Looked like they were fixing the craters this morning in the road from the west gate into Heriot watt. Good show.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
New road surface at Heriot watt?
(27 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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Really? Really really? It's only taken them 19 years.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I will confirm. They built new student flats out that road and surface deteriorated even further. The road was closed today and it looked like that was what they were up to.
Posted 10 years ago # -
They built new student flats out that road
I heard a rumour that some of the old ones were condemmed as structurally unsafe.
But they continued to use them anyway until the replacements were built.
But then again, that's just a rumour.
Posted 10 years ago # -
This is a shame. I will miss the challenge of this road and its Battle-of-the-Somme surfacing aesthetic.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Just rooted out an email about this from last week:
"From Monday 16th December 2013 through to Monday 27th January 2014 inclusive, the West Gait access/exit at Curriehill Road to and from the Edinburgh Campus will be closed to all vehicles. This is to allow for construction work to upgrade the road, path, drainage and lighting. Appropriate signage will be put in place for the duration of the work.
On completion of the work the West Gait will re-open as 'one way only' to allow access from Curriehill Road to the Edinburgh Campus. It will no longer be possible to exit via the West Gait from the Edinburgh Campus on to Curriehill Road. Appropriate signage will be put in place to show the altered priority.
The use of the West Gait will continue to be barrier controlled. The opening and closing times will remain as currently, from approximately 7.00am through to 7.00pm, Monday to Friday. The barrier is closed at weekends, on Public Holidays and on Buildings Closed Days.
For the duration of the construction work and thereafter the pedestrian and cycle access/exit routes via the West Gait will be maintained."
Posted 10 years ago # -
The west road was cratered 30 years ago...I remember getting a snake bite as I cycled in that way after doing a booze run to Currie.
The third set of student residences, on the slope above the lake, were built on two sets of foundations - the swanky Block A residences on one, and the student blocks B and C on another, and they then started drifting down the slope at different speeds, causing a few major cracks to develop before they were properly underpinned...
The original residence blocks were built with the bannisters cantilevered out from the steps in the staircase to get the width necessary to pass fire compliance...
HW, never knowingly missing a corner to cut...
Posted 10 years ago # -
Nice story EddieD!
I went to Craigmount High School (the old one). Which wasn't actually that old, being built in the early 1970s a a super-school of the future. The only tiny issue was they built it on a man-made mound on top of former farmland which had been created by draining marshland. So the fountations were into a substrate that was unstable at depth. By the time I went there in the mid 1990s, the pavements on one side were jacked up and on the other side were stoved in, as tens of thousands of tons of concrete of the main "C"-shaped block tipped slowly and inevitably inwards.
They knocked it down and started again the year after I left, on the bit of the ground which hadn't had a hill built on it.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Will cyclists still be able to exit from the west gate? I cycled through there a year ago and had to squeeze through the blocked exit, I recall. This is the exit the thread is about I presume
Posted 10 years ago # -
I went through late last night, just drains dug so far, there is a barrier but bikes can get round at the moment. There is a similar gate about 300 yards north that is even trickier to get in and out of and much earth moving there too, they might make that the car exit?..?
Posted 10 years ago # -
On completion of the work the West Gait will re-open as 'one way only' to allow access from Curriehill Road to the Edinburgh Campus.
In line with the progressive pro-cycling policy of HW I would expect a safe contraflow for bicycles.... no?
Posted 10 years ago # -
Well there will be a pavement with few pedestrians
Posted 10 years ago # -
AFAIK the demolished blocks were entirely reinforced concrete, including all the internal partitions. Practically impossible to be remodelled.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Talking about buildings at Heriot Watt, one for the history buffs, my old man used to tell me that the big house at Heriot Watt (pre-war, Riccarton House?) Was taken over by the Army during WW2 and access was *strictly* controlled. (He was a local country boy and he couldn't get a look).
After the war, the Army/mod dismantled the house, including foundations! Before handing the area back.
Anyone know more? It's a lot of effort unless you suspect some serious contamination...Posted 10 years ago # -
@smudge
Don't think the contamination story holds up
After the war the house was POW type set up then HQ of the RA until it fell to bits and was demolished in 1956
If you google Gibson Craig you will get some of the history and before the gibsons and then the Craigs we had the ward laws back to the 14th century.
