"The Mound will be closed for the morning of Thursday, June 21, with temporary landscaping and park benches set out for people to enjoy the summer solstice and an opportunity to try out electric bikes or join a yoga class. And traffic will be barred from the eastern section of George Street for most of Thursday and up until noon on Friday, with a whole host of activities including school pupils putting their own stamp on a piece of street art reflecting the history of the Capital."
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
"Edinburgh city-centre roads to close for Clean Air Day"
(42 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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Yippee.
Bring. It. On.
Posted 6 years ago # -
These events always feel like a liberation to me, like an invading army has been driven out.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Superb, I remember seeing one of these for the first time in Lugano about 20 years ago. the entire lakefront was opened up one evening and there were thousands of people walking, cycling and especially rollerblading along the lakeshore. It was a weekly occurrence there.
Remember something similar in Paris on Sundays- that was brilliant too.
IIRC, they also did a number plate based 50% ban on days of high pollution. A few muppets invested in James Bond type revolving number plates to get around it, but the affect was still pretty impressive.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I love Nick Cook's comment that this "some might see these road closures as little more than a smokescreen to test [a Low Emissions Zone]."
Clearly irony is lost on the man!
Robert
Posted 6 years ago # -
I just realised that I've got those days booked off with no plans to do anything: think I may spend a morning wandering up and down the Mound. Excellent.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Nick Cook will attend, dragging a noisy diesel generator behind him to give the event a bit of atmosphere.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@IWRATS while scaring off the seagulls?
Posted 6 years ago # -
While failing to scare them off due to having misunderstood the nature of both people and seagulls.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Both these roads are on my commute - will I be allowed to (carefully) cycle through?
Will be ironic if Clean Air Day leads me to have to negotiate CEC's Tram Obstacle Course of Death.
Posted 6 years ago # -
It's great but seems a bit half-hearted, I find it ironic that they can close most of Murrayfield and Haymarket for the Rolling Stones gig, or much of the east of the city for the Edinburgh Marathon Festival, but they only close a couple of relatively small areas for "Clean Air Day".
I was in Belgrade a few years back for Car Free Day and the entire city centre was closed off to motor vehicles. Hundreds of people strolling on huge boulevards and motorway flyovers. Seemed like most of the city was in town for a wander.
That's how to do it.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Bonus: @harts_cyclery is going to be there demoing ebikes and cargo bikes. I cannot wait for my first ever shot on an ebike to be going up the Mound with no vehicles.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I'm willing to bet you're giggling yourself silly by the time you get to the top.
Also what a brilliant place to let people try out an ebike. Nice one, @harts
Posted 6 years ago # -
Aye, “major” -
Posted 6 years ago # -
"Closing roads to reduce air pollution is like trying to extinguish a fire by throwing petrol on it" - EEN commenter Bob Leponge
Am I to understand that air pollution[fire] uses closed roads[petrol] as a form of fuel? And that closing more roads consumes them to make air pollution?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Innovative thinking. If we replaced the entire city with roads do you reckon we could reduce air pollution to zero?
Posted 6 years ago # -
It's the only logical conclusion.
Posted 6 years ago # -
What time can I have a shot on Mr Hart's e bike up the mound? Please. Will bring my summer weight gentleman's half hose socks for tucking suit trousers into. Going to be great.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Posted 6 years ago #
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Roads closed for "Edinburgh Let's Ride" -> 15.5
- Bank Street In its entirety
- Lawnmarket In its entirety
- Johnston Terrace In its entirety
- Castle Terrace From Johnston Terrace to Lady Lawson Street
- Lady Lawson Street In its entirety
- Lauriston Place From Lady Lawson Street to Lauriston Gardens
- Lauriston Gardens In its entirety
- Lonsdale Terrace In its entirety
- Melville Drive In its entirety (except emergency vehicles with blue lights and sirens activated).
- Hope Park Crescent In its entirety
- Buccleuch Street In its entirety
- Chapel Street In its entirety (except access/egress from Buccleuch Place to West Crosscauseway).
- Potterrow In its entirety
- Teviot Place In its entirety
- Bristo Place In its entirety
- George IV Bridge In its entirety
- Chambers Street From George IV Bridge to West College Street
- Victoria Street In its entirety (except local access only)
- West Bow In its entirety (except local access only)Roads closed for "Clean Air Day" -> 1.0
- half of the Mound
- half of George St.So 15 times as many roads closed for a kids ride as for "clean" air day. What a joke.
Posted 6 years ago # -
“
Councillor Macinnes said: “As we have seen in other European capitals such as Oslo, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, active travel and car-free city centre streets improve the quality of the air that we breathe, the safety of the streets, and encourage people to use and enjoy the public realm more freely.
“Our ambition is to work toward implementing regular vehicle-free occasions in Edinburgh’s centre which reflect this aspiration. We will work with residential and business communities and elected members to ensure that it is planned and undertaken in a collaborative manner.
“
Aka slight leadership, ‘but we don’t want to upset anyone/status quo’.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Forth One presenter this morning moaning about it, saying they like the aims but this isn't the way to go about it as people will just have to drive further and burn more fuel... Slightly missing the point!
Posted 6 years ago # -
The Mound is sooooo quiet. People still walking on the pavements though...
Posted 6 years ago # -
Is it all day? Am I going to have to RTFM?
Posted 6 years ago # -
On until 12.30. Bring your whistle.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Crap. I don't get away for lunch until 12:30, and it wasn't on before I got to work at 8 :(
Posted 6 years ago # -
That's just the Mound- east end of George St is closed allday
Posted 6 years ago # -
Oh! I might pootle along for a bit around 12:30 then :)
Posted 6 years ago # -
@Trixie: "I'm willing to bet you're giggling yourself silly by the time you get to the top.
"Yes. Difficult not to shout out with glee. By my fifth go up the Mound I was totally giggly.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I popped along to the Mound to ride a lecky bike. I was VERY impressed and chatted a while to Neil, from the E Bike shop. The bikes are nice but a little pricy! I'm looking forward to mass production and lower prices!
In the mean time I'll be trying to catch the lecky bikes which cruise by me on my commute home.
Posted 6 years ago #
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