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Avoid FRB tomorrow

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  1. LaidBack
    Member

    "Fred Dibnah took his traction engine over it pulling a wooden gypsy caravan."
    That's what broke it then... obviously :-)

    Heard radio clip again from paddyirish. Sounded sensible enough - good work as I think every bit helps. Fact is that the government thinks it's a good idea to have the bridge opened for bikes when there are other alternatives.

    Cafe owner next door is having to adapt to 'slow and expensive' train and bus travel. She can't wait to get her car back on the road. Although she thinks they are doing their best and would rather do that than park on the Clackmannanshire bridge for an hour. Tea prices are going up as someone has to pay ;-)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. panyagua
    Member

    Good work @paddyirish - at least the message is being heard, even though I'm doubtful we'll see any change in the official line. Good that Cara Hilton is raising it too - I believe our local cycling councillor was instrumental in getting that question on her list.

    Don't tell everyone ;) but for those who are able to shift their work pattern at all, the 0848 from Dalgety Bay wasn't full yesterday or today. It meant I could get to my office soon after 0930. I'll be staying later to compensate, but the later train wasn't so bad either. Combined with cycling to the station (so I'm not joining the parking melée) this has made for a relatively stress-free commute so far.

    The main irritation is that I bought a new 12 journey bus ticket (£32) for my last bus trip home last week, which still has 11 journeys left and expires at the end of the month. I don't rate my chances of getting a refund from Stagecoach given they are still running buses. I just don't have 4 hours to spare to get to/from work.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. amir
    Member

    Well done @paddyirish - you came over better than the other guy.

    The FRB situation is having negative effects on other parts of the rail service. A colleague yesterday had his train from Dundee to Glasgow cancelled, presumably due to FRB - so he had to wait an extra hour. On the way back from Waverley to Eskbank - my train was 25 mins late as it was from Fife and then got stuck at the bypass waiting for the northbound train to leave the single track stretch (government unwise penny pinching?)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. crowriver
    Member

    There have been a lot of delays on services from Dundee the past few months. Allegedly "congestion", nothing to do with FRB as this started earlier.

    More freight trains? Shortage of rolling stock? Impossible turn around times with insufficient slack built in? More frequent services causing knock on delays?

    Maybe kappers knows the answer, because I don't...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. deckard112
    Member

    @panyagua - interesting you say that about the 8.48. I got that train on Friday, the first real day of closure and it was the same. Maybe a pattern hopefully? I'm lucky enough to be able to work from an alternative site in Dunfermline where I live but would prefer to be in my main office in Edinburgh. Might give it another bash.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. panyagua
    Member

    @deckard112

    I'm hoping it's a pattern. The train had 5 coaches (I imagine it's normally 2 or 3) and there were free seats all the way to Haymarket. I suspect that some people who can 'flex' are waiting for the one after, so they can use an off-peak return.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Ferrytoll largely devoid of cars, people mustn't be using the bus services.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. paddyirish
    Member

    Ferrytoll largely devoid of cars, people mustn't be using the bus services.

    Figures I heard were 7% increase at Ferrytoll and 12% at Halbeath.

    Minister was speaking in Holyrood and keen to get people using buses more as they have capacity. Can't see the attraction as they will take ~2 hrs and not drop a lot of people anywhere near their work.

    Sardines on the train is better than that.

    He did say the target date of the New year is still on track. I have heard March/April is more likely.

    I hope the minister is right.

    AFAIK, no mention of cycling again.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. LaidBack
    Member

    At least resources are being put in to stop people getting onto the bridge. 12 security guards to be hired to stop selfish 'selfie' shooters encroaching the bridge.
    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/transport/security-hired-to-stop-forth-road-bridge-selfies-1-3969913

    Could we get security on bikes to escort cyclists over and stop loiterers? (Joking of course!).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. BurntOut
    Member

    Statement and questions can be found here. Plenty questions about parking, but not a thing about cyclists.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. Harts Cyclery
    Member

    Ok, so they've been testing the bridge with about 20 gritters at a time, but they can't possibly allow pedestrians and cyclists on...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. Harts Cyclery
    Member

    Bridge test

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. shuggiet
    Member

    If by some long-shot chance the Minister accepts the logic of allowing peds/cyclists, almost certainly AMEY will respond with..'OK if you allow peds/cyclists to interfere with our construction site, then add x weeks onto re-opening time'.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. Harts Cyclery
    Member

    But 'construction' has gone on for years with traffic thundering past on one side in the shape of various contra-flows. This is more akin to a path around the side of a construction site. Either way, it WOULD BE REALLY USEFUL if someone from Transport Scotland or Amey could give a good, considered reason for a blanket ban.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. Vez
    Member

    'Relaxing' the rules on HGV drivers' hours (from link BurntOut shared above) is going to do wonders for public safety...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. Charterhall
    Member

    Disgusting that they prioritise stopping access to bridge over providing it. Transport Scotland, what a joke.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. gembo
    Member

    Traffic light again tonight, colder stronger wind and wee bit of snarl at Asda chesser but does look like a lot of congestion on routes west out of Edinburgh of an evening is bridge traffic. Need to get the Fife fix my pothole response team over here, oh wait a minute

    Posted 9 years ago #

  18. kaputnik
    Moderator

    One negative side effect of the FRB closure is an increase in idiotic parking in proximity of South Gyle Station, which I've put down to people who normally have a driving commute from Edinburgh to Fife taking the train instead, but being unwilling to walk to the station.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  19. Baldcyclist
    Member

    One inconvenience, (not for you ;) ) of the early train, is it's 8:35pm and I'm going to bed.

    I miss late nights, and the 10pm news. ;)

    Fife Council on FB trying to encourage people onto buses to ease congestion, lots of capacity they say, journey times of 90mins.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  20. Klaxon
    Member

    I wonder if the bus companies could be on to a winner with a direct service to the working areas of Whitehill / Tesco / Livi Centre / Houston along with another to Sighthill / Straiton / Bilston Glen / Bush

    These are big out of town employment routes that road transport should be able to easily beat out rail and sevice buses on in terms of time and convenience - 55 and 70 minutes from Ferrytoll respectively to the end point if one believes the Google estimate and a clear A985.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  21. acsimpson
    Member

    I caught the 9.30ish from South Gyle this morning at which point 2 of the carriages were still empty. Plenty space all the way to Dunfermline.

    Heading back tonight my colleague reported the 17.30ish was standing room only and couldn't fit everyone at the later stations. I waited for the 1800ish which had plenty seats until closer to the bridge where it became cramped as far as Dalmeny.

    On the way home the woman opposite was reading this book:

    Posted 9 years ago #

  22. Snowy
    Member

    @acsimpson haha, love it, v droll.

    Going back to what @SRD said this morning - I think you've summed it up perfectly.

    I do wonder if anyone's reflecting on how our planning (or lack thereof) is being shown up here. We've facilitated bedroom/dormitory towns and commuting/shopping from long distances, but failed to invest in the Infrastructure to make it sustainable. Will there be any political learning?

    This is the nub of it. The relationships between our housing and employment locales, and the transport links between them, are being shown up to be pretty precarious. On this rests social cohesion; employers need employees who can do the job, and it's still a minority of jobs which can be done remotely.

    This time round, the unexpected event has been the bridge. Next time: fuel scarcity? Fuel cost? Security event? Epidemic illness? Official responses to such things seem to only consider crisis management of the very short term. If something happens that means most people can't reach their places of employment, it all quickly falls apart.

    Essentially, it's an enormous systemic risk to socioeconomic survival.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    "it' s an enormous systemic risk to socioeconomic survival"

    All the more reason to encourage walking and cycling!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  24. Baldcyclist
    Member

    No nap for me this morning on the train. Working day for Mrs B, so first run of getting wee fella to Livingston for childcare, and wife to work.

