CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 14years old!
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On the way to PY this morning saw LOTS - esp on MMW.
Sunny (not warm!), no wind for a change, but it's only Feb.
Normal PY is on a Friday, when fewer people cycle, but even so.
http://cyclefridays.wordpress.com
Many more peds (and no cars! Little pollution or congestion.)
I was surprised by how many cyclists I saw on the NEPN about 6:30 - 7pm yesterday evening.
Three other cyclists in front of me outside the portrait gallery this morning.
I feel like maybe I'm seeing more too - but then I wonder if that's just confirmation bias...
I've been surprised at the lack of cyclists on the NEPN this week. It's my first full week commuting by bike since early December so no idea of it's been our of the norm, but definitely getting busier today.
Another very new cycle commuter waving hello here. I'm out of shape, scared of cars, got a wee bit lost on my first ride in (missed the Goldenacre Path turnoff at the Five Ways junction and: helloooo, Leith!) but oh, it was great. Zipping over that big red bridge was worth any morning sat on an unmoving bus in the Haymarket traffic.
Definitely planning to stick with it, although I suspect it'll be a long, long time until I'm zooming up Dublin Street with nary a pause like the hardy souls ahead of me the other morning. Respect.
"(missed the Goldenacre Path turnoff at the Five Ways junction and: helloooo, Leith!)"
When I went out for my first ride on the NEPN I thought I'd try and find the Roseburn end then take the Blackhall spur and head over to Fife. When I emerged at Chancelot Mills I realised I definitely had missed the turning.
Welcome calluna
"zooming up Dublin Street"
(Almost) no-one zooms up D St!
Basic fitness and a reasonable low gear.
No shame in pushing, just takes longer...
Presume you've had a look at -
Definitely more of us on the Ferry Rd/Telford/Roseburn path yesterday. After the previous few commutes and teh change in the weather it felt a bit like everyone coming out of hibernation.
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Cycling infrastructure is vital, making cycling look and feel normal, accepted and safer. With cycling now admired as a part of a healthy life, it is difficult to remember that in the 1970s it was widely seen as eccentric and dangerous – and so it was in those days, with just 1% cycling modal share!
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although I suspect it'll be a long, long time until I'm zooming up Dublin Street with nary a pause like the hardy souls ahead of me the other morning. Respect.
I've a colleague that does this run from time to time.
She has electric assist to zoom up Dublin Street, so don't be too disheartened!
Robert
A fun part of cycling in the snow is you can see how many bikes went before you. This morning it was 12 on the bridge (+ 1 pair of size 12s), about 6 on bug alley and 8 on the A8 North side cycle path.
Just after 9am I found myself behind a sizeable peloton at the top of Broughton Street which had inflated to 8+ going up Leith Street. Biggest I've ever found myself in, I think. Hope it's reflective of a wider trend.
I left work earlier than usual yesterday (just after 5pm) given that a meeting that was already overrunning by an hour was preventing me from making my late afternoon cup of tea. I enjoyed a slower cycle home than normal in the sunshine. Part of the reason for the slower pace was the sheer number of other cyclists. Just after the Slateford aqueduct I found myself at the back of a train of eight cyclists heading east into town, only two of whom were cycling together. The quality of cycling was variable.
@jnty I see a lot of cyclists on Broughton Street/Rodney Street of a morning.
I've assumed that it reflects people using the NEPN, exiting at Tesco and heading into town, but I could be wrong.
Whatever, seeing as the street is pretty wide all the way to Picardy Place, it does suggest a protected cyclelane would be helpful, especially given the speed differential on some of the steeper bits.
Yeah - gets quite steep at the top and it's unpleasant to be crawling in front of a revving van approaching a green light at the top, especially through the traffic island at Albany Street.
And the roundabout at the bottom of Broughton St. is catastrophic for pedestrians - there's plenty of space for a proper cycle-friendly and pedestrian-desire line-respecting junction.
And the roundabout at the bottom of Broughton St. is catastrophic for pedestrians
Yes. I always use the crossing which probably adds a good 30-45 seconds (if clear) to my journey, but I see plenty of people of all ages hopping over the fence and walking on the road, which seems a fine way to lead to a crushing...
The roundabout needs a thorough redesign. Its current configuration seems designed to allow vehicle to swerve through it without any need to touch the brakes, a manoeuvre which seems particularly tempting to the heavy footed racers who can then floor it along the London Street straight. Hardly fitting with the Council's street design guidance for shopping and residential streets.
Wasn't there once a mention/proposal for a ped crossing at the western extremity of London Street, presumably requested by residents/nearbyists to allow them to cross despite the traffic hoofing it as fast as the cobbles allow and taking advantage of the absence of give-way markings?
Which single direction should the top of Broughton Street allow motor traffic to pass when it's reduced to one lane to make space for the segregated cycleway? No worlds appeared to end when the top was bunged up for the installation of slippy metal panels and wiring for the St James demolition.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure there was a solid plan from the council for a crossing there a while ago - not sure what happened there.
Must admit I'm part of the fence-hopping (or actually, fence-walking-round-on-the-tiny-bit-of-kerb) crew and that it's not too dangerous outside of peak rush hour if you keep your wits about you (and are sufficiently mobile.) Hopefully my (and plenty of others') presence will sufficiently upset enough motorists for them to complain to the council and have "something" done, given that pretty much anything would be better than the current state of affairs.
Which single direction should the top of Broughton Street allow motor traffic to pass when it's reduced to one lane to make space for the segregated cycleway?
Well, motor traffic can only head straight on to the Picardy Place roundabout at the moment, so that would be sufficient. It's only two marked lanes from after the entrance to Broughton Street Lane, so no great loss, really. (Or do you mean make it one lane in total, like what it is at the moment? Again, world not ending as I speak).
I suspect the main complaints would be from shop owners, as you'd presumably have to take out the (off-peak only) parking. However, the usual arguments would apply. Plus, imagine how much more of a high street and an attractive shopping destination Broughton Street would become with less space dedicated to motor vehicles.
The 2nd London St ped crossing was meant to happen this council budget year, time fast running out. Can't say I'd be too sad, it's just going to end up with 2 crossings, neither of which are on the desire lines for most peds (ie the very ends of London St).
Of course, what really needs to happens is the closure of London St to through vehicle traffic, which would eliminate the ratrunning and make Dublin St a nicer cycle route. Been tried before briefly to much gnashing of teeth, but times have changed - I have a suspicion the locals are heartily sick of speeding drivers making it an unpleasant & dangerous place to be a pedestrian (not to mention the tyre noise off the Drummond Place cobbles).
"Can't say I'd be too sad"
Me neither.
It's want happens when a few people persuade a councillor 'something must be done'.
"neither of which are on the desire lines for most peds"
Quite!
MANY more deserving places across Edinburgh.
The good weather today brought loads of people on bikes out. The west end was his Bing this morning. This evening as I went through Roseburn Park I could see another 11 cyclists, including one chap on one of the station hire bikes - that's the most I've ever seen at once. Probably passed the same number again between the park and Balgreen.
At the meeting of my allotment management committee this evening, four of the six people attending came on their bikes. The other two didn't, but one of them has a lovely Pedersen that he can't ride because of a recent knee operation so no doubt would have if he could.
The other day, I was one of 7 cyclists who went throu the Kings junction, then rode down Valleyfield to the meadows. After 9am.
I normally commute to the airport at non-peak times, but yesterday I happened to be coming in from South Queensferry at rush hour. I was amazed by the number of bikes coming the other way. Really impressive numbers, especially given that this must be quite a long distance commute. Feels to me like the tide is turning.
"Feels to me like the tide is turning"
Yes, but still 'weather/time of year factor'.
But as plenty of CCEers know, many people manage to move from fair weather cyclists to (almost) whatever-the-weather ones.
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Once again nearly 8 out of every 10 cars, 77%, have only one occupant – a huge waste of precious roadspace in the heart of the city.
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http://www.spokes.org.uk/2016/05/bikes-%E2%86%91%E2%86%91-cars-%E2%86%93%E2%86%93-again
A big increase in cyclists on the Fife bound commute this year. Definitely meeting more on my way into work.
The all year regulars are probably outnumbered now by those who are out for the warmer weather. As chdot says, hopefully some of those will carry on through the winter.
There's been a sudden increase in the number of bikes in the stands at work...
Yours truly is currently the only absolutely-every-day, whatever the weather, cyclist - though there are a couple of others who have kept going over the winter, one of whom may not always work in this office.
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