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Today's Rubbish Parking...

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  1. fimm
    Member

    The one on the WAR just after Lothian Road is mandatory I think?
    Yes (just checked Google maps/streetview).
    "mandatory" means that cars MUST NOT use it. It does not mean that cyclists must use it!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  2. Rob
    Member

    Newhaven Place is the only one I know. As you can see from the link, they're not entirely effective.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  3. wingpig
    Member

    There's a wee bit of mandatory lane on Newcraighall Road. The temptation to park in it is possibly ameliorated by it being over the slip lane to the A1.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  4. urchaidh
    Member

    You can check out the status of parking restriction, cycles lanes and all sorts of other 'interesting stuff' on the Council GIS/atlas.

    Here's the mandatory lane on Newcraighall Road Winpig mentioned.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  5. Rob
    Member

    "There's a wee bit of mandatory lane on Newcraighall Road."

    I hadn't noticed that was mandatory the many times I've marvelled at it. It's one from the "we have some red paint left" approach to cycling infrastructure.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  6. wingpig
    Member

    Possibly more parking than driving: on Thursday or Friday afternoon last week I went through Bothwell Street to Crawford Bridge and went past what appeared to be someone returning to their car (right in the middle of the road between the two sets of parked-at-an-angle vehicles) after leaving a note under the wiper of the expensive-looking (and long and rearwardly-protruding) car beside them whose rear light cluster was looking freshly-smashed.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  7. nobrakes
    Member

    @wingpig reminds me of a time a few years ago in Melrose, somebody parked their gigantic Audi SUV in the middle of the road right outside the ice cream shop and went in, joined the queue and bought ice creams. It's a narrow road and one way. In the meantime a decent queue of traffic built up as you would imagine. At the front was a bus who was tooting angrily, as you can also imagine. When the driver finally got her ice creams and was heading out, she finally realised the carnage that was ensuing. Noticing the bus driver honking right behind her car, she turned to me (waiting in queue with daughter for ice cream as well) and said something along the lines of 'well, that'll teach him for not being on time with his bus every day', and then casually got into her car and drove off.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  8. Frenchy
    Member

    Blimey. I thought British people were supposed to understand irony.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  9. Rob
    Member

    Anyone know how sensitive loop detectors like this one are? Will the diagonal bit heading towards the kerb trigger the lights to change?

    I noticed a car parked over it tonight (further from the kerb than this one), seemingly causing the lights to cycle while noone else had driven over it.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  10. acsimpson
    Member

    The sensors will pick up bikes so if the diagonal bit is in place to detect bikes then it could definitely pick up a parked car.

    I don't know if the light are clever enough to sense that a car hasn't moved for a while. I assume they have to change for anything as a vehicle which stalled and missed the lights still needs catered for.

    I think your theory sounds entirely plausible.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  11. urchaidh
    Member

    As I was reading this I was thinking of Seafeild Street. We've discussed the weird behaviour of these lights a few times at work.

    As I understand it, the detection area is limited to the loop - a loop is required to project the magnetic field 'up' from the road, so as the car/bike can be detected by it. The wires leading to/from the loop are twisted together to suppress generation of any field so shouldn't detect anything.

    Was there a bus parked up waiting to restart its route? Some (many, all?) LRT busses have transmitters which announce them to lights and we wondered if that's what causes random changes.

    Of course this will be moot once the all the new houses are occupied as I suspect there will a lot more 'real' traffic on that street.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  12. Rob
    Member

    Interesting. I don't recall if there was a bus at the time but I'd theorized the diagonal bit was intentionally there to detect bikes using the feeder lane.

    The lights changed this morning for no obvious reason - there was a bus passing on the main road and a car parked at the sensor so it could've been either.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  13. Snowy
    Member

    I was reading about this a while back because we've got 2 barriers at work controlled by induction loops and I wondered how best to approach them.

    The bits of a detection loop that you should aim for on a bike are the lines parallel to the kerb, i.e. in the direction of travel; not the ones across the way. Apparently bike wheels are excellent at being picked up by induction loops if they are within a few inches of the line.

    The diagonal bit is not part of the induction loop and is highly unlikely to detect you because it'll just be a single strand of wire leading back to the control circuit.

    Apparently aluminium and steel rims are fine but if you're on carbon rims then you could be there for some time ;-)

    Posted 7 years ago #
  14. HankChief
    Member

    @snowy we have induction loops at my work on the gradual uphill exit from the basement.

