CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

QBC - Biscuit Taken

(15 posts)
  • Started 6 years ago by gembo
  • Latest reply from davidsonsdave

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  1. gembo
    Member

    Well used to spectacularly bad driving and parking using the quality bike corridor through newinton especially at Ratcliffe Tce

    Today was no exception, bad parking and bad driving all the way into town until I reached the Tesco local. I was in the bike lane when the delivery lorry drove straight at me from the other side of the road as it obviously wanted to park in the bike lane but facing the wrong way. PH Local livery rather than Tesco own brand lorry but a big 'un.

    Once that was negotiated the next few yards involved a car deciding to go for three piint turn right in front of me but maybe spotted me very late so rolled over the pavement a bit and sped off.

    Went for the seven metres of segregated lane at meadows after that and popped in to cycle service for handlebar advice

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    QBC best avoided. Queasy Bike Chaos. Quandry Best Circumnavigated. Quite Big Calamity. Etc etc.

    Minto Street seems quite safe in comparison.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. gkgk
    Member

    I like Upper and South Gray Street, parallel to the QBC. Worth a look, even just for occasional novelty.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. cc
    Member

    Totally agree. It's a dangerous disaster. I usually use Lauder Road instead - hugely wide, not much traffic - then across the Meadows.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. dk1
    Member

    Every morning is a mess through there. Really bad one a few weeks ago as a van parked on double yellows at the Chinese supermarket (just after the dodgy cycle lane around parking spaces) and swung his door open and almost hit the cyclist in front of me.

    The cycle lane actually makes things more dangerous, not less by encouraging people to cycle in the door zone of the parked cars.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. Frenchy
    Member

    There is a dangerous tendency for drivers to cut the corner of the cycle lane where it shifts out as well. Both at the start of hill on Ratcliffe Terrace (northbound), and further south, at the junction with Relugas Road.

    Happened to me this afternoon, at Ratcliffe Terrace. Driver then parked outside the restaurant on the double yellows. Luckily for me I know to expect this.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. AIMC
    Member

    Large group - best way to travel along QBC. Photograph courtesy of Chdot Group cycling

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    This thread has made me realise that I actively avoid the only bit of quality cycle infrastructure anywhere near me. Tend to use Minto Street north for speed and then wriggle home through the Grange south for safety and pleasure.

    Liking the Gray Streets thing too. Damning indictment of a city that can't even connect two prime university campuses.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  9. Frenchy
    Member

    Damning indictment of a city that can't even connect two prime university campuses.

    To advocate for the deil, just a wee bit...

    Although I know I cycled that route before the QBC was put in, I can't actually remember whether it was better or worse.

    The QBC also seems to have been the first cycling infrastructure of this scale in Edinburgh - I find it easy to believe that political realities mean it was only ever going to be paint on the road. The QBC also seems to have been an important step between "no infrastructure" and "decent infrastructure". Hopefully we'll get to "good infrastructure" soon...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  10. gembo
    Member

    @frenchy yes I typed a longish thought process of my own just there around the QBC (lost. Connection so I will repeat) as an example of how paint doesn't work and just creates Illegal Street Parking. Ratcliffe would have been an earlier roseburn but ratcliffe does have perpendicular street parking at both ends but then shopkeepers would have to walk with deliveries and err, pay for their parking. The chemist van is big repeat offender on the ISP route multiple vans for the Chinese supermarkets, the off licence to a slightly lesser degree. However, I need to cycle south on that route but can take a different longer route back to office. As the sainsburys and Tesco parking I feel whilst single yellow are far worse than Ratcliffe. So in future I think I might detour to meadows then swing back for the meadows innocent bit I do like as it is not used huge.y in middle of day.

    At dick vet summer hall, apart from tricky right turn the segregated lane is lovely.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  11. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Although I know I cycled that route before the QBC was put in, I can't actually remember whether it was better or worse.

    Much the same in my fading memories. Red chuckies and white paint have not altered the behaviour of motor traffic one iota. Ratcliffe was always bad due to the slope and the shop parking.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    "Although I know I cycled that route before the QBC was put in, I can't actually remember whether it was better or worse."

    That's certainly not a sign of success!

    There has been much criticism of the QBiC on here since it was first done.

    There are bits that are better, bits that could have been done better and a general reality that in a cycle infrastructure sense it's all a bit of a joke (at least when compared with 'best practice' from 20 or 30 years ago).

    It was planned and implemented before the idea of 'segregation' was much of an idea/possibility in Scotland/Edinburgh.

    The thing that most disappointed/annoyed me was that in spite of CEC making a big (PR) deal of this they failed to organise the BASiCS - no not even enforcement - road surface.

    Even today, several years on, there are considerable areas of SHOCKING bad surfaces in places where people are expected to cycle.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  13. Frenchy
    Member

    Noticed yesterday that two big black communal bins have been cleverly placed just beyond the northern end of the parking/loading bays on Ratcliffe Terrace. They don't encroach on the bike lane, but do prevent people parking in it.

    Bets on whether they're still there this evening?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  14. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    For some reason, the 'QBC'* sprung to mind when I read the below (* many other Edinburgh farcilities are available):

    "For 10.000 Dutch-speakers, ‘Moordstrookje’ is the word of the year. It describes a bike lane that's dangerously close to a road."

    https://www.bruzz.be/en/videoreeks/dinsdag-18-december-2018/video-moordstrookje-chosen-2018s-word-year

    https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/a7cqr7/moordstrookje_little_murder_path_a_bicycle_path/

    Posted 5 years ago #

  15. davidsonsdave
    Member

    QBC is definately a Moordstrookje. I recently moved to a new office and used the QBC for just two weeks before giving up in favour of a quieter route that doesn't involve the volume of stupidity that exists on the QBC.

    Posted 5 years ago #

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