CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Calton Road closed (or not)

(178 posts)

12…6

  1. crowriver
    Member

    Has anyone else been enjoying the north eastern approach to Waverley Station these past couple of weeks? I know I have.

    The top end of Calton Road is currently closed: not sure but looks as though there was a runaway vehicle on adjacent Calton Hill which demolished the retaining wall and crashed into the ventilation from the Black Bull. Oh look, here's a photo from 6 weeks ago:

    Maybe it was delivering to the nearby hotel and the driver forgot to put the handbrake on? Looks like it:

    Anyway, it's sheer bliss not having to worry about rat running taxis, white vans and single occupant cars bearing down upon you at 30mph from Leith Street. Pedestrians and bikes have a free run of the road, it's quiet and pleasant (despite the crowd barriers set up to keep folk away from the crash site).

    Long may it continue like this! Come to think of it, why don't the council replace the traffic cones at the junction with Leith Street with bollards, and close Calton Road to through traffic? It would make so much sense and be much safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. Min
    Member

    It is brilliant isn't it? It makes crossing the road there to continue up Leith Street so much easier too since you no longer have to try and interpret whether the vehicles flying towards you are going to fly up Leith Street or over you as you cross.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. dougal
    Member

    As you say, long may it continue. Road works, in general, make Leith Street much nicer to navigate. I am generally disappointed when the "proper" road returns.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Roadworks have their benefits as you say. Chester Street is currently closed at Manor Place, making the Melville Street - Palmerston Place - Glencairn Crescent route avoiding Haymarket very nice, as traffic can't cut through/past Haymarket from direction of Drumsheugh Gardens.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    That's terrible, think of all the poor drivers stuck at home.

    Well they must be otherwise there would be CHAOS and GRIDLOCK.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. Fountainbridge
    Member

    Last time it was "closed" the barriers were moved out the way quickly by gorilla motorists.

    This time they seemed to have a bit more staying power. Wonder if the plastic block things have been filled with water to prevent them from being moved.

    I also noticed Calton hill has a new no entry sign at the bottom.

    160124122140IMG_4415 by Paul fae Fountainbridge, on Flickr

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. crowriver
    Member

    Has anyone else noticed an apparent growth in “driver frustration” on Calton Road these past few weeks?

    Symptoms include:

    1. - Regular moving of the crowd barriers to keep one lane of the still-closed road clear to drive on.
    2. - Numerous cars (oddly no commercial vehicles) turning off Leith Street at speed then doing one of the following:
    a. - attempting to squeeze past the crowd barriers to proceed downhill.
    b. - executing a slightly outraged or embarrassed 3-point turn to get back to Leith Street.
    c. - proceeding to drive uphill on Calton Hill, despite the no entry sign (situation made worse by some wag turning the sign so it’s barely visible from Leith Street).

    Clearly, some drivers’ journeys are regarded as more important than obeying the law. This attitude seems to be exacerbated by the fact that the council don’t seem to be doing anything to either repair the collision damage which has blocked the road, nor enforcing the closure, no entry, etc.

    Given this situation, maybe some DIY enforcement may be necessary? For example, placing the crowd barriers back where they were, or putting the no entry sign back in its correct position?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  8. dougal
    Member

    The metal barrier was back in place at the top end of the road today (~7.40AM).

    Earlier this week I was coming out of Waverley and a small car went past me at very high speed coming from the closed section. I can't confirm that the driver didn't just angrily turn around when discovering the barrier, but I'm willing to bet that scenario 2(a) fits the bill.

    If they just cut off vehicle access to Calton Road permanently that would be marvelous. I'm in no hurry for more hassle on the way to/from work.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  9. crowriver
    Member

    "The metal barrier was back in place at the top end of the road today (~7.40AM)."

    And it had been cleared out of the way by 09:20 hours...

    Somebody is "at it", but who? Owner/employees of the pubs nearby? Irate commuters dropping off passengers at Waverley? Frustrated office workers at council HQ?

    I think we should be told.

    The real disadvantage of all this lawlessness is pedestrians having to run the gauntlet of speeding motorists turning off Leith Street once more, after a relatively pleasant couple of months where that’s not been a worry.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  10. neddie
    Member

    Might be worth someone 'monitoring' the barriers one morning and photographing the miscreants 'red handed'

    (wet red paint daubed on the barriers would help with this)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  11. PS
    Member

    I've only seen a white van passing through the barriered bit, but they did that without shifting the barriers.

    I assumed the no entry sign at the bottom of Calton Hill (boo to that, by the way, as it prevents the fun of cycling up there on the way to Holyrood Park) had been moved round to allow the laundry vans/refuse lorries to get to back of the hotel at the bottom of the hill without having to come down the slope and run through the wall again.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  12. dougal
    Member

    At about 13:20 I left the station and was taking this photo to show the damage done to the barriers by speeding vehicles, when lo! a driver did appear in front of me, trying to get past (through) me.

    (Barrier with broken legs.)

    After several moments of him shifting forward a foot at a time and waiting for me to dematerialise I asked him if he needed help. We had an argument about what the road closed sign meant. (In his view, Access Only meant Access To The Station. This would mean of course, Access Everything.)

    By this time he was about 3 inches off my front wheel, so I got him to reverse - he threw in a little forward jump first just to let me know what I was dealing with - and I cycled out.

    When I reached the junction with Leith Street I saw a traffic warden ignoring the actively-driving-down-a-closed-street driver for the parked-on-double-red-and-pavement white van outside Starbucks.

