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.
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Transform Scotland has audited the ease of combining cycling with public transport networks across Scotland. The ‘Interchange’ project analysed 19 bus stations, rail stations and ferry terminals in ten towns and cities across Scotland, from Aberdeen to Mallaig, and from Inverness to Glasgow.
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Ah, Mallaig "interchange", where the Small Isles ferry misses the last train to Inverness, but there's a minibus that leaves in 5 minutes which gets to Inverness 10 minutes after the last bus to Glasgow leaves... Ask the driver nicely and he'll try flooring the ancient vehicle to see if he can make the connection for you. Miss it and you're taking the sleeper home as a foot passenger, disembarking in Westerton on the outskirts of Glasgow before trying to find a way back to Edinburgh.
Let the train take the strain!
Ah, Mallaig "interchange", where the Small Isles ferry misses the last train to Inverness, but there's a minibus that leaves in 5 minutes which gets to Inverness 10 minutes after the last bus to Glasgow leaves...
Inverness? Fort William, surely?
The report on Edinburgh Waverley station makes for "interesting" reading...
No wonder cycle tourists look confused in that station!
"Ah, Mallaig "interchange", where the Small Isles ferry misses the last train to Inverness"
Shurely shome mishtake? The train from Mallaig goes to Glasgow Queen Street, n'est ce pas?
Inverness? Fort William, surely?
That's the one. Same thing! ;)
@Crowriver - the last train of the day (the one which is timetabled to narrowly miss the ferry) will only get you as far as Fort William, where it bunks overnight. You can proceed onwards either on the bus to Glasgow or waiting many hours to cadge a lift on the Sleeper.
At least it did in the old days.
It's hopefully been a useful audit but I wonder what, if anything, will come of it. Maybe some new sheffield stands here and there and a few sign posts?
I read the Stirling audit as I sometimes use the station. Comment was made on the lack of decent bike parking and the delays in creating more (there are plans apparantly).
But a couple of little snippets which I found interesting:
- mention made of nowhere to secure a bicycle within the station building to facilitate popping into the newsagent for 5 mins. This is certainly something I have found with the result that I don't visit the newsagent.
- pointed out that the ticket office and cafe were spacious enough to take a bike in with you. I have certainly done this in the ticket office, but I'm not sure I would do that in the cafe - too scared of rejection! I don't suppose the auditors actually tried?
@kappers, the problem with ferries is the times change depending on the tides. Whereas trains operate on a different law for other reasons best known to themselves. So maybe you were just unlucky?
Judging by the current timetable, the last train is timed to allow ferry passengers to board with sufficient leeway (approx. 15-25 mins variable), but if the ferry is delayed.....and of course it depends what day of the week (tides I suppose). May be different again in summer...
"There's a simple solution to this problem, which is convenient and also benefits from extensive public subsidy."
I got stuck in Mallaig once after walking into Knoydart and taking the boat out from Inverie. Sunday, bleeding Sunday.
Two of our fellow passengers from the WW2 landing craft kindly offered us a lift in their automobile to Glenfinnan where our automobile was parked. I had intended to take the train from Edinburgh to Glenfinnan on the way up, but it was more expensive than hiring a car for the weekend and buying petrol. Naturally, this means that either the price of motoring or rail travel is totally hookey.
So maybe you were just unlucky?
This was the Calmac summer timetable which ran at the same time/schecule every day, regardless of tide. The reason it could do this, is that "they" made a big investment in the linkspan at Mallaig, new piers on each of the Small Isles (so the ferry could physically dock at them all for the first time, rather than use a tender), and in a special new ferry, Loch Nevis which has a folding ramp so long it's effectively got it's own linkspan meaning it can dock at any of the piers at any tide.
So - why go to all the trouble of investing in a new ferry service which can keep a regular timetable, only to not synchronise it with connecting onwards public transport options!
This was back in 2005/6 and things may have improved now. Only the winter timetable is on the Calmac site, and this doesn't have the offending Saturday sailing from Canna on it.
