CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

New Tarmac

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  1. Well, I sometimes lurk on this forum, but generally stopped thinking or talking about Edinburgh transport matters as my future is now elsewhere due to Brexit. I used to be interested in all the visions and consultations for cycling projects, but their timescale is such that I'll be long gone before anything happens, so my mind is more on other things now.

    Currently I'm still held in Brexitannia against my will, thanks to Corona, which makes the practicalities of relocating difficult. The government should really help me move, considering I'm one of those that they definitely don't want here (no joke: had the new points-based immigration system been in place in the last 20 years, I would never have been allowed to settle in the UK; during most of my life I'd not have fulfilled the requirements).

    Fortunately I got the freedom to start anew and looking really forward to it, if only Corona let me get out... Until then I'll continue to lurk and cycle over to Craigmillar to investigate if I might be able to hide in a lorry in Lidl and escape across the Channel.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

    Thanks for posting.

    I’m sure people here will understand and sympathise with your predicament.

    I suspect many people in the UK have (so far) been ‘shielded’ from many of the practical results of Brexit - especially travel - by Covid!…

    Posted 2 years ago #
  3. Thanks. To be honest I think you in the UK lose much more than I do. For me it's more the general hassle of having to reorganise life when I had settled into a comfortable situation, but it's really an opportunity as I'm in a very privileged situation.

    But I don't think it's good for the UK. I don't mean the economy (I'm sure companies will always find ways to make money), but society is becoming more narrow-minded. Quite opposite to all the talk about "global Britain", it's becoming more isolationist in the sense that many people and the media don't even see any more what is happening in other countries, unless it directly affects the UK.

    The immigration changes mean that now you need (a lot of) money to come to the UK. Never mind the points-based system, I could not have afforded to study in the UK (no rich family, I worked in a care home to save enough money) and most EU people I know are in similar situations. Of course the UK will continue to attract students from all over the world, but these will be the super-rich; good luck to the Scottish student from a more humble background.

    These are creeping changes that you won't even notice unless you know society and politics in other countries and have something to compare the UK with. Just like people don't really notice how bad the roads and the cycle infrastructure is unless they've seen how it is in the Netherlands.

    So perhaps one piece of advice is not just to rely on UK media (even BBC and Guardian) but go international to get different perspectives (many media in many countries have some English content).

    Posted 2 years ago #
  4. Presumably this should've gone to the Brexit thread, but it started with the pothole street art that I discovered in Craigmillar.

    ("discovered" in the sense that Columbus "discovered" America, ignoring that the people there already knew about it).

    Posted 2 years ago #
  5. chdot
    Admin

    “go international to get different perspectives (many media in many countries have some English content)”

    Useful advice.

    Two aspects - how other people manage things (especially if ‘better’) and what other people think of UK/Britain/Scotland.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  6. vladimpala
    Member

    At long last there is some fresh tarmac going down on the A701 (Bridge Street) into Penicuik. Fingers crossed it will go all the way down to the bridge over the Esk and sort out the shoddy surface down there.
    Alas, the section going north to Tesco remains a pain in the posterior.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  7. chdot
    Admin

    Very new (Ferry Road)

    Posted 2 years ago #
  8. SRD
    Moderator

    The city bound lane of Gilmore place - home to some of Arellcat's 'waves' of tarmac has been repaved.

    inevitably, drivers seem to think it is now also wider and an encouragement to drive faster

    Posted 2 years ago #
  9. CycleAlex
    Member

    Queensferry St is currently being resurfaced from Princes St to Melville St. It seemed perfectly fine before?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  10. Yodhrin
    Member

    Isn't that part of the CCWEL works? Why waste an opportunity to spend some of the active travel budget benefitting cars, eh.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  11. CycleAlex
    Member

    I don’t think so. The actual junction area which CCWEL crosses over doesn’t seem to be getting done until next year.

    Although it would surely then be cheaper to just incorporate the resurfacing as part of CCWEL and then charge the roads dept.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  12. chdot
    Admin

  13. Frenchy
    Member

    Good to see - I went that way once several years ago; used the main road on subsequent visits.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  14. chdot
    Admin

    Will be good.

