Councillor Swivel Eyed Broon is a Tory...? Apparently so.
(He gets lots of credit from me for his Twitter handle - not taking himself too seriously.)
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Scottish Govmt announces £10m for pop up cycle/walking lanes
(3661 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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I don't envy the person coming into work this morning with the job of reviewing the 700+ comments. Hopefully the website has some sorting / grouping functionality to help!
Posted 3 years ago # -
@fimm - He's very engaging. He spoke at a Spokes meeting once, and was very entertaining.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@fimm, horses for courses?
If he stood down leith might be SNP?
Posted 3 years ago # -
I count 792 comments the moment (plus one mysteriously placed near Peebles). Hard to deal with, but presumably lots of ideas that may not have been suggested before.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I'm choosing to display my own prejudices here...
Posted 3 years ago # -
“I'm choosing to display my own prejudices here...“
And why not, this is CCE.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Cycle lane markings and other road markings have been refreshed on Old Dalkeith Rd between Kingston Ave and the RIE.
Is this the start of something?
Posted 3 years ago # -
Yes route to RIE on ODR is one of the emergency measures, same on Crewe Rd to Western
Posted 3 years ago # -
I know the Council has said that Old Dalkeith Road is due to get a segregated cycleway, but the new dashed white lines would indicate an advisory cycle lane - which seems odd.
I appreciate cones/wands/barriers could be added, but why paint in advisory lanes? Unless this is a weird kind of future proofing, simply waiting for the day when it can all revert back to advisory lanes.
Yes, yes - "temporary infrastructure", but I would hope for a bit more ambition from people preaching about a "new normal".
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Morningsider, 'Yes, yes - "temporary infrastructure", but I would hope for a bit more ambition from people preaching about a "new normal". '
Of all people, I hesitate to accuse you of naivety. However given the "track record" of this council so far on delivering infrastructure, I can well foresee any temporary cycle lanes being dismantled in 18 months' time... I'm amazed anyone thinks the council are promising anything else.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Crowriver - ha, yes. The saga of the George Street segregated cycle lanes should probably be our guide.
Posted 3 years ago # -
A functional test for closing a road is that it either no longer provides a route between 2 places (ie, as with SMG & Renfield Street, all the premises served are one ownwer & site) or that there are alternative routes between the 2 places (and nowhere in between being served)
Could Edinburgh Council close THEIR roads on the approaches to Holyrood Park on the basis that there are alternative routes available?
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Tulyar, no doubt they could if there was political will. However this administration seem so terrified of upsetting influential people that I doubt they relish any conflict with HES.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I just don't get it. Doctors and nurses are cycling up Old Dalkeith Road to do shifts in the respiratory wards at RIE all day every day.
Anyone giving them segregated cycle lanes would immediately be popular.
But all they get is fresh paint. I do not get it.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Has the definition of 'segregated cycle lane' changed? I'm certain ODR was billed as segregated.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Wands are coming, sometime...
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Trixie
There's a plan for a fully segregated lane that criss-crosses the car lanes with beg buttons. This is a new plan I think?
Might wander up with a tape measure right now.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Yeah, I know about the permanent criss-cross 'solution' that's incoming maybe sometime, but we were definitely promised more than magic paint for the temporary pandemic version. I remember cos it sounded far more appealing than what's on the drawing board for the future.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Light segregation on ODR coming on Friday: https://twitter.com/lmacinnessnp/status/1267861390292901891?s=20
Posted 3 years ago # -
However, Crewe Road won't have segregation after all, "due to limited available carriageway widths."
Posted 3 years ago # -
I've been playing around with data on how folk commute to RIE today.
I also re-noticed the stark north-south divide on whether people walk or cycle to work at the RIE:
Folk north of Prestonfield cycle.
Folk south of Prestonfield walk.Some of that might be explained by other factors, but my hunch is that the Innocent path explains a lot of it.
Posted 3 years ago # -
The Innocent and its offshoots are definitely more appealing and direct than the options from the south.
Related to that, I negotiated the junction from Moredun over ODR and onto Little France Drive for the first ever time during lockdown. I usually dismount and use the crossing. The shared use path and toucan that went out for consultation - and were approved - need to be prioritised.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Some discussion on Radio Scotland this morning? Mentioned online
"Traffic engineers 'scared' to take road space from cars
Mornings with Kaye Adams
BBC Radio Scotland
Clyde Street in Glasgow will see paths and cycle ways extended allow more physical distancing.
Architect Riccardo Marini agrees presumed liability is "critically important" because it changes the dynamics on the road.
It protects cyclists as well as pedestrians, should they be involved in a collision with a cyclist.
He highlights solutions in Copenhagen where cycle lanes have recently been expanded to create a fast lane.
In the UK there is a "serious problem" with traffic engineers being scared to take space from car users he says - though this has started to happen in some places recently in order to allow for social distancing."
I disagree it is because engineers are scared - it is politicians who make the decisions, and tell the engineers what to do (sometimes after listening to the engineers).Posted 3 years ago # -
Presumed liability of course
Politicians love cars and petrol companies. So block PL
Many road engineers love cars but this might be changing
Posted 3 years ago # -
Traffic engineers 'scared'...
Read: "don't want to"
Because traffic engineers only do cars
Posted 3 years ago # -
Posted 3 years ago #
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I have no doubt that, as Cllr MacInnes says, officers are working hard. It is what they are working on that is the issue - analysing consultation responses. Far more time and effort has gone into this (to date) than obtaining TTROs/TRNs and putting out cones/barriers.
Again - there is no need for this. We have effectively lost 90% of the carrying capacity of Lothian Buses, which tens of thousands of people use to get to work daily. Unless the Council ensures that people can safely walk or cycle these routes than people who can will choose to drive. Even if many people decide to work from home, that switch from bus to car would see gridlock across Edinburgh - particularly when you add in all the ex-rail commuters from outside the city who will switch to car.
Unless the network of temporary cycle lanes looks something like the Lothian Buses route map then it will not provide a viable alternative to driving.
It isn't that the carriageways aren't wide enough, it's the Council's vision that is too narrow.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Morningsider agree it is all a bit jam tomorrow. The councillor is ultra cautious as all coalition councillors are. So she has asked for opinion and has many schemes lined up, allegedly. Thus if she is challenged she can say - I asked for opinions.
Alternatively she could just have gone for it and risked not being re-elected. She is one of the angels not paid by Ford or Shell
Posted 3 years ago # -
@gembo - I appreciate that Cllr MacInnes has plenty of politics to deal with, not least Tories determined to make hay out of any change. I do feel a (teeny) bit guilty criticising action taken to date. Then I look at the list of projects considered by the Policy and Sustainability Committee at its meeting of 14 May, which includes 10 schemes due for completion "by end of May" (See Appendix B). Only two of them have actually been implemented. No further word on any of these being taken forward.
The Council have £5m to play with. They have appointed Turner and Townsend to act as project managers, so Council staff shortages shouldn't be an issue.
I don't think a bit of action is too much to ask for.
Posted 3 years ago #
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