CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Holyrood Park: paths, crossings and closures

(219 posts)

1…456…8

  1. Undecided
    Member

    And a reply to Car-Free Holyrood from Tommy Shepherd MP:

    As I think you’re aware, our views on the future use of Holyrood Park are closely aligned. As you say, I did meet last week with Gary Love and Stephen Duncan, respectively the Director of Corporate Services and Director of Commercial and Tourism at HES. I put forward clearly my view that the Park ought to be a place where people can relax and enjoy themselves without worrying about the impact of through traffic. A park shouldn’t double as an arterial route.

    It was a positive and constructive meeting and we discussed a wide-range of issues relating to the Park (not just relating to vehicular access). While I’m hopeful that we’ll see positive developments in the management of the Park in the near future, I must be clear that no assurances were provided to me by HES about that. I will be keeping the dialogue open with HES and I’m hoping to meet with staff on the site soon when the relaxation of the Covid restrictions permits.

    You can be assured that this is a matter I will continue to pursue with HES and I would urge you to do likewise. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you think I can help the campaign beyond what I’m doing at the moment.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    “please contact HES to encourage them. I know it's hard not to be sceptical, but perhaps HES is finally going to do something useful”

    Yes.

    It would be a lot easier (and in their interest) if they said something like ‘we are actively developing plans to make HP more attractive and accessible - especially by improving the maintenance of key paths’.

    (That seems to be the minimum of what they ought to have done years ago).

    Obviously added ‘we are also planning to reduce (or BAN!!) the amount of through traffic’.

    Presumably they don’t actually want to do that, or at least are too scared they might get the the level of complaints the ‘secret cycle lobby’ couldn’t generate.

    They might be wrong, but if not, it’s still the right thing to do.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  3. Undecided
    Member

    It's like a game where we have to pretend we don't know they're useless. But anyway, please take a minute to tell HES you'd like them to do the right thing:
    https://www.historicenvironment.scot/about-us/contact-us/

    Posted 3 years ago #

  4. chdot
    Admin

    “I must be clear that no assurances were provided to me by HES about that“

    What is their problem??

    SURELY it costs a lot of money to maintain a busy road?

    (Would be a lot less if vehicles kept to 20mph...

    CEC doesn’t want the road. A large proportion of the public would appreciate more tranquility.

    So??

    Posted 3 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    “we have to pretend we don't know they're useless”

    Really don’t think that’s the issue.

    Either they don’t want to change anything - but don’t want to admit it, or HES doesn’t have the autonomy to make decisions(?)

    Posted 3 years ago #

  6. crowriver
    Member

    @chdot, I suspect more the former. The put the "conserve" into conservative, after all.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  7. Undecided
    Member

    "Either they don’t want to change anything - but don’t want to admit it, or HES doesn’t have the autonomy to make decisions(?)"

    Which is equal to useless in this context. I don't know what the root cause is, but I don't want HES to be able to claim nobody is complaining to them.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  8. chdot
    Admin

    “I don't want HES to be able to claim nobody is complaining to them”

    Well they’d be lying (unless they don’t check their emails or Twitter a/c).

    https://twitter.com/thebonnieloon/status/1356308758394241025

    Posted 3 years ago #

  9. Undecided
    Member

    I'm not getting any positive energy here, so I'll withdraw.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    “I'm not getting any positive energy here, so I'll withdraw.“

    Sorry you feel that.

    Very positive that you are keeping going on this, can’t be easy.

    The negativity is clearly with HES.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    Does anyone know what happened with this?

    “

    The design will aim to address various observations, suggestions and concerns previously raised by members of the public to HES and the Council.

    Once proposed routes and draft designs are prepared, a wider public consultation will take place, similar to that carried out by the Council during other active travel projects.

    When a final design is agreed, further funding for implementation will be sought.

    “

    (From first post in this thread over 3 years ago.)

