CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
"But how does gritting work?
THE ANSWER
Although it's called grit, what is used on the roads is actually rock salt, which lowers the freezing point of moisture on the road surface, so it stops ice forming and causes existing ice or snow to melt, it is more effective when ground down by pedestrians and vehicles. "
For the record, I recently enquired about grit additives, such as those tested in recent years by a number of local authorities across the UK, and typified by the sugar or molasses-based preparations.
I asked CEC whether it had any plans to use them for this winter. The response was negative and, in the light of anecdotal evidence from other regions, is in my view to be welcomed.
Could have done with some of that magic "salt" stuff on the roads outside Gylemuir Primary / South Gyle Station. It was like cycling on - well, for lack of a better word - ice! I thought those would be high on the councils list of priorities to grit, plenty of potential lawsuits in waiting. Alas I was wrong.
Not sure whether this 'cold snap' caught the Council by surprise or whether budget cuts are involved or just 'questionable' priorities.
That road is in Ward 3 - Drumbrae/Gyle - so these are the e-mails of councillors.
I had a little run-in with some black ice in the Sighthill Ind Est. Complained to the council as I was under the impression that the salt was mixed with actual grit when used on the roads, and this was not apparent on the road where and when I fell. The replied saying that the roads in this area are Cat. 1 and were treated.
I remain unconvinced.
Last year I asked Clarence if they could grit the Innocent Railway path and the person I spoke to hadn't heard of it and didn't believe there was such a place. Needless to say I never saw any grit go down on the path there all winter.
This is the point in the thread where I believe from the EEN website that it's now obligatory to blame the trams for the ice and gritting (or lack of)
Council officials claim it could cost an extra £100K to 'priority' grit about 26Km of the Edinburgh cycle path network. But, being the geek that I am, I crunched some numbers. It doesn't seem to add up!
See the blog post I wrote on it here:
http://www.greenerleith.org/greener-leith-news/2009/12/21/walking-in-a-winter-wonderland.html
Mollie, can you email me at work? I want to talk to you about gritting of the Innocent. Check the directory for a Kirsten with a surname beginning with H.
Looks like there is some pressure (never mind need) for more to be done to make the 'off-road' path network usable in all weathers.
The photo above shows the state of the cycle/pedestrian intersection joining MMW with Forest Road after 6 days of not much snow and a fair amount of freezing.
That area is conflicting enough when the clearly marked cycle lane is visible, so when it's covered in iced snow...
Photo below shows North Meadow Walk (at MMW) yesterday too. Doesn't look like it's been gritted at all.
At least MMW was gritted after the first snow last week. Has it been done since?
My gritting priorities (no particular order) would be Innocent (from St Leonards to Brunstane Station - absolute priority top of Tunnel to Duddingston Road West) NMW&MMW + connecting route to Bruntsfield. All tarmac sections of North Edinburgh Path Network (inc. connection to Haymarket Station) - so Roseburn to D Mains, Granton, Five Ways, Trinity, Leith, Powderhall, Canonmills.
When I left work on Monday afternoon - taking bike for some work while shop not busy -- MMW was clear but the slopey bit felt like it might be icing up, which led me to think it hadn't had any grit/slat recently. I was glad not to need to brake. The paths round the north edge of the meadows, on the other hand, were lovely cycling. Nice crisp snow on pavement.
To be honest, I doubt grit would have done much to the amount of snow on the Innocent this morning. We need those little cyclepath gritter machines like they have in the Netherlands!
Presumably they have snowploughs.
The point in this thread is priorities...
Would a snowplough get down the Innocent? Could certainly be used on the likes of MMW, but for the Innocent (and other paths, it would need a dedicated small machine. Used to have them for pavements, but not seen them in years!
"Would a snowplough get down the Innocent?"
Lorry one yes. (Might have trouble turning round!)
BUT it would be based on the pavement sweepers CEC has.
(Given up looking for Copenhagen cycle path snow clearing pix - I KNOW they exist!)
I saw two wee orange tractos with snow ploughs and grit boxes yesterday morning on Moray Place (surprise surprise, cooncilors must work there)
Highland council take their grass cutters and swap the blades for ploughs and do all their pavements, why can't we do the same and have the "seasonal" garden workers employed to prevent old folks breaking bones on paths...
Kirst I'm off on a/l now but I will get in touch when I get back to the office.
Ok - I wasn't going to work next week, but one of my colleagues has knackered her ankle falling over the ice and is off for a couple of weeks, so I said I'd go in.
I have decided to admit defeat and cancel the commute tomorrow. :( Mother nature has me bettered. I've just walked a good part of it and there's no way I'm risking it with the amount of solid ice that's formed up on the roads and judging by the overnight temperatures, it's not going to get any better.
Copenhagen cycle lane snow clearing pix here
THAT'S the one I was thinking of!
THANKS
Looks so like Princes Street...
ALSO
From a video on Copenhagenize.com
"
MYTHS DEBUNKED
THE city council has dispelled two urban myths which have sprung up as a result of cold snap. They confirmed there is no by-law in Edinburgh which requires all businesses and private homes to clear snow from the front of their premises.
But anyone who decides to get the shovel out can rest easy. The spokesman said individuals who cleared pavements would definitely not be held liable if there was then an accident – unless they had actually made it more dangerous.
"
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Private-firms-set-to-come.5962684.jp
Our grit bins got refilled (yay) after calling them on the 23rd of Dec...
The most recent snow hasn't compacted into one layer of ice, it was the powdery stuff more like ice crystals that when walked on are crunching up and staying apart form each other, actually easier to walk on the compacted stuff than the deeper stuff (opposite from the usual where the deeper stuff is safer to walk on)
"Roads come first and pavements second. The city is still moving and we've had no road closures, and 98 per cent of public transport is operating."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Bin-men-blame-icy-conditions.5966385.jp
been crocked this week with the sledging incident cracked ribs but I have not seen any grit being put onto the edinburgh road surfaces, I have been looking hard but obviously not everywhere. annoying as no fresh snow has fallen for a while so the surfaces could be cleared but maybe the black ice is lurking?
Sorry to hear that! hope they are healing. we were given an old fashioned wooden sledge, which is very low to the ground, and had no bad spills at all. 3 yr old turns out to be a speed devil....roads I've been on are just slushy. they look potentially slick, but seem fine. have ordered a knobbly tyre, but am actually doing okay with 'normal' ones.
@SRD thanks for condolences. We had various sledges but were on a cresta run with ice ramp so after particularly high jump the flat sledge broke. We then reverted to slower toboggan which was fine but then the cousins wanted in on the action and I tried the circular tray monstrosity which was OK if I lay flat down with the kids on top but impossible to steer from sitting we were backwards within a half second careering down the cresta run towards the solid ice block - took all my fatherly instincts to turn the thing and slow it so that when we smacked into the iced up giant snowman torso my son didn't even notice. Don't worry I was wearing my Tam 'Shanter on my head for protection.
My commute starts in the foothills, where the schools are closed and the buses don't go. Once I get into town it is like a different world. I need to see the salt before I show my true grit and get the tricross out.
There has been no big talk from a one eyed fat man in my house this week.
Chris - I challenge you to post a recent picture of grit
ah. we started out with a big round thing too -- made in Khartoum and originally intended as tray for food -- it's very good on softish snow. we've had 2 three olds on it and they preferred it to sledge. but we just have wimpy hills here obviously!
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