I've written here before about not being particularly active on my bike. This improves every year, about now, as the weather gets nicer but as the glum sets in and my commute is in the dark the habit is usually broken by winter.
I've been thinking recently why, and it's that while I'm confident enough to aggressively assert safe road position on the bike, it's just not fun. I live just off Leith Walk, and the thought of having to cycle 'in to town' is pretty bad. I'll consider some routes and the brief mental process of why they're still awful,
Route 1: Leith Walk to Princes St, via Leith St.
London Road roundabout. It'll be gone in a few years, maybe. It's big, scary, has unclear lane markings and often has queueing cars for Broughton St leading to last minute lane changes by motor vehicles
Calton Rd 'ski jump'
The city's most inappropriately high speed junction allowing motor vehicles to take off down towards the station without even having to touch the brakes on approach. I'm always afraid of being cut up the inside even while staying in the bus lane due to low speed going up the hill.
Top of Leith St itself
No safe route into the ASL. Stopping on the way up means sitting in choking queues of traffic and becoming a slow moving obstruction when the lights turn green. Cars weave around the buses that are themselves needing to weave out into their own lane.
2. North Bridge to the Meadows
Royal Mile
No space to safely pass to front of traffic with frequent dubious parking for loading and hotel drop off.
South Bridge
A sprint to Chambers St where if you don't assert primary in the right hand lane from as far back as Blair St you're just going to sit breathing bus fumes.
Forrest Triangle
Plenty spoken here in the past, needless to say I support in full the proposals by SPOKES.
3. Picardy Place to George St via York Place
'The tram bit'
In spite of having the opportunity to have a completely clean start, the tram route added nothing but a huge number of pinch points to York Place. There's actually a hatched area adjacent to the tram line approximately the width of a basic cycle facility. Makes me really sad.
The 'how do you actually get into St Andrew Sq' bit
Over a hastily narrowed pavement with shared space markings, that's how.
St Andrew Sq
There's patently enough space to properly link N St Andrew st and George St with a wide and properly seggregated route skirting the edge of the square. I still don't know what legs are 1 or 2 way traffic, it changes month to month.
3. Princes St to Lothain Rd
Princes St
The post tram layout changed literally nothing but added tram lines. Result, pinch points, aggressive taxi drivers and narrow cycle 'safe areas' if needing to turn right or go into Shandwick Place.
Lothain Rd
Edinburgh's closest thing to an urban motorway, utterly inappropriate prioritisation of motor traffic and I shouldn't have to explain why it's not nice to cycle along any part of it.
4. Easter Road to Holyrood
Easter Road
During rush hour I'll filter up the wrong side of the road up to London Rd, including past the traffic islands, if I think I have enough time to make it to the front. Still safer than any other option and I hate myself for it as it's risky to merge back in if the lights turn green.
Abbeymount
Standard hill conflict - every class of traffic puts the foot down and 50% of the time I just catch up when it's red at the top of the hill. No safe passing or waiting area on either approach. Again, I'll often filter up the wrong side on the Holyrood side, even more dangerous than Easter Rd. No wonder bikes are few and far between
Calton Rd
Incredibly poor condition cobbles. Uneven and bad pointing. Passable, but a giant turn off.
Link to Holyrood Park and park itself
Crowded with cars waiting to make punishment passes so they can blast up to the commie exit at 40mph. Pavement path is shared with runners.
5. Link to NEPN
Every time I cycle down Brunswick Rd to get to the NEPN I sigh that all that needs happen is the swapping of the 'parking' and the 'cycle' lanes along the entire length of the road.
6. Cycle Parking
I'd rather not chain up to a lamp post, too many bent wheels doing that. So just where am I supposed to?
So there you have it. This is the mental process I battle every time I want to leave home on my bike. No wonder I end up getting the bus. I have a 'city bike' on order, that I hope will remove a lot of the faff that the current road bike causes (lights, dedicated shoes, muck etc) and make the potholes softer but won't change most of the above.
posts
