CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Russell Rd resurfacing and effect on cycling

(14 posts)

  1. Focus
    Member

    Anyone know what is going on here? (Right-click, 'view image' for full pictures).

    What was once a dropped kerb joining the road with the shared use path is now a raised kerb! Are they planning on diverting bikes up Sauchiebank Rd to u-turn back to the junction with Russell Rd? Maybe someone thinks that is safer, but it then means doing a u-turn on a road which the odd vehicle which uses it turns onto pretty fast in my experience.

    Or maybe this is the start of a new cycle flyover which will link the NEPN directly with Dundee Street, thus bypassing Russell Rd and Dalry Rd! Yes, I'm sure that's what it is ;-)

    Anyone on Twitter care to enquire with the relevant people please?

    It also strikes me as interesting that they decide to resurface a notorious rat run (thus increasing the risk to cyclists if anything) when there are other roads in more dire need of attention. Yes, it is a bit rough in places, but far from the worst.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. Arellcat
    Moderator

    What was once a dropped kerb joining the road with the shared use path is now a raised kerb!

    CEC recently did this at the junction of Slateford Road and Allan Park Road, and again at the junction of Slateford Road and the lane to Slateford Station, which immediately made that piece of rarely-patronised footway off-limits, thereby preventing all sensible and (moderately) safe, if illegal, access to the canal—and Colinton Road—for cyclists, especially those who baulk at climbing Craiglockhart Avenue with cars breathing down their necks.

    I spent ages composing a Tweet, then a letter, and eventually decided there was no point.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. Focus
    Member

    I'm just failing to see at this stage why they'd put a raised kerb at the beginning/end of a shared use path. It's obviously a very deliberate move. I can't imagine they are extending the shared use to the rest of Russell Rd as - despite it being almost entirely free of peds most of the time - it is narrower and would in any case either have you cycling past the houses in (also narrow) Murieston Cres (undesirable) or punting you out onto the road before the West Approach Road bridge (dangerous).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. Dave
    Member

    FFS - I actually bothered to send LAHinds and AndrewDBurns an angry tweet about this. You *can* go down under the bridge and use the drop kerb where the road bends sharply to the left, but this means putting yourself in front of the rat-runners and holding them up, while oncoming traffic is cutting the corner towards you.

    Pathetic. I bet this came out of the cycling budget too, right? Is there a concerted campaign to use this money to make a mess of existing facilities (Craigleith, Barnton, and now this?)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. Dave
    Member

    Ironically, there was a good bout of road rage this morning after this lack of kerb caused confusion amongst the 3-4 riders in front of me.

    I let two people move out to turn right, then of course they were hit by a moment of indecision when they realised the drop kerb had disappeared. I carried straight on with the driver behind leaning on his horn.

    The two of us who were using the drop kerb immediately beside the zig-zag exchanged wisdom at the driver's expense.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. Min
    Member

    Dave You *can* go down under the bridge and use the drop kerb where the road bends sharply to the left, but this means putting yourself in front of the rat-runners and holding them up, while oncoming traffic is cutting the corner towards you.

    I have only ever done this once. Didn't do it again.

    Focus Are they planning ..

    You think they have actually planned anything? Bless!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. Focus
    Member

    @ Min

    Moment of weakness on my part!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. chdot
    Admin

    Time this road was shut again!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. Min
    Member

    Focus Moment of weakness on my part!

    A lie down in a darkened room might help. For me I mean! My cynics h*lm*t seems to be jammed on too tight..

    Chdot Time this road was shut again!

    It is quite a horrible road altogether. It was great when it was closed due to tr*ms.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    "It was great when it was closed due to tr*ms."

    Ah nostalgia.

    And yet another example of CEC not planning an 'integrated' transport system - see

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=8710&page=36#post-157968

    And another tr*m non-legacy.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. DaveC
    Member

    Just sent an email explaining my understanding of this to Lesley H. Hope she can get to the bottom of this.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    "Hope she can get to the bottom of this."

    She is well aware of all the stuff like this, but there seems to be a level of organisation at CEC that is immune to 'interference' by politicians.

    I'm sure it wasn't like that in D. Begg's day.

    (Well I'm not actually sure - but he did make promises in public that upset officials - but he tended to get what he wanted.)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. cb
    Member

    Went this way today. The work is finished. It is still a dropped kerb, just not quite as dropped as it could be (or was?)

    The side road has been resurfaced for the first 10 metres or so.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Paul (@fountainbridge)
    01/07/2014 18:16
    @AndrewDBurns @CyclingEdin @SRDorman @david_mccraw @LAHinds Photos of new (narrower ?) dropped kerb on Russel Road.

    http://pic.twitter.com/YIhT8A52kn

    "

    Posted 9 years ago #

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