CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
£10m cycle path to cut through heart of Edinburgh
(36 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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Guess who said -
“
My only concern would be that there is only a certain amount of time at signalled junctions and to use up time for cyclists means others lose out.
"
Posted 10 years ago # -
Good grief, not read the article yet but 'cut through the heart of Edinburgh'? Come on, it's as if there are buildings going to be knocked down in some grand scheme. The EEN does like its click-bait headlines...
Posted 10 years ago # -
"The child-friendly bicycle corridor" Oh dear. Nowadays, when I see the word corridor associated with a bike project, my heart sinks...
Posted 10 years ago # -
Insert opinion from Neil "rent-a-quote" Greig here.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"Odd that they chose George St for the middle section, the national cycle network path at present runs the length of Rose St....."
Does it? I thought it went down George Street?
Like this comment though
""However Ian Maxwell, of cycling charity Spokes, has described the proposals as a "key move".
He said: "It won't be easy but they built a tram system so should be able to install such a cycle path.""
So it'll actually cost £75m and work will start in 2017?"
Posted 10 years ago # -
The cynic in me sees this as being a way to spin banning bikes from Princes Street.
Posted 10 years ago # -
£10million sounds like quite a lot of money for what looks like a fairly short distance. I'm amused to see the NCN described as "child-friendly"! I see Leith Walk is marked on that map too - the new designs for that are certainly not child-friendly.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I thought they were going to make a cycling link behind (to the North of) the former deaf school, between the Roseburn path & Magdala Cres. Instead they've shown it running along the A8/Wester Coates!
Posted 10 years ago # -
I think this is it! I think this is what we've been waiting for!
*punches air*
Posted 10 years ago # -
If you make it past Neil Grieg you get:-
Keith Irving, head of Living Streets Scotland, welcomed the plans but advised that providing safe space for one group of vulnerable road users should not be at the expense of another.
He said: “We have made clear to the council our view that an increase in cycling should be accommodated through the reallocation of road space, not redetermination of footways.”
YES!!!
That is what you need to do!
This actually sounds promising.
Posted 10 years ago # -
the headline musn't have been controversial enough, so the twitter link has "£10 million cycle path will cut swathe through Edinburgh city centre"!
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'm surpsied they didn't call the story, "£10m cycle path to cut the heart out of Edinburgh".
Strange comments in the comments section. Some people seem to think you must enter this route at one end and exit at the other end.
If that was the case, we wouldn't need a new path. The current Roseburn-Telford-Ferry Rd path would do the job.
This new route would be about cycling in the city centre.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'm surpsied they didn't call the story, "£10m cycle path to cut the heart out of Edinburgh".
"£10m urban terrorist path to cut the still beating hearts out of Edinburgh motorists in front of their terrified families, in a brutal re-enactment of ancient pagan human sacrifice rituals".
Reckon I've nailed the sensational aspects now.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'm ok with the idea of a £10m cycle path cutting a swathe through city centre car parking in Edinburgh.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"I'm ok with the idea of a £10m cycle path cutting a swathe through city centre car parking in Edinburgh."
But you know it won't happen...
Posted 10 years ago # -
the two-way George Street cycle route which opens this spring
Does it? I was unaware of this 'fact'.
Posted 10 years ago # -
After the continuing disaster of the Quality Bike Corridor I'm extremely sceptical about this council. I'll believe this new route when I see it, and can cycle along it without having to do battle with blinking delivery vans and the like. But I still have a tiny guttering flame of optimism. Let's hope they build something which isn't utter rubbish. I expect they'll get it horribly wrong though because they generally do.
I should change my username to Eeyore
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'll be interested to see how they manage the key transition points at York Place/Princes Street/Leith Street/Picardy Place; and at Haymarket/West End. Tram lines make both complicated, as we know. Also a big effing roundabout of death at Picardy Place...
Posted 10 years ago # -
"Also a big effing roundabout of death at Picardy Place..."
I agree it's an awful roundabout, and something should be done about it ("Down with this sort of thing etc etc etc"), but... Have any cyclists actually died on that roundabout for it to obtain such a moniker?
If it's simply a case of 'it's only a matter of time', it's already been quite some time, and such a justification could be made for any single piece of road, therefore the entire road network is a road network of death...
Posted 10 years ago # -
£10 billion cycle-scar to cut swathe through road network of death.....
I like it!
Posted 10 years ago # -
@WC, all I could find was a pedestrian fatality in 2007. Plenty of 'serious' and 'slight' casualties though: not unlike other city centre roads (where there are large numbers of pedestrians, buses, and cycles usually).
If you look at this site, what is quite surprising is the relatively low numbers of casualties on Queen Street (presumably due to low pedestrian/cyclist numbers) and the relatively high numbers of casualties on the 'high road' round Arthur's Seat and their severity. Something to do with steep hills and speeding, perhaps?
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'd forgotten about that site, cheers crowriver. Surprising number of incidents around and about my place (in the time I've lived there)...
Posted 10 years ago # -
Wow, look at the incidents on Leith Walk! But yeah, we need to maintain the road traffic and parking...
Posted 10 years ago # -
I'm really sick of the EEN's habit of stirring up hatred between cyclists and motorists/pedestrians. If they were doing the same based on race rather than travel options, they'd be in court over it. It's not even the slightest bit subtle.
"Swathe"? Seriously?
As for Ian Maxwell's comment about the trams. How foolish of him to give the Chipwrapper a ridiculous quote with which to feed the commenters!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Talking of comments:
"So you're expecting a cyclist coming up Leith Walk to then hike up to the highest point of New Town (George St) instead of either continuing along Princess St or avoiding Leith St and going along Queen St. I cycle in town most days and like most cyclists I'm fairly used to traffic so will just avoid the hills. "
Huh? If you're cycling up Leith Walk (then Leith St) to Princes Street it's still a climb all the way anyway. I'd prefer proper, safe cycle provision on Princes St too but in terms of the climb it's hardly any different.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I don't know Edinburgh very well, so can't comment, but I'd be interested on any views on what Neil Greig said. I'm in the middle of arranging a meeting with him in March. This is likely to include a cycle ride in Glasgow and a chat with a journalist.
I think his comment completely misses the point, i.e. cycle path = less cars = less congestion. If this cycl route was built, does it actually connect up with anything? Would people use it? Is there really a prospect that a route such as this could encourage people out of cars?
Posted 10 years ago # -
I wonder what this will entail? Some pedestrian / bike crossings at the west end? Just now I cut through at the cathedral and then again at West Register House and round Charlotte sq on to George st. It is fine and bits of it are NCN 1. details would be nice. If cycle lane, will cars be allowed to park in it?
On the cyclist who commented on declining to go up to George street from queen street, that is an odd one. The schlep from queen street to George street is not very steep but also if going from leith to west end I might cut across at Annandale street, then east London st and through the bottom of new town heading for moray place, not going Up much of a hill, if I wanted to avoid hills.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I might cut across at Annandale street, then east London st and through the bottom of new town heading for moray place
Aye, if you don't mind teeth rattling cobbles. Fine on a balloon bike or fat tyred MTB. Not so great on tyres skinnier than about 40mm...
Posted 10 years ago # -
Good point, indeed most of the route I picked is actually cobbles. You can't win, if it is not hills, it is cobbles. Could be an advertising strapline for the City of Edinburgh
Posted 10 years ago #
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