    Oh, and I'm apparently a Traffic Vigilante because I can read and understand simple signs. I even have a high horse (aluminium, Ridgeback). The more you know.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  13. PS
    Member

    I saw a traffic warden ignoring the actively-driving-down-a-closed-street driver for the parked-on-double-red-and-pavement white van outside Starbucks

    Well that's something, I suppose. It's been years since I've seen a double-yellow/red parker being done.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  14. gembo
    Member

    the sign says closed but the driver knows

    Posted 8 years ago #

  15. crowriver
    Member

    Traffic Vigilantes on high horses of the world - unite!

    :-)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  16. Stickman
    Member

    "Traffic Vigilantes on high horses* of the world - unite"

    *Recumbent riders also welcome

    Posted 8 years ago #

  17. dougal
    Member

    More railings have been cast aside and the Access Only sign is AWOL.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  18. crowriver
    Member

    Hm. More a case of guerrilla drivers rather than traffic vigilantes then?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  19. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    I got called a militant cyclist once for expecting a driver to give way to the main road. As well as some other names which I must admit to reciprocating similar compliments.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  20. gembo
    Member

    Spotted motorist ignoring the sign at he other end which has not been removed, I guess they know it has stayed the same since beer lorry gate.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  21. crowriver
    Member

    So this morning, I noted the workies have started demolishing/rebuilding the retaining wall which was destroyed by a beer lorry before Xmas. Bad news for pecs and cyclists? Not quite yet, as workies (maybe the same ones?) have also dug a great big hole in the road at the southbound junction with Leith Street.

    So Calton Road really is closed. Properly. For now.

    Lovely and peaceful it is too.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  22. crowriver
    Member

    The drivers are finding ever more ingenious methods to get along Calton Road.

    This morning, while walking to Waverley along the otherwise largely deserted road, I noticed a white van approaching behind me at some speed. I turned to look and the van braked, the driver gesticulating for me to get out of his way (I was walking on the carriageway).

    I asked him what he thought he was doing: out of the corner of my eye I'd seen him execute an illegal turn from Leith Street down the wrong side of the road in order to gain access. He muttered something unintelligible. I further reminded him the road was closed, access only. He started showing signs of irritation. I stepped aside, giving him my opinion of his driving abilities in the process. He carried on right down Calton Road, I presume rat running as he did not use it for access to anywhere nearby.

    I fear "driver frustration" with the ongoing closure is going to lead to a collision at some point in the near future.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    I cycled there yesterday, including the 'wrong side of the road' manoeuvre.

    Apart from that, it was easy to get along to New Street.

    The station drop off is open to vehicles coming from the east.

    Certainly not clear why it's not barriered properly at the Leith St. end to stop all but pedestrians and bikes.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  24. chdot
    Admin

    "

    CityCentreLeith Team (@CityCentreLeith)
    17/03/2016, 10:50 am
    @CyclingEdin Cars carrying out illegal manoeuvres. Gas board currently working. Please contact @policescotland about dangerous driving. ^J

    "

    Posted 8 years ago #

  25. chdot
    Admin

    "

    CityCentreLeith Team (@CityCentreLeith)
    17/03/2016, 11:07 am
    @CyclingEdin Emergency access & egress requires to be maintained & closing rd completely is not possible. This is a Roads Traffic offence.^J

    "

    Posted 8 years ago #

  26. crowriver
    Member

    Thanks chdot.

    The van didn't head to the station, just zoomed off down Calton Road. No doubt trying to avoid signalled junctions to get somewhere else.

    The other thing that's pretty hazardous is trying to cross the access road to the underground car park Greenside Row on the Greenside Place side of Leith Street. The pedestrian crossing has been out of action for months now. No temporary crossing or signals provided, it's a free for all.

    Up to this morning I've been coping fine but today I was heading south en route to Calton Road, and had already started crossing the second lane at the junction when a young guy in a Morris Cooper drove right at me from the car park entrance. If I hadn't stepped back he would have probably knocked me down. He carried on driving right where I had been standing just a second before. I yelled at him but he was completely oblivious, like he was looking through me to check the junction was clear.

    Again, only a matter of time before someone is injured there.

    I really can't understand the arrogance of some drivers who do not consider for a moment that aggressively barging their way through pedestrians in a motor vehicle without slowing down is at all inappropriate or dangerous.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  27. jonty
    Member

    The pedestrian route on the "other" side now goes past the other side of that pedestrian crossing, so there's no reason not to re-instate it other than laziness. The road is unusually heavily congested anyway, so it's not like an extra crossing is going to cause any incremental harm.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  28. threefromleith
    Member

    The other week I saw a lorry which had managed to get itself stuck trying to reverse uphill in the same spot where the beer lorry had been before it had its accident.

    It was trying to extricate itself from being jammed up against the pavement at the rear and up against the fenced-off damaged wall at the front.

    This involved trying to get enough power down to bump the back wheels onto the pavement whilst trying not to smash into the building with the extended rear of the vehicle. There were pedestrians walking along the pavement behind it, oblivious to the possibility of the vehicle suddenly lurching onto the pavement and smearing them against the stonework.

    A day or so later, passing the same way, I noticed a signpost - next to where the lorry had been - was flattened parallel to the ground.

    It's only a matter of time before there's another accident there.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  29. crowriver
    Member

    Aye, I've noticed delivery lorries going the wrong way up Calton Hill too, completely ignoring the 'no entry' sign.

    It's TRAFFIC CHAOS! Potentially very dangerous too.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  30. crowriver
    Member

    Sometimes I do wonder about walking to the station that way. Most of the route is pretty nice (especially London Road Gardens), but crossing London Race Track can get pretty hairy despite island refuges. Then there's Blenheim Place junction with rat runners bearing down on you, impatient drivers at Greenside Row, Calton Road junction...

    Why is Edinburgh so unfriendly to pedestrians?

    Once upon a time I used to cycle that route. That was just too stressful after a while.....despite the sketchy road crossings, walking is much more pleasant.

    Posted 8 years ago #

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