http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/800k-wall-to-stop-edinburgh-castle-rock-falls-1-3913397
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"Johnston Terrace is closing for six months"
(24 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Traffic will be restricted to one direction – downhill
Posted 8 years ago # -
Took a lunchtime walk up here as I thought the works should be nearing completion. Was taken aback by how much the carriageway will have been narrowed at the worked-on section. Looked like a v wide pavement (ie wider than before) on the rock fall peril side, which seems slightly bizarre. Given the number of behemoth coaches which use Johnston Terrace, I foresee problems ahead.
Shame if they've messed it up as it was my favoured commute homewards before...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"car parking should not be affected"
Thank god for that. If they'd removed any parking from the centre of town, we'd be living in a police state ...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Was taken aback by how much the carriageway will have been narrowed at the worked-on section
I came down Johnston Terrace the other day. It's quite a big retaining wall! I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't stop to memorise details, but I'd thought at a glance that the footway was between the wall and the Castle Rock. Maybe I mistaken.
Though it's a shame it's one-way now. There'll be no more personal bests on Strava.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I thought the one-wayness was temporary Arellcat?
Posted 8 years ago # -
Road will remain 2 way with a pavement on both sides of the road.
Pavement will be considerably narrower than the rest of the street.
Scroll down to "Revised site plan"
Johnston-Terrace by Paul fae Fountainbridge, on Flickr
Posted 8 years ago # -
Open again... very narrow...
Johnstone Terrace Bus/Bike/Taxi Lane by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr
Johnstone Terrace Bus/Bike/Taxi Lane by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr
Posted 7 years ago # -
What does the painted LY indicate?
The solid white line in-between the lanes is presumably used to delineate the bus lane but does it also mean no overtaking?
Posted 7 years ago # -
how bizarre. all i can think is that it was supposed to say 'ONLY' and they forgot the 'on'?
Posted 7 years ago # -
Either that or they've realised they don't have space for the 'ON' and have gone off to scratch their heads a bit.
I think a solid line in this instance, marking between separate directions, does mean no overtaking, but will have to check the Highway Code...
Posted 7 years ago # -
Man! That is one ugly wall. And for some reason this story passed me by so had to go back to the beginning of the thread. Apparently 5 rockfalls in recent years so I suppose something had to be done given our litigious society. But did it have to be this? It is UGLY.
Posted 7 years ago # -
'LY' was waiting on them to paint 'ON'.
Enough space behind wall for a wide cycleway. Cyclists are used to risk so they could choose between harassment by taxi or random rockfall. 'Cyclists entering here do so at their own risk'!
On uphill lane vehicles will have to cross line to get by. It's around 1m too narrow. Of course they are 'maybe' going to narrow the pavement on other side and extend road by 1m. All seems very neat. Assumed they had to do this on tech advice.
Posted 7 years ago # -
It's a bit inconsistent and confusing but a thick solid line does not mean no overtaking and purely designates the bus lane. No overtaking is only ever designated by two thin solid lines, potentially separated by chevrons.
See:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/road-markings (other markings)
Arguably, this confusion now creates a danger of close passes for cyclists, and the whole-route bus lane should have been replaced by a bus gate at Castle Terrace and a normal centreline. I suppose the status quo means chancer motorists are breaking the law for the whole length of the road rather than just at the gate, making it seem like a more risky proposition.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Oh, and I assume the ON was waiting for the yellow lines to dry.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Oh, and I assume the ON was waiting for the yellow lines to dry.
I don't think this sort of "paint" has to dry, so to speak? It's a thermoplastic resin that goes on hot and sets as soon as it cools.
That's not to say it didn't hit 3:55 and they decided to head home and come back and finish the "ON" in the morning.
Posted 7 years ago # -
The pavement is already narrower than council's guidance suggests. Fountainbridge can probably tell us more.
Posted 7 years ago # -
They should run the queue for the tattoo up the rockfall side of the wall fence
Posted 7 years ago # -
Cycle this road both ways, every day, all year round
they couldn't have fecked it up more if they tried
abysmal
Posted 7 years ago # -
The solid white line down the middle is because the uphill section is a bus lane (as it was before)
This is Living Streets Edinburgh page on the shambles
http://www.livingstreetsedinburgh.org.uk/2016/06/01/new-johnston-terrace-pavement-only-1-5m-wide/
Response from council - "the footway width was considered acceptable in light of the limited space available and its low pedestrian use."
The rock trap is over 5m wide - so not sure how they dreamt up "limited space available"
Posted 7 years ago # -
"The rock trap is over 5m wide"
Which is perhaps about right given the rockface there?
Its not attractive, and far from ideal - but having seen a number of rock / avalanche traps in the French Alps next to roads, its not that unusual (even in towns if necessary).
The alternatives include some steel rope / net type affair across the entire face - which would probably have been even less aesthetically pleasing.
I doubt they wanted to do it, and guess its a bit of a hobsons choice.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@nelly what's the point of street design guidance and 'absolute minimum' widths if they disregard it whenever it gets difficult?
Posted 7 years ago # -
@srd agree in principle.
But given that they had to include the trap, I can't see how the 'absolute minimum' could have worked in JT, so it's been fudged.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Did the rock trap really have to be exactly 5m wide? Would 4m wide have made a difference, considering the slightly older temporary trap was less than 2m? Given the road has been closed uphill for the past 6 months, and previously only used by the occasional tour bus and taxi's, do vehicles outweigh the right of pedestrians?
Also worth remembering that at 1.5m width, 2 wheelchairs can't pass on the pavement.
Posted 7 years ago #
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