"Traffic Hell" is reserved for when it takes 4 hours+ to exit an out-of-town shopping shed car park.
*snigger*
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"Mayhem" (the new word for chaos) + added “shambles”
(231 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Scotsman leader is remarkably cool headed about it all. I agree with the premise that this stooshy is mostly down to political opportunism, by Labour, ASLEF and the SNP: why on earth did Sturgeon apologise? It wasn't her fault!
@ivangrozni "I'm already a seasoned tourer - randoneurring is really just a different side to the same coin. I'll take the freedom of touring to the constraints of audaxes any day!"
I've reached similar conclusions I have to say. Though I'm not ruling out riding some audaxes next year, if I can get my fitness back and weight down a bit...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'm sure Scotrail do have contingencies for worst case scenarios. Although bad, No one was hurt by yesterday's incident. This is far from a worst case scenario. Had the train derailed and caused injuries (or worse) we could be looking at weeks of delays with that section of line closed. I would guess the contingencies for this take several hours to put in place and had they been triggered would almost certainly have affected the evening rush too. The fact that the network was getting back on track late morning and running normally by mid afternoon makes me think that someone who knew what was going on was running the show.
With regards the communications I wonder if the replacement busses were part of the contingency for shutting this line for a longer period and the announcements were triggered before they realised they could move the train and clear the blockage in under 2 hours.
I wonder if these same opportunists would expect anyone whose car breaks down on a main road to surrender their driving licence and resign from their job.
Posted 8 years ago # -
The fact that the network was getting back on track late morning and running normally by mid afternoon makes me think that someone who knew what was going on was running the show.
Agreed - though I wouldn't be surprised if their hands had been tied slightly by the pressure earlier in the week for Scotrail to promise not to skip stops, which would have made it easier to get the network up and running again...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"With regards the communications I wonder if the replacement busses were part of the contingency for shutting this line for a longer period and the announcements were triggered before they realised they could move the train and clear the blockage in under 2 hours."
Yes, but it all added to the (apparent) communications shambles.
It might have been easier to say 'look folks' nothing is going to move for two hours, go home, have a coffee on us etc.
A quick look at the actual cancellations suggest that there was also a logistical problem with turning round Waverley bound trains at Haymarket.
There must have been opportunities for stopping trains at Ed Park and transferring people to trams? Extra trams even??
South Gyle and extra buses?
Apparently some trains went round the South Sub, but not many.
I agree it wasn't a disaster and that most of the politicking is nonsense, but blocked tunnels/tracks around Haymarket/Waverley ought to have a better contingency plan?
Posted 8 years ago # -
"pressure earlier in the week for Scotrail to promise not to skip stops"
Probably, but skipping stops (with minimal notice) on trains getting people to work is a pretty discriminatory way of running a service - and one likely to discourage passengers.
Doing it in places where the bus service is not much of an alternative might seem cynical!
Posted 8 years ago # -
I have mixed feelings on the skipping stops thing.
I have seen it happening at Haymarket when a Glasgow train is delayed and they run it straight through to Glasgow - if you want an intermediate stop you have to wait 15 minutes for the next one. Kind of seems reasonable in that I assume a lot of the traffic at that time in the morning will be going right through to Glasgow.
I've also been on the wrong end of it when a delayed train comes straight through Livingston North on my way home - obviously at that point it is highly annoying! ;-) I wonder if they chose not to stop at Livi North precisely because it is a busier station with lots of people putting bikes on the train...
Incidentally my train yesterday definitely left from platform 3 - maybe Real Time Trains can't cope because that's the wrong platform!
Posted 8 years ago # -
"I wonder if these same opportunists would expect anyone whose car breaks down on a main road to surrender their driving licence and resign from their job."
More like expecting the local council's director of roads to resign, or the head of Transport Scotland, or even the Transport minister to resign.
I'll be expecting an apology in parliament from Sturgeon next time a lorry spills its load of Tunnock's Tea Cakes* on the M8 blocking all four lanes and causing interminable delays.
* - Other speculative cargos are available.
Posted 8 years ago # -
In case anyone wants to read it
"
ScotRail Franchise – Franchise Agreement
THE SCOTTISH MINISTERS and
ABELLIO SCOTRAIL LIMITED
SCOTRAIL FRANCHISE AGREEMENT"
"
All reasonable endeavours in the context of this paragraph 8.3 shall include, but not be limited to, the planning in advance of alternative travel arrangements in conjunction with the advance planning of contingency arrangements for unplanned disruption to Passenger Services. Such advance planning shall: -
(i) in the first instance consider all reasonable options for completion of the journey by rail before considering completion of journeys by other modes of transport such as Glasgow Subway, Edinburgh Trams, bus or taxi; and
(ii) it shall consist of putting in place all necessary contractual arrangements for the completion of journeys where appropriate by other modes of transport at no additional cost to the passenger.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'll see your "mayhem" and raise you "hell":
Posted 8 years ago # -
From link -
"
One motorist, who did not want to be named, told the News that the delays were so bad it took him one hour and 15 minutes to travel a mere 0.7 miles.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
Ah. That'll be this, then:
I assume Telford Drive was equally bunged behind me.Posted 8 years ago # -
"
We are operating more daily trains than ever before, carrying more customers than ever before and, at the same time, we are undertaking the biggest upgrade and renewal of the infrastructure since Victorian times.
And we are making good progress. We have already completed projects at Haymarket, Borders and at the Winchburgh and Queen Street tunnels – and the opening of Edinburgh Gateway is only a few weeks away.
We are moving at great pace to complete the electrification programmes on the Shotts and Edinburgh to Glasgow lines. We have also started the transformation of the line between Aberdeen and Inverness.
We are now less than ten months away from our new electric fleet running its first service between Edinburgh and Glasgow in September next year, which will be followed by our new intercity high speed train services between the seven cities the year after.
The result of all this work will be significant. We are adding 100,000 extra seats to our network – that’s 50 per cent more in the central belt, 75 per cent more between Aberdeen and Inverness, 60 per cent more between Aberdeen and the Central Belt – with 40 per cent more from Inverness.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
"I was on Queensferry Road for more than an hour just trying to turn left at a traffic light."
Aptly the photo illustrating the "traffic hell" article shows single occupant vehicles in a queue.....as a lone cyclist glides past in the bus lane! :-)
“An ambulance was going by and nobody moved to let it by and that shocked me. It couldn’t get by. It was hell.”
So much for the "etiquette of the road", let alone the Highway Code or the law!
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
Under-fire transport minister Humza Yousaf is to make statement to MSPs about the situation on Scotland’s railways as he clashed with current operator Abellio over the prospect of returning service to public ownership.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
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I was on Queensferry Road for more than an hour just trying to turn left at a traffic light.
"
I can't contemplate the possibility of that!
"article shows single occupant vehicles in a queue"
Pretty sure that is a stock photo.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
Abellio says that it is working hard to improve services and argues that regardless of who runs the contract, ministers are responsible for determining fares and seat numbers, and therefore the level of overcrowding.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
"The direct rail route from Edinburgh to Perth via Dunfermline, Kinross and Glenfarg was closed in 1970 to make way for the M90 motorway."
Quite. So journeys have been slower than Victorian times for nearly 50 years. Hardly the fault of Abellio nor the Minister.
Also amidst all the talk of public ownership, it might be salient to consider Victorian railways were all privately owned and operated...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Sort of is the government's fault, in that they've had almost 10 years to investigate putting the old line back in. Might affect the M90 though so obviously a non-starter.
Posted 8 years ago # -
In general I think I think the railways should be in 'public ownership'.
But the issues/problems are not really about ownership.
Take your pick from the following
60 years (maybe more) of pro-motoring policies (vested interests lobbying politicians - inc Ernest Marples lobbying himself).
Decades of 'underinvestment'. (Railways nationalised in 1948 partly for 'brave new world' political reasons, but also because they were trashed by the war)
Insane privatisation where the unified railway system was artificially split between track and train running AND ownership of rolling stock. This was deliberate to make re-nationalising 'difficult'.
Transport Ministers who don't even stay in post for a parliamentary term (both Parliaments).
At present I'd much rather see some effort/thought going into bus regulation, unified 'smart' all travel modes ticketing.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Interesting interview on "More or Less" recently with Oliver Hart, awarded this year's Nobel Prize for Economics. His work is based on the idea that no contract can ever cover all eventualities.
He briefly talked about states contracting out services, in his example private prisons, and the fact that a provider can and will always find ways to cut corners. He suggested such services should not be made subject to market forces. Seems very applicable to our railways.
Posted 8 years ago # -
It also doesn't help that you can travel up the M90 (or any other motorway) for free, at the point of use.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has told MSPs that "ScotRail has learned lessons" following a series of problems on Scotland's railways.
In an emergency statement at Holyrood, he apologised to rail passengers who have been affected by disruption.
It came on the day commuters faced severe disruption after overhead wiring problems affected services in Glasgow.
ScotRail declared a major incident after finding a broken insulator between Partick and Glasgow Central.
"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-38064637
So is he apologising for something he is responsible for??
Posted 8 years ago # -
Accident on Westfield Road tonight, just opposite the tunnel coming out of Roseburn Street. I was on the 22 coming along the Western Approach Road and it was stopped for about 40 minutes.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@rosie is this story on news with 52 year old motorcyclist?? BBC has police looking for male cyclist joining WAR at roseburn street???
Posted 8 years ago # -
@gembo - Which BBC is this?
Posted 8 years ago # -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-38112698
Motorcyclist has died.
Posted 8 years ago #
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