CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Giving up on a road?

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  1. Moose
    Member

    As per the title really... Is there a road or route that you have used previously, but have now given up on as a lost cause?

    Considering doing just this, for my own nemesis, the A70 through Currie (also, unfortunately, the stretch of road outside my house.)

    In 3 years of almost-daily commuting, I can't remember when I have travelled on it without receiving a close pass of some description.

    It's mainly the domain of single-occupancy vehicles. Add in the unassailable entitlement to use it as such (as evidenced in the debates of the West of Edinburgh school mergers).

    So is such a realisation/conviction a step down the slippery road of giving up on biking in urban Edinburgh? Or are there others that have deleted certain routes from the route map with no long-term effects?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. Ed1
    Member

    The A70 is not great and can’t imagine it ever will be as too narrow for wider passes too much traffic and parked cars. With all the developments think A70 will only get worse. I have cycled that way a few times to town still do off- peak. Otherwise the route past the watt or I suppose the water of Leith. Not cycled the water of Leith too often as find it too messy. I gave up on the A71 although past wikieston to Livingston its actually in some ways safer than the quiet route which I now use (east Calder mid Calder )as little conflict as wide.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. Roibeard
    Member

    Whilst I've not quite given up on a route, I have altered them to make them less stressful, or taken a more assertive position at points of historical conflict, sometimes unaccountably as far as following drivers might be concerned (why did that cyclist pull out to avoid nothing?)...

    I've also taken to running cameras and reporting drivers of liveried vehicles to their parent company. This might even be useful for non-liveried drivers depending on the vagaries of Police Scotland!

    Robert

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. Lezzles
    Member

    Sadly I've given up on a road after they attempted to put cycle infrastructure in. Its the road into Penicuik - they've painted a cycle lane on the side which means the cars now think they can drive alongside you but its far far too close. I used to cycle that way with my toddler on the bike seat to go to Book Bug at the library. Since they painted the cycle lane I only drive that road because the close passes were too scary.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. Frenchy
    Member

    @Lezzles - Have you told anyone at Midlothian Council (officers or councillors) about that?

    The only stretch of road I've given up on, having ridden on it for a long time, is the southernmost bit of Mayfield Road. Heading north between Liberton Road and Kings Buildings, it's fine if there's no parked cars, but after 9am I detour via Ross Road to avoid close passes.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    Used to cycle Queensferry road but now I go through Davidsons Mains park and the Silverknowes path. It’s a bit longer and slower but much less stressful

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. dessert rat
    Member

    It's only a small section, but Lower Granton Rd from Porto&Fi to the RA at Granton Sq is something I will no longer consider. It's too narrow with the parked cars and the large number of HGVs that use it.

    Pavement parking makes it worse, as it means there's just enough room for bi-directional cars - so its close pass hell.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. steveo
    Member

    Haymarket, after I moved office to fountain bridge I used to turn right at west maitlin Street but after a couple of near murderous passes by cab drivers I swapped to Dundee Street and actually felt safer with the suicide junction on to the west approach road.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  9. gembo
    Member

    @moose came up the WoL path tonight in near daylight. So you got options. You are right about the mergarists. Just east of your house the corner is brutal as if you maintain your line, you would be cycling over a drain and if you follow the actual line of the road those single occupant drivers take you out.

    Most roads now badly potholed.

    PM me and I will tell you what you should be giving up, indeed curious to start at your age :-)

    Posted 6 years ago #

  10. Morningsider
    Member

    The Meadows-Innocent cycle route finally provided me with a way to avoid the Cowgate, which was easily the worst section of my commute. A narrow, pot-holed, close pass hell - with steamboats pedestrians in the evening adding to the general mayhem.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  11. paulmilne
    Member

    Princes Street. After starting commuting to the west last year, i began by going straight out from Waverly along Princes Street and Haymarket. Now i avoid them both. Life is short and stressful enough as it is.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  12. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    I also made a small change to my route a while back. I used to cycle a bit more of Clermiston Rd but got fed up with drivers constantly putting me in danger by not giving way at the Clerwood View Roundabout.

