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IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
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Two people with professional-looking cameras on tripods filming at Haymarket this evening. They were definitely filming cyclists going over the tracks (I jug-handled, so missed my chance for stardom).
Any idea who they were? Is there a big-budget staged fall being done for the benefit of EEN commenters?
Hm. What time? I was trying the offsidemost lane but at a slower speed than usual to see if motor.vehicles one lane to the left would attempt to butt in (yes, though a red at the ped crossing just beyond the jugspout thwarted them and allowed me to let in a cyclist who looked to have hugged it then become trapped behind an inevitable coach).
The vitriolic comments continue:
Cyclists and cabbies slam Haymarket tram “chaos”
Some of the EEN comments are delighting in the danger this is causing. If the publishers were less concerned about site they would be banning a number of people for threats and incitement to violence.
On top of that, the "get off and walk" comments are a joke. Note only shouldn't it be necessary but it's hardly the most practical place to safely stop, dismount and wheel a bike onto the pavement.
If you ever find yourself facing a comment that seems to have been purposely designed to get your blood boiling then it's pretty much certain that's exactly what it was meant to do. On any sort of unmoderated comment section I'll always assume every single person is a troll until they prove otherwise. This has served me well so far.
Slightly above the trolls are people that clearly have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, for example anyone who suggests 'just cross the tramlines at an angle, simples!' or something equally asinine.
I'm also fairly sure there's a few members there who on some cycling articles tell us proudly that they've cycled for x decades and the rest of us are idiots for not knowing how to deal with the tramlines, yet on other cycling articles are suddenly hard pressed taxpaying motorists who have never been near a bike since they were a child and proud of it etc...
@wingpig: cameras were there around 6.15
Cameras were also there at 5.20 when I passed and appeared to be accompanied by another at the Dalry Rd/Morrison Street Junction
I'm mighty glad I moved offices and don't have to cycle near the blasted things. Everytime I have had the misfortune to be cycling on the tram route I have almost fell off regardless of speed, weather or angle I have taken them at.
Good luck to all who need to.
Wee change of route home tonight, ended up cycling from Haymarket Terrace to Waverley Bridge. What a bloody nightmare.
Tram tracks, buses & taxes vying for position, cars driving where they shouldn't, chicanes, merging lanes. It is mentally exhausting. And as for that right turn from Priny onto Waverley Bridge.
It should have been an easy, fairly straight, good visability route. It was anything but.
Two people with professional-looking cameras on tripods filming at Haymarket this evening
Ally from Greener Leith has been doing some filming down there recently, HD Timelapse stuff. The bit he tweeted the other day was "part 1" so maybe they're back for more?
Cameras were there when I went through about 5:40ish. I was in a hurry so didn't stop to take a photo as I might have otherwise done. They'd have got some good shots of the taxis queued up out of the rank and onto the yellow lines...
Not sure this is news anymore but was driving east past Haymarket and stopped right opposite the 'jug handle' Sat helplessly as a cyclist had to cross the tracks before entry to the cycle route because of taxis queuing onto the main road. No surprise, back wheel kicks out on the tracks and down he goes.
Even more amazingly was the stupid woman in the Land Rover Discovery who was behind him starts banging her horn!!!
He was up and about quite quickly and a few passers by stopped to help.
Is anyone keeping stats on how many incidents there are? It can only be a matter of time before it's serious.
Came off the bike myself at the infamous station junction. In semi slicks - not skinnies - and caught regardless. Came off bike before even reaching jug handle. Absolute disaster.
Very lucky not injured as was going slowly and traffic was light. Dread to think what could have happened if I had been in commuter mode after dark. Shudder.
Tweeted the council to let them know to add me to stats - they said they'd pass to trams people. Will need to write a proper letter to them to log accident and ask for follow up.
Bloody nightmare. My first tumble off bike - infrastructure a complete joke at that corner.
Glad you're ok. Here's the reporting info you need:
@focus Thank you very much, hugely appreciated! :)
"
But what really depresses me is the utter lack of strategic thought in the tram road designs. In remodelling the roads for the trams they had the opportunity to completely remodel the roads to make them safe for active travel. At Haymarket we have what it was before - basically a very large roundabout distributing traffic in and out of the city centre - with some tram tracks across it. The presumption is you'll be on four wheels or a tram. If you're not then you might as well be dead. The lost opportunity just leaves me despairing.
"
http://drpetermatthews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/cycling-in-city-with-trams.html?m=1
@Claire, very sorry to hear that - I hope you're on the mend.
Please do report your incident to as many forums as possible - I fear that the council now consider that their job is complete, having put up a half-assed sign and painted into the jug handle.
Commiserations and here's hoping that my natural pessimism re the council's response is ill-founded.
Have emailed the Trams address on the Spokes website for the guy I saw go down. Are they keeping a formal record of accidents?
EDIT - just saw on the Spokes website they are. Wonder if we can get that through an FOI?
Got my single speed on Thursday for commuting, but this wee beauty today for negotiating the Haymarket junction...
When I passed earlier there were workmen covering up the lights at the jug handle. Are they making it give way or fixing the sensor?
Hmm. By concealing the lights the "no right turn" sign is also being concealed...
I've just wandered past there, and the No Right Turn sign is not covered.
Also the yellow sign that said that cyclists were expected to use the jug handle has gone, and now just has a yellow "WARNING Slippery Tram Lines Ahead" - which I think is an improvement.
Bad luck claire. I agree the infra at that junction is a joke. I have taken to going round rosebery crescent to avoid it, but negotiating the right turn on to the A8 isn't good.
I also went walkabout to see what had been done. Just the jug handle lights are covered and as EddieD posted, the no right turn lights are still visible. The lights are still being triggered so that so that Haymarket Terrace is controlled.
What's not changed is taxis double parking in the ASL and on the cycle lane, turning right to go east and overflowing/tailing back to block the inner lane going west.
Was going to report covered lights & visible No Right Turn sign but others beat me to it!
I went through on Friday afternoon. I'll have to check the camera footage, but I'm pretty sure a taxi infront of me pulled a U-turn from the eastbound lane into the westbound to join the queue of taxis which was already potruding out of the rank. There was also one in the ASL at the same time.
Give Way sign now in the jug handle.
If the Give Way is permanent, that'll be the end of the ASL? Although it could maybe be replaced by a yellow box. But I suspect that applies to cyclists as well.
Welcome to Edinburgh...
I don't think the Give Way sign could be left in place if, sorry, when the trams start running.
But as you say, This Is Edinburgh.
The lights are uncovered and operational again, but the Give Way sign is still there. Slightly mixed messages there.
Trust the council to "fix" the problem by increasing confusion! I have little doubt that someone with TRO knowledge can point out that Give Way signs, ASLs and traffic lights can't co-exist in the same spot. Seriously, what on earth are they thinking at this point in time?
And they still haven't dealt with the taxis as there were too many in the queue again at... 23:30 last night! I stayed left of the tracks as I came off Morrison Street but actually has to cross the left-most one in order to get round the taxi at the back of the queue and re-cross it immediately to enter the jug-handle.
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