Somewhere in Edinburgh...
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.
Somewhere in Edinburgh...
Inside, so either the depot or the station dock? One photo of the depot on their FB suggests the floor is dark, but white in another. Can't see a clear reflection of the ceiling lights in the pale-floor photo. Hmmm.
I was up at the depot today for a look around and chat
They know there's problems with the existing clamp product and this single bike has been fitted as a trial. I'm immensely pleased - these are far superior! Hopefully it's in normal circulation now, I rode it home and docked it.
There are 3 variants of the original clamp in circulation (plastic washer, no washer, metal washer)
The equivalent part in this clamp is a significantly thicker (maybe 3-4mm rather than 0.5mm) rubber washer and it is far kinder on the hands to push down rather than squeeze.
More and enlarged docks coming <this week> but during site surveys they are busy discovering the joys of how much "public" land is actually private. So quite some time is being spent locating and liaising with landowners. The plastic mats for virtual docks can only be glued down when it's warm and dry so maybe not looking good for them this week...
Reallocating parking for bikes remains some way out as the TRO process is far more cumbersome than pavement for which they have permitted development rights.
A software update is likely happening <soon> to launch pausing but it has been technically more of a big deal to get going than they thought. There is some more testing needs done before it is rolled out.
I encouraged them to be, in broad strokes, more open on social media about where they are surveying and aspiring to put docks rather than just giving the same copy paste "please fill in our form" answer.
That's about what I can remember
I had four failed undock attempts at Riego Street yesterday evening (which I still have to type and to report) so I hope the journey pausing works cleanly.
Edinburgh Reporter is reporting new bike stations by the end of the year:
"
By the end of 2018 there will be virtual stations here
Dalry Road (Lidl), Gibson Terrace, Bainfield Drive, Dundee Terrace, Morningside Park, Colinton Road, Marchmont Crescent, Warrender Park Road, Meadow Place, Thirlestane Road, Whitehouse Loan, Simon Square, Lutton Place, South Trinity Road / Ferry Road, Summer Place / Inverleith Terrace, East London Street, Macdonald Road, Leith Walk (Dalmeny street)
AND Docked Cycle Hire Points here
Victoria Park (replacement cycle hire point), Bio-quarter, Castle Terrace
An additional 30 virtual hire points will be in place by the end of January 2019, weather permitting. These will be located in areas including Saughton, Morningside, Leith, Newington and Marchmont.
"
I'm happy about a number of those.
Members of the public can request the installation of the Cyclehire racks using the form here:
Hugely positive. Hitting along the Canal and the South of Edinburgh both very sensible (easy cycling routes nearby). Makes sense connecting Leith's lonesome docks with some more along the walk also, I looked at using some down there a while ago, but it just wasn't near enough.
On the other hand:
Still no plans to connect the Portobello Dock with anything nearby, or place any docks near the Innocent path, which seems daft. (now with an added dock island at Bioquarter).
Also: none at Murrayfield. Why does it seem like Scottish Rugby are so consistently anti cycling?
Can't help but notice the article PS linked to says "Additional bikes will be introduced to coincide with the opening of new hire points, with a total of 500 bikes expected to be in place by the end of the year."
So, literally half the 1000 bikes promised then.
@Morningsider
I hear 600.
They clearly need a rack outside the Spylaw tavern...
They clearly need a rack outside the Spylaw tavern...
I got rather excited when I read "Colinton Road" on the list, thinking there'd be one at Napier's Craiglockhart campus or even Redford barracks. Then I remembered that the other end of Colinton Road is in Bruntsfield.
Reminder.
Half price annual subscription (£45 instead of £90) available 23 - 25th November:
I was going to ask them if people with existing annual subscriptions could buy the half-price annual one to take effect when the existing annual one expired.
Undocked a bike this morning from Brunswick Place. Bike started flashing, the lock disengaged then the bike rolled backwards out of the dock and clattered to the ground, fortunately not affecting any pedestrians.
@neddie the explanatory text following the half price deal headline is as follows: 'For at vi skal vite at du er deg, skriv inn mobilnummeret ditt under, så sender vi deg en engangskode på SMS.'
muses: Is using a Google form GDPR compliant?
Does the form ask for any Personal Data to be submitted alongside suggested locations?
Google's Privacy policies can best by summed up as: "All your data (no matter how we harvest it, whether provided semi-voluntarily, or surreptitiously through tracking via analytics, embedded JavaScript, fonts, or snarfed from Android or GMail users) are belong to us."
@jdanielp Translated: 'To let us know you're yours, enter your mobile number below and we'll send you a one-time SMS.' (thanks Google)
Finally there is a dock at the RIE. At being just outside the hospital grounds in a fairly lonesome spot from looking at the website.
https://twitter.com/greenspacetrust/status/1067019784989089792
Seems mad to have started it off almost full. It's MILES to the next nearest dock.
Well I guess they're assuming that people are less likely to cycle TO hospital what with all their sickness or injury - but will be healed coming out and ready to hop on a hire bike and ride home*.
*likely more to do with helf and safety or summit.
Seems mad to have started it off almost full. It's MILES to the next nearest dock.
I wonder if it's partially to try and inflate "bikes in circulation" numbers, since they're behind schedule there.
It is also downhill to any other docks, so bikes are likely to migrate away from there.
https://twitter.com/cyclehire_edi/status/1067368426610536448
+ Castle Terrace - New (13)
+ Victoria Park - Relocated (7)
Had my first experience of descending seatpost syndrome this evening. I was going into the Cycle Service to get brake pads anyway, and they were kind enough to tighten it up for me. Although the screw has some sort of non-conventional security head, an appropriately sized flat headed screwdriver did the trick.
@frenchy ....the security head flummoxed my lezyne multipurpose when i had sliding seat syndrome.
Took a bike from the RIE into town, as I had to pick up mine from the bike shop. I hadn't realised until I got there that the bike dock is hidden away round the back of the hospital car park. To be fair, it is handily placed for the cycle paths to the east of the hospital, which is the direction I was heading anyway, but I hope another can be added which is visible from Old Dalkeith Road.
Then, when I did find it:
the barrier is Cycling by Design compliant, but still...
@frenchy that barrier is maybe to slow to schemie radges on their motor bikes?
https://twitter.com/violatricky/status/1068823592408895488
“Sad to see several @cyclehire_edi docks vandalised and one bike abandoned nearby on Leith Links today. Hope these can be easily fixed and the culprits dealt with @EdinPolNE”
@gembo - such people are likely to just go round the barrier on the grass on the right hand side.
I suspect the actual intention was to slow down cyclists as they rejoin the road.
If anybody is intrigued by trying Just Eat Cycles, I have procured a number of voucher codes from Sustrans for 'Free 1 hour' hire, which can be used until the end of the year, although I was told that these are actually good for a day of use for multiple one hour periods, like the launch day. I will using one at some point, but if anyone who uses one could let me know exactly what it allows, then that would be useful for clarificaiton... PM me if you'd like a code!
Anyone?
Sure. PMed.
@jdanielp
I'd love to try the hire bikes, thank you, but I am part of the excluded population.
You must log in to post.
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin