind speed velocities tend to be higher (when it is windy), so the pollution is the same but just travels the length of the street faster.
Surprisingly Princes St is not really a canyon as it is single-sided; its just more open to the prevailing west/sth westerlies so gets a good scrubbing occasionally, and the pollution can be dispersed/absorbed into the low lying open spaces nearby! Just off to eat my lunch-time bridie through my smog mask whilst sitting on the grass in Princes St Gardens!
Less cars in town = less gratutitous pollution!
"While the new restrictions include removing the last remaining car access to Princes Street and changes at Haymarket, St Andrew Square and Leith Walk, it is plans for Shandwick Place and Blenheim Place, off London Road, which have raised the most opposition."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Tram-chiefs-drive-through-scheme.6514655.jp
"It is recommended that unless there is a very significant delay in the tram construction programme, the junction should remain in its current temporary layout."
"West End protesters want talks over tram pollution"
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/West-End-protesters-want-talks.6527945.jp
Nice unbiassed sub-editing as usual from the Evilling News (I thought the trams were electric ??) ;)
Usual anti-cycling nonsense has appeared in the posts on that article. Must be a quiet day here in the office as there are a couple of us trying to shoot down the comments...
Can you guess who I am? I used to be a landlord(true) and had an obsession for Miss Jones (untrue)...
They are indeed electric. With the majority of their power likely coming from Longannet and Cockenzie, I'm surprised the good people of Prestonpans and Kincardine aren't up in arms because the trams are causing pollution on their side streets.
"We're of the opinion that, when implemented and enforced, the measures will have a similar effect to the CETM by dissuading people from visiting Edinburgh by any means other than bus."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Shandwick-Place-car-ban-39would.6532575.jp
"Council agrees to re-open Shandwick Place to traffic
DRIVERS will be allowed back on to Shandwick Place from early next year until tram line construction resumes, Edinburgh city councillors agreed yesterday.
Contrary to last week's story-
"
Meanwhile, plans for a temporary lifting of the ban on traffic in Shandwick Place until the tram works re-start are set to be rejected after officials said re-instating previous traffic management measures would cost £340,000.
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburghtransportplans/Traffic-to-make-way-for.6630893.jp
"
"HOMEOWNERS concerned about plans to ban traffic from Shandwick Place to make way for the tram project are set to meet councillors tonight as they push for a public inquiry."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/39Workshops39-to-clear-air-over.6703860.jp
Ashley Lloyd, one of the residents affected, said: "I would prefer a full public inquiry into the whole tram project. By their own figures, this project is expected to affect 134,500 households across the entire city."
In a city of shy of 500,000 people, that would mean pretty much every household then? I can see why they are concerned through, if those streets are used for their intended porpoises (i.e. as "roads") then where will they park their jags?
I think there is a plan to have a P.I. when the tram is finished.
Ah...
stable-horse-door-bolted
where will they park their jags?
Hey! Some of us New Town residents don't have jags. We've got a Discovery. ;-)
A Discovery?? What you can't afford a Range Rover?? If New Town residents were really worried about air pollution, they would be campaigning to get rid of all that on street parking...
"The city council is set to approve £5000 worth of measures which will allow westbound traffic to turn left into the street from Lothian Road."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Drivers-granted-Shandwick-Place-return.6708931.jp
And another £5000 to reverse these "measures" if/when it has to be put back for trams?
I wish the council would stump up these sorts of sums when roadworks and "traffic calming" measures cause such intereference to cyclists.
"
Fears over traffic levels near tramline
Residents show streets that will get vehicle overspill
"
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Fears-over-traffic-levels-near.6732293.jp
"NEARLY £1000 of taxpayers' money has been spent on bringing in experts to check that closing Shandwick Place to make way for the tram does not damage the health of New Town residents."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/1k-to-check-air-quality.6740842.jp
Princes street closed west bound today to repair the damage caused by winter frost on the tram line join with the tarmac. I had to walk right along to Shandwick Place - lucky it was sunny.
Hmmm. I thought the Hanover St - Castle Street section was looking quite well-sealed on Thursday... perhaps they're doing the Waverley - Mound chunk.
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