CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Full of good stuff as usual.
"Spokesworker 8 September 2010 [pdf 391k] : Cycleroute closure at Roseburn : government considers road tolls & massive cycling boost : money for local bike projects : North Berwick rail bike carriage : planning application problems : dates : more …"
http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/spwkr10.09.08.pdf
If Russell Rd is to remain open, and the Roseburn path also, why on earth can't they just put in some steps from the path to the road, beside the construction work?
Sure, it's not DDA compliant, but it would be better than riding nine sides of a decagon to get around the closure for those who are able-bodied.
(i.e. here, in a straight line down) .
Only in Edinburgh, eh!
"why on earth can't they just put in some steps from the path to the road"
I think the simple answer is that the slope is too steep to contemplate straight steps.
Though obviously a zig-zag would be a possibility. This would cost money...
It will be interesting to see how robust the fencing will be to prevent the most athletic/determined creating a new 'desire' line.
I think the simple answer is that the slope is too steep to contemplate straight steps.
Didnae stop them putting in a BMX dirt-jump of an access slope to the Balgreen / Pinkhill / Corstorphine railway path behind the old Jenner Repository. That and a daft wee access lane that isn't sufficiently wide to allow 2 bikes to pass. All in the name of a massive access road for the tram works. I'm sure they could have spared another metre of ground for the path.
World class cycling city...
Every day as I cruise past cyclists thrashing along on their bouncy buckaroo suspension and fat, knobbly tyres, I wonder why. It's because I forget that as soon as you leave the roads (which I rarely do), it's an urban assault course out there.
Chdot, the jaunty angle on your photo makes the Jenners repository look like its about to fall down. :D
Actually you could easily ride a MTB down from the path (and push one up) if somebody first strimmed the bushes - and there wasn't a fence.
At Glentress or Innerleithen such a slope would not raise any eyebrows.
Anybody for a voluntary workgroup? I don't think it's even illegal to ride on the grass, since it's not parallel with a road (or in Edinburgh, the site of an existing path) it should be covered by the Land Reform Act.
(edit - the obvious flaw in this plan is that they will likely commandeer the Russell Rd entrance for site traffic and block it off).
"the jaunty angle on your photo makes the Jenners repository look like its about to fall down"
Was just matching the fence...
"
Be assured that we will be looking into the aspects of the concerns of cyclists with a view to trying our best to resolve any difficulties.
we will be talking to other people internally and in the City Council as an assessment.
Cheers
Mike
Mike Connelly
Head of Public Affairs
tie limited
"
He's sent you some words, but I don't actually understand what they mean!
I read
"We're not actually going to do any thing but talk to other people so it looks like we're not the problem"
I read "we're going to talk to ourselves and some friends who'll tell us what we want to hear so we can then tell you we've asked and there's no problem."
"...cyclists thrashing along on their bouncy buckaroo suspension and fat, knobbly tyres..."
That'll be me this morning then as my road bike is in the workshop and I managed to break my hybrids chain late last night :-/
(today wasting a good set of mud tyres commuting on the road :-( )
FFS WTF? I thought they were putting an alternative Russell Road ramp in for the cyclists before they closed the old ramp off. That's my daily homeward journey route dammit.
So if I want to get involved I am supposed to email Alf Orriell in Edinburgh Trams Customer Services?
They have customer services already? But they don't have any CUSTOMERS!
What good would that do?
I am not looking forward to the day they close the entire route down and start digging it up to put trams down there in 5 - 10 years time
start digging it up to put trams down there in 5 - 10 years time
They're going to have to bury them somewhere when they finally arrive and it's realised that they won't go round the corners or fit under the wires* or whatever
* = wires? what wires? according to most of the artists' impressions they don't need a catenary at all - or wheels as a matter of fact. They float 3 inches above the ground, powered by the hot air generated about them on the EEN message board
The only good thing about the loss of the Roseburn path is that it will be a building site for so long that by the time it's available as a transport corridor again everyone will have forgotten how good it was!
I can average 20mph going *uphill* and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Combine that with the speed most people do coming down, with school kids and dog walkers in half the width - it's just not going to work.