    I'm so used to always activating it that I keep my momentum going as I know the barrier will lift. I'm not sure it will end well if it ever malfunctions and doesn't lift.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  15. biketrain
    Member

    Red Astra that blocked my car in earlier in East Calder. Driverist later explained that he was visiting his mother and could not find anywhere else to park. Maybe he was shortsighted as I could see plenty of spaces within a few car lengths.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  16. gibbo
    Member

    White van double parked in Valleyfield St. Not a big deal, given it's one-way, but the driver opening his door as I was passing on the right was a problem.

    Fortunately, I was aware enough to hit the brakes and swerve out the way of the door. But it was a close call.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  17. urchaidh
    Member

    Every now and again, I like to have a wee moan on twitter about the free for all parking on Seafield Street.

    This morning, CEC responded:
    Hi. There have been 5 visits this month and two tickets issued. Due to the location of the area, we tend to have a more reactive presence. Will request additional visits from our enforcement contractor. Thanks, ^La.

    I appreciate the response, but I can't quite understand how they only manage two tickets from five visits when every time I pass there must be at least half a dozen illegally parked cars.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  18. algo
    Member

    Really tricky turning right when people park like this:

    Posted 7 years ago #
  19. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    The council's tendency to site opaque van-sized communal bins right before junction DYLs doesn't help either - this happens all over the city. At least that one's inset to the pavement, but most aren't (& are as far from the kerb as that car!)

    Posted 7 years ago #
  20. piosad
    Member

    Empty G4S van blinking away in at the east end of Princes Street outside Barclays, i.e. exactly at the point where traffic from Princes Street and Waverley Bridge merges together and changes lanes before the lights at the North Bridge junction. Followed by at least seven (I counted) vans and cars all blinking and 'loading' in the stretch between the Tron and Nicolson Square. Probably none of that is illegal (past 10am) but obviously it's the cyclists causing all the congestion, am I right?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  21. Stickman
    Member

    If stopping in an ASZ is illegal then what about parking in one? A white van was parked in the one on Haymarket Terrace at Haymarket Yards this morning.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  22. jonty
    Member

    Crossing an ASL when the light is red is the only illegal act, so unfortunately it's fine (if frowned upon by the highway code) if there's no other restrictions.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  23. algo
    Member

    This time I had a buggy rather than a bike, and a child with scooter, and this was horrible to try and squeeze past:

    J&E MaGregor plumbing and heating services. It doesn't surprise me - all the trades know they just need to park on the pavement and they are untouchable. I had the usual runaround with CEC and police both abdicating responsibility and passing it between eachother. Thanks to kaputnik for wading in too on twitter...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  24. kaputnik
    Moderator

    The chump who has been leaving their dark-coloured Range Rover (or equivalent) at the end of the cycle lane on South Gyle Crescent where it links the Crescent proper and Redheughs Avenue from the Broadway roundabout.

    Since this unmentionable started this practice, this stretch of South Gyle Crescent (a 50m section between sets of double yellows, between 2 roundabouts and with a very red and very obvious cycle lane for most its length) has turned into defacto overspill parking for South Gyle workers. And despite it being antisocial and a dangerous place to park (it forces cyclists exiting the roundabout to make a lane change into much faster traffic and it causes buses and lorries coming off the roundabout into the middle of the road) none of these persons was breaking any sort of rule or regulation.

    I reported it to the council yonks back as it looked like a mistake that this was the only section of the roundabout slip roads without double yellows but nothing happened.

    Was pleased to see today that cones were out prohibiting parking for temporary works as I think they mean that they'll be along to paint the missing lines in soon.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  25. gembo
    Member

    @kaputnik, good news. Perhaps we could petition Scottish canals about the car sized space at leamington lift bridge that is beyond the double yellows but before the fence. There is always a car parked there and increasingly vans parked on the strip of mud that runs parallel to the towpath towards the next bridge.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  26. urchaidh
    Member

    Meanwhile, in Livingston...

    FB Link - the comments are both hilarious and depressing.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  27. chdot
    Admin

    So Police can/DO act!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  28. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Yes but the police wouldn't act on DYL parking in Edinburgh as that's a CEC responsibility, so both parties can conveniently pass the buck to the other.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  29. jonty
    Member

    What do you think was the tipping point - blocking the roundabout or blocking the pavement?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  30. chdot
    Admin

    I know most people would probably not leave a bike at this (and other) stations, but is there any cycle parking and is it used?

    Posted 7 years ago #

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