CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

George Street Improvements

(1175 posts)

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "

    There had been concerns extended street opening would lead to drunken rowdiness on the George Street, but Police Scotland confirmed no arrests or complaints were made.

    By July, 1200 on-street interviews will have been carried out with residents, visitors, shoppers and commuters on what they would like to see happen next on the thoroughfare.

    City council bosses are now looking to extend the trial – hailed for its lively atmosphere and increased business for traders – to other central sites in summer before wider parts of the city, such as Stockbridge and Morningside, get involved by 2016.

    "

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/what-s-on/outdoor-dining-till-midnight-near-festival-venues-1-3654760

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'd love to see how they'll implement a "George Street" redesign, dining tents, "segregated cycle lane", central-parking and all on Morningside Road!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Morningsayde would never stand for that. :)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. stiltskin
    Member

    “If we are going to have a European-type friendly place, then these things need to be looked at. Extending outside hours makes a lot of sense. I can understand residents objecting but the other argument is that if you want to live in a quiet environment, there is a lot of countryside out there.”

    To be fair, someone making statements like that makes me want to punch them on the nose.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. wingpig
    Member

    Another argument is that if you want to become inebriated and shouty at three o'clock in the morning then there are a lot of disused deep mineshafts out there.

    I can't do this on my current phone but my previous one allowed the selection of any sound file as the clock alarum tone, so I could have selected the sound of a bin full of broken bottles being poured into the back of a Viridor truck to be played at five o'clock in the morning if I wished.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. Fountainbridge
    Member

    One of the longest standing bollards on George Street has finally been nocked over (at the top of Hanover street).

    150111141650IMG_0022 by fountainbridge, on Flickr

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    The bollard at the opposite end of that block is down too, neatly flattened in the middle into a sheet of metal, as if a heavy, round object rather like a vehicle tyre, has rolled across it.

    The one in the photo above has collapsed because the hasp for the lock has snapped - I assume under the pressure of oh, say, a vehicle bumper? The lock is still fastened around the staple.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Current scores;

    Edinburgh motorists 6, Cooncil bollards 2.

    All expect those on the block between Castle Street and Frederick Street have been damaged to the point of being totally removed.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. chdot
    Admin

    This was Sunday, but obviously hadn't 'just' been done -

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. fimm
    Member

    Boyfriend and I spotted an upright bollard yesterday!
    (We remarked that we have not cycled that way for a while.)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Rode down there a few hours ago and big black Merc with a grey-haired gentleman at the helm was heading westbound out of the last of the north sections. Fortunately I was in a rush, and had decided to continue my eastbound journey on the road section, otherwise we'd have been coming face to face.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I rode eastbound along George Street earlier (after inspecting Russell Road). The metal bollards are still protecting the cycle lane second block from the west but I didn't see any others.

    Then I encountered a white Toyota Prius waiting at the traffic lights to turn left into Hanover Street. The lady behind the wheel seemed completely oblivious to straddling two lanes for bicycles. I fumbled to take a photograph and she got the green light before I was ready.

    I would say that the great majority of my encounters with drivists on George St cycle lanes occurs on the easternmost block, as though they're ignoring any signage that instructs "No Right Turn" from North St David St/St Andrew Square.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. gembo
    Member

    Both missing bollards were lying on the ground when I went through on Monday lunchtime. Had pleasant birl along and thought I would wait at the bike red light, I could see from distance that it had been at red for a while. Whilst stopped, met a chap I know coming from his work on Hanover St. We had pleasant chat.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. wingpig
    Member

    Quite.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Does anyone know how many parking spaces were lost on George Street? Just saw this on the Say No FB page:

    "Meanwhile, the Council are still continuing their bizarre 'experiment' along George Street - which has reduced parking there and simultaneously increased the amount of traffic on Queen Street. Seriously, it seems that this Council's plan is to close every business in the city centre by making it impossible for anyone to go there."

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. chdot
    Admin

    "Does anyone know how many parking spaces were lost on George Street?"

    Very little in the centre.

    BUT reduced the opportunities for 'fly parking' on yellow lines.

    The main problem (as ever) is that those with access to cars seem to 'expect' more 'rights' than anyone else.

    It's not even as though the lawabidingly accept current rules and are just resisting new ones...

    Of course I have no idea whether such people are a small, medium or large proportion of car owners.

    It is certainly the case that most people don't have cars and neither do a significant proportion of households.

