@Harts is cycling banned in the bus lane? (I didn't notice).
To be honest, I don't go that way very often.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Scottish Govmt announces £10m for pop up cycle/walking lanes
(3661 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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@fimm, not technically, no. But I think we have a moral duty to damn well use these lanes when we're there. God knows we've sweated enough blood and tears to get this far. Perfect? No. Pretty good? Yes!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Problem is on many streets they have simply bollarded in a narrow kerbside lane with zero work to remove sunken drain covers ,massive ruts and potholes and especially if you are on a trike there is no space to avoid these bone shuddering impediments.In addition now all the debris from the mechanised street sweeping trucks accumulates there as well.
Sections of Minto street a case in point - used to be a lovely swift descent with plenty of space in the nice smooth bus lane to avoid all the crap near the kerb
I am afraid I mentally shouted “bollards to this” as I left the narrow lane of chastisement for the freedom of the bus lane.
Some sections of Gilmerton road ,for example,have been done quite well, but no sooner do you get up to speed , then you hit the unreformed sections spattered with craters again with no escape
Saving my bones and my trike seem worth the possible irritation of bus and car drivers angered at a cyclist not using the designated cycle lane. If they were all actually rideable by anything other than a fully suspended mountain bike with fat tyres, I certainly would use them all the time , but not if my trike and myself are to be jolted and shaken within an inch of our lives.Posted 3 years ago # -
Silverknowes North/South was looking good today. The small section on Silverknowes Parkway is narrow, but after seeing an XLB go past I don't think it could be made any wider. Mainly helpful for going uphill but I'll use it both ways since I'm a nerd...
Good to see the closures at Learmonth Terrace/Oxford Terrace/Buckingham Terrace too, I was worried that they would cave to some moans and not do them.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Oh dear - in addition to SWEM and Get Edinburgh Moving there's now a Spaces4Vehicles FB group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/363613228068973Posted 3 years ago # -
Wait until they find out that bikes are legally defined as vehicles. It's written into the UN Convention on Road Traffic (the Vienna Convention). The convention dates from 1968, and while the UK has always been a signatory, it only ratified it in 2018 over worries about international road travel post-Brexit.
Posted 3 years ago # -
The caveats on that group made me laugh. "climate change - it's a hot topic but not everyone wants to talk about it or actually believes in it. Or science at all really."
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
They is also now the discussion of low emission zones in the coty for “polluting cars” as well as reduced lanes and increased parking charges.
It is extremely clear that our council is pursuing an anti-car agenda in and vehicle owners have genuinely had enough of this!
“
Probably a deep state spoof...
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
Spaces4Vehicles - Edinburgh
Private group
·
296 members“
Don’t forget to join.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Hm, the administrator of the group is one "Lou" who has as their profile pic a banner reading "Spaces 4 Vehicles Glasgow". A moderator has photos of VE Day commemorations with union flags and poppies.
I sense that my take on pretty much anything would not be welcomed by what appears to be a somewhat right leaning bunch of reactionaries. Maybe they should just come clean and call the group "Angry Cabbies Speak Their Minds" or something.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I have taken a bicycle in a taxi twice. You sort of warn them when you phone and they send a reasonable human.
Once I even had a coffee machine and a bike. Had been invited to a party and you had to go as someone whose job fitted your initials so I went as Macchiato Guy Cycled there but after a few coffees, dances and rums I hailed a cab. All good.
If you are part of any local edinburgh help and ranting group you can play local help group bingo (dog poo, youth annoyance, parcel delivered to wrong door, safer spaces scheeme HOUSE)
Posted 3 years ago # -
I think you missed litter/flytipping off that list.
I deleted my nextdoor.co.uk account after one too many ranty posts from "neighbours". Their terms of service state that posts should be "helpful". I suppose letting off steam may be helpful to the person doing it but I don't think that's really what they had in mind...
Posted 3 years ago # -
I had to laugh when someone posted in the local FB group: Fed up with space for people, join the new space for vehicles gruop
Needless to say the usual bunch of anti everythings posted their links to other groups an the petition calling for a consultation which is already ongoing. Others then pointed out the irony in the name.
I can't think of anyway to engage with such a named group without treating it as satire. It's just such an obviously satirical name and half of the spaces for people projects are indeed about making space for vehicles.
Posted 3 years ago # -
But sticking to the idea that vehicle = motor vehicle, are they wanting more driving space or more parking space?
