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" scaremongering by the pedal cycling minority"

(24 posts)

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  1. kaputnik
    Moderator

    http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2013/12/letter-to-the-editor-haymarket-misery

    Letter to the Editor – Haymarket Misery

    It seems that scaremongering by the pedal cycling minority is now to further inconvenience Edinburghers and in particular those who are mobility challenged.

    The closure of the taxi rank at Haymarket will impact those who have difficulty in walking to “nearby” cab ranks.

    But if it saves one cyclist…

    I submitted an extensive reply, but certainly didn't rise to the "if it saves one cyclist" bait. Although I may have referred (tongue in cheek) to a "mobility impaired minority". I also didn't reply that he's much closer to Waverley if his access needs require it - the cramped and multi-level environs of Haymarket being notoriously bad for anyone with any sort of mobility issue (or even carrying a bike or pram or lots of luggage)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "Haymarket being notoriously bad for anyone with any sort of mobility issue"

    Presume 'new' station will be better. Previous problems were mostly(?) lack of lifts.

    Think letter writer just proves that 'no-one was considered adequately' over all this.

    Think it's reasonable to consider those actually endangered ahead of those 'just' inconvenienced - but really it's still not good.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. gembo
    Member

    I had to push my pedal ,cycle into passengers coming the other way to catch my train at Waverley tonight. Both bike gates were letting people out into the station but not on to trains. The ticket inspector at right hand gate sent me to the left hand gate but same issue.the ticket inspector there was not happy with me but what could I have done? I am sorry if I inconvenienced anyone but did not have an option I could see.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. steveo
    Member

    paper troll is trolling...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Gembo I noticed an interesting thing when trying to push my bike from bottom of Lothian Road, past Frasers and onto Princes Street via a cash machine. The walking public kept repeatedly trying to walk between me and the bike and then give me dirty looks when I didn't relinquish my hold on the bike and let them pass any other way but around us. I found it baffling.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. gembo
    Member

    Those shoe wearing majorities are completely unfathomable kaputnik

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. allebong
    Member

    Bad memories coming back of trying to take bikes on trains during peak times - I try to avoid it as much as possible. Your right about the feeling of everyone regarding you with disgust and contempt - mum with a buggy, tourist with luggage, disabled passenger with crutches, or even the carriage being rammed to capacity, all that's fine and respected, but a bike seems to be different. And that's the trains, the stations can be even worse.

    I have this theory that the type of bike and image you have affects the treatment you get. I've seen the stereotypical lycra roadies get the worst of the abuse, while often a 'normal person' with a beat up hybrid is tolerated. You could likely do a very interesting study on this sort of thing.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. gembo
    Member

    Last cheap train back from Glasgow this afternoon was mobbed. I was in seat that I would have had to vacate for wheelchair passenger but instead was joined by strangers with a toddler and a pushchair and all became very busy with private school kids, then just as train about to leave chap came on with Dahon folder which he managed to fit into the bike space between the buggy and another passenger. Actually, it all worked out rather well.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Incurred some wrath on Twitter on Saturday afternoon for posting a picture of 2 very large "buggies" (urban assault vehicles would be closer to the truth) in the only cycle space of a Class 158 from Falkirk to Edinburgh. I was told by some cycling-interested followers (who are also owner-operators of children) that "blokes on bikes" should come second to "Mums with kids. Apparently it was unreasonable of me to expect to put a bike on a bike space on public transport than dump a pair of giant buggys in it.

    I couldn't be bothered getting into some sort of argument so didn't respond that only 1 of our party was a bloke and that the pushchairs were the charge of dads and uncles!

