CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Alasdair Smart: Paths for all walkers and cyclists
"Combining safe inner-city travel with the fantastic environment of the waterway, the towpaths of the Union Canal are more popular than ever and increasing numbers of walkers, cyclists and runners taking to the routes.
However, with a threefold increase in the amount of people using the routes in recent years, everyone – whether they take to the paths by boot or bike – has to be considerate of other users and share the space..."
IMO, some cyclists need to get a grip when they're using the canal path. I've seen some really irresponsible cycling on it.
(As well as, of course, lots of very considerate cycling.)
@gibbo
You are correct. I caught myself using my bell 999 style rather than highway code style the other day. On a nice day it's very easy to work up a little more speed on the way to work than is advisable. I'm always much more relaxed on the way home...
@gibbo I've seen a recent trend for men on the towpath who are dressed and equipped inappropriately: basically they are dressed like roadies and riding road bikes at road bike speed. They do make me want to say "If you're going to dress like that and ride one of those like that, then please go and do it on the road where you seem to want to belong".
...oh yes, and there are now lots of signs up on the towpath telling cyclists to 'drop your pace and share the space'. Fair enough.
I await the dog owners' one 'keep your dog on a short lead near cyclists and children and clean up behind it'
Threefold increase is quite impressive. I doubt it's because three times more people have bought dogs...
The reality is that a lot of canal traffic is displaced from the hostile road environment and I doubt there is much buy-in to a happy "birds singing, let's all share" mentality when people basically just want to get from A to B as safely and conveniently as possible.
Doesn't mean they shouldn't try, of course, but I really think they need to apply the same solution that was used to stop motorists speeding, using their mobiles and generally causing an unfriendly environment away from the canals.
@greenroofer
I think I know the very chap. There is no, repeat no, reason to ever be down on your tri-bars on a towpath.
He's better watch out for the Polish pike-fishing gear that now festoons the canal after work...
Meanwhile, in Southern Englandshire;
I've seen a recent trend for men on the towpath who are dressed and equipped inappropriately
Could we come up with a list of bike models and brands of clothes etc. that are appropriate?
they need to apply the same solution that was used to stop motorists speeding, using their mobiles and generally causing an unfriendly environment
And what 'solution' was that? Cos I haven't seen any evidence of it.
Do people think the traffic is getting busier beyond the aqueduct heading west? I think there are more people using it to go to Heriot watt. However, the number of other users of the towpath is far lower beyond the aqueduct. Thus less conflict but also I imagine a need to alter behaviour as a cyclist with the aqueduct as a handy reminder to calm the beans.
"the aqueduct as a handy reminder to calm the beans"
Just so. Controversial theory; The aqueduct represents the Western boundary of bien pensant Edinburgh. From there to the Heriot Watt/RBS turn-off the bulk of utility cyclists are crossing a region of working class housing from which few bicycles emerge.
I've always thought that the Copenhagenization of Edinburgh depends critically on getting all income groups to cycle, not just the middle and upper classes. Few people emerge from the ex-council estate where I live on a bike in the morning.
I'm a glass half empty sort of fellow. A 3x increase in people using the canals seems like a dreadful sign of safe road failure to me.
The actual water, the thing the canal was built for, also busier with canal boats, rowers, canoeists, single paddle canoeists and more. Beyond aqueduct though you only sometimes see a boat.
Fewer walkers and runners and dog walkers too. The lights going to the next aqueduct, the Scott Russell one over the bypass may make a difference.
The real shared use is eastern end of slateford aqueduct to Lochrin basin. Before this and ust at the Burke and Hare (both had same first name) statue to navigators you can take a little path down in summer and connect to longstone park and then the road if you are having to beat a PB on every commute. Canal authorities should flag this up, gets damp in autumn winter but there is the more windy Tarmac route at the bridge over the A70. Signpost could say Pootlers straight ahead, those not prepared to share, going down the dip with me ( as the great roddy frame once sang)
@Dave
Here's my starter for 10 :-)
Appropriate bike brands:
Pashley (most models, but no speeding on a Guvnor)
Pendleton
Workcycles
Christiania
Circe (provided one passenger under 12)
Islabikes (provided rider aged under 18)
Bobbin
Shand (because I want one and ride on the canal)
Inappropriate bike brands
Colnago
Bianchi
Genesis
Cinelli
ICE (may need a second opinion from LBB on this one)
Felt
Jury's out on...
