Will be interesting to see where the new ranks are placed.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
"Haymarket taxi rank to be scrapped..."
(25 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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yay.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Except -
"It is understood that the current rank outside the station will be switched to a drop-off only area"
Presumably they will be moving the island so that there is only one taxi lane and room on the road for a cycle lane???
Posted 11 years ago # -
It is understood that the current rank outside the station will be switched to a drop-off only area"
Yep.
I predict that then there will be long queues of people "dropping off". And then only being a minute while they get the paper, a coffee, etc.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The land currently used by taxis is not an official rank and sits on Network Rail property.
Funny that, why is there a sign saying "Scotrail permitted taxis only" (or something similar)?
Anyway, sooner it's gone, the better, but does that mean that there's still an expectation that the jug handle will be used (even if has a vehicle in it dropping someone off?)
Posted 11 years ago # -
It'll end up like every 'Drop-off only' point at every Tesco in the UK: free parking that's as close to the front door as possible.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Well, it's a change to the good for us. Unusual for the council to see sense!
Posted 11 years ago # -
kaputnik - Network Rail owns every station in Scotland (except Prestwick Airport). ScotRail then lease the stations (except Waverley and Glasgow Central which NR manage directly) and are responsible for day-to-day management. Station management arrangements are notoriously complex and almost no-one really understands them. Some minor station upgrade works have been delayed by years due to wrangles over who should pay for them.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Of course it's NOT a good result for those people getting off a train and needing a taxi. I'd much rather they'd have done something to the road to make it safer for cyclists and not have to have a jug handle for them than actually take the rank away. And you just know there will be those who belivee this has been done to appease cyclists and is yet another example of us always getting our way.
Sorry, I just can't be as happy about something that impacts on train passengers which highlights, again, that the council can't be seen to be doing something that would impact, instead, on private motor car drivers.
Posted 11 years ago # -
that remains to be seen, a decent sized rank a 100m is an improvement over a combined space which can't cope with the volume of collections or drop offs in a sensible fasion.
I don't see this as in issue of cyclist saftey. CEC are trying to make it look so but in reality its general road saftey and a little punishment for taxi drivers who can't follow simple rules.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Sorry, I just can't be as happy about something that impacts on train passengers which highlights, again, that the council can't be seen to be doing something that would impact, instead, on private motor car drivers.
Yes, I have to agree.
Posted 11 years ago # -
CEC are trying to make it look so but in reality its general road saftey and a little punishment for taxi drivers who can't follow simple rules.
Indeed, and even the Taxi owner/association guy admitted that the trade was at fault for being unable to use the rank in a legal and safe manner (regardless of it being too small and having a cycle lane in it!)
It's really a terrible example of the "it looks good on paper so just throw it down in tarmac and let the users work it out" sort of planning/execution we've gotten rather too used to in Edinburgh.
Posted 11 years ago # -
kaputnik: a terrible example of the "it looks good on paper so just throw it down in tarmac "
And of "we can provide for cyclists without impacting on drivers".
Posted 11 years ago # -
The rank has been quite empty recently. It was full and backed up this morning, though. They'd have had to do something about it before the trams start running, even if no one ever cycled along that road, because having stationary taxis backed up onto the tram tracks would not be useful.
I assume they'll put a rank at the bottom of Dalry Road? It seems a logical place to me, but I don't go through there when it is busy.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yeah, pity there isn't a lane that runs up the side of Haymarket that could have had it's own pedestrian entrance leading to an enormous taxi rank that is out of the way of all that moving traffic...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Knock down Ryries? Surely no one likes it as much as the Cally Ale House and we've all got over that tolerably well.
Posted 11 years ago # -
we've all got over that tolerably well.
Speak for your self, thats still a sore spot with me. I liked that pub...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yeah I did too actually, but it's easy to forget there was ever a building there.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Never forget, thats how they get away with it!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Never forget also that "there used to be a taxi rank here", as a monument to tram-council-planner idiocy.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The best I can give this idea is a cautious half thumbs up until we see what they actually have in mind. As min stated, we might simply see a long queue of taxis replaced by a long queue of private vehicles taking up the space instead. It's crazy that a new building has been attached to the existing station without thinking of integrating it with improved facilities for both taxis and private vehicles, and benefiting cyclists into the bargain.
The front of the existing station is quite simply no longer suitable for the volume of traffic and should have been abandoned as a stopping point long ago.
Posted 11 years ago # -
It used to have a funny two lane arrangement, one for taxis and one for drop off. eople muddled along but I think probably did end up waiting up towards ryrie's which would now mean they would be parked across the tram track a little.
If taxis are moved to a new rank the space would inevitably be used as a drop off whether this was sanctioned or not?
Even if was made only for cycles this would still happen.
The council probably need our help on this one, any bright ideas?
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't really think there is a decent solution to this. The new Haymarket has been built and the tram lines are in place. Any new taxi ranks will be located some distance from the station - not ideal for a transport interchange (particularly for mobility impaired passengers). The temptation to "stop for a minute" in front of the station will be too great for lots of drivers and will happen whatever the eventual outcome is.
gembo - I agree that the Council probably needs help with this, but can't be bothered suggesting anything as they clearly don't listen and will probably come up with a solution based on more signage.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Honest question: how many people actually get dropped off at the station nowadays?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Let them wait in Roseberry Crescent, with little light on a stick like they used to have at the entrance to Waverley showing whether there is space at the rank. Three spaces at the station and when one leaves another can come round the corner and take their place.
Posted 11 years ago #
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