    Granny and Grandad got up at 4:45am to drive through pick the wee man up at 6:30am at the Gyle. Kudos to them, and no complaining either (at least publicly).

    6:03 was standing room at Burntisland, but plenty more got on as far in as Inverkeithing, and Dalmeny. Wee fella seemed a little unsure of the heat and volume of people om the train, but once he was centre of attention with all of the morning commuters vying for his attention he was happy enough, and occupied.

    Lots of banter on the train with commuters seeming to make the best of the situation. I did look out for Bax's donkey jacket, but only remembered later that he'd fled to Berlin (presumably East) to be with commrades.

    Main down side is I won't really see my wife now till the weekend, as I'll be in bed by the time she gets home tonight.

    However, on the plus side, being pro-active, doing some forward planning, and most impostantly not complaining we have all got where we need to be at times that we need to be there with minimal fuss, and a smile. :)

    I'll withdraw now and let you all carry on with the complaining...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  25. Rosie
    Member

    Re the broad point that Snowy is making an article on Bella Caledonia:-

    http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2015/12/07/the-bridge/

    MODERN URBAN PLANNING IS RUBBISH!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  26. gembo
    Member

    Jonathan Swift the dean of Christchurch cathedral in Dublin proposed that the poor ate their babies. In doing so he seems to have if not invented at least defined Satire. For the modern age (18th century but no real change). Previously sir David Lindsay wrote Ane Satyre O' the Thrie Estates, see also some old Greek dudes. But swift set the tone for private eye etc.

    So modern planning is certainly rubbish. As is modern life. People should be forced to live on brown field sites if they have the temerity to wish to live in a nice big house with a room each, particularly when they have created a family and then uncoupled it consciously so they then need two big houses. One which needs to be over a falling down bridge due to cheaper houses over the water causing millions more cars than ever anticipated crossing it.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  27. Disco Dave
    Member

    @kaputnik - my only "silver lining" for the increase in motor traffic at South Gyle, is perhaps making sleepy train commuters more aware of the fact that it's an actual road they all spill out of the station onto en-masse....

    Perhaps, every once in a while, they will now have a wee look to see if it's clear, rather than just drifting into cyclists who happen to be passing though.....(and tutting furiously if you dare to ring you bell):)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. LaidBack
    Member

    Baldycyclist - schedule sounds extreme. Many now spend their time working hard to get to work. HGV drivers working longer too - all in all there will be a lot of tired people.

    Talking of which... cafe owner next door is having long days from her Fife base. She finds my kind of alternative transport strategy irritating I think! I offered her a trolley to load her baking stuff onto train. Living only a few minutes cycle from a non 9-5 business (although with web it is longer) means I have more time to do my other job. With petrol coming down to £1 a litre people using our non-integrated transport system find it expensive.

    But of course this is 'pay back time' (nothing personal as it affects us all) for years of failing to deliver 'modal change'. ScotRail don't want too much demand - although luckily other parts of the rail network go down to free up trains (!).

    People live in Fife on the understanding that they could have an affordable house with a car on the driveway. Houses closer to stations cost more.

    The fact that cycling isn't seen as of any real use shows you how far we are away from encouraging active travel on the cross Forth route.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  29. Baldcyclist
    Member

    "Baldycyclist - schedule sounds extreme"

    Before the wee fella I used to spend almost 4 hours a day on a bike (+8 at work), so this is quite relaxing. :)

    "The fact that cycling isn't seen as of any real use shows you how far we are away from encouraging active travel on the cross Forth route."

    The 4 hours thing, at best you'll be at least an hour on a bike if Edinburgh is your destination (against 20 - 35mins on a train).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  30. chdot
    Admin

    Any signs of a two bike strategy (cycle to a station in Fife, then cycle from Dalmeny or later)?

    Posted 9 years ago #

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