Boardman
Trek (some models)
Appropriate clothing brands
Barbour
Hunter
George
F2F
Brompton
Altura (some)
Endura (some)
Ron Hill
Tu
Boden
Inappropriate clothing brands
Castelli
Rapha
Assos
Gore (some)
Check out figure 1.11 http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/strategy-and-research/publications-and-consultations/j185500-06.htm#tactilesurfacing
There's supposed to be a balustrade under the bridge! Would be such an improvement on some of the really narrow spots.
"There's supposed to be a balustrade under the bridge!"
Ancient monument...
Brompton clothing? You mean Brompton bike, I assume...
Brooks do clothes, price of jacket now only €1000
Also doing a pannier with ortlieb fixings for €120, or two for €240
"Also doing a pannier with ortlieb fixings for €120, or two for €240"
Was in BikeTrax yesterday - impressive range of 'luggage' and a £1600 Brompton!
I've seen a recent trend for men on the towpath who are dressed and equipped inappropriately
Inappropriate clothing for cycling on the canal path:
Papal mitre
Skintight silver suits from 'Hole in the Wall'
Welding mask
Anything from a Village People video
Dress uniform of the 3rd Peshawar Lancers
Obviously need some signboards with all these examples illustrated.
Then some style vigilantes patrolling on roadsters.
@fimm No - Brompton do(did?) a jacket: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/brompton/oratory-jacket-ec031875
Clearly, Brompton bikes should go in the 'appropriate' category, because I ride one on the towpath sometimes.
[Edit - I see gembo beat me to it about the clothes bit]
Appropriate clothing for cycling on the canal;
That dress out of Kylie's Can't Get You Out of My Mind video
Full-body sniper's rag suit (chain guard recommended)
Kiwi feather rain cape
Chain mail fundoshi (waxing recommended)
I believe CCE is the bike forum with the highest level of irony.
Road cc commentariat do the punning thing we sometimes lapse into but they go more for brutal sarcasm than gentle irony.
The problem with gentle irony is of course that it is sometimes missed.
Appropriate clothing -
Anything/sometimes everything you feel comfy in regardless of branding, quality, colour, style
- based on what i have witnessed personally of course..
mannequin suit - for summer only,
kilt,
wetsuit (just in case),
Inappropriate clothing -
Mankini,
wet look posing pouch,
leather gimp suit,
Hazmat suit,
Astronaut outfit,
Full dinner suit with bow tie
Regards
The Radgeworks
I understand cross country skiing really took off in Italy with the advent of skintight lycra bodysuits. Those Italian Stallions could now impress their public even more.
Seems obvious that to grow cycling in Scotland we simply have to promote aerodynamic skinsuits to the masses. I'll certainly be wearing mine to POP3!
There is an interesting undertone to our japes.. if even cyclists think other cyclists shouldn't do X based on our opinion of their clothes or riding style, how can we be surprised when frothing motorists give the same attitude?
Is "I didn't like his attitude on the towpath" the new "why is that cyclist not riding in the gutter"?
Presumably it would be the height of arrogance to assume that just because we are also on bikes we can somehow assess other people's cycling (but motorists can't).
Perhaps we can make some special pleading?
"Perhaps we can make some special pleading?"
Special pedaling maybe.
Oh, and you're totally right. If it's not dangerous, it's not my business. Much as I'd like to harangue those who hang bags of shopping from their handlebars, it's just not my business. Standard practice the world over.
"...based on our opinion of their clothes or riding style..."
Quite different things, though, aren't they? Unless someone's wearing something which occludes their ears or dangles temptingly close to their front wheel or obstructs their vision or hampers their ability to move to the extent of increasing the danger they represent to other path users or extends so far beyond the body of the wearer that it is likely to strangle someone passing in the opposite direction or slap them in the eyeballs, clothing is unlikely to impinge upon other path users in quite the same way as a dangerous* or numptyish riding style.
*interpret how you wish - I prefer the "poses a danger" definition in this instance.
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts