Upgrading WoL path to Balerno « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

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Upgrading WoL path to Balerno

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Started 7 years ago by chdot
Latest reply from amir

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chdot
Admin

New thread, Gembo drifted a different one.

"I understand CALA Homes are proposing tarmacing the WoL path as parth of their bid to build 100+ homnes on Ravelrig Hill - this would linik iof course to their other development at Kinleith Mill which abuts the WoL path. Wpould be good from my perspective except the neds will be out on motorbikes more than they are. They are openly saying that as the road will be busier the segregated path should encouragfe cycling to work. Joggers on here have objected to this before and the borse riders I imagine will also object so this will likely be another CALA promise prior to a build that does not happen."

http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=15760&page=120&replies=3586#post-240722

Plus some replies.

Posted 7 years ago #
fimm
Member

Copying my contribution to the drift of the other thread (which is quite big enough anyway!) here:

I object to being described as a jogger. I run. ;-)

I would be sad if the WoL path was all tarmaced because it is nice to feel that you are away from the tarmac even in the middle of the city. However there are other places I can go that are unlikely to ever be tarmaced and I'm coming to the conclusion that the main path is more useful to other people than runners and I guess tarmacing it would be a good thing.

Posted 7 years ago #
chdot
Admin

Copying my response -

"I'm coming to the conclusion that the main path is more useful to other people than runners and I guess tarmacing it would be a good thing"

Very understanding, I hope there are plenty more people (especially locally).

IF there is developer money for this it should be 'easier' to get done.

The tarmacced section up from the canal was done by Sustrans years ago. They wanted to go further, a mixture of local feeling and the Parks Department attitude of 'preserving rural character' (this used to be a railway line!) prevailed.

There really can't be many people who would object to tarmac to the south end of the tunnel, but current money 'on offer' may not stretch that far(?)

Posted 7 years ago #
Fountainbridge
Member

There was a long battle during the last upgrade of the walkway over tarmac v stone. Must have been part of Millennium Fund.

Basically all the horse brigade demanded a soft surface. There used to be a horse stables somewhere west of the bypass and they used the walk way to exercise the horses.

Council gave in to them, but tarmacked the tunnel due to maintenance reasons.

The tarmac bit chdot mentioned was not used by horses hence why they were "allowed" to tarmac it.

Posted 7 years ago #
fimm
Member

I occasionally meet horses on the WoL path. There's a big new horse place on the other side of the river now. I suspect the horses mostly stay that side. There's what BoFFoF calls the Lymphoy path that side. I'd probably run on that path more if the main path were tarmacked.

Posted 7 years ago #
gembo
Member

lymphoy had road upgraded to fix potholes but did not work, potholes came back, so it has now had the uprgrade upgraded, quite good - more for jogging or running on though.

They say the stables west of the bypass with mature hedges planted and all the little vernacular dwellings now grand designed belongs to Zara Phillips or JK Rowling. Some minted person anyway. There horses will stay with them but the other horse folk will scuppoer this unless the council thinks otherwise. Lot of stables above Currie and along the lymphoy. THe horses not so keen on tarmac

Posted 7 years ago #
Dave
Member

You can see why horse riders would prefer mud. If I was a horse rider I would say the same.

The question is whether the city wants to slash congestion and improve health etc. by getting that 20% of journeys by bike, or prioritise the horses. Not such a different question from Roseburn really.

Modal share will never be higher than a fraction of a percent without a hard surface and lighting on the WoL. It's unusual for me to see more than two other cyclists as I ride past the traffic jams on Lanark Rd.

But if I take the WoL path, I see no other cyclists.

Posted 7 years ago #
Rosie
Member

A friend who lives in Kirkliston and who does cycle to work is totally against the Dalmeny to Ratho Station link being tarmacked because (a) he does a lot of running; (b) it's used by horses; (c) he walks his dogs there and has had the occasional cyclist altercation.

It's a terrific link but very easily turns into a mud bath.

Posted 7 years ago #
AKen
Member

I commute by bike using the WoL path in the summer. The fact that it is un-surfaced is the main reason I commute by bus in the winter - having had too many unpleasant experiences amongst traffic when cycling in the dark along Lanark Road.

A single trip along the Water of Leith path when it is wet can get both bike and rider covered in mud. It's no use as a commuter route when it's like that.

Posted 7 years ago #
chdot
Admin

This is from nearly 20 years ago.

I'd forgetten that the WoL Trust was against the tarmac. Wonder if it still is?

"

Agreement appears to have been reached between the various bodies involved that a trial of different surface types would be undertaken, including a new type of surface that 'might' be more horse and mud-resistant than whindust, but would look more 'natural' than tarmac. Now, however, it appears that the Water of Leith Trust is insisting whindust be used throughout, despite the fact that it appears inevitable that in various sections it would rapidly deteriorate again as has always happened in the past after such upgrading.

