CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Cultins Road

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  1. amh13
    Member

    Hi everyone,

    I'm a new member and I've recently started commuting from roseburn to heriot watt. For most of the journey i follow the city centre - Edinburgh park route 8 and then I have to cycle up Cultins road to join the canal towpath (ncr754). I have no issues coming down the hill, but when going up it isn't clear what cyclists are expected to do. At the beginning of the road there is a sign indicating a shared use path, but it becomes very narrow further up and looks just like a normal footpath to me. I've tried cycling along it a few times and have received angry glares from pedestrians, so I'm not sure if cyclists are allowed to use it.

    Going up the road is a nightmare, also not clear what to do at the beginning of the road as it seems to be one way for a short stretch. I have never met any buses or taxis on it, but I still don't feel safe using it when going up. Another issue with going up the road is that the entrance to the canal towpath is always blocked by cars, so I have to dismount and then wait endlessly to run across the road and squeeze my way in between the cars.

    There is plenty of room to expand the footpath and I wonder why it hasn't already been done. There are always cyclists along this road and it would be a very useful link between the Edinburgh park-city centre route 8 and the canal.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  2. Frenchy
    Member

    Cultins Road is a "core path", which means that cycling on the pavement is completely legal as long as it is done "responsibly".

    EDIT: I'm sure I've read about plans to improve the shared path, but might take me a while to dig them out.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  3. jonty
    Member

    I've never really understood that shared use bit. Or when the road becomes one way (I think the answer is right at the junction.) On reflection the shared use probably only there so you can get up from the crossing (I think it's shared right?) on to Cultin's Road, and then you're meant to get onto the road. Not clear at all.

    You might already know this, but if you're willing to take a little detour there's a secret underpass under the Bypass. I've never used it but I think it's OK, and it looks like there's almost a completely traffic free route - it's accessible on the paths from Edinburgh Park and there's a shared use pavement on Gogar Station Road which takes you onto the old Calder Road and presumably back on to your current route.

    In the meantime maybe write to your local councillor explaining how rubbish you're finding the infrastructure as new commuter to the area. At the very least a bit of paint might make the shared use nonsense a bit more understandable.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  4. amh13
    Member

    @jonty , thanks, I think I've tried that underpass a couple of months ago. But once you go under the bypass the path becomes very muddy. I have a city bike and was sliding everywhere, my bike got caked in mud too. Do you know if the surface has recently been improved?

    @Frenchy, I guess most people don't know that it's a shared path. I often encounter people wearing headphones that are completely oblivious to me ringing the bell. Even though I go slowly around them, they often jump and once a girl shouted at me "for f*** sake, get on the road"

    Posted 5 years ago #

  5. gembo
    Member

    I was lifted by the polis at that very spot. They were arguing I could not cycle up there. I was yes officer no officer but they let me go as about ten people cycled by the black Mariah during the good cop bad cop routine. Tell your friends they said. What friends I did not say.

    Roseburn round murrayfield on path up to stenhouse on tram, keep going as you have been, but come off stenhouse path after the lights at Makro, there's a pedestrian crossing. (Think that is the right junction in my head) go on road briefly, turn left towards The Recycling Centre go straight along past Len Lothian etc, turn left at the bottom up past the chip van on bricks, halfway up turn right and go straight on to mid Cultins on left, slightly tricky right turn but avoids bottom of Cultins. Makes sense to me (that is the way I go).

    Posted 5 years ago #

  6. Arellcat
    Moderator

    there's a secret underpass under the Bypass

    Remarkably, it's even doable (just) with the red torpedo. But it's not so secret, really.

    This is the secret one:

    https://goo.gl/maps/7JWp2Zk3k9F2

    Posted 5 years ago #

  7. neddie
    Member

    Arellcat.

    There's another secret secret one, further South, here: https://goo.gl/maps/EPSaqb273gD2

    The track on the other side can be a bit muddy, but is mostly not too bad:
    https://goo.gl/maps/oNsGeNCxWmT2

    I used to manage it OK on 28mm tyres

    Posted 5 years ago #

  8. gembo
    Member

    Getting google error 404 but I have used the first not secret route if it goes from Hermiston Gate and links to gogar station road. It is very good in summer. The second one, if it goes from Edinburgh Park is a route I used to walk at lunchtimes if it goes up towards the chicken farm.

    The third one might be harder to do?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  9. jonty
    Member

    Ah I knew one of them had some sort of legal ambiguity, which does not tally well with a big sign saying Public Footpath.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  10. gembo
    Member

    If I have the right path, looking at the maps it then cuts up over the canal and you can walk up to Heriot watt except err you can't as the canal bridge has a big metal gate on the other side. This is different from the next bridge which has a barrier you can get around.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  11. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    Any time I need to go South (uphill) on Cultins Road (E.g. last night), I always go through the retail park car park, and through that cut-through at Tesco. It comes out where the road is two-way:

    imgur link (Since the forum layout is too narrow to inline it)

    Posted 5 years ago #

  12. Frenchy
    Member

    @amh13 - to be clear, the southern end might not actually be a "shared path". A shared path needs to be signed, whilst "core paths" generally aren't.

    Core paths allow anyone using non-motorised transport to us them (including the footway), as long as they are following the Outdoor Access Code (https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/act-and-access-code)

    One of the issues here is that it is clearly signposted as a shared path at the northern end, so most people won't be aware that cycling on the pavement at the southern end is also technically legal.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  13. gembo
    Member

    @edinburghcyclecam that is also a good overshoot route with one element of danger, it does go past Decathlon where much money can be lost. Also not very well gritted in the ice

    Posted 5 years ago #

  14. ejstubbs
    Member

    @Frenchy: to be clear, the southern end might not actually be a "shared path"

    There are no shared path signs south of the entrance to the Hermiston Gait loading/unloading area (a few yards to the north of the exit of the path that ECC mentioned). It does seem possible that a short stretch of shared path was put in to make it possible to ride a bike along the one-way bit at the north end (this may have pre-dated the core path designation, I don't know).

    Confusingly, the light-controlled crossing of Calder Road just to the west of the Cultins Road junction appears to be a toucan, which kind of suggests that some footway or other in that vicinity is shared use.

    Unhelpfully, no special cycling provision is shown anywhere along Cultins Road on the cycle map layer of OSM.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  15. amh13
    Member

    @gembo indeed money was lost today

    I will try the underpass once the weather improves, I don't want to get my bike covered in mud

    Posted 5 years ago #

  16. amir
    Member

    Is the secret underpass still not so good in poor weather?

    Reason is that I am looking at options for commuting to somewhere around the other side. I mainly use a car atm. I have tried cycling all the way from Eskbank but it is hilly, so I need to change etc. Plus it is meant to be my only day off cycling. So I am considering getting a cheap folder and combining that with train possibly bus. And hopefully more or less civvies. I can get to Edinburgh Park or the Gateway fairly easily. Distance from both is roughly the same and short enough not to work up steam.
    I guess the alternative from Edinburgh Park is up to the canal but that is quite a bit longer.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  17. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    It's mostly more stony than muddy in average weather (ie unlike what we have at the moment). The worst bit is where there is a locked gate with a narrow pedestrian/cyclist pass to the side, it has no gravel base so that can be a bit of a quagmire.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  18. amir
    Member

    Thanks @MB. Sounds like I'd be best avoiding it for now but to try sometime when it is drier (2021?)

    Posted 5 years ago #

  19. Snowy
    Member

    The muddy bits are short and easily passable with care and a good light, but you'd certainly want mudguards if you're in civvies.

    Posted 5 years ago #

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