Today’s Transport Committee info
https://twitter.com/spokeslothian/status/1458741818531659779
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Scottish Govmt announces £10m for pop up cycle/walking lanes
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Posted 3 years ago #
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Urgh. TEC. Listening now to some pretty desperate individuals campaigning for a £millions new signalised junction at Dalmahoy, just so they can keep the speed limit as it is.
One even claimed that cyclists on the A71 caused tailbacks because drivers "couldn't overtake". Yeah, no. Drivers can't overtake because there are too many cars coming the other way. No, just too many cars.
Posted 3 years ago # -
That's interesting, I was only listening with it in the background, and thinking "oh whatever these people want sounds very important and reasonable" :)
Posted 3 years ago # -
The one who was making "personal opinion" comments on cyclists "holding up traffic" was actually a Community Councillor (Ratho, I think). They are not supposed to take sides or make personal quips.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Posted 3 years ago #
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“
Tory transport spokesman Graham Hutchison told the committee the pedestrian crossing scheme was not what the community had waited all these years for. “It’s frankly a poor use of public money and it’s not delivering the road safety improvements.”
And Lib Dem Kevin Lang said while there were “endless amounts” available for big changes in the city centre, when it came to rural areas there was never enough money.
“
Yes well
And the price tag?
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The council claims the new scheme, which also includes a 30mph speed limit, will have a similar impact in reducing collisions but will cost £625,000 instead of £962,000.
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Posted 3 years ago # -
"Lib Dem Kevin Lang said while there were “endless amounts” available for big changes in the city centre, when it came to rural areas there was never enough money."
Says man who had a £4.6m bridge replacement completed in the rural part of his ward just last year, and many trees died to make the paper so Lang could boast about it to his constituents. Why are our councillors such morons?
Posted 3 years ago # -
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Transport convener Lesley Macinnes has hit out at opposition claims she is engaged in a "war on cars".
And she rounded on councillors who attacked the administration for failing to heed the views of the public who responded to consultations.
It came as the transport committee approved the latest changes to Spaces for People schemes, including the partially reopening of Braid Road to traffic – despite a majority of residents saying they wanted a full reopening.
…
But she said surveys had shown more people would cycle if they felt safe and the council had a responsibility to help create those conditions.
"I'm really sick and tired of hearing this mantra coming from opposition councillors that somehow we're being irresponsible .
"As an administration we have tried really hard to balance the views of local communities and the responsibility we have to make progress towards and environment that more people are comfortable with, that more people want.
"If we are honestly saying we're going to consult on something and take the results and simply apply them irrespective of the consequences and the fact it would take us further away from a greener, healthier city then what's the point of having councillors?
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Posted 3 years ago # -
If only Sustrans/ScotGov grew a set…
https://road.cc/content/news/council-docked-funding-over-ripped-out-bike-lane-287773
Posted 3 years ago # -
East Craig report from LSE:
https://www.livingstreetsedinburgh.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/East-Craigs-Better-Choices.pdf
Posted 3 years ago # -
Written by a roads engineer no less.
Same old. Same old. We don’t like no modal filters around here. Keep the roads open for cars & a bit of encouragement will help people walking. Dreamers
Posted 3 years ago # -
LSE is just SWEM
Other LS organisations in other towns align walkingand cycling rather than walking in exhaust fumes.
Posted 3 years ago # -
East Craigs Better Choices For Single Occupant Drivists (ECBC-F-SOD).
Posted 3 years ago # -
That report that LSE link to is by a new, rival group. GEM/SWEM have already had a go at them for quoting from their survey.
It’s all gone a bit Peoples Front of Judea.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Speed humps, traffic calming and blah blah blah (instead of modal filters).
Honestly, this is straight out of the 1980s book of road design. Is it because this was drawn up by an affluent white male privilege driver *roads* designer, I wonder?
Are we really so backward in this country? And so lacking in imagination?
Posted 3 years ago # -
East Craigs Better Choices And Roads Engineers For Single Occupant Drivists' Satisfaction (ECBC-ARE-F-SODS).