    There is no compulsion to drive in central edinburgh - nor a requirement that CEC should allow it.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. Fountainbridge
    Member

    Anybody know why the parking spaces were turned to about 45 degrees and spaced out more? I'd say a load of spaces were lost because of this. At the weekend most spaces seemed to be taken by cars costing £50k plus

    Posted 9 years ago #

  18. wingpig
    Member

    Turned to 45° in order to make them more accessible to stupidly-oversized cars whose drivers would sometimes only have one lane's width to use when shuffling backwards out of the space, seeing as they can no longer just go forwards out of them onto the other half of the road?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  19. dougal
    Member

    It doesn't stop them trying to go forward though. It wouldn't be the first time I came across a confused/lost driver in the cycle lanes, wondering how to get past the bollard blocking their way.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  20. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I came across a confused/lost driver in the cycle lanes, wondering how to get past the bollard blocking their way.

    I think the correct course of action here is to drive through the bollard and break it. Well, that's what they've been doing anyway.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  21. newtoit
    Member

    Was out for dinner on Friday night and came out of Browns to see a car driving forward out into the cycle lane through where the solo motorcycles spaces used to be. 2 officers in a police car were sitting observing, not even a second glance.

    Why are people so obtuse?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  22. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Today I saw my first blatant drive-through of one of the rubber armadillos. Black taxi bumped its front wheels over the armadillo as I approached, startling me into some overly dramatic avoiding action. Once I passed I looked back over my shoulder to find the taxi had completed its journey and had U-turned into the cycle lane and pulled over to pick up (or drop off?) a fare.

    Wish I had noted the number now.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  23. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Doubt anything would happen. This is the response I got about a taxi driver pulling up to drop off a fare and completely blocking my side of the cycle lane, all on video (a link to which I included in my complaint, with the taxi number).

    "I refer to the above and your email dated 28 January 2015 concerning the conduct of the driver of Taxi Plate No 727.

    I have passed your complaint to the Cab Inspector at Police Scotland and asked him to investigate and address the issue with the relevant driver. I will contact you when these enquiries are complete.

    Yours sincerely"

    That was Thursday, don't know how long enquiries take...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  24. wingpig
    Member

    I think the Cab Inspector must be quite busy at the moment, based on the delay since receiving the placeholder reply for the pushy tramline hogger than condor2378 caught on video last April.

    The past couple of times I've been along it there's been a noticeable observation of the box junction at the Hanover Street junction by motor vehicle users in the morning, who are perhaps finally working out why they were being frowned at by the cyclists they were impeding.

    One I forgot to add to the rubbish cycling was someone going the wrong way around the Frederick St roundabout - going west, so able to go straight across, they nevertheless went around the roundabout then returned to the open-to-cars lane on the south side of the next section.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  25. Fountainbridge
    Member

    George Street was actually busy with cyclists today. Counted 4 at the same time.

    Then this car turned in
    150203155401IMG_0241 by fountainbridge, on Flickr

    I've not heard of anything happening with the bollards since the end of the second generation were destroyed. Anything going to happen?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  26. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I was able to use George Street twice today, once on business and once on my commute home. I was relieved that there weren't any drivists using it; I perhaps thought I fancied myself as a contender in the World Stare Out Championship:

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Flash Videos

    but frankly was happier not to have to bother.

    But I do wonder if the George Street cycle lanes look too similar to Rose Street, and the lanes thereof, which are effectively access lanes rather than bona fide thoroughfares, and drivists simply 'don't know' that GS is not that sort of thoroughfare.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  27. chdot
    Admin

    Yesterday

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. Edinburgh Cycle Training
    Member

    Came face to face with two motorists on the fred-han stretch tonight.

    The first driver got out his car and threatened to punch me, the second drove straight at me for half the length of the block, only swerving out my way at the last second!

    Bollards at both ends missing.

    Be interesting to hear from any legal eagles how the council might fair if there was an injury, having pretty much failed in their duty of care to keep this as a "safe" cycle lane!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  29. dougal
    Member

    Travelling west on George Street this evening, waiting at the cycle traffic lights. A white car travelling along Frederick Street towards Princes Street went all the way round the statue/roundabout 1.5 times, nearly ploughed into the side of a car, then exited not in the direction originally intended. I laughed at this but when the lights turned to green I didn't laugh so hard at the bus which parked half-on/half-off the roundabout and covering the yellow hatched box.

    George Street is a total clusterfruitcake.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  30. gembo
    Member

    Watched large Range Rover drive along the East section which is clearly painted as cycle way but the driver needed to ignore this to get parked. More bollards. And indeed I think the picture CHdot posted above is more bollards.

    Obvioulsy to be knocked like a skittle .

    They should install cameras and fine motorists for ignoring the bollards.

    I hope the experiment is a success and I for one welcome this initiative despite all the moaning the headline should be Edinburgh as good at pedestrian zones as Glasgow.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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