But presumably need some sort of road closure process?
If not, why not erect some platforms in key places - and promise to remove them after 27 days...
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
George St cycle lane
(297 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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Let's erect a giant beer tent on the bypass?
Posted 9 years ago # -
I really struggle to get worked up about this (given what elses is going on in the world). The pub is in the way for 25 metres? There was a commitment to keep the lanes going for the whole time. THat has not worked out. Really, no big deal to get off and push. It will be back to what it was like before (no actual cycle lanes) in September. There will be another consultation in September - venue TBC. Go along to it and register your desire for the street to be pedestrianised.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Just to report that last night the whole of the east-bound lane was blocked at the western end with a metal barrier with "Unsuitable for HGVs" (!!!) on in - Boyfriend of Fimm and I just cycled round the barrier and onwards.
We hadn't even bothered going along George Street westbound, preferring to take our chances with the traffic on Queen Street...
I hate the hump things.
Posted 9 years ago # -
chdot - yes, despite what it might seem like, you can't just plonk things down in the middle of a road without some type of permission.
I'm with gembo on this though. Yes, it's annoying, but lots of people are annoyed by things that happen during the festival. I think we are in danger of going all "Friends of the Meadows" here.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"Really, no big deal to get off and push."
Depends on your mobility. Also, the north footway is a bit clogged at the moment, with all the extra outside seating and extra large blocks of concrete.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"I think we are in danger of going all "Friends of the Meadows" here."
There is a bit of that, but at the same time I think there's a growing sense of things like this, and others, giving a clear indication of the hierarchy of cycling in the city. That combined with promises to the contrary of what has actually happened on the ground is a bit galling too.
In the FotM analogy it wouldn't be just complaining about people having barbecues, but the council saying it would install community barbecues, in fenced off areas, and dedicated barbecue wardens to pounce on anyone scorching the grass; then a week later erecting signs saying 'disposable barbecues welcome, and just leave them wherever you've eaten'.
Kind of*.
There's also the thought that if a fuss isn't kicked up, then the Council doesn't know it's done something wrong, and so the issues perpetuate. So things carry on in the same way, and a year down the line we complain, and they say 'but why wasn't that an issue last year?'.
*extreme licence taken
Posted 9 years ago # -
"the north footway is a bit clogged at the moment"
Not saying it's a good idea.
BUT if there is going to be any sort of shared use/civic space/nice city to live in initiative/consensus, then people on bikes might have to make some compromises.
Meanwhile 'we' seem to be making more compromises than those involved in 'traffic flow'.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Being a cyclist in Edinburgh involves a constant series of compromises. It's when they have to be made on a purpose-(temporarily)-built special test cycle facility that it gets slightly annoying, especially when there is already a perception that the lanes are under-used:
IMG_20150813_162109653 by wingpig, on FlickrPosted 9 years ago # -
The main benefit of making a fuss in this context is to ensure that any redesign takes account of the need to keep a cyclelane open and unobstructed (eg, utility outlets in the centre of the newly pedestrianised urban space so that humps for electrical cables are not required, clearly delineated space for temporary booze/coffee/entertainment pop-ups, clearly segregated cyclelanes designed as far is possible away from potential conflict). Suggest you all feed this back to Ironside Farrar, who should be taking it into account in their work over the next few months. In my book, even with the current Festival inconveniences George Street is a better space than a four lane road with parking up the middle.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Think this is the right to place for this one...
Posted 9 years ago # -
There's two different things here - the overall future of George Street, and the current situation.
Get off and push is all very well for all of us who are fit and ride one-person bikes, but how about SRD on her tandem with stoker and passenger? Or the lady who I associate with the Women's Cycle Forum, who has some kind of disability and rides a tricycle? I bet she'd struggle to get that over the humps.
Posted 9 years ago # -
There's a very good reason to "get worked up" about it; which is basically because these things keep happening.
It's not the tent being there that's the crux of the issue, it's when provision is promised, it isn't forthcoming and when something finally gets done it's after much complaining on the part of members of public. And when that thing finally does get done, it's near enough as rubbish as to be pointless.
