CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years old!
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It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
I thought the thaw would be well under way by now - even in the secluded places we like.
But there is still more hardpacked snow/ice than I was expecting this morning on the Roseburn path.
This shows the section at Ravelston Dykes. Doesn't look like the access ramp has been gritted at all.
In other places there is a rib of ice in the centre with tarmac at the sides.
The snow is well dimpled so is rideable - better than the edge where this rider is.
As of today 1st Jan, Innocent is entirely rideable, at least as far as Duddingston Park (I didn't go any further). It ranges from being completely clear to ice ribs pictured above to short sections of iced over bits. I did walk over one section on the way down as my wheels were going all over the place but rode it on the way back up.
Innocent 99% ridable. Couple of patches you need to take care at through the park at Northfield(?) including one bit where I and the gent on the folder infront of me decided it was safest to dismount. A lot of grit down on the far end of the park.
But no grit here. Again another section to dismount on.
Hawthornvale path well gritted from the start to where the Trinity paths cut off at Victoria Path.
Grit starts again about 1km further on at the Boswall Road bridge;
This section had been gritted by a vehicle (a mini tractor, I presume) that had got onto the path up the incline at Crewe Toll, behind the fire station. It had got as far as Boswall obviously and rather than push on and complete the job, had done a U-turn and gone back the same way.
The Roseburn path at it's worst around Ravelston, where chdot was photographing t'uther day. The edges have now largely cleared, but there's a couple of sections where you just need to plough straight through the middle.
The slope down to Balbirnie Place was unridable.
On Saturday the Braidburn path was impassable for the most part, with large sections of lumpy sheet ice about two inches thick right across it. Interestingly, the EDC mini snow ploughs are parked at the start of the path (Liberton end)and clearly had not been used at any point. There was a mini steam roller parked up at one point as access paths are having aggregate put down, not on the main path though, which could do with it. Had this steam roller been used to go over the ice it would have broken it up, quickening the thaw, as it is I think it is going to be some time before it is clear. Even the tarmacked part of the path (Greenbank end) had not been cleared at any point and was extremely slippery.
Should have said this was the Hermitage/Braidburn path.
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/623811249
The WOLW is in a bit of a state west of the Lanark Road. The railway path is completely blocked by a fallen tree near the bridge over the road and partially blocked in several other places. There is still a complete covering of snow and ice over most of the railway section.
The Union Canal tow path is pretty good though, except for the ridge of ice along the middle.
Lots of evidence of bikes on the canal but no cars this year...
Surprised the towpath is okay. I would have thought that would be the worst.
I rode along the North Edinburgh cycle path up to Cramond Brig but it was really hard going in places. From Craigleith to Silverknowes the path is solid ice in places and I had to ride along the grass. I gave up at the bridge but a guy told me that it wasn't so bad once you were past there. I had had enough for one day and just turned back.
Plus the massivly thick layer of grit in some places was like riding through soft sand. I hate to complain about gritting being done but I can't help thinking a thin sprinkling over the whole length of the path would have been better than a super dense layer over only a short section..
union canal towpath at polmont,lithgai and the avon aquaduct were ok but syill big stretches of nasty ice, complet with trees lying across the path, although looks like waterways are on it with many sawed clear !
cold cold cold !
Cambridge also uses "Safethaw" spray.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Quad-bike-unveiled-amid-forecast-of-snow.htm
Out for a spin today. The cyclepath between east and west Barnton Avenue is pretty treacherous in places - I had to get off and walk for that, and I gave up at Cramond Brig, which is 100% sheet ice. Went for a loop round Cammo - that's rideable, but there are sections of Cammo Walk where you have to be careful to stay on the groove of tarmac between banks of ice. There's a short stretch of the front by the Cramond Inn that is sheet ice, but the rest of it is clear.
However, the roads are by and large nice and clear. You'd have thought the Council roads guys would have a few chaps spare to go and sort out these remaining ice blockades...
We have leased the machinery for 20 weeks at a cost of around £190 a week – it would cost about £13,000 to buy and we would then also have all the maintenance costs – so it is much more cost effective to lease.”
The ATV Safethaw Applicator’s capacity is 250 litres and one full tank of Safethaw can treat up to 5km of footway in about an hour.