"So - why go to all the trouble of investing in a new ferry service which can keep a regular timetable, only to not synchronise it with connecting onwards public transport options! "
A: Incompetence
B: Wee side deal with local B&Bs / minibus operator
C: All of the above.
I was once on a ferry from Rum via Eigg to Mallaig. There was a delay with docking - something to do with another ferry being in the way IIRC. Those passengers who had a train to catch were told to come and disembark via some steps, and I think there was a mention that the train was aware that they were coming. The rest of us were asked to stay put until they could get the ferry docked properly.
This would have been before 2007, but I'm not sure which of the two trips I made to Rum in the period 2004 - 2007 it was.
In the pre-bridge days, I've seen the Skye Ferry drop its ramp on to the slip just enough to allow foot passengers to jump off and run for the train at Kyle before re-positioning itself to tie up, properly lower the ramp and let the cars off.
Crowriver said "the problem with ferries is the times change depending on the tides."
Could you show me a Calmac ferry time table which has individual times for every day of the year please, as every Calmac ferry I have teken has run to the same times every day of the summer or winter timetable day. They have slips for the smaller ferries and hydrolic ramps for the larger ferries, which allow them to access the dock no matter what time of day it is.
But back on topic. I use the trains to make the longer journey and then the bike to do the rest as public transport only goes to certain places. For me the most important thing is not cycle parking at the train station as thes would leave me cycless at the other end, its the accessability of the bus/train to get my bike on so I can use it at the other end.
I've been at Kennacraig once where an exceptional spring tide, combined with wind in the correct direction caused a delay to loading as the ramp was at too steep an angle. But that's really the exception.
My understanding of the various train/ferry timetables not matching up is that ScotRail have to path their trains on long single track lines and through the congested approaches to Glasgow Central, so have a limited window of when trains can leave Oban/Mallaig. CalMac take an equally strong line on the inflexibility of their timetables due to crewing arrangements and ship utilisation.
Obviously, it could be sorted. It just isn't really in the interest of anyone working for ScotRail or CalMac to do so.
@daveC I was on Harris one summer saturday evening after the half marathon. THe saturday eight oclock ferry left at nine oclock because it had a lot of passengers. they started loading at the same time but they were using two decks so takes twice as long. Everyone seemed to know that this would be the case. Was able to look back at the narrow strip of sand that gives Tarbet its name and watch the setting sun go right down the gully between the two land masses. Was fab. Quite late for anyone without their own transport to do anything about getting out of Uig except hitch.
I am reading the second Lewis policier novel but it is flawed. Well the bits set around Dean village in Edinburgh - tale told with lucidity by character with dementia. I guess long term memory can be vivid but I refer the author Peter May to the sublime work THe Sound and the Fury by William Faulkener which is as the title suggestrs a tale told by an idiot (set on a plantation turned into a golf course).
THe first Lewis detective novel is supposedly better.
"through the congested approaches to Glasgow Central"
That'll be Glasgow Queen Street?
"Could you show me a Calmac ferry time table which has individual times for every day of the year please, as every Calmac ferry I have teken has run to the same times every day of the summer or winter timetable day. "
That may indeed be true nowadays. Clearly I must be recalling the dim and distant past. I remember the ferries in the Orcadian northern isles leaving at fiendish early hours in the morning to get around the islands in the right order due to the tides. They were old side-loading ships, they have ro-ro ferries now with I suppose ramps at terminals that adjust for tides.
crowriver - whoops. You are, of course, right. I should have said Glasgow Queen Street
hey were old side-loading ships, they have ro-ro ferries now with I suppose ramps at terminals that adjust for tides.
Indeed I think you're just letting slip your age Crowriver!
Calmac used to employ side-loaders too which suffered the same loading issues (in a nutshell, very slow and restricted by tides). I think the west coast is now pretty comprehensively covered either with linkspans (the metal ramps which move up/down with the tide to ensure it's always at the correct height of the vessel's loading ramp) or with slipways that the "landing craft" style ferries can just align themselves with.
Interchange presentation was the best of the evening.
Did like the borders railway slides though.
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