CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
XR Scotland closing North Bridge April 16th
(117 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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I have signed up to the ride starting from the Meadows. It will be interesting to see how this works out...
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/extinction-rebellion-critical-mass-bike-ride-tickets-60051747393
Posted 5 years ago # -
Would love to be there but alas cycling in Mallorca, tough I know but Someone's got to do it
Posted 5 years ago # -
I had quite a lot of time for XR until the defacement of the canal bridge. How is that non-permanent paint doing?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@gembo trains and ferry to get there?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@jdanielp, the guy I am going with does take train to Pyrenees. He has pal feart of flying. Wonder how long it would take to push across the mountains to Barcelona then catch Balearics ferry?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Arellcat
I understand your ire, but if we abandoned every political movement that had one or more knobs in it we'd just stay at home?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@arellcat, the chalk paint is gradually disappearing. The tops of all the letters and the two digits have started to smudge. I'd say will all be gone in maybe 11 years? Or Mr Dempster the Heidie at Boroughmuir might send his Janny out with a bristle brush?
Posted 5 years ago # -
Yeah, I'll accept some graffiti in the cause. It's not like it's an especially lovely bit of bridge just because it's not concrete.
Re: travel, want to know how hard it is to get to Azerbaijan without flying? It is HARD. For political and border reasons.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Sadly, there is a whole collage now on that section of bridge. Not just the XR slogan. Interested parties may wish to google Rise Up! The grouping behind XR
Posted 5 years ago # -
Re: travel, want to know how hard it is to get to Azerbaijan without flying? It is HARD. For political and border reasons.
Interestingly I ended up watching "Race across the world" on iplayer. The basic premise is to get to Singapore overland for the cost of a flight. One of the checkpoints was Baja in Azerbaijan and speeding through it on iplayer, it looks like it took 13 days from London.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Can't help feeling that the location could have been better targeted at single occupancy vehicles / cars - this will cause a lot of grief to people already using (slightly) less polluting buses, being as it is on a major bus artery while having no real impact on the more questionable practice of driving from (eg Fife) into Edi every day. I get it's about visibility, and more than just transport etc but blocking Queensferry Rd or similar would certainly attract headlines and more directly target less sustainable polluters. Just my 2c, I'll get my coat
Posted 5 years ago # -
@edinburgh87, with you on single occupant vehicles being the issue. Many are driven into the city centre but maybe batter targeting semple street with the banks with the underground car parks?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@gembo now that's a good idea
Posted 5 years ago # -
Cowgate is bad for single-occupant vehicles and I don't think any buses run that way.
Posted 5 years ago # -
They could block the whole street apart from when a bus comes along in the bus lane, then unblock that section for the bus. That would drive the point home nicely.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Blocking barnton and Maybury junction would definitely target the single-occupant drivers.
And also cause TRAFFIC CHAOS (tm evening news)
Posted 5 years ago # -
@chrisfl not QUITE so long if you aren't on that sort of budget but - 4 and a bit days from London by train (sleepers all the way - but timetabling making one connection iffy now means it's usually 5 days with a "layover" in e.g. Bucharest or Sofia) to Istanbul is the easy part. However. Due to some "interesting" border issues you can't then go on to Azerbaijan by train. No. You go from Istanbul to Erzurum or Kars by train. Then you get a bus for 5 hours to the Georgian border with Turkey (on the Black Sea), get off the bus, walk across the border, get a local minibus taxi into Batumi, get the train from Batumi to Tbilisi, then get a sleeper train from Tbilisi to Baku.
Then you do it in reverse on the way home.
(the Man in Seat 61 website has been very interesting...)
Posted 5 years ago # -
Anyone know any more details on start point, route, etc. for the North Bridge critical mass?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@neddie there are four critical mass rises meeting at 2 pm tomorrow at the Meadows, Leith, Fountainbridge and Stockbridge. If you sign up via Eventbrite you'll get the full location details. I'm not sure if the routes are decided other than for them to converge at North Bridge at 3 pm.
