10 weeks of closure starting Monday
No idea what's being built other than 'lights renewals'
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Roadworks @ Easter Rd / London Rd / Abbeyhill
(55 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Posted 8 years ago #
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I go this way at least coming back from work every day.
The downhill detour is fine, particularly with fully stationary traffic, go towards Meadowbank then cut back around to Easter Rd via Alva Place in the colonies.
Uphill I'll be going via Leith Walk until the work is finished.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I went this way this morning. It's not too much bother to get off, push over London road and walk up the steps at West Norton Place then continue onwards as usual. For me it still beats Leith Walk!
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'm currently trialling Leith Walk as a most-direct-route, in part to be able to make informed comments about any future plans for watered-down segregation. It's fine until Pilrig Street, whereupon it gets lumpy and busy. After Macdonald Road it gets lumpier, busier and has fewer distinct lane-marking lines.
Posted 8 years ago # -
When I went that way late last night, someone was cycling down Abbeyhill and dodging round the "road closed" barriers.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Possible for now but once the works proper start I imagine that won't be so easy.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I see Calton Terrace Brae will be closed for a bit. Never understood why it isn't closed off, it overcomplicates an already compromised junction for the sake of providing a rat-run along Royal Terrace between London Road Roundabout and Abbeymount. The latter could really do with a reduction in the number of right-turners right off the roundabout onto Blenhiem Place / Royal Terrace.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Interesting development:
Major works on Leith St by Scottish Power, starting Monday, ultimately leading to the closure of the northbound side of the road for most of the work into November and the use of the southbound side for two way traffic.
This paired with the Easter Rd work means there will be no unrestricted route for motor vehicles from the Leith Walk area towards the city for two whole months.
Keep an eye on the 'chaos' or absolute lack of, as arguments in favour of Leith St cycle lanes and Spokes' closure plans.
Posted 8 years ago # -
You do mean Leith STREET?
Completely shut?
Bikes?
"arguments in favour of Leith St cycle lanes and Spokes' closure plans"
Yes!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Oh yes,I saw a sign up saying that both Broughton Street AND Leith Street would be closed.
This of course would be the perfect opportunity to really promote cycling as an alternative. So expect more "cyclists dismount" signs than the mind can comfortably conceive.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@Min, Haha! Yes that is EXACTLY what we can expect.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Chdot:
Scottish Power are undertaking major cable works between the John Lewis goods entrance on Leith Street and Broughton Street ahead of the redevelopment of the St James Centre.
For this phase of the work, Leith Street will need to be closed northbound, with a contraflow and 2-way traffic on the southbound side. To achieve this, the traffic island on the approach to Picardy roundabout will be removed and this will start on Monday 21st with lane closures on Leith Street. Once the main work starts, bus stops between Greenside and Picardy will be closed, as will the pedestrian crossing at Greenside Lane.
Subsequent phases of the project will require some traffic diversions with no northbound access to Broughton Street from Leith Street or Leith Walk, expected to be place from 28th September.
So no, not completely closed, but reduced to 1 lane in each direction with no parking on Leith St. That's exactly the amount of space that would exist with segregated cycle lanes so watch VERY closely and document!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Ta.
Could be messy then!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Had a wander round this afternoon.
Easter Rd no greater queue than normal. London Rd busyish and junction narrowed to one side now to allow machines to work, explaining the 3-way temporary traffic lights discussed last week.
Work hasn't started properly yet at Leith St, only the area around the central reserve at the Picardy Roundabout has been coned off to one lane each way as I think that has to be removed first.
Failed to see any 'chaos' anywhere, only notable thing really was slightly more vehicles queueing to use Regent Rd.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I think they've played with the lighting sequences and suspended the bus stop and generally moved things about a bit so that there isn't a huge affect on people travelling along London Road. I imagine those coming up Easter Road would have more of a delay.
For some reason the lighting sequence stops London Road westbound traffic at Easter Road when the eastbound traffic is go (and vice versa). But they aren't sharing any lanes so I'm not sure why this is.
Minor niggle is that the temporary lights are positioned in such a way as to make them very difficult to see from the ASL box.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Easter Rd has never since I moved here been anything but a long, choking delay in the evening. Between 5 and 6 you can regularly have a queue to cross London Rd all the way back to Albion Rd and the reverse from Albion Rd back to Montgomery St.
From my point of view on the bike it's relatively trivial to filter down the middle at times like this but it's not fun or particularly safe.
The only thing that'll fix the air quality is a total change in the transport mix along the desire lines that funnel huge volumes of vehicles over the railway bridge.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"The only thing that'll fix the air quality is a total change in the transport mix along the desire lines that funnel huge volumes of vehicles over the railway bridge."
Well for a start the single occupant vehicle drivers could think long and hard to themselves whether it's really the best way to travel. Seriously about 70-80% of traffic on Easter Road (and elsewhere) is lone drivers taking up road space with five seater cars.
Posted 8 years ago # -
as will the pedestrian crossing at Greenside Lane.
And the one in front of the Omni. You can cross in front of the PLayhouse, or you can cross at Waterloo Place. If you want to cross anywhere in between you are on your own or you have a very long detour.
Traffic.