    Posted 3 years ago #

  12. gembo
    Member

    Does require stamina to keep at this as HES are stonewallers.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  13. crowriver
    Member

    @gembo, shurely dry stane dykers? (Ed.)

    Posted 3 years ago #

  14. boothym
    Member

    SURELY it costs a lot of money to maintain a busy road?

    Indeed it's not adopted so HES must have to pay to resurface it every so often?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  15. chdot
    Admin

    https://twitter.com/tommysheppard/status/1371487839188291586

    Posted 3 years ago #

  16. chdot
    Admin

    https://twitter.com/cyclingedin/status/1375187654162194436

    Posted 3 years ago #

  17. gembo
    Member

    One tweet I like Any actions or just a gab to butter them up

    Posted 3 years ago #

  18. toomanybikes
    Member

    Anyone who's not emailed them in the past I guess should now. I emailed them two years ago with a bit of back and forth where they pulled out some weak excuses. My partner emailed about a month ago and hasn't heard back.

    Would also offer a useful cycle route from Duddingston/Portobello to Newington without having to do the unprotected bit to get to the innocent.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  19. gembo
    Member

    Had an answer back from HES. Treated my email. As a stag3 1 complaint. Not sure why. I shan’t escalate to Stage 2.

    Quite defensive. Said what about the disabled. I wrote back saying Sleeping Policement? Said what about traffic displacement I wrote back seeking data on that as I think displacing traffic from a cut through would mean drivers taking longer wider roads that would absorb traffic. Also needs to be a total reduction in traffic and more roads closed.

    Did end with Saturday trial of closed roads, closed top road etc.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  20. chdot
    Admin

    “Said what about traffic displacement“

    And that’s HES’s concern why????

    Displacement onto CEC roads.

    CEC wants traffic through HP reduced/stopped.

    Suspect so do most park USERS (not counting through traffic as park users).

    BUT even assuming all wish to preserve their ‘right’ to unhindered - and often above speed limit - transit, still likely majority of all users want restrictions(?)

    Posted 3 years ago #

  21. gembo
    Member

    @CHdot you should initiate a stage 2 complaint

    Posted 3 years ago #

  22. chdot
    Admin

    I should do lots of things.

    No idea what a “stage 2 complaint” is.

    (Or stage 1)

    Posted 3 years ago #

  23. gembo
    Member

    Stage 1 requires much less paperwork. This is what HES treated my request for road closure as. I doubt I complained, they are probably just us8ng a template.

    Stage 2 though is a big write up.

    Stage 3 is the Ombudsman./Ombudsperson. But they don’t respond to the substance of the complaint just the process and if the investigation has been kosher.

    What with complaints, subject access requests and FOIs I am surprised anyone gets any work done.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  24. chdot
    Admin

    Ok

    But who decides what Stage things are??

    Posted 3 years ago #

  25. gembo
    Member

    Well you decide with the complainant normally. Are they content with a stage 1 resolution.

    If not it is stage 2

    I was not given a choice but then I wasn’t complaining

    Posted 3 years ago #

  26. Undecided
    Member

    A request from the bonny fechter at Car-free Holyrood:
    "Can folks forward the responses to their email correspondences with the HES rangers to carfreeholyrood@gmail.com?"
    CFH is currently particularly interested in any HES comments relating to the Park's accessibility for the less than able-bodied.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  27. gembo
    Member

    Sent my email on to the carfreeholyrood folk

    Posted 3 years ago #

  28. Undecided
    Member

    Thanks @gembo . Might be interesting to create a bingo card of HES whataboutery linking to actual facts and possible solutions. Could save us all some time to skip over "what about the sward?" etc.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  29. gembo
    Member

    I declined to acquiesce to their responses which were p1sh

    Posted 3 years ago #

  30. chdot
    Admin

    https://carfreeholyrood.wordpress.com/2021/04/18/access-part-1

    Posted 3 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

1…456…8

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin