CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Do we need a coronavirus thread?
(5710 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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Actually Osborn if Harperig has removed 34 bags of litter from his six collecting strips. 3 south side 3 north side of A70
Good man
I did thank him from distance.
Lot of pedestrians, dog walkers and runners and cyclists out. Some people just going for a drive and some people parking where they can (young couple on cokburnhill road found layby not cordoned off - LOOKED AT THE LAMBIKINS THEN walked round to thriepmuir.
Couple of parking attendants mopeding up as i was coming down but no one parked anywhere near thriepmuir. The sign notifying people the car park is shut is just past my doorstep. 2.5 miles from the car park
Posted 5 years ago # -
@gembo
Last weekend I spotted a lady by the B-road to West Calder through Camilty plantation picking up the litter there. I did thank her.
Very public-spirited folk round those parts.
David Sedaris would be pleased.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@mediumdave
Yes nice to see also at moment not a Sisyphean Task. Osborn’s verges have been litter free for at least a week.
A70 Litter Pickers is an actual thing I hall google as think might go all the way to Cumnock
What is the mentality of people who fling stuff out their car windows?
THere is a section from Dog Trust road through Woolfords along to Auchengray and on to A70 and back towards the B7008 down to West Calder that is strewn with American Budweiser Bottles. I estimate between 48 and 96 bottles. They have been there since at least New Year 2019.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@gembo, "What is the mentality of people who fling stuff out their car windows?"
There's a sequence in Episode 1 of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet where Oz and mates are driving in his clapped out Zephyr from Zeebrugge to Dusseldorf. Oz wisecracks that driving on the other side of the road means it's far easier to fling your rubbish out of the window onto the verge.
So Jimmy Nail style canny joker is the mentality perhaps. Nihilistic DILLIGAF mate.
Otherwise early AWP is an excellent watch, can one found on YonTub.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@chdot, from the article:
"The new tourism oversight group included Edinburgh Tourism Action Group ETAG), Edinburgh Airport, Festivals Edinburgh, Visit Scotland, Essential Edinburgh and the Chamber of Commerce."
So no representation from community representatives e.g. community councils. Not so much an "oversight group" as an industry lobby. Let me guess, the council have already consiulted on ETAG's tourism "strategy" so they just intend to let business interests push their agenda forward now?
"Donald Emslie, chair of ETAG, said his organisation would be engaging with the tourism industry and others to ensure all sectors worked together as Team Edinburgh." Also chairman of Thorpe Hall Leisure and Castle Hotel Management Consultants, clearly seeing an opportunity to bulldoze through whatever the industry wants.
What about Edinburgh residents? Are we just expected to support "Team Edinburgh" and bite our tongues? Staggeringly complacent attitudes.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Gembo: "What is the mentality of people who fling stuff out their car windows?"
I often wonder about that. There's someone who lifts litter here in East Lothian as well. I spoke to her once. She leaves electrical things - phones, cycle computers, lights etc. - beside the nearest cafe.
Good to hear about the farmer.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Last year I cycled the Hebridean Way, when I had finished it I took the main road down to Stornoway. I was shocked at the amount of rubbish that folk had clearly thrown from cars. :(
Posted 5 years ago # -
@wishicouldgofaster
I used to go to north uist a lot.
Roadsides strewn with tennents lager cans and Whyte and Mackay whisky bottles. From `co-op at Solas down to big Kenny the lorry driver’s house they stopped after that. I can confirm further that it was big Kenny as he gave me a lift in his lorry which was a scary couple of miles.
Posted 5 years ago # -
POP response to coronavirus https://pedalonparliament.org/spacefordistancing-an-urgent-call/
So far we're calling on central government to create a scheme to make it easier for local authorities to do temporary pavement widening and instant bike lanes. We'll be following up with getting people to ask their local authority to start doing this
Posted 5 years ago # -
We're going to try and use the #SpaceForDistancing hashtag to try and make some noise on this - look out for a bit of coordinated action over what would have been the POP weekend at the start of May
Posted 5 years ago # -
@sallyhinch - beautiful writing, as ever. I see that Brighton and Hove City Council has taken a tentative first step and is closing one street to motorised vehicles from 8am to 8pm from Monday.
It is actually slightly easier for English local authorities to do this (in some circumstances) - as they do not have redetermination of public rights of passage orders and can impose Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders without the need for public consultation or consideration of objections.
The Scottish Government could help by simply removing the TRO and RSO approval processes for purposes associated with safe travel and covid-19. Take away the bureaucracy and it is really just a matter of quickly deciding what a scheme should look like and getting the cones/lines down on the road. Should take a matter of days to get started.
Posted 5 years ago # -
"The Scottish Government could help"
But they won't. Because apart from the constitutional question, the Scottish Motorists' Party are mostly interested in Business As Usual.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@crowriver think you might be right there alas. Probably no better with any of the other parties except the greens.
One thing about the SNP is that a lot of their people power is used up on the independence question leaving them a bit short when it comes to policy. With the Covid-19 lockdown you might think they could think harder about other stuff. However the power of the oil industry and car manufacturers is very strong.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Mrs LB assures me we saw more than a few tourists today.
Certainly couples out pointing and looking at buildings in the Old Town.
Of course people might also think we are tourists too.
Key NHS workers free parking at Castle Terrace is proving popular.
Lothian Road looked far too busy yesterday - amazing amount of parked vehicles.
Dutch company Booking.com still taking bookings apparently.Posted 5 years ago # -
St John's Road was pretty busy, not Saturday afternoon busy but still a lot of traffic.
Couples unwilling to drop to single file however were today's bug bear. Plenty of them did but the ones that didn't caused some issues. Ended up on the road with a waitrose van on one side and a pair of people too close on the other.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised by the Scottish Government on this one. I wouldn't still be a cycle campaigner if I wasn't an optimist however.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@sallyhinch - some signs of hope here - albeit local government.
"This week with @lmacinnessnp & Labour coalition partners I wrote to @HistEnvScot to urge them to follow @Edinburgh_CC lead & close the car park & encouraged them to further limit car access to expand space for walking/cycling & help social distancing in the park. https://t.co/6i0I1bpXso"@Steve- Mrs LB and I end up going in single file too often. Half our journeys involve walking on bus and bike lanes (carefully).
May as well get tandem out - once it warms up a bit.Posted 5 years ago # -
“
NEARLY twice as many people are dying from coronavirus in England compared to Scotland, and the gulf between the two nations is widening.
“
Posted 5 years ago # -
its going to be years if ever before travel happens again
THINK GLOBAL ACT LOCAL could really take off
yet many people are just too thick to work it out
please tell me i am wrong
Posted 5 years ago # -
@bax, northumberland is nice
London less so
Posted 5 years ago # -
ah gembo-san.. my mother is in london town right now, on chemo with rare blood cancer, every day a roll of the dice
but somehow, its still better than being up north
seen ?
Posted 5 years ago # -
One thing about the SNP is that a lot of their people power is used up on the independence question
Opposing it as far as I can make out.
Posted 5 years ago # -
ungated version of the Times article:
Posted 5 years ago # -
Useful bit of journalism.
Bit surprised to find Boris missed FIVE COBRA meetings without it (apparently) being mentioned in public.
More surprising is the notion that “herd immunity” was never a/the plan.
By the way - where’s Dominic?
Posted 5 years ago # -
I had a vague idea that COBRA was not necessarily always chaired by the PM, but I saw a tweet from Alistair Campbell saying it was incredible he wasn't there. Certainly 5 seems a bit much. I think some types of politicians (people?) find it hard to take public health as seriously as they would take 'traditional security' eg wars, spying, weapons etc
Posted 5 years ago # -
So -
Where are we at?
UK worse off than it should be due to complacency, distractions (mostly Brexit), and austerity legacy.
Scotland may be better off for (potential) infections/deaths.
Schools might open before summer.
PPE availability remains tight with production/supply behind what it might have been.
Masks may/not become compulsory on PT. (Decisions may get made based on availability not desirability.)
Experts may be back in - so they can be blamed.
Ventilator shortage no longer an issue(?)
Social distancing the new norm - like for at least a year(??)
Vaccine may never be possible.
Over 70s (and “vulnerable”) to stay in for a year.
Driving to exercise now ok (or is that just England?)
No rain this month.
Posted 5 years ago # -
“I think some types of politicians (people?) find it hard to take public health as seriously as they would take 'traditional security' eg wars, spying, weapons etc“
Undoubtedly true.
“Public Health” not ‘sexy’ like military hardware.
Remind me what the aircraft carriers without aircraft are for.
(Jobs in Fife is not a good enough answer.)
Posted 5 years ago #
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