CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Howe Street / Circus Place

(2 posts)
  • Started 10 years ago by PS
  • Latest reply from Colonies_Chris

  1. PS
    Member

    Just a quick heads up to warn anyone thinking about cycling down these two roads: I suggest you think again unless you're on a full sus MTB - the surface is absolutely awful.

    I was heading down to Stockbridge after POP and this was the most direct route. I knew that the cobbles on Howe Street were pretty uneven, but I figured they were do-able on my hybrid. They were, just about, but Circus Place is an absolute nightmare of displaced cobbles at irregular angles, dips and holes. At one point my handlebars were shaking so much that my hand engaged the brake quite hard completely unintentionally.

    The situation of trying to roll down there under control was obviously not helped by a taxi two behind me sounding his horn, presumably to "encourage" the driver directly behind me (who seemed to be kindly keeping his distance) to overtake. Naturally, once he did he and the taxi were promptly held up at a pinch point and I sailed past...

    I'll report to Clarence but just thought I'd put this out there.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. Colonies_Chris
    Member

    I travel that way regularly, and yes, it's a horror. The problems start with the left turn from Howe St, where the camber and the orientation of the cobbles conspire to destabilise you and force you out from the kerb, right at a narrow point where cars are also turning beside you and are hemmed in by the pedestrian island. Then, surprisingly, there's a section where the cobbles are in good condition, about as much a pleasure to ride on as cobbles can be. Then it all falls apart. The cobbles are a mess, there isn't enough space to the right of the parked cars to roll down without risking hitting the line of cobbles that separates the two lanes, and then there are almost always parked cars outside the baked potato shop & floatarium, so you have to move out to the right, into the downhill traffic. Then after passing the parked cars, you judge your moment to move back in to the left - too soon and you're going to hit a couple of uneven drain covers, too late and you risk surprising a motorist behind who's decided that you're intending to turn right and tucked in left already to get past you. After that, gliding over the tarmac surface across the bridge gives me a tremendous sense of achievement and relief, like reaching the end of a black run - but I'd be willing to trade that in for a better surface.

    BTW, an alternative route, avoiding some of the problems and most of the traffic, is via Heriot Row, India St, Circus Gdns, Royal Circus. If you're confident of your stability on steep downhill cobbles, you can go from India St to Gloucester Place and down Gloucester St, avoiding it all. Not my preference though, too slippy on a wet day.

    Posted 10 years ago #

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