CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Lothian St / Potterrow warning

(16 posts)
  • Started 9 years ago by cc
  • Latest reply from Wilmington's Cow

  1. cc
    Member

    The team rebuilding Bristo Square closed a section of footpath on Lothian Street a week or two ago, telling pedestrians to cross the road and go round by the underpass. Presumably everyone ignored that silliness and walked on the road, so now the cycle lane has been fenced off as a makeshift pavement. Also, the fencing runs out a few metres before the pedestrian crossing traffic lights, so crowds of people are walking on the cycle path for those few metres. (The University has made its central campus area a hive of corporate festival activity so there are a lot of people about.)

    Here's a map.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Hmmm, had seen something on Twitter last night about the underpass being closed without warning (how very Edinburgh Council I thought) and pedestrians being forced to take the road route....

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. cc
    Member

    Oh I see, that's why. Thanks. Left hand, right hand, etc!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. chdot
    Admin

    Of course it's time Edinburgh's unique bit of 'urban motorway' (banked for speed) was removed - no need for all that duelled roadspace (or the underpass).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    (No "traffic" because Apple Maps removes it - but it it's pretty light most of the time really.)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. cc
    Member

    Yes. When the Informatics Forum got its planning permission there was mention of some long term plan to demolish the 'banked urban motorway' thingy and the student centre building and replace them with a much smaller road in something closer to its original alignment and a more naturally joined up George Square/Bristo Square/Old College stretch of more or less pedestrian niceness. No idea though whether that's still on the cards for some day.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. chdot
    Admin

    We'll now that the area is all developed not much chance of 'developer contributions'.

    'Best' chance might be for Museum to get mega-money to sort Chambers Street and Potterow(?)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. emuir
    Member

    I was there last Sunday and the first time crossing the road we did so by scrambling over the security fencing, which had been knocked down and trampled over. When going south I found the diversion signage very poor and if I didn't know about the underpass I would likely have been at a loss.

    It would have been good if the council had maintained the cycle lane and put in a temporary pavement by removing a lane of motor traffic. Further space could be found by removing the central barrier kerbing space.

    Pictures 1 2 3

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. AKen
    Member

    What is the point of two lanes of traffic here? I've never understood why it's important to shave two seconds off the journey from Bristo Place to Marshall Street.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    "I've never understood why it's important to shave two seconds off"

    You obviously don't have the 1960s Colin Buchananesque mentality.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    CEC has extended the ideas into the 21stC in its own unique way

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. gdm
    Member

    I used to live on Lothian Street and there were regular accidents at that section, with people hitting the wall or railing that used to run between the lanes. I always wondered how people could build up so much speed to lose control given they'd be coming from a tight turn from Forrest Road.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. chdot
    Admin

    Previously

    https://flic.kr/p/bCawBV

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. gdm
    Member

    Well, thank goodness they got rid of that monstrosity. We wouldn't have had an uninterrupted view of Appleton Tower if it had still been there.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. jdanielp
    Member

    @gdm the evidence of such accidents is still commonly noticeable, although I am yet to actually witness one. Vehicles routinely cut fully across where a cycle lane should be (it runs up to the ASZ before the corner and then continues just around the corner, but conveniently vanishes at the crucual moment) as they turn left onto Lothian Street due to the speed at which the drivers choose to approach it... Be glad that you moved away - Boteco do Brasil is a noisy replacement to Negotiants.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Cycled round there today. Nary a car about me, yet they retain two lanes, and the cycle lane simply removed. Bah. Need to take a picture - it's exactly this sort of set up I saw in Copenhagen, when pavement works meant diverting peds into the cycle lane. Oh, except they then fenced off (yes, fenced) a cycle lane, taking away a motorised traffic lane.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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