Posted 3 years ago # -
@neddie, quite worrying (if unsurprising) that yer man Kennedy is working "across Scotland" on roads schemes, cycling schemes, etc. Now we know who to blame for all that crap infrastructure...
Posted 3 years ago # -
@neddie
Speed humps - these help drive sales of urban/suburban SUVs and are bolstering the Great Car Economy. Buy a 4x4 today and speed effortlessly over these so-called obstacles!
Traffic calming - build-outs present wonderful opportunities for pavement parking by SUVs, workies' vans, delivery vehicles, and residents who CBA using their own driveways.
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
Pleased to speak to the Morningside Justice and Peace group today on why transport changes are needed in Edinburgh (inequalities, climate response, public health). Thanks for the warm reception and great Qs.
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Posted 3 years ago # -
Re that LSE report -
Only skimmed it
Unfortunately this stood out (P21) -
“
Determine project promoters (Edinburgh Burgh Council
”
A fairly basic mistake that inevitably makes me wonder what else is in accurate.
Also suggests report wasn’t given much of a ‘peer review’.
Posted 3 years ago # -
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Posted 3 years ago # -
“ Re that LSE report -
Only skimmed it”
Me too, but the bit that struck me was the suggestion to move the pedestrian crossing at Drumbrae North, just past the roundabout, to be level with Craigs Road. This might suit the residents of East Craigs but would make it worse for anyone trying to walk Glasgow Road - St John’s Road. Kind of emblematic of the hyper-local, screw anyone else attitude of these campaigns.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Just to note that the Spaces For People pavement extensions in Gorgie have been removed in the past few days. To be honest they seemed to have mostly been put in where there was space rather than where they were really useful.
One exception is that they are apparently keeping the part on the Dalry Road next to the very narrow pavement next to the cemetery, which is a good thing. This does remove a cycle lane but that lane gave up at the junction to make space for two lanes of traffic anyway.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Stickman - why move the existing crossing? Why not "add a new crossing"?
Posted 3 years ago # -
...move the pedestrian crossing at Drumbrae North, just past the roundabout, to be level with Craigs Road. This might suit the residents of East Craigs but would make it worse for anyone trying to walk Glasgow Road - St John’s Road....
Eh?
Craigs Road connects to Drumbrae South and there are two pedestrian crossings on StreetView; one between Craigs Road and Templeland Road, and another near the big Glasgow Road/St John's Road/Drumbrae junction roundabout.Posted 3 years ago # -
Well, I've read some of the report and skimmed the rest. As chdot points out, there seem to be a few silly errors - such as referring to the old National Transport Strategy. That is surprisingly common in reports produced by transport and planning consultants, who copy and paste pages of the same old background bilge into every document for years, without ever looking at it.
The "central textured strip in the road that prompts drivers to take extra care" is a new one on me though. I lived on a cobbled street, which is all "texture", for five years and never noticed it making a difference to driver behaviour.
This strikes me as a failure to understand that correlation is not causation. Apparently this treatment is used on some Dutch residential streets. The thinking seems to be "Well, the Dutch use it, so it must make cycling safer and more popular". The failure being to recognise that this as a minor part of a multi-pronged approach involving modal filters, segregated lanes, traffic calming, strict liability and so on. On its own, it will achieve nothing.
I actually find it hard to criticise a guy who, in his own time, has had a go at trying to suggest improvements to his local area. It's just a pity that, given he is unconstrained by politics, budgets and the like, it is so conservative.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@fimm: my mistake - should have been Drumbrae south. Shows that I did just skim the report; I’d forgotten about the second crossing further up the hill. TBH I didn’t pay it much attention once I saw the gist of it was more paint.
Posted 3 years ago # -
"Edinburgh Burgh Council"
I think Edinburgh was technically still a Burgh until 1975. IIRC the "city burghs" were referred to as Cities after 1929.
So Edinburgh Burgh Council belongs to another era. Much like the report.
Posted 3 years ago #
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