CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Fountainbridge development 31 March

(13 posts)

  1. Rosie
    Member

    The developers of the Fountainbridge 'Springside' development are having another drop in event on Tuesday 31st March from 2pm-7.30 pm.
    Venue:- Bainfield Student Union, Bainfield Student Residences, Fountainbridge, EH11 1AR.
    It concerns the vacant land to the west of Melvin Walk.

    Here's the link to the earlier consultation:-

    http://www.springside.co.uk/news/view/public-consultation

    I'd attach the new PDF if I knew how.

    This blog gives a good account of cycling from Bruntsfield down to the Haymarket. It certainly is an awkward, patchy affair.
    http://unclekempez.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/fountainbridge-brewery-vital-link-for.html

    Posted 9 years ago #
  2. SRD
    Moderator

  3. Rosie
    Member

    @SRD - I work in Fountainbridge and I head to Shandwick Place via the wonderful zig-zag counter-intuitive maze which is evidently designed to test your memory and intelligence, like a rat in a psychology test. The bridge itself isn't bad.

    I hate the route down Telfer Subway with its blind hairpins.

    The Melvin Walk way could do with a dropped kerb. Its zig-zag isn't as horrible as the Telfer one as it's open but it's still awkward & slow, as you say on your blog.

    By the time I've gone down that blind corner through to the colonies I feel I should get some kind of prize.

    Has anyone got a money-no-object solution? A fantasy bridge say?

    Posted 9 years ago #
  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    "Fountainbridge comes alive".

    Never has a meaningless marketing slogan turned out to be so ironically apt.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Has anyone got a money-no-object solution? A fantasy bridge say?

    Whatever it is, it should include a segregated two-way cycleway along the grass verge betwixt Morrison Link and the Telfer Subway.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  6. chdot
    Admin

    "I'd attach the new PDF if I knew how"

    If it's on a web site, just the URL.

    If it's a doc on your computer/email then send to somewhere like Dropbox or Evernote (both free and useful) and get a URL.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  7. UtrechtCyclist
    Member

    Thanks for posting Rosie, I have the poster as a PDF on my computer but since it's identical to the previous one, except that the date has changed to Tuesday 31st March, I shall postpone working out how to make public folders on my dropbox until a day when I have lots of time for procrasination.

    Not sure whether any of this will happen, but what I think needs to happen is for a segregated bike path to be put in using land from the new development, with a direct slope down to the western approach road. This should probably be just south of where the current hopelessly inadequate shared use path is. The current snaking slope down was put in to avoid the slope being too steep for wheelchairs/pushchairs, but we were able to get an extra couple of metres for a segregated bike path then there's no reason this shouldn't extend all the way to WAR with the construction of a new slope down.

    Quick question, what's the minimum width that you can get away with for a bidirectional segregated bike lane?

    If anyone else is able to go to the consultation on Tuesday that would be great, I'll go but am not very experienced at these things...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  8. UtrechtCyclist
    Member

    Dave du Feu wrote on SRD's blog (linked to above) in December 2013

    "Yet the council's original masterplan for the entire old goodsyard area here (20ish years ago?) showed this link as part of a cycleroute from the canal to the West End - a route which now does exist, but in the most convoluted, invisible and conflict-inducing fashion that you could possibly imagine".

    I don't suppose these documents still exist anywhere on the internet? Would be great to have this original 'masterplan' and argue that the council should stick to it by forcing the developers to sort this portion of the route out.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  9. neddie
    Member

    Online public consultation here:
    https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/new-fountainbridge-park/consult_view

    It seems a real pity they are not widening the towpath here and creating a segregated section, to deal with the lack of capacity at rush hour and for future increases in cycling.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  10. jdanielp
    Member

    The south-west corner of the park looks likely to create additional conflict by channeling park users onto the towpath. Why the Quick-Fit remains is beyond me...

    Posted 8 years ago #
  11. Fountainbridge
    Member

    Seems like we'll still be left with the meter wide strip between the end of the fountainbridge park paths and the canal towpath.

    Local councillors have been alerted and say they've been assured by developers that the paths will join up.

    A ramp up to Viewforth is outside the scope of the park project unfortunately.

    Fountainbridge Park - the missing meter strip by fountainbridge, on Flickr

    Capture by fountainbridge, on Flickr

    Posted 8 years ago #
  12. Rosie
    Member

    On Spokes Facebook page:-

    Younger Steps – Springside Development

    Do you use Youngers Steps? Do you have any opinions about them?
    Youngers Steps and Melvin Walk connect the toucan crossing of the West Approach Road to Fountainbridge. They are a popular route for cyclists, being direct and off-road. Youngers Steps consist of two parallel sets of steps, with a zig-zag ramp in between. The ramp is designed to be DDA-compliant, but has to serve as a cycle route as well.

    Spokes has had a number of complaints about this ramp; the corners are tight, there is a 180-degree turn at the bottom, and potential conflict with pedestrians on the corners. In addition, the ramp is unsuitable for 'unusual' bikes like tandems, trailers etc .

    Spokes has had friendly discussions with the owners, Grosvenor Properties, but they are, so far, unwilling to build a separate and dedicated cycle facility to replace Youngers Steps.
    We are asking members to write in with their views on the Steps and ramp. Your views may be edited, but will be sent on to our contact in Grosvenor, to make the company aware of the popularity of the route, but also the deficiencies of the cycle provision.

    Praise for any features of the route would be welcome, to provide some balance.

    Email to spokes@spokes.org.uk

    Posted 8 years ago #
  13. chdot
    Admin

    "they are, so far, unwilling to build a separate and dedicated cycle facility to replace Youngers Steps"

    Presume that relates to future adjacent development(?)

    In which case Planning should have a view...

    Posted 8 years ago #

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