New comment on the petition -
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peter dunlop Netherlands, Leiderdorp Feb 02, 2016
I support the principle of this proposal - more below as submitted to CEC
I am a civil engineer FICE, retired. I live in the west end of Edinburgh where I walk, cycle, use my bus pass and drive my car. I take trains too. In the Netherlands where I spend nearly half my time I do the same but I cycle a great deal more.
Please study these considered comments which are a direct response to your proposals "Roseburn to Leith" but tempered by both experience and prior thought on cycling in Edinburgh
The proposal is a start but I hope that it is not thought to be a final solution
As a civil engineer I found the Atkins drawings difficult to use even on a large laptop. They are discontinuous. A scrollable "strip" of the whole route would be better
The plan must be for safe cycling on all streets/routes
This MUST be about commuting/shopping/school commuting and not leisure cycling
Copenhagen junctions are widely discredited in the cycling world, in the Netherlands and even in Copenhagen. Try the Dutch way.
Am I right in thinking that the 24 hour Red Route is a compromise for bus lanes in both directions?
This plan is going to take a lot of "policing"
In my view it will take a critical mass of cyclists before motorists are fully aware that they must be considered.
The lycra brigade are a problem for the acceptance of cycling by motorists
In the Netherlands what were footpath pavements are now shared between cyclists and pedestrians even tough the 2 paths are sometimes very narrow. Again this is a question of learning and mutual acceptance and fewer tear away lycra cyclists. Many pavements in Edinburgh are lightly trafficked, I can think of almost the whole length of the Queensferry Road.
There is a lack of confidence in Edinburgh's cycle lanes because of their discontinuities. In the Netherlands they are marked across junctions.
The Netherlands may be flat but flatness allows a lot of wind. Most new traditional looking Dutch bikes now have 3 gears and the low is low enough for most Edinburgh hills
The plan does not allow for/show a link to the old railway cycle routes at Balbirnie/Roseburn Path. It MUST
Why is there no cycle lane on either Coates Gardens or Rosebery Crescent?
These 4 crescents should all be one way with no kerbside parking but 100% angled parking along the gardens. Eglinton, Glencairn, Grosvenor, Landsdown. My there resident cousin would approve!
Cycle routes should be one way around West Register House
The plan does not say anything about the bus queue at the east end of Princes Street. This must be solved.
This is how. All smart ticketing, NO CASH. These days more and more people can make contact-less payments with their debit cards. This would allow Lothian Buses to charge by distance AND to gain accurate continuously updated ridership data allowing it to tailor supply to demand. Along with this have an IN and an OUT door. The two together would more than halve bus stop dwell time. Card readers at in and out, double beep for concession cards allows driver to check on cheats. Failure to check out means a maximum charge when next used. Berlin double deckers have THREE doors and TWO stairs!
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