CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh

No Cycling on the Castle Esplanade

(38 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Wilmington's Cow
  • Latest reply from chdot

  1. gkgk
    Member

    RE "what is the big hassle?" - for me, it isn't a big deal in so far as I hadn't taken any umbrage until I read about it here, but I am reminded of the pleasure, the sense of civic approval, of being able to cycle right up to the walls of Mont St Michel and to find a bike rack there. "This is how we do things in France", I imagine them saying, "we want to encourage cycling". Contrast with can't-be-bothered Scotland, where you're left to argue with the squaddie on the gate about why a lack-of-space car ban must mean a bike ban too, and with irrational security justifications. So, no big hassle but somewhere above odd but meh, imho.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  2. Dave
    Member

    I couldn't care less myself, in the sense that we basically never go up there, and if we did, it's very unlikely we'd be travelling by bike (I commute by bike but don't use it for pleasure inside the city - when it's not busy, driving is not so agonisingly slow and it's much more sociable.

    It is a bit of a laugh that there's a 20% of journeys target (or whatever) and it's impossible to visit the city's headline attraction by bike though, unless you go miles away to compete for parking spaces.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  3. Fountainbridge
    Member

    Esplanade is part of an active military base. We tried to take a group photo holding a non-controversial banner a few years ago and were escorted out. This might also have something to do with using the castle image on something controversial

    Last year they had half the Esplanade roped off as a car park and I "accidentally" walked up the car park side. I was wearing headphones and didn't hear the security shouting at me. In the end they got the castle duty manager out. He explained that they'd had a large number of near misses on the esplanade and they'd had many complaints. Unfortunately the car park was a compromise with the MOD - keep the cars out of the castle but still "on the base".

    I'm guessing the general policy now is authorised transport only beyond this point. So Cycles are out.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  4. twq
    Member

    I'd forgotten about this as I went up to the Esplanade as part of a lunchtime bimble. It was pretty busy on the approach, so I was taking it very slowly. Still managed to get past the guard booth no problem, but got shouted at (politely) as I u-turned to leave.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  5. Tulyar
    Member

    @559 You might want to read the wiki entries. There is no real threat from a parked cycle, as in the past 76 years there has never been a bicycle bomb in the UK BUT there have been 4 bombs placed on bicycles, only one of which killed people using a liquid explosive placed in a cut out book in the basket. Schrapnel reportedly injured a woman over 2 miles away. The bike was purchased from Halfords in Coventry and the remains can be viewed in the black museum at Coventry Police Station.

    To this end I pressed and occasionally have to remind railway folk obsessed by security issues, that the only bicycle which has been confirmed as being detonated as a bomb was in Sarajevo, I think in 1948. The seatpost was ejected and travelled several hundred feet, but for all other purposes the bike remained intact and rideable.

    The detail must therefore be that bikes parked in sensitive areas must have luggage removed, or any permanently fitted baskets or bags left open and visibly empty.

    Posted 8 years ago #
  6. chdot
    Admin

    Don't get excited...

    Posted 7 years ago #
  7. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Did you get those installed, @chdot? Stirling work!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  8. chdot
    Admin

    Ho ho!

    Correct location though...

    Posted 7 years ago #

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