Flow.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Never noticed this topic so on the Monday commute came down past John Lewis with the aim of going down Broughton Street only to face the road closure signs. Didn't seem to be any prior warning signs on the approach so cue lots of confused looking drivers going along York Place trying to figure out how the hell they're going to get to where they want to.
Its when stuff like this happens that you realise just how many alternative routes have been closed down by the council in recent years - whether putting up no right turn signs or simply blocking streets off altogether.
Very frustrating that they've done this at the same time as the Easter Road works.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Moar gasworks coming on Willowbrae Road too as well. It does seem like they've gone roadworks mad, I presume to get works done before the winter kicks in.
Noticed at the Easter Road bit this morning that there are temp ped crossings on the north and east bits of the crossroads. The south doesn't need cos the road is blocked, but doesn't look like anything on the west. So presume if you're on that side of the road and want the bus to town you've got to cross east, south, west.
Discovered why the east and west flows are at different times too. They're allowing the right hand turn down Easter Road if you're heading west, presumably to ease congestion or something. Also allowing a right hand turn onto Montrose Terrace if you're headed west (which makes more sense as it's that direction where the road has been closed).
Still all makes for gaggles of cars and buses at all sorts of angles, blocking the hatched boxes (despite the signs, because we all know signs work), and folk jumping into bus lanes.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Noticed temporary lights being set up in the Cowgate as well. No idea what for or how long they might be there.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Unexpected and quite pleasant side effect of the Leith St works is that it is now possible for bikes to turn right out of Calton Rd. Opens up entire route previously either avoided or bodged by cycling down the pavement.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Looks like some reasonable pavement widening going on at the top of Easter Road and (I could be wrong) the left-turn filter lane onto London Road from Easter Road (downhill at old Regend Road School) looked like it was being filled in?
I heard some old grump saying to Mrs Grump at the top of Easter Road outside the corner shop where the pavement is at it's narrowest "Do we really need wider pavements?" so I called up the pavement that we did. Not sure he agreed with me.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Just watched 2 drivers turn left out of Montrose Terrace on to London Road through the red light while the ped crossing was showing a green man. They did it very slowly and no-one was crossing, so that's OK then. And I'm sure it was well worth it to join the queue of cars 10 yards down the road at the Easter Road lights a wee bit earlier than if they'd waited for the light to change to green.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Genuinely frightening overtake this morning on Leith St, a section I'm using daily and always taking in primary due to narrowness. The white van (some fancy French meats company) overtook in the gap in the cones for the ped xing
Not much space...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Came back down Easter Rd, and don't have good news.
The left filter lane is gone. Great! But replacing it is the world's most pointless right-turn lane. ALL Meadowbank-bound traffic heads down Montrose Terrace, and there was no right turn facility here at all before. Not disallowed, but not required.
This gross waste of land makes me think the 'step change' in cycle design only exists when specifically tasked on major projects. The amount of land this takes up could provide a safe, mandatory cycle lane on both sides of the street for slow climbers and downhill filter-ers. May as well replace that right turn arrow with a bike, because cyclists will be the only people in it.
The actual hard built body of works appears good for pedestrians, however, with much wider pavement areas at the top of Easter Rd and finally a crossing across the south side of the junction.
Will be writing in due course to appeal for a better design to be designed and re-painted onto the road.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Oh great. I predict cars trying to overtake me in the right turn lane whilst headwing downhill, then squeezing me into the curb at the junction when they realise they can't complete the manuver in time.
Posted 8 years ago # -
On the positive side, the pavements around this junction are now much wider, and safer for pedestrians. That is very welcome. Also, in the past couple of days two large ASLs have been marked at the junction heading north and south: also welcome. Though why does one have nice elliptical bike wheels and the other rather more squared off? Bizarre! (Click thumbnails below for larger images).
I understand from the Council web site that after they finish work at London Road, they will be 'improving' the five way junction further south between Regent Road, Easter Road, Abbeymount, Royal Terrace and Montrose Terrace. That could be interesting: currently it can be a very hazardous junction for cyclists (and other traffic) trying to turn right, due to vehicles zooming up a blind summit from the south and across the junction too quickly.
Presumably we'll see more ASLs marked there? Maybe also the removal of left filter lanes on Montrose Terrace, Regent Road and widening of pavements on Easter Road/Abbeymount? We can but hope...
Both junctions require a longer pedestrian only phase on the traffic signals: neither give sufficient time to cross diagonally at present.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I got some photos of the junction changes too at the weekend.
In reference to the right-turn at the bottom of the short uphill section of Easter Road at the old Regent Road School, I assume this is for traffic coming over Abbeymount and might be because priority is changing at the Abbeymount junction and they're trying to avoid the right turn onto Montrose Terrace? But that's just my supposition.
The wider pavements are indeed much better and it looks like the signals for pedestrians should be much improved (there was never a pedestrian signal to cross Easter Road to the south of London Road, for instance, you just had to "know" that when signals were green on other side of road that you were safe to cross. And I'm really glad to see the end of the blind corner caused by the left turn filter for downhill traffic onto London Road.
I'm not sure why, but the road seems to have been surfaced in a black variant of the epoxy-based stuff that they use for the buff-coloured zones at traffic lights and what they used to use for red cycle lanes before the red-chips-in-black-tarmac-that-you-can't-see-in-anything-but-bright-sunlight came along. I've always found that these
Posted 8 years ago #
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