Received this from my local councillor:
Silverknowes Roundabout and Silverknowes Parkway carriageways were identified as requiring to be resurfaced as part of the Capital Maintenance programme due to their current condition.
Additional works were included at the request of the Localities Team which included the reconstruction of the footways, the increase in width of the roundabout to stop vehicle overrun on the footways (especially buses), the introduction of pedestrian crossing facilities on each leg of the roundabout to improve pedestrian safety, and the re-location of the entrance to the golf club off the roundabout where most of the recorded accidents had taken place.
In line with the Edinburgh Street Design Guidance the addition of cycle facilities was also introduced to the design of the maintenance scheme.
The consultation for the scheme was carried out in June 2016 which included the Councillors for the Ward, the MP for the area, Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Leisure, Davidson’s Mains and Silverknowes Association representing the residents and the Active Travel team. There were no concerns raised as part of the consultation. Please see below the comments and reply’s regarding the cycle facilities from the Active Travel team.
The works were initially due to start in January 2017 when the golf club is least busy, however due to the late delivery of the Road Safety Audit and the amendments to the design as a result of the audit it was not possible to meet that date. It was decided therefore to postpone the works until September 2017 when the attendance to golf club is getting quieter.
Active Travel Comments and Responses
1. What purpose does the existing service strip through the roundabout serve? Can long articulated vehicles negotiate the Roundabout North to South and South to North without it?
This used to be a route for long vehicles but is no longer used, the long vehicle could not negotiate the roundabout and the strip was there to allow them over it instead of round. This route is no longer used and the strip serves no purpose anymore.
2. The existing golf club car park will now have a redundant strip of tarmac previously used as part of the entrance / exit. Have we consulted them? Would they prefer this was grubbed up and seeded as per the entrance off the roundabout?
I am currently in consultation with Edinburgh Leisure over this, I daresay they would want to keep it as the car park is a one-way system and the strip is used to allow traffic flow in a loop round the car park.
3. Has the Vehicle Restraint System on the Roundabout been assessed. Can it come out? Same thought process as guardrail assessment.
The vehicle restraint system has never been hit in the last 25 years and is not required especially as the width of the roundabout is to be increased by 2m reducing the likelihood of collisions due to the increased space for vehicle to manoeuvre.
4. The kerbs on the corner of Silverknowes Parkway and Silverknowes Road have been battered from overrun of presumably buses or other HGVs. What provision is being made to prevent this happening again. Perhaps the approach lanes on Silverknowes Parkway could be reduced to one for motor vehicles and a cycle lane?
The kerbs are currently being overrun due to the lack of space for vehicles on the roundabout. The increase in width of the roundabout will eliminate this from happening.
5. It seems to me that the design is limited to cyclists cycling around the roundabout then sees them spat out onto the various carriageways with no further provision.
Point taken on this but I would envisage this being a phased approach to the introduction of cycle facilities in the area unless we can secure additional funding to introduce cycle lanes on Silverknowes Parkway for it’s entire length.
6. Can Zebra Crossings be introduced on the other three legs?
The widths of the other legs of the carriageway does not lend themselves easily to Zebra’s also the pedestrian volumes on the other legs are very low and would not justify the added expenditure.
7. Is there room to reduce the inscribed circle diameter of the island and introduce a continental style roundabout where cyclists are fully segregated from vehicles throughout their time on the roundabout. So they would still use the carriageway on the approach and exits but be guided into a segregated circumference. See [pretty picture of a continental roundabout] below. If you did go for something like this likelihood is Sustrans would want to help fund it.
There is no room on the South side of the roundabout to introduce this due to residential properties and on the North side we would have issues with land acquisitions.
[pretty picture of a continental style roundabout here]
As previously stated the primary objective of the scheme is for the carriageway surface renewal of the roundabout on Silverknowes Road and the addition of the pedestrian crossing facilities and cycling facilities were introduced to the design as per the Edinburgh Street Design Guidance.
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