Had a query about this.
Have my own 'personal' ones, and I expect I could make it up from stuff posted on CCE, but good to 'crowd source'!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"five most terrifying junctions/blackspots in Edinburgh"
(103 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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Piccardy Place.
Cameron Toll.
Crewe Toll.
Haymarket
Roundabout at Calder Road / Bankhead Avenue / Wester Hailes RoadPosted 10 years ago # -
London road/Leith walk roundabout - I've felt moments from death here a number of times.
Posted 10 years ago # -
On my route home, there's always a difficult choice of routes from KB to Gilmerton Rd. My preferred choice is down Gilmerton Road and over to Kirk Brae, then hang a left somewhere.
However this often seems to be congested so an alternative (and flatter) is to ride to the south end of Gordon Terrace then go north east up Liberton Road and then turn right at the lights into Gilmerton Road. This is a really nasty junction for cyclists to be turning right on. You are well exposed on the right, with cars coming at some speed from behind - I really hate it. I've now started getting off my bike and crossing on the pedestrian phase.
Other than that, most junctions seem to be dangerous simply because driving standards are not high enough.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Gilmore Place at King's Theatre
London Road/Leith Walk from any direction
Haymarket
South Arthur's Seat road uphill at the 2 ninety-degree turns S-Bend at the eastern end near Duddingston Village
Princes StreetPosted 10 years ago # -
"Other than that, most junctions seem to be dangerous simply because driving standards are not high enough."
This is of course the crux. Obviously some bits of road could be better designed.But with patient/better driving none of them are dangerous at all.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I submit:
Roseburn Street turning right onto West Coates.
Roseburn Terrace turning right onto Roseburn Street.
Roseburn Street turning right onto Westfield Road.
Lothian Road - every single junction + BREAD STREET.
Grosvenor Crescent into Palmerston Place.
Rosebery Crescent into Haymarket Terrace.Many more but those are the ones that i thought when i got home
" wow I made it back alive today". RJPosted 10 years ago # -
Haymarket
Posted 10 years ago # -
One a friend found terrifying is travelling west on Princes Street at the mound - the light is set so far back, and the junction is offset, so if the lights change, then slower cyclists can find the traffic coming from the mound launching at them
Posted 10 years ago # -
Princes St headed east at the pinch point.
Gilmore Place/King's Theatre junction.
Posted 10 years ago # -
South Gyle Blender and nearby de facto motorway fun sections.
Lothian Road versus Princes Street (particularly the recently-introduced lane-shearing which makes a left-turn into Rutland Place from the bus lane first technically require giving way to the left-hand straight-over lane).
Dalkeith Road northbound at the RCP, particularly for multi-lane unfriendliness for the unconfident despite the proximity to lots of things the unconfident may wish to cycle to/from.
The entire section from Haymarket Terrace to Stafford Street, not forgetting the surprise NO THIS LANE TO GO STRAIGHT ON bits heading east as well as the too-many-lane-squeezings at Haymarket itself.
Can't decide on a fifth...Posted 10 years ago # -
"@WC South Arthur's Seat road uphill at the 2 ninety-degree turns S-Bend at the eastern end near Duddingston Village"
I've never cycled this, but drive it occasionally. The amount of abuse I get for staying at/below the speed limit is insane. No idea why there are no cycle facilities here, it's so dangerous.Posted 10 years ago # -
London Road/Leith Walk roundabout (much worse than Picardy Place due to all the different exits which converge there).
Most of Lothian Road, especially at either end, ie. junctions with Princes Street and Tollcross.
Princes Street/Waverley Bridge. Pinch point, but also poor light sequencing, too many buses and taxis behaving aggressively, etc.
Picardy Place.
Abbeyhill/Abbeymount where they meet under the railway bridge. Better than it used to be, but this junction is still a bad one with poor sightlines.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Ditto London Road/Leith Walk, Picardy Place, Crewe Toll, the whole of Lothian Road and the whole of Princes St. Also Leith Street at Calton Road.
Teviot Place when you are going right from Bristo Place and drivers are racing for it from the flyover bit with barely a cursory glance to see if there is anything smaller than a Trinity Tractor coming.
Also all junctions on Dundas St going uphill as the crossover lights change instantly, leaving you trying to get out of the way as you suddenly find motorists racing at you with horns blaring while still crossing. It is particularly fun at Queen St where you can find yourself stranded in the middle with multiple lanes of vehicles flying past you on either side.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Oh and the one the council deliberately made dangerous for cyclists at Seafield Road/Portobello Road. They succeeded. Anth knows what it's called.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Yip, that used to be a roundabout, and then they put the lights in where they stated one of the reasons was safety of cyclists. When I queried why there were no ASLs coming from Seafield Road, or for any of the turns onto Sir Harry Lauder Road, or from Sir Harry Lauder Road, it was explained, very truthfully, that they wanted to discourage cyclists using Seafield Road and Sir Harry Lauder Road.
Not ban them, oyu understand, but just make accessing or leaving them more hassle (i.e. more dangerous) to put people off using them. Without offering an alternative.
@twq - I've bene overtaken on the south road while driving at 30 in my car, which was mental, and really makes you relaise how pointless it is having sections of the road at 20. If people are so unwilling to stick to 30...
Posted 10 years ago # -
I submit from personal hair-raising experience:
All of Leith Walk
Gilmour Place/Kings Theatre junction
Leith Walk/London Road roundabout followed by John Lewis roundabout
All of Haymarket junction, any way, any time of day
And the wildcard - Russell Road. Drivers are insane on that stretch.Posted 10 years ago # -
Oh, also. Drumbrae roundabout. Avoid avoid avoid.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Ah Leith Walk/London Road - otherwise known as the blender! This is the most common blackspot on my commute for ineptness. Always heading north downhill and turning right onto London Rd. Never fails for someone to pull out in front of me from Leith Walk or Elm Row, had one tonight. Have at least 1 incident every 2 or 3 weeks of some berk that gets a full 600 lumens through their side window and a swift heckle.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Turning right from South Bridge onto Chambers Street. Two lanes of traffic coming towards you and traffic from behind with not much room in the middle for a cyclist. Actually prefer a red there as it can be easier (and safer) to get off and walk through when there is a green man (whether that is the right thing to do or not).
Posted 10 years ago # -
Crewe Toll, or the 'Tragic Roundabout' as I like to call it. Always, always horrid.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I do that at st Mary's st junction with cowgate. Light is red so I get off. When green man comes on I push across st Mary's st then push across the cowgate all on green man. Not sure if it is wrong. I know ifI did not dismount it wold be wrong.
Posted 10 years ago # -
No, it is not "wrong" to dismount and become a temporary pedestrian, no matter how many drivers think it is "cheating"...
Posted 10 years ago # -
A minor aside to point out that lots of us probably aren't bothering to list the sections of road which we just don't use because they are so lethal. I guess the reason that some make the list are because we can't avoid them... so from me:
Haymarket
Princes Street going east
The semi-motorway which is Queensferry Road between Corstorphine Hill and Crammond Brig ( here )
And my most hated road because there doesn't seem to be anything sensible way to ride it more safely...
Lower Granton Road (here)Interesting that I'm quite happy in some other places which people have listed. Maybe we need different lists for different styles of cycling... back to the thing about 'cyclists' not being a single group.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Choose 5 if you wish. I've been riding for over 35 years and all of these are sphincter-tighteningly terrifying, just russian roulette on wheels.
Gyle shopping centre roundabout. With bonus points for immortal tailbacks from new tram crossing. Crazed shoppers meet crazed commuters.
Both roundabouts where South Gyle Broadway meets S.G.Crescent. Not too bad if you are on the Broadway with the main flow, but if you are coming from the Crescent you are just invisible mince.
Drumbrae roundabout. Don't even think about it. Absolutely psychotic.
Any roundabout on Calder Road. Again, not too bad if on the main flow, but if you're crossing the Calder Road, you'd better be Chris Hoy or you're not going to make it out.
Roundabout where Elm Row meets London Road. Close second to Drumbrae for cars and taxis who are blind or just don't give a f*ck about anyone else.
Haymarket. Designed by someone who has never had their arse outside of a car or taxi in their entire life. Quel problème?
Picardy Place. 'Turn left only' for bikes. Any other desired exit is classed as an extreme sport.
Gilmore Place @ Kings Theatre. Stunning combo of literally thoughtless layout and comically shit traffic light timing which could almost have been deliberately designed to encourage red light jumping and corner cutting.
Absolutely any junction within half a mile of Fort Kinnaird. Again, crazed shoppers vs crazed commuters. Go a different way.
Any unprotected right turn off Gorgie Road such as (eastbound) to go up Hutchison Crossway or Robbs Loan; or (westbound) to go up Fords Road. Or most terrifyingly, trying to go over from Robbs Loan to Fords Road or vice versa. I should just stop trying, it's not going to end well.
Spylaw Road meets Grays Loan. Chaos.
Merchiston Avenue meets Merchiston Place, crossroads. Nowhere will you be more convinced about your powers of invisibility.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Reading everyone's lists I find myself nodding in agreement.
I pass through some of the most 'popular' danger spots daily. However, when I'm on my bike, I don't really feel nervous at all. Just determined to make my presence obvious, judge the speed and guess the intentions of the mental trafic, and keep moving.
I think I've got a really underdeveloped sense of danger.
Which may be a bad thing.
Posted 10 years ago # -
think I've got a really underdeveloped sense of danger
Or you've become habituated to the bits that you travel regularly?
Posted 10 years ago # -
"Or you've become habituated to the bits that you travel regularly?"
There's definitely something in that. I used to ride regularly through Sheriffhall and had people tell me how dangerous it was, and likewise parts of my current commute that I think nothign of riding.
Then a couple of months ago, as I had to ride out to Newbridge to pick up my car, I was ridiculously wary at every junction and roundabout. Just didn't know what to anticipate form the traffic for the most part.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Trying to get to the airport road from South Gyle using the cycle paths can only be done ime if drivers stop to allow you time to cross or the traffic backs up to the point where the cars are queueing. Even then you are stuck if there's not enough room between the vehicles to push through. I've only ridden it a couple of times so there may be a trick to it.
And no-one has mentioned the habitual placement of manhole covers on the line taken by cyclists through junctions.
Posted 10 years ago # -
A minor aside to point out that lots of us probably aren't bothering to list the sections of road which we just don't use because they are so lethal.
Absolutely.
There are a number mentioned here I've never even attempted - e.g. Haymarket with the tram tracks - and some (like the London Rd/Elm Row) roundabout I've only ever used at off-peak times.
Posted 10 years ago #
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