"

https://web.archive.org/web/20071024131216/http://www.spokes.org.uk/oldsite/sw971210.htm#WATER%20OF%20LEITH%20PATH

Posted 7 years ago #
chdot
Admin

From first page of the WoL Millennium Bid

"

The purpose of the Millennium Fund is to enable dreams to be realised. The completion of a walking and cycling route along the river from Balerno to Leith has been a goal for many years.

"

https://web.archive.org/web/20131105021600/http://www.spokes.org.uk/oldsite/waterofl.htm

Posted 7 years ago #
Murun Buchstansangur
Member

Seems that boggy mud isn't advised for horses either.

http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/bhs/files/pdf-documents/access-leaflets/bhs-advice-surfaces.ashx

Posted 7 years ago #
chdot
Admin

That's a good find.

Posted 7 years ago #
gembo
Member

Not sure why the horses prefer the WoL path to the lymphoy? Maybe they are doing both but I never see horses when I walk the lymphoy which is often but i do see many horses on the WoL path. Maybe it is me?

I still fear the motorbikes.

When I cycle the WoL path in the spring summer Autumn I see many cyclists but I go leisurely and chatty with bell ringing and Hellos to all dog walkers. Even the team of four huskies that dark night. Which was scary.

Posted 7 years ago #
fimm
Member

What would the path be like if it were tarmacked and well used by cyclists? Would it then become an unpleasant place to walk at rush hour because of speed/volume of cyclists?

Posted 7 years ago #
steveo
Member

In some respect I guess thats the hope. If you could get sufficient people from Balerno/Currie on to their bikes I suspect the path would end up like the canal or the NEPN, though wider than the former.

However in the medium term this should start to see cycling people demand more space and dog walking people/running or walking people demanding that bikes should be on the road and then "we" start agreeing and lobbying for segregated space on the main roads. The seeds of that are starting to sprout with the Greens and the Canal.

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

Unlike the canal there's surely plenty of room for two paths on the WoL in many places?

Posted 7 years ago #
Dave
Member

There are always winners and losers.

If we could take 15% of commuter traffic off Lanark Rd we'd have a massive health benefit to hundreds (thousands?) of residents regardless of the benefits to congestion journey times etc. - I can't remember exactly the recent statistic about strokes within 200m of main roads? There was one about lung capacity & health of children too.

If you like having your own virtually private walkway, not good news if the old railbed starts being used for transporting people again of course. I imagine a very vocal PG type campaign would be waged.

Posted 7 years ago #
fimm
Member

IWRATS, in places there are parallel paths (e.g. Colinton Dell). Higher up less so, at least for the tunnel to bypass section. Then I think you can get to the Lymphoy path I was talking about upthread.

steveo good point.

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

the Lymphoy path

I had never heard of this until now. Is it cycleable?

Posted 7 years ago #
Frenchy
Member

Old discussion: http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9236

Posted 7 years ago #
redmist
Member

Lymphoy on Strava -
https://www.strava.com/segments/1490829?filter=overall

Posted 7 years ago #
AKen
Member

I had never heard of this until now. Is it cycleable?

Bit bumpy in places so don't try it with your most expensive skinny-tyred bike but otherwise perfectly cycleable and a very pleasant wee route.

Not the kind of place that's really suitable for racing to gain Strava leaderboard places though.

Posted 7 years ago #
Dave
Member

Since it's a road, probably more suitable than the WoL or paths in the Pentlands though...

We rarely ride Lymphoy except as a way to get up into the Pentlands that avoids Kirkgate. Spend a lot of time pushing the double buggy on it though! Like, thousands of hours.

Posted 7 years ago #
gembo
Member

Lymphoy house also for sale which is a big pink house. Also the wee coffins in a little bower on the right near the Currie end of the road. The wee coffins are not there anymore but the original gravestone commemorating them being found is lying on its side and the replacement gravestone stands in the bower, a sort of stone and tree enclosure if that can be called a bower?the wee coffins were empty and remain a mystery

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

don't try it with your most expensive skinny-tyred bike

My most expensive skinny-tyred bike is also my cheapest fattest-tyred bike. I'll have a look next time I'm out there - cheers to all.

Posted 7 years ago #
Ed1
Member

I rode up past lymphoy and over the pentlands to flotterstone inn with conti sport contact slick tyres and found it a bit rocky most people use mountain type bikes over the pentland from what noticed. If a stream roller flattened the road it would not be to bad too many big rocks currently.

Posted 7 years ago #
Fountainbridge
Member

Path is more than wide enough to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians (and horses).

One major issue with the whinstone dust path is when it rains and becomes muddy - the path narrows to about 20cm wide.

Also worth pointing out that neither of the Lanark Road pavements is continuous. Both sides have sections missing in Curry. Not heard of any plans to fix this.

IMG_3375 by Paul fae Fountainbridge, on Flickr

IMG_3377 by Paul fae Fountainbridge, on Flickr

Posted 7 years ago #
gembo
Member

@iwrats, will be fine for the scaffy bike

Posted 7 years ago #
AKen
Member

The second picture above is exactly why this route is no good for commuting (unless you don't work in the winter).

Posted 7 years ago #

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