The house that fell down in 1956 was built in 1823 but other houses on the site previously.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Gibson Craig house, of course! Interesting stuff thanks, do you have any sources for further post war info? I have a particular interest in the RA in the area and would be delighted to learn more. Still think it is extremely odd to remove the house so thoroughly though, the MoD are famous for either just boarding up derelict buildings or if they have to, for knocking them down to ground level and that's that. As witnessed by countless fields made half useless by nissen hut bases :-)
Posted 10 years ago # -
Of course, while Riccarton House was destroyed there are some remains nearby. It's remarkable that I spent five years there and yet my brain was so full of subject learning that I hadn't fully discovered the delights of history. More likely is that I never had the time to research stuff.
The stone steps leading from what was the front lawn to the sunken garden are still there (which was what originally prompted me to imagine what was once). The ice house is still there. Until today I never knew of The Velvet Walk, nor the graveyard.
Posted 10 years ago # -
We always used to have drinking sessions in the graveyard..when I will as there most of what is there wasn't, so it was easier to find things...and me and my best mate loved wandering round the woods at night...and we haven't changed much
Posted 10 years ago # -
Just to confirm, the west entrance to Heriot watt has beautiful new Tarmac. Speed bumps covering vast acreage and a pavement with designated half for bikes.
You see things can only get better
Posted 10 years ago # -
Things would get better if they removed the concrete block that's obstructing west access to the northern drive.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Took the tandem vai there today. Irene insisted I record it! Big improvement. For entrance it is easier to currently use road as more space and no kerb. Coming out we also used the road as the Quetzal can't turn at 90 degrees out of a hole in the wall onto a quite fast road. Access though is for pedestrians as well as noted.
Heriot-Watt University new western access by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr
Heriot-Watt University new western access by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr
Heriot-Watt University new western access by LaidBackBikes, on FlickrNice Headwind later
Posted 10 years ago # -
No dropped kerb. Does anyone know, is this in plan ?
Posted 10 years ago # -
They are trying to make the road one way for cars and they have put a bike lane on the pavement which on standard steed is ok until trying to get on. The road as no dropped kerb and kerb very high.
One solution would be to make the road two way for bicycles.
Posted 10 years ago # -
'Improvements' continue here. I 'm glad to see that they are restriciting access to cycle path at either end in accordance with the 'not too many people cycle anyway' strategy.
To be honest this cycleway is really a pavement and the reasoning will be to discourage reckless and/or casual and easy cycle use.
An exact copy of this barrier has been put up at other end which is actually a good thing as there isn't a dropped kerb anyway and anyone wanting to join or leave the campus will use the wider and safer vehicle access. So double barrier and raised kerb plus narrow gap in wall should get the message home ok.
So as long as you cycle in the safe and convenient places it's great!
Heroit-Watt University western access - new obstacles in progress by LaidBackBikes, on FlickrPosted 10 years ago # -
Is there a body at Heriot Watt that we could raise this with ? I'm absolutely fed up of their anti cycling attitude. I'm not a student or staff, just a local resident wanting to use HW as a means of avoiding the A71.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"Is there a body at Heriot Watt that we could raise this with ?"
I'm sure there are people on here with the 'right' answer, but there is certainly a bike user group which I thought had been working well with the university.
You could 'imagine' that they don't want to encourage 'outsiders' but this sort of thing affects greater numbers of staff and students!
Posted 10 years ago # -
You'll note that the path opposite can easily be used by bikes as it's not a nominated cycling facility?
It's really been a late intervention to re-assign a pavement.
In theory it is a contraflow cycle lane beside a one way access road. The markings are all back to front so quite confusing. To enter it now you have to weave through these gates across a give way marking on the wrond side of a shared use path. If you are continental then your confusion will be perfect.In practice cyclists may ignore it and just stay on the nice new road surface thus leaving it free for people arriving on foot (I wonder how many do).
HW have other shared use paths where this ironwork is used so it is consistent with how things have always been done. The width of lane here is wider than before so there has been marginal improvement and could even be 'quite good' if the narrow unramped access at the other end was sorted to make it safer.
Posted 10 years ago #
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