Oh both.
Cake and eat it...
Posted 3 years ago # -
But essentially, what they're against/afraid of is change.
Change to the routes they use to get across town, changes t nowhere they have to park....
Posted 3 years ago # -
@fimm, @hart's, the original plans for Silverknowes Road North had "Buses and Cycles only" signs at the very top entrance, followed by "Buses Only" signs at the start of the cycle lane - the road markings certainly match that, but not sure if the latter sign is now up. That looks to me as if there is a legal case for buses only in the bus lane (even if not airtight), so the message I would want to send out is "Please, Please use the cycle lane".
I'm fighting a bit of a rear-guard action on a local Facebook Group at the moment (I live in the D Mains/ Silverknowes area), so it would honestly be very helpful if people used the facilities as designed, including the NCN1 connection on Silverknowes Road to Silverknowes Place (back roads-route) - I know that is indirect, but it would actually help if people saw the connection being used. It strengthens the case for a better connection for the long term.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@ NiallA
Well done for having the patience to engage with such people on FB.
It’s inevitable that some people think ‘cyclists bad’ whatever they are (or aren’t) doing.
MY italics
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I know that is indirect, but it would actually help if people saw the connection being used. It strengthens the case for a better connection for the long term.
“
There are always dilemmas here.
I agree that (especially now) it’s good to use the new popups.
However (as evidenced upthread) there are issues/considerations.
Bad/inadequate design, poor surfaces at the road edge and accumulating rubbish are the main ones.
I don’t know if there is any recommended ‘feedback’ route for bringing problems to CEC’s attention(?) CEC isn’t trying to pretend that all of what has been put in is perfect. But those doing the design (and implementation) can’t know of problems unless they are pointed out.
Clearly this is all ‘experimental’ and after initial (apparent) sloth, there is now quite a lot of action/new infra.
Don’t know who is actually doing the work - ‘new’ people or some taken off other jobs.
It’s inevitable that extra cleaning problems won’t have been adequately factored in (yet?).
People should use what is useable (some of it really makes bike use less stressful), but using less beneficial stuff just because it’s there is a personal decision in the league of how confident people are to ‘take the lane’ - experience (and speed) are relevant factors.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Queensferry Road/Oxford Terrace: https://twitter.com/edintravel/status/1374646776981041153
Posted 3 years ago # -
Important caveat to my previous post - I don't think wands are yet installed on the contraflow bidirectional section of Silverknowes Road, just after the end of the off-road section of NCN1 - maybe don't use it until the wands are there, otherwise you are unprotected on the wrong side of the road when going downhill! There were cones, but those were then removed...
Posted 3 years ago # -
OK, that's fair enough, NiallA. I did use the lane downhill but just thought "this is a recipe for conflict". I can see a lot of faster cyclists not using the lane downhill.
I can see myself not going the long way round on the connection to NCN1 downhill, but using it uphill. If/when I go there next I'll keep your request in mind.
Posted 3 years ago # -
New Town and Broughton Community Council are having a public zoom meeting on Monday to get feedback on the SfP proposals for the Broughton Street to Canonmills route.
They have already stated they are "disappointed" with the proposals. I think they are ok but the it seems to have been decided that the top of Broughton Street cannot be reduced to one lane of traffic to accommodate any SfP measures.
Posted 3 years ago # -
it seems to have been decided that the top of Broughton Street cannot be reduced to one lane of traffic to accommodate any SfP measures.
It's regularly reduced to one lane of traffic by vehicles parked up outside Greggs, so the SfP measures wouldn't make that much of a negative impact.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@PS where would the Greggs customers park then?
I am adding them to the Shadowy Pentamvirate who fund Cllr Veblber and Cllr Mc Nasty
That is Shell, Ford, Conservative Party, The Boys Brigade and Greggs
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
When the citizens of Barcelona returned to the streets in mid-May after a 2-month lockdown, they discovered a changed city. Not only was it overgrown with plants and wildlife, but the streets had been transformed by 13 miles of bright yellow bike lanes painted over the old car lanes.
...
Around the beginning of the 21st century, authorities started to realize that they couldn’t fix air pollution with so many cars on the road. Gomila, an industrial engineer by trade, was managing traffic from a control room in the city hall at the time. He remembers pro-cycling groups showing up at city offices, demanding meetings with officials and pushing for more bike lanes. It worked.
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Posted 3