There's a bit more general information in the thread that Rosie created here: http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19559#post-304629
Posted 5 years ago # -
Apparently I am allowed to share the following, which is essentially the information that you would see after signing up via Eventbrite, but please still sign up for the sake of numbers.
Welcome to the XR Scotland Critical Mass Bike Ride - Tuesday 16th April.
We are so pleased to have you on board during International Week of Rebellion to make this event happen in Scotland's capital city.
The critical mass type ride will lead around 100 cyclists from four separate locations from 2pm towards a roadblock on North Bridge at 3pm which you will be welcome, but not obliged to join.
This direct non-violent action will highlight positive solutions to local carbon-based traffic issues whilst linking in with global concerns about the ecological and climate crisis.
This is an action for any competent rider, no matter your physical ability. If you’re on two, three or even 4 wheels and pedal powered you will be welcomed.
We invite you to join us for a briefing at any of the following locations at 2pm Tuesday 16th April, leaving approx 2.30. There will be XR leaders at each location, who will explain the route, and the safety measures in place to create a fun enjoyable, and yet effective cycling protest towards the roadblock. We will meet the other cycling groups and on-foot protestors in town.
Please wear bright colours and we also advise all riders to wear a bike helmet. Extinction Rebellion signs and flags are encouraged. This is a family friendly event children and young people who are confident cyclists are welcome to join, however they must remain under the supervision and responsibility of their parents or carers.
We will be pedalling for all life that we hold dear on this planet and to call for our Governments to act now and tell the truth about the global emergency and act as if the truth is real.
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/315892172412357/
Please look at the following four maps to see where the meeting locations are:
Leith Start - Leith Links Golf Memorial
https://www.google.com/maps/@55.9713685,-3.1669432,17.64z
Fountainbridge Canal Basin -opposite The Wax Bar
https://www.google.com/maps/@55.9429459,-3.2085881,18.39z
Stockbridge/Botanics- John Hope Gateway entrance
https://www.google.com/maps/@55.9638472,-3.212674,18.07z
Meadows - Middle Meadow Walk
https://www.google.com/maps/@55.9425594,-3.1918644,17.75zLooking forward to seeing you there!
For the Earth!Posted 5 years ago # -
I've already said this on twitter, but does anyone else think this is a generally bad idea?
As others mentioned here, North Bridge is a pretty major bus route - and even if Lothian Buses are aware ahead of time and offer diversions, it's still disruptive to passengers
If it's a critical mass (or masses), presumably the road block will be entirely or mostly cyclists, meaning the EEN and other newspapers will no doubt report it as "Cyclists bring city centre to standstill at rush hour", drumming up the usual anti-cyclist sentiments and threats.
This is the first I've heard of it, and I suspect that'll be the case for the majority of drivers who will be affected by it - they won't have time to make alternative arrangements, so will just end up causing congestion and presumably more pollution from engines idling in traffic, as well as holding up bus users. Again - I appreciate that this is the whole point, I just think it could be done in a better way (I don't know what that is, of course :))
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Murun Buchstansang it would, but sadly if I need to go it'll be at end of June! Many delays apparently...
Tuesday at work will be mental for me but I will try and get out for a lunchtime ride to the Bridges. Can't stay for roadblock though.
Posted 5 years ago # -
To be fair, the first POP ended up closing the roads without warning and a lot of buses ended up in the wrong place.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@EdinburghCycleCam I believe that the bicycles are intended as a means of helping slow and then stop the traffic crossing North Bridge which will then allow pedestrian protestors to block the bridge. Cyclists are welcome to head off after the critical mass has done this job, although I imagine that many will stay for a while. I have no idea about the likely number of people expected overall, but apparently there are now over 150 cyclists signed up to the four separate critical mass rides. I too am a little dubious about how it will be interpreted, but the point is to do things that will get noticed...
Posted 5 years ago # -
I will be working but might swing by to see how things are a little later.
the bit about helmets--is that because of large groups cycling together or something else?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@the canuck not sure about the helmet aspect...
Posted 5 years ago #
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