Perhaps this is making a small mountain out of a relatively large molehill, but the alternative is to have to complain, write, report and chase-up every single instance where the council turns off a crossing for roadworks on a busy main and doesn't put in a temporary crossing. Or when footways are simply barriered off with no alternative and multiple lanes of traffic are left in place. Or when key cycle paths are closed for works and no alternatives are provided or diversions are signed...
The council had the option of letting the bar go ahead and just accepting they couldn't accommodate the cycle lane. But they took the same quantum approach they take every time they paint a cycle lain on the road and paint car parking spaces on top of it.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Etc...
Posted 9 years ago # -
I hate the hump things.
a clear indication of the hierarchy of cycling in the city.
If cycling was suitably higher up the hierarchy, the notion of placing HGV-compliant cable ramps across a cycle lane would be laughed out of the room immediately. But the cycle lane is ad hoc, so of course it doesn't really exist for the duration, and cables have to be protected. A more enlightened approach would of course specify smaller ramps for cycles.
I have no doubt that Caroline would find them quite difficult to negotiate on her trike; they were bad enough on a Brompton, and I would certainly ground the torpedo's transmission tunnel on them, if the cycle lane could accommodate a trike layout in the first place.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Let us all go to the next consultation and put these points across.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm not mad at the temporary bar during the festival. I love using them in the good weather. It's the fact that a fair compromise was promised, under delivered, and then dodged left right and centre. The road is closed after 6pm anyway and could have been left closed all day with plenty of room to pass the bar.
I've deliberately detoured up George St a few times in the past few weeks, I've not really used it this year and nor do I usually have need to. My main remarks would be
1) Access at either end is pretty eh, particularly York Place.
2) 2 cycle wait at Hanover St if you miss the lights, I'd rather just give way to a roundabout.
3) Pedestrians walking out blind from behind the pavilions, which just isn't safe or fair for either user groupI'll still use it every time compared to the bus hell that is Princes St.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I think Clare's woeful experiences were linked to on the other thread.
Either on this one or the other one I picked up a little flak for not being too fussed by the shambles.
I am going to the next consultation. I was at the last one dressed as cyclist (no Lycra but pair of cotton shorts and merino-ish top). However, I am going to the next one dressed the same as PS as he appears to have had a better discussion with the unidenitified head of the consultation firm ironside Farrar. So nice suit, nice shirt and tie and I will be nice. I will still be arguing nicely for pedestrianisation of the whole street. Buchanan St is pedestrianised all year round no problem.
I encourage all objectors on here to go to the consultation and object
Posted 9 years ago # -
I went to the consultation and contributed. The 'need another statue of a man' man was quite tweedy, as was the consultant who transcribed his request.
Posted 9 years ago # -
There is another consultation in September, venue and date TBC. Let us all go and register our views.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Still no westbound "lane closed ahead" or "diversion" signs. There's no sign explaining you're meant to re-join traffic and not to cycle the "wrong" way down the contraflow.
There's also no "lane closed ahead" or "diversion" signs eastbound until you hit the barrier and the big "ROAD CLOSED" sign, with small "diversion" signs behind it.
This really shouldn't be this hard.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I noticed there was much more space this morning than last week. Barriers have been pushed back and the redundant 'speed hump for cables' has also been shortened out of the way. Was a slightly better experience. Slightly.
Posted 9 years ago # -
There always seems to be a vehicle parked directly in front of the road closed sign when travelling eastbound in the evenings.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I note they've now started keeping the extra bits of fence they use to block it off at night inside the cycle lane during the day.
Posted 9 years ago # -
So there!s no cycle lane or just an extra narrow one?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Narrower, especially with the tubs of hedge belling out of their formerly-straight arrangement.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Back to normal tomorrow!
Posted 9 years ago # -
I find it incredibly frustrating that they left the 'closed' sign up for the cycle lane this evening despite having finished cleaning up.
The south lane was open for cars, of course.
Posted 9 years ago # -
The right hand of those three metal fences from @chdot's photo was gone when I cycled NE at ~8.30 last night. I suspect that was more to do with someone shifting it out the way because otherwise there was nowhere to go.
Posted 9 years ago #
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