Still, better that than disturb the poor car drivers by putting the tram on road!
Just a reminder...
But how difficult would this be?
Apparently it's not actually closed off (yet).
I got an official response from tie today -
"
In response to the question raised: "why on earth can't they just put in some steps from the path to the road, beside the construction site"
As you surmised in your initial response the limiting factor relating to the provision of such a set of steps is that they would be too steep. The Council are not able to approve something which is so far removed from their standards and therefore clearly not compliant with disabled access requirements.
Additionally it should be noted that the structure being built here is a complex one being built in a difficult site as it is immediately adjacent to the live railway, hence the contractor will require more working space than may initially be obvious and restricting the scope for access off of Russell Road as I expect the writer of the initial query envisaged.
"
I am aware of the difficulties of working near a "live railway". Clearly public safety is paramount, though I dont think Network Rail, RailTrack, and predecessors are always entirely co-operative...
As for ramps/steps etc, not being an engineer I can't comment on "wills" or "ways"...
"clearly not compliant with disabled access requirements."
Could that not be solved by making the disabled access the long way round the block? Not ideal for disabled people clearly, but better than forcing everyone round the block surely.
Seems to be open -
Did it ever shut?
Not sure it will (again?) any time soon -
http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/analysis/blood-on-the-tracks-1.1058859
Today also noticed that although Haymarket Yards is 'shut' (pavement still open) there is a new access via the station car park.
News just in -
"You will have noticed that the closure to the Roseburn Track at Russell Road has not yet been implemented. It is not now clear when this will be necessary however we will continue to liaise with stakeholders when further information is available."
Got this the other day but only went to look today -
"I am pleased to say that the Contractor has now given some attention to the temporary access round the back of Jenners Depository and I hope you will find it more acceptable now.
Clearly it will require ongoing maintenance to keep it up to an appropriate standard so if people have further concerns please let us know."
Of course you still have to pass one of these-
It is not now clear when this will be necessary however we will continue to liaise with stakeholders when further information is available.
I hope you will find it more acceptable now.
Does that mean that cyclists are actually being considered within the definition of 'stakeholders'?
Speaking of DDA, and the hypothetical Recumbent Cyclist Discrimination Act, last time I cycled through from Balbirnie Place towards Haymarket Yards and heading for Haymarket Terrace, I still had to bump down the kerb onto Haymarket Yards; even a piece of 2x4 would help. And the very tight left-hand turn at that point is only necessary because of the HERAS fencing everywhere.
Even further off-topic, I find it a little amusing that the Yards commemorated were nothing more than the old coal yards of Haymarket, on which ICAS and HMRC now stand.
"Does that mean that cyclists are actually being considered within the definition of 'stakeholders'?"
Everyone is a "stakeholder" when it comes to the trams - even people on vehicles powered by muscles.
"commemorated were nothing more than the old coal yard"
Wots rong with that??
Wots rong with that??
Well, speaking as a railway enthusiast, nothing at all. But...a coal yard? Interestingly, the Castle Shed, where the CSLA is now, was removed in 1982 and rebuilt in Bo'ness as part of the SRPS. [/thermos]
chdot - what's going on with that map there? Looks like some mashup with an old map overlayed onto the equivalent location in Google Maps satellite view. Intriguing.... errrr.....within the context of maps...
They are screenshots from an iPhone app -
"SatNav for historical maps: A phone app that combines GPS technology with old maps to allow users to walk through time. The Map set is for central Edinburgh and allows the user to see a variety of Historic maps from 1849 to 1960. The application also comes with a set of narrated walking tours from the Edinburgh College of Art and Edinburgh World Heritage."
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/walking-through-time-edinburgh/id381528712
UPDATE
This app used to have more maps inc. one for London.
MORE maps are available for on-line viewing at http://maps.nls.uk
I thought this had a map that could be overlaid on Google, but seems to have gone too(?)
Thank you!
nothing at all. But...a coal yard?
Maybe the new development on the NCP car park above Morrison Street could be Morrison Yards?
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