CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Take a deep breath everyone - the innocent path is being mowed as we speak.
A heck of a long time coming and, honestly, the guy on the mower was sighing because the machine was having a hard time of it.
It's getting down to the last few centimetres of spare space at the Duddingston end so hopefully the machine will reach there by going home time!
Might have something to do with this -
https://twitter.com/andrewdburns/status/635552548200534020
But shouldn't have to!
Excellent. I just hope they pick up the chopped bits, rather than letting them mulch slippily onto the path, which is the worst bit of the slope down from the Duddingston Road West end of the westernmost bit at the moment.
Pinkhill path has been done as well (I had to get off and push past a council vehicle sweeping up this morning)
I just hope they pick up the chopped bits, rather than letting them mulch slippily onto the path
Based on the way CEC approaches cutting grass on the Blackhall Path, I'm going to guess 'no'.
"Pinkhill path has been done as well"
Perhaps Aug 27th has been in the CEC Trimming Diary for a year.
To be fair they've done some bits of the NEPN several times already this year, albeit sometimes just because they're using it as a shortcut between other sites, sometimes accidentally leaving half-chopped giant hogweed hanging across the path and sometimes stopping for a smoke parked two-abreast across the path in the shadows of a bridge.
It was just one of those 'churn and dump' mowers, so we may need to put up with a few weeks of gradual decomposition and muddy pathways. There was also a couple of chaps with chainsaws doing higher level clearance which will be good.
There's a fair few spots where the overhanging branches mean you're almost needing to adopt an aero tuck just to get under them.
Pinkhill Path was also trimmed between the old platform and Forestry Commission building yesterday.
Maybe it's annual "mow the cyclepaths" day over at CEC?
"also a couple of chaps with chainsaws doing higher level clearance which will be good"
That doesn't sound like 'an annual event' (though it probably should be) so definitely good.
Hurrah - end of the nettle whip season
"To be fair they've done some bits of the NEPN several times already this year,"
This is part of the problem - the walk/cycle 'network' is dealt with by the 6 Neighbourhood Partnerships. Each has different overall priorities (quite reasonably as that's the point of 'local') and different lengths/types of path. The Meadows is not the same as The Innocent.
The section currently being cut (and allowed to overgrow every year) is looked after by South Team - same as The Meadows.
The other part of the Innocent (east from DRW) is maintained by East Team. Might be logical for the whole length to be dealt with by one Team - though vehicle access is a slight issue for the 'top half' because of the historic bridge.
However if CEC used (things like) 8 Freights there would be no access problems and they could easily transport strimmers - which might be more appropriate for regular maintenance.
Pedal powered maintenance vehicles would send a good 'message' and probably be more cost-effective than sending the large litter lorries along (relatively) narrow paths.
I have argued for years (probably since Lothian Region days!) that there should be a central point for the responsibility of the whole 'network'. In those days bits were dealt with by 'transport' (generally the old railway lines) and 'recreation' - which often had narrower and more poorly surfaced paths, not always appropriate in 'cycling as transport' terms.
Other paths were the responsibility of 'housing' which were generally (understandably) seen as pedestrian routes. Since the Access legislation it's not so simple - or perhaps more simple as it's now legal to cycle (almost) anywhere (RESPONSIBLY).
A lot of this all came together when CEC created SfC (some advantages lost by the devolution to NPs), but there still seems to be a gap between expectations (and funding) for creating and maintaining paths seen as 'transport' and 'leisure' - look at the various bits of the WoL and Braid and Burdiehouse Burns 'routes' and compare with the NEPN and Innocent. Some of the differences are due to benefit of building on former railway lines, but not all.
The spine through Craigmillar Country Park shouldn't be whin dust (for buggy pushers and wheelchair users, not just cyclists), but it was done 'to preserve the rural character'.
With the increasing amount of cycling (see yesterday's household survey!) and gradual expansion of the "Family Network" perhaps it's time for a better overview and oversight - unified policy and delivery of a genuine 'walking and cycling network'.
There was a fairly comprehensive Council Motion nearly 2 years ago (though it didn't explicitly mention 'network').
http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11820
Since Jim Orr left the Transport chair I don't think anything has happened with it.
I don't know if I'm just imagining things but I definitely get the impression the going is more bumpy on the Innocent from all the roots making their way across the underside of the tarmac.
Not being a horticulturalist (and anyone seeing my garden would baulk at me even using that word) I'm not sure if this would make a difference anyway, but if the path was trimmed more often would the roots of the plants stop growing so much? If so, it would surely make sense to encourage more than just an annual trim if it meant that there was no need to repave.
First world problems, I know, but it seems like there's got to be a smarter and more cost-effective way for CEC, and the area teams, to operate.
Prevention of nettle whip as a cure to tarmac resurfacing? Who knows...
"if the path was trimmed more often would the roots of the plants stop growing so much?"
Makes sense.
There MUST be a tree expert on CCE.
"there's got to be a smarter and more cost-effective way for CEC, and the area teams, to operate"
I'd say so!
Was years before the 'root problem' got so bad that they resurfaced.
Unlikely to happen on NEPN as that was (mostly) built to 'highway standard'.
At the time I thought that was a waste of money - it could have been used for more miles (to a 'bicycle standard').
BUT...
The Whitecraig to Dalkeith cycle path has terrible bumps due to tree roots
There were some similar bumps to the east of Duddingston Road W but the council kindly ironed them out.
Depends on your tree, depends on the path depth, depends what happens at the edge of the path - a root doesn't need to go underneath the whole thing and be huge to cause a ripple when it can be smaller and sneak between layers closer to the surface, if there's no impenetrable barrier sealing the edges of the path strata. Trees have plenty of time.
"Unlikely to happen on NEPN as that was (mostly) built to 'highway standard'."
What was different about the Roseburn-Wol viaduct section, prior to its de-rootment a few years ago?
Other issue to add in here is the growth of muck/leaves/turf over the edges of paths, often narrowing them quite a lot. even paths that are well-trimmed at the edges (meadows, links, etc) are effected by this, and there seems to be no interest from council in clearing it.
@SRD Also the splodging of muck onto the path by vans' wheels, as on the Ravelston bit of the NEPN.
Unlikely to happen on NEPN as that was (mostly) built to 'highway standard'.
It did happen on about 30 metres of the Blackhall Path on the NEPN between Wester Drylaw & Main St - they had to resurface a year ago.
Of course, this section happens to be the 100m boundary between @West_team & @North_Team that hasn't been trimmed up to recently. The tweet passed from one to t'other so it might be done before @PedalScotland passes thru. Hopefully.
Another section un-verged is between Victoria Park & Newhaven Rd, about 10 lamppost's worth. FixMyStreet'ed.
So the DRW to Innocent Tunnel section has been cut and cleared!
There's still a fair amount of higher foliage that seems to have escaped the sheers which is a shame given the tools they had available and means that head/branch infringements shall continue apace.
Also stops at the east section after DRW so clearly no discussion there between the area teams. Still, better than it's been for some considerable time. Perhaps worth a thank-you tweet to Mr Burns.
Should we expect service like this?!
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