According to my googlesearch, "Safethaw" is a mix of brine and "Safecote". Safecote claims to be an agricultural by-product. A bit more googling turns up that Safecote is a molasses product.
However it is interesting as, at that rate, assuiming a few hours for re-fills, changing drivers, etc., one of these buggies running on a conservative 5 hour day could treat 25km of paths.
I also wonder how the cost of hiring it (£190 a week does not seem steep) compares to the cost of hiring all those squaddies to clear the pavements of The Grange of stable doors after the horse had bolted (and just accidentally end up in press photos).
Thankfully I set out a litter in advance of the darkness and had my good lights. The council are great at missing bits or not going back to check. I think it was between Ravelston and coltbridge that is went from side to side.
No. Cycling on it is not possible as it was wet.
Back to the normal commute tomorrow morning so fingers crossed it's not too slippy!!
Weather report was warning of ice, but I'm going to see what the Innocent is like... Not been on it in what seems like aaaaaaaaaages!
I rode part of the Roseburn-Crewe Toll path today, from Haymarket northwards, but gave up at the Ravelston Dykes exit that chdot photo'd. It was just impossible trying to make any progress by then. This is a real commuting route and part of the National Cycle Network, CEC! For crying out loud, get with it! We're not all riding tricycles with spike tyres, you know.
The Water of Leith path is also extremely dangerous between Bell's Mills and Dean Village, with wall-to-wall wet sheet ice.
"This is a real commuting route and part of the National Cycle Network, CEC! For crying out loud, get with it! "
It has been weeks now since the first snow fall and any council keen on creating a world class cycling city would have pulled its collective finger out and got the cycle paths done long before now.
Not many ice ribs on the Innocent this morning but an ice layer and bits of black ice made it necessary to concentrate quite a bit.
Gritters were out on the "priority 1" (bus) routes this morning. Plenty black ice on untreated side roads / residential streets, making it all the more neccessary for rat-runners to drive loudly and closely up one's posterior as one took it a bit slowly round corners and over speedbumps. Must have been admiring the new mudguards or something.
Black ice very bad on path between canal and slateford around 11.15, mostly melted 45 min later.
Has anyone actually bothered complaining to the council?
Haven't reported any gritting errors but I reported seven potholes last night.
The impression I gained from the erratic off-road-north-Edinburgh-path-gritting was that the gritted bit suspiciously overlapped with the bit the police sometimes drive along in order to apprehend miscreant Piltonites.
@ruggtomcat Complaining about the state of the Innocent Path is pretty much an annual event of pointing out the lack of any attempt at making it a rideable and walkable surface, as well as how busy and important a route it is, especially with Edinburgh being made into a model cycling city, followed by sympathetic noises from the council about grit boxes and a big sackful of nothing being done whatsoever.
It gets tiring after a while.
Yeah. They are just not interested.
Wingpig-that is a good point. I had been wondering if the extremely selective gritting was to do with individual councillors and their wards.
anth at work
"It gets tiring after a while".
So thats a no then?
No, that's a 'yes' and it's received the same blank response.
"No, that's a 'yes' "
That's encouraging.
"and it's received the same blank response."
I've been told that if you want Clarence to 'report back' you have to say so when you report a problem.
However the idea that no-one (not just people on here!) has reported the current (and recent) state of the cycle paths seems hard to believe.
The reality is that almost nothing has been done apart from The Meadows (belatedly and inadequately) and some bits of NEPN.
Clearly 'we' don't think this is good enough, but more importantly I think the past few weeks have shown that giving REAL priority (after the bus routes) to the walk/cycle network would benefit LOT of people.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/a_to_z/service/940668/roads_and_roadworks
Mind you, if everyone on here (and elsewhere!) took the opportunity to complain about the lack of gritting on their local cyclepath then maybe *they'd* get bored of being complained at rather than us being bored of complaining.
Especially if an embarrassing FOI request later in the year was to prove they had a large number of complaints made but had done nothing...?
"Mind you, if everyone on here (and elsewhere!) took the opportunity to complain about the lack of gritting on their local cyclepath then maybe *they'd* get bored of being complained at rather than us being bored of complaining."
this was my thinking, and also that I had not personally complained, which I shall now do!
Is there the facility to do a "blanket" report of
WHAT: giant potholes
WHERE: everywhere
?
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