Next time someone says 'it can't be done' show them this site:
Urb-i
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
The world wakes up to the need for a livable city...
(26 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
-
Problem is not 'it can't be done', but politicians too scared to try/lead saying "yes, but" -
That's not UK/Scotland/Edinburgh
'They' have a different culture
They have always done things like that
It's flat there
The voters don't want it
The voters wouldn't like it
Etc
Posted 9 years ago # -
But that's the beauty of it - examples from all over the place - wish their website would let us link directly to the gallery.
Posted 9 years ago # -
It's the rare politician who will stick their neck out if they think it will jeopardise their chance of re-election, even if they think that in the long run it's the right thing to do.
Posted 9 years ago # -
What's striking of course is that the vast majority of the improvements have to do with eliminating or vastly restricting access to private automobiles. Auto infrastructure is modern urban blight. That's what politicians must be *persuaded* to see.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"But that's the beauty of it - examples from all over the place"
But doesn't 'solve the problem' of UK/Scotland/Edinburgh politicians who seem to value re-election above most else.
Currently, in Scotland, we have a ruling party who could put just about anything in their manifesto and get elected.
A Labour Party who aren't likely to do that well next May whatever they offer - so could try more 'better places for people to live/work'.
A Green Party that can expect to win more seats than their current two, so also ought to be able to promote ActiveTravel LiveableStrrets more strongly.
And (members of) the Parties have worked together well on cycling things.
So what IS the problem??
Posted 9 years ago # -
They don't know how to go about starting?
They don't know how to get the various departments required to co-operate?
They're worried they'd contract Crummock to do too much of the physical work and they'd knacker it?
Posted 9 years ago # -
"They don't know how to get the various departments required to co-operate?"
That's certainly a problem in Edinburgh.
I'm sure it's not just Edinburgh, but the extent to which (some) officials get on with 'business as usual' in spite of politicians/policies is not good.
Posted 9 years ago # -
The party who is likely to be elected whatever they do is more interested in building trunk roads than funding the local councils.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
@gordonplews: #1 Visited Bilbao and San Sebastián in Spain. Makes the George Street Edinburgh attempt to pedestrianise even more pitiful. #cycling,
"
Posted 9 years ago # -
"The party who is likely to be elected whatever they do is more interested in building trunk roads than funding the local councils."
Sadly both parts of that seem to be true.
All the more reason for other parties to be more robust - EVEN IF they really believe people/voters 'just want more roads'.
Need politicians who do more of what politicians used to do - offer 'vision'/leadership.
I know some of the visions now look suspect, but surely better than focus-group-driven-policies?
Posted 9 years ago # -
I am not sure why making Edinburgh a much better place to live in would somehow result in fewer votes for the politician who implemented it but what do I know? :-/
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
Leicester has been attracting the attention of cycling campaigners because the city council is getting on with the job of building proper cycling infrastructure....
Meanwhile the city centre has been allowed to deteriorate and become scruffy, the appearance not helped by the ubiquitous roadworks in the city centre, which when complete will represent a danger to cyclists (tram lines and bikes don't mix). Even without the roadworks permeability is very poor. Whilst traffic has been excluded from a few streets in the city centre, the initial progress made decades ago has stalled, and Birmingham city centre is noisy, polluted, and brutal compared with Leicester (though better than Edinburgh).
"
http://www.pushbikes.org.uk/blog/leicester-leading-midlands?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Posted 9 years ago # -
Birmingham city centre is noisy, polluted, and brutal compared with Leicester (though better than Edinburgh).
Ouch.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I am not sure why making Edinburgh a much better place to live in would somehow result in fewer votes for the politician who implemented it but what do I know? :-/
We fear change.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Can anyone put together a before and after set for the bottom half of Leith Walk, the "before" shot showing heavy traffic, lorries, double parking, parking on the pavement etc, and the "after" showing just the same?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Edinburgh consistently voted best place to live in UK so the metrics thery use either do not include roadworks or do inclulde being able to drive where you like? (or this whole part of life is ignored in such surveys?)
Posted 9 years ago # -
"Currently, in Scotland, we have a ruling party who could put just about anything in their manifesto and get elected."
That used to be called hegemony.
Some people have called it a "one party state" which is not correct, hegemony is more accurate.
The SNP are increasingly populist: Nicola et al make all the right noises but their actions in office (apart from certain principles e.g.. anti-Trident, indyref, etc.) are mostly old-fashioned pork barrel politics on domestic policy with a tinge of centralising authoritarianism thrown in for good measure.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@gembo is that definitely the vote of actual residents and not just people who reckon that they'd like to live there?
Posted 9 years ago # -
@jdanielp, who can say, might be Phil and Kirsty
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm glad to see others think this site is as exciting as I'd thought. The conversation about whether people have the skills to do things differently interests me (some won't have these skills, some will). But I'm absolutely convinced that it's not skill which is the real issue. To the best of my knowledge/belief the big issues in this kind of change are ones of habit and belief and vision. The most powerful way to move things on is to support THEM to build a vision that THEY can believe in, to support their belief that this vision is a real possibility, and to support the most difficult thing of all - a change of organisational/cultural habit.
I like the Urb-i site because it does quite a good job on the vision stuff. By emphasising that the rest of the world is getting on with working on liveable cities it emphasises to the doubters that something like George Street isn't even slightly radical in international terms.
What are the chances that we could find a Scottish example from Streetview that could be added to this site??
Posted 9 years ago # -
The view west through Gifford Park from Clerk Street.
And
erm
That's it?Posted 9 years ago # -
"
Saragossa (Aragon, Spain) is the 1st city in the world with all its bike paths recorded on Youtube one by one, and geo-positioned on Google Maps. Public bike share system stations are also geo-positioned.
"
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
As Mayor, getting people on to bikes will be a major plank of my transport, environmental and public health policies. Because the more people we get cycling, the less pressure there is on the tube, buses and trains. It's a greener form of transport, contributing to our desperately needed attempts at tackling London's choking air. And it's healthier too, as it keeps Londoners that cycle trim and fit.
"
http://act.sadiq.london/london_is_a_cycling_city
(Labour's candidate for Mayor)
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
@NepTuna: "Bike lanes are a pathway to equity." -Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, IN #LetsMove #bikes4all http://t.co/yPc1GMB9Gb
"
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
Saving the Skyline Four Thought
Barbara Weiss says we need to act fast to save London's skyline from the indiscriminate building of ugly tower blocks.
"Many of them are being built in highly inappropriate and sensitive locations, dwarfing the city's historic landmarks and blighting low-rise surroundings for miles, introducing a toxic mix of commercialism and bling that is already greatly compromising the reserved and unique beauty of our capital."
"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b069x6fx
V interesting, but I think it's too late for London around The Thames.
Too late (on a smaller scale) for Edinburgh.
Maybe the new block at Haymarket will wake people up.
Maybe.
Posted 9 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