    Fortunately the guard wasn't too bothered as train wasn't that busy.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. SRD
    Moderator

    I've had the 'mums with pushchairs' when i was 'mum with bike'; don't see why their conveyance and child trumps my conveyance and child, especially when the space is designated for mine.

    true that trains not well equipped for buggies. but people often not very considerate with them either.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. gembo
    Member

    We had a MacLaren folding buggy. It used to fold. This meant you could get on a bus with it. I suppose we could have folded it on a train too. I found I used to put too much shopping on the handles. Then once the child was taken out the thing would tip over. Ah, those were the days.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. PS
    Member

    What ever happened to stoicism?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. Focus
    Member

    It's funny how it's the cyclists incurring the wrath of the buggy pushers when it should be the railway companies for not speccing their rolling stock better for all. Easier to have a go at the one's who can't ultimately solve their problem for them.

    As for the letter, judging by the short nature of it, I'm not sure the writer will have the patience to get through kaputnik's reply. I like it though!
    I'm not sure I would have resisted the bait so well.

    As Spock once said will say in the future, “The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few” (Or the one, Mr Douglas). I think I can safely say, without need of a survey, that the number of cyclists passing Haymarket counts as "the many" when compared to the number of passengers needing special access to the station (the few). However, I'd far rather everyone was properly catered for as I believe we all do on here. It should, and could, have been done from the outset but instead we are left with a mish mash of poorly-implemented fauxlutions* to the problem(s).

    * If no-one else has copyrighted that word, I claim it! ;-p (Edit: Darn, it's at least 6 years old.)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. Focus
    Member

    Oh, and it's a bit odd that Mr Douglas' entire address and contact details are being so freely circulated in this day and age. I hope the Edinburgh Reporter doesn't do so in the hope of a controversial contributor being directly contacted by those who disagree with their viewpoint in order to make a story out of it? A bit sloppy of The Reporter.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  15. threefromleith
    Member

    Mr Douglas publishes his full details on every item on his own blog (easily found online by Googling his full name), so he's obviously not concerned about such trivialities as identity theft, spammers, scammers and cyberbullying!

    The blog is a collection of every letter he's written and sent to any publication. He sounds like a real bundle of joy...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  16. Min
    Member

    Oh him. Yes he is a great big bundle of joy. I don't suppose anyone would bother going to the effort of cyberbullying or spamming or even reading his letters. In fact, I wish the EEN would put the name of the writer at the top like the Reporter, then you'd know to not bother. ;-)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  17. Instography
    Member

    Perhaps I don't pay enough attention or fall asleep too quickly but I've never noticed any ire from passengers on the 17:19 to Cardenden of an evening. Even women with buggies and I have managed to organise ourselves satisfactorily.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  18. Instography
    Member

    I can't believe that that John Eoin Douglas isn't having a laugh with those letters.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  19. PS
    Member

    when it should be the railway companies for not speccing their rolling stock better for all

    It's the procuring authority that ultimately specs rolling stock capacity/usage. I have some sympathy with them - a key passenger complaint is not getting a seat in the peak, so they've got to decide: space for bikes/buggies or passengers?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  20. steveo
    Member

    Maybe the council should put a pedicab rank in front of Haymarket and have them ferry people to the main rank, thus saving the issue of angry taxi drivers and allowing mobility impaired (and lazy) people to get to the main rank.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  21. PS
    Member

    Install a travellator. Edinburgh, city of the future.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  22. cb
    Member

    "I can't believe that that John Eoin Douglas isn't having a laugh with those letters."

    I think you could be right. Perhaps he has his eye on a book deal a few years down the line. "Angry from Edinburgh". Perfect next-to-the-cash-till stocking filler material.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  23. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Although I addressed my reply to "Apoplectic of Spey Terrace", it wasn't really intended for him. To be honest his 2 line grumble wasn't really worthy of any attempt at an extensive and (I hope) balanced reply, and Focus is right he probably won't even read it.

    However - I don't think it's a wasted effort, the reply was rather for people who might stumble across his letter and read it. I think they should be able to read something closer to reality than his moans.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  24. Kim
    Member

    I find it sad that there are so many people who think that their convenience is more important than other peoples safety. This attitude is most prevalent among motorists who assume (wrongly) that they have a right to the road.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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