    I now cycle pass Fox Covert schools and take a left at this roundabout instead.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  13. threefromleith
    Member

    Ferry Road. I didn't originally mind skelping along Ferry Road between Crewe Toll and Leith, but as the years went on the road surface deteriorated to such an extent that dodging the dodgy driving AND dodging the potholes and ruts at the same time just became too stressful and dangerous. Moved back to the NEPN and I've never moved back.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  14. acsimpson
    Member

    Maybury Road. Or at least the uphill portions of it. Too many drivers ignore the speed limit on it and an overlapping group also containing too many drivers don't change lane when overtaking on it. Downhill isn't so bad as I maintain a reasonable speed but uphill I now join then majority of cyclists on the pavement.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  15. Ed1
    Member

    I gave up cycling livi dually the bottom section that does not cross any slips roads but more due to people thinking it is a bad idea than close passes.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  16. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    I actually gave up on all city roads a few years ago and bought a mountain bike for my commute. The Brunstane/Innocent route was much less stressful. If I had to ID just one road that made my mind up it would be the one between Joppa and Musselburgh. Nutters in vans, buses, cars, even a driving instructor.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  17. Frenchy
    Member

    Is there a way of getting onto the Brunstane path without going on the Musselburgh-Joppa road?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  18. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Yes, up through Stoneyhill to the cycle path then through Newhailes Estate.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  19. gembo
    Member

    Towpath and WoL path again tonight, with the lighter evenings getting better. Bad roads in Edinburgh of course to get to canal but might start using the one bit of segregation we have though would need to use kings theatre junction daily.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  20. Frenchy
    Member

    @Cyclingmollie - Ta. Is Newhailes estate traversable on a road bike?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  21. morepathsplease
    Member

    @Iain McR - that stretch from Porto & Fi is local to me. I could use the Trinity path but risk the road instead - it's only a few minutes of a commute but I never feel safe despite the 20mph restriction (highly unusual for anyone to stick to that, many go well over 30). The road surface is awful as well.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  22. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    @Frenchy Yes, it's a tarmac and gravel path.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  23. wingpig
    Member

    I haven't gone from Constitution St to Seafield Place along Baltic/Salamander St for a while, probably since the Leith Links path extension.
    Conversely, I currently use Leith Walk, London Road and the two roundabouts at the top despite once having them on a list of places to avoid for traffic-evils; I moved, and they became parts of quickest routes between places, and I became used to them.

    Surface-wise, I'll still go out of my way to avoid the juddering of Howe Street, Scotland Street, Little King Street and so on, particularly after accidentally ending up on then again earlier this week.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  24. dessert rat
    Member

    @morepathsplease - as I am usually starting or finishing work next to new Sainsburys on Craighall Rd, i always use Granton Rd (despite the hill) and along East Trinity.

    The traffic on East Trinity is terrible with the parked cars, but if you stand your ground/take primary they almost always ceed when the parked cars are their side. Which is the total opposite on Lower Granton deathwish Rd

    Posted 6 years ago #

  25. crowriver
    Member

    Pretty much given up on London Road/Portobello Road - especially the latter. Traffic too fast, too heavy, too many close passes and cut ups. Have almost given up on Easter Road north of Powderhall rail bridge too as the drivers are impatient and recklessly endanger others without a second thought.

    If going to Porty I generally take the much longer, but safer route via the Pilrig railway path. Despite the usual dog walkers it's a lot less stressful than the more direct road routes. Which I suppose goes to show the benefit of having an off-road alternative route.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  26. Moose
    Member

    Interesting replies (thanks!) and quite a surprising volume too. I wouldn't have guessed that on a forum like this with so much urban cycling experience.

    Apart from making me feel better, I wonder how the volume of no-go streets might extrapolate across the latent 'could-be-cyclists' population.

    Also, if I were more technically minded, I would attempt some Google-map-overlaying of some of these no-go streets against the ECC cycle route provision. There would be some interesting route planning anomalies I am sure...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  27. chdot
    Admin

    Might be worth adding here -

    https://edinburgh.cyclescape.org

    Posted 6 years ago #

  28. gembo
    Member

    needed to be at work very early today so chose A70 over towpath. Man it was snarled all way from Gillespie Xroad to nether currie. No reason just volumne of traffic from the new build at Kinleith and I suspect people trying to avoid the A71 which is super snarled since the boy left his car ion the bypass early monday.

    Went back on to towpath at Codfather/Dominos - much nicer. Some Boroughmuir kids but nothing of note

    Posted 6 years ago #

  29. redmist
    Member

    gembo - incident on the bypass this morning meant the whole west side was clogged up. Not a normal morning. Not that the A70 is that great anyway !

    Posted 6 years ago #

  30. fimm
    Member

    I think I spotted Gembo [Oi! Wrong thread - Ed] coming down Lanark Road?

    I was about 10 minutes later than I would usually be this morning and I was thinking that if traffic was always that heavy I'm not surprised that Moose was thinking of giving up on the road. I think I'm glad to hear that that was not normal...

    Posted 6 years ago #

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