Over the last week or so I've noticed that the volume of traffic on this stretch of road has massively increased. Even on a bike I am unable to make any headway due to the number of buses and cars that are using this stretch of road. Anyone else noticed this, any chance the council has?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
St Johns Road to Drumbrae
(39 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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Bottom of Clermiston Road is closed off currently at St. John's Road. Diverting flow?
Posted 10 years ago # -
Don't know if that's the case or not. They have left the lights in operation there however
Posted 10 years ago # -
paul.mag: Have to be honest, I'm find it difficult to distinguish between the usual "really busy" and the current "really really busy" on St John's Road!
On a related note - Do you think that we'll ever get a proper pedestrian crossing across Clermiston Road? I still find it bizarre that there isn't one.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"Do you think that we'll ever get a proper pedestrian crossing across Clermiston Road? I still find it bizarre that there isn't one."
chap who lives near there (@trapprain on twitter) has been pursuing this through detailed correspondence with council and MP. short answer appears to be no. maybe worth asking him to blog about it?
Posted 10 years ago # -
here's the letter he had from council:
and here's the one from MP
Posted 10 years ago # -
Thanks for that SRD.
I'm staggered that it would cost £100k+ to replace one set of existing traffic lights, especially as the road has been closed for works for the last month.
I'm not a road traffic engineer - could someone explain please?
Posted 10 years ago # -
So the only way to do this would be to remove the existing crossing near the top of station road? The one used to get to the bus stop and post office by all those coming up from Carrick Knowe; on that basis, leave it as it is.
Posted 10 years ago # -
@mgj - I read that as, they would need to move the lights at Station Road into the main part of the junction rather removing them completely.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I don't know the location at all well, but surely if we took pedestrian access/safety seriously, we could find a way to accomplish both?
Posted 10 years ago # -
There is currently a pedestrian crossing about 15m to the East of the main junction going across the A8.
The timing for it are linked to the junction lights, so when it is Red for the A8 (at both the junction and the pedestrian crossing), Clermiston Rd has a green, but the traffic heading East can only turn the corner before stopping at the pedestrian crossing.
I guess the thinking is that this is more efficient for the god of traffic flow, as when the A8 is stopped both Clermiston Rd & pedestrians get to go.
At the moment there is no phase in the sequence when no vehicles have a green light to go up or down Clermiston rd. To cross, you have to either go in the short gaps while one goes red before another goes green, or rely on the fact not too many cars heading East turn up Clermiston. Fairly straightforward up for a healthy adult, but not pleasant or safe if you have limited mobility or juggling toddlers / pushing a pram etc.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I grew up in Corstorphine, and the situation Hankchief describes of trying to cross Clermiston Road is the same as it was back in 1989. Clearly Corstorphine hasn't been allowed to "move on" from 80s traffic planning.
They did give the community council a pile of money a few years back but they spent it on ornamental pavements, flower planters and cast iron fingerpost signs.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Corstorphine has more ornamental street clutter and planters than most of the rest of the City put together! That's why they have poor critical infrastructure. Sadly StJohn's Road is an arterial road, but the locals want it as their 'village square' to play boules in and smoke Gauloises. I suggest making StJohn's Road 'bus, taxi, cycle only' route. I await the CC's vote for it, but won't be holding my breath!
Posted 10 years ago # -
I suggest making StJohn's Road 'bus, taxi, cycle only' route
And push the cars where? The rat runs are already quite heavily laden with people trying to skip that junction (before the roadworks).
Posted 10 years ago # -
I live on St John's Road and accept that it is an arterial road, although there does come a point where it has to acknowledged that it has reached capacity.
I'd also like some acknowledgement from the Council that pedestrians and cyclists exist (eg Clermiston Road crossing) and that the part of the road that we are discussing could be made safer and more pleasant.
Posted 10 years ago # -
And push the cars where?
Preferabbly into a big hole with steep sides!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Park and ride. That's exactly what it us for. Take your pick - tram or bus.
Good comparator would be headington rd in oxford - hospitals, schools, local shops plus main link to heathrow and London. Good park and ride makes it still function.
Posted 10 years ago # -
The road is pretty much at capacity already. But as Kenny says there isn't an obvious place to divert the traffic too. I wonder if it would be feasible to alter the lights so that more traffic is held at either end and the section through the middle can then be kept free flowing. that way bus/cycle lanes will be more effective as the waiting will be conducted on wider stretches where pollution isn't such an issue.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Could always just make the inside lanes bus,taxi, cycle only for the whole stretch in both directions and then actually police it properly at peak times. Have often wondered why the police don't set up shop at locations like this and Gogar roundabout, they'd either make a fortune in fines or the roads would become the safest ever.
Posted 10 years ago # -
There isn't enough road make bus lanes. At the moment the road is only one lane either way and short of narrowing the pavements even further that's all they can fit.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"At the moment the road is only one lane either way and short of narrowing the pavements even further that's all they can fit."
I don't recall it being that narrow. Presume you are not factoring in parking?
Posted 10 years ago # -
It probably needs more imaginative management that CEC are willing to enforce.
Bus priority lights at Drum Brae and further down east bound so the traffic can be held up on the wide stretches and allow buses, bikes and taxi's through the narrow bits would be a start. A system to limit the volume of traffic at the pinch points and stop it so its not waiting in the narrow sections and closing rat runs completely with bollards not just speed bumps.
Posted 10 years ago # -
@acsimpson:
That section is pretty much wide enough for two lanes. It's the parking that causes the problems there.
Posted 10 years ago # -
@acsimpson - think your pic shows my point. Room for 4 lanes of traffic there. Hardly narrow.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Even removing the parking, which is off-peak only, there still isn't enough room for the volume of traffic. Once the buses start playing leap frog things start to fall apart.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"think your pic shows my point. Room for 4 lanes of traffic there. Hardly narrow."
I would disagree. The total street width here is wide but you can see the point ahead where the pavement is constricted so the carriageway width can't realistically be increased. The Bus in the picture is just over 2.4m wide. Which makes the road no more than 10m wide. The minimum recommended for a bus lane is 3m which would only leave 4m for the other two lanes. The cars are already struggling to pass the stationary bus and were a wider vehicle such as an HGV to approach there would be no way it could pass the bus on it's own side of the road. 5m is also approximately the width Sustrans think is required for a bus/HGV to be able to pass a cyclist at 30mph.
I wonder if it would be feasible to offset the bus stops and have 3 lanes with the third lane being used to accommodate bus stops and parking on one side for a stretch and then the other.
There does however seem to be enough road to introduce cycle lanes.
Posted 10 years ago # -
thanks for the measurements/breakdowns - it's obviously more complicated than I appreciate. still more than '2 lanes' though!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Posted 10 years ago #
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Useful.
Posted 10 years ago #
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