    First section west from Aberdour to Braefoot Bay road v rough.

    Beech Av section ok.

    Meanwhile this isn’t moving forward -

    https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/fife/3675301/two-years-on-fife-coastal-path-link-at-aberdour-is-no-closer-to-being-reopened/

    Posted 1 year ago #
  15. chdot
    Admin

    First section Aberdour to Dalgety Bay.

    Taken a few days ago before the frost set in.

    Don’t know how it ‘work’ when temperature below zero.

    Pretty sure it won’t get salt/grit.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  16. chdot
    Admin

    Finished between Aberdour and Braefoot Bay access road -

    Posted 1 year ago #
  17. jss
    Member

    Some nice new tarmac along side existing rough track by the deceptively exotic sounding lagoons at Musselburgh
    Looks like still on going but considerable section seems open but not quite to the Pans yet
    Sea views not so accessible ( well not for a very laid back gent) but great improvement and nice distance now from the obsessed twitchers who don’t seem to notice anything that isn’t flapping wings

    Posted 1 year ago #
  18. gembo
    Member

    Lovely tarmac from a70 Tarbrax turn down to auchengray

    Not all new but a fair bit of it

    Posted 1 year ago #
  19. paddyirish
    Member

    Used the Aberdour- Braefoot section today, and what a difference! They still need to sort the Braefoot-Dalgety Bay section though- that is really bad, especially at the Braefoot end

    Posted 1 year ago #
  20. cb
    Member

    Wee lane next to the Morningside Waitrose has been resurfaced at the north end removing the dangerous step between it and the Waitrose goods entrance.

    Makes a big difference.

    Posted 10 months ago #
  21. chdot
    Admin

    Posted 10 months ago #
  22. Yodhrin
    Member

    Rode down the finished part of Canonmills today, oh it is lovely. Going down the hill to the lights there was a proper boneshaker ride previously, I hope they go as far along at the bottom as the bus stop opposite the pub there that's also pretty hellish.

    Posted 10 months ago #
  23. chdot
    Admin

  24. chdot
    Admin

    Ullapool Harbour Trust confirmed that disruptive works to widen the village’s Shore Street and install a paved promenade “are all but complete”.

    The road, pavement and cycleway have been resurfaced and fresh road markings applied on the street, leaving just lighting, signposts and railings to be installed.

    https://archive.is/5hzpx

    Posted 9 months ago #
  25. neddie
    Member

    Interesting that they've only bollarded-off the pavement, leaving the cycleway wide open to be parked on

    Posted 9 months ago #
  26. chdot
    Admin

    Report to next week's @Edinburgh_CC Transport and Environment Committee says work on the Lothian Road Boulevard project not set to begin until summer 2028

    https://twitter.com/donturvldr/status/1690037196772810752?

    Posted 8 months ago #
  27. Yodhrin
    Member

    They could have widened pavements, cycle lanes, pseudo-CYCLOPS at both ends, safer junction phasing for peds etc done under an ETRO next year for a tiny fraction of the "boulevard" cost using temp materials, then work up the road making sections fancy-lookin' and permanent over time and be *finished* by 2028, but nooooooooo This Is Edinburgh, we can't have anything unless it's a ridiculous vanity project that meets the approval of the Cockburn and the Morningside Set.

    Posted 8 months ago #
  28. Morningsider
    Member

    @Yodhrin - couldn't agree more. The Council could convert the inside southbound lane to a two-way cycle track that runs the entire length of Lothian Road and Earl Grey Street. It could even be extended along Brougham Place to meet the Meadows paths.

    Perhaps not perfect, but could be done in a matter of days without any significant changes to the road layout or traffic lights. There you go - cycle lane delivered five years early for around 1% of the cost of the "boulevard".

    Posted 8 months ago #
  29. Arellcat
    Moderator

    CEC could make the changes in a matter of days. Just form a skeleton construction company, submit some plans to build student flats, cordon off a strip of road for construction vehicles parking and...just leave it like that.

    Posted 8 months ago #
  30. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    :) I think I know where you’re talking about Arellcat

    They must be the bestest student flats in the world by now!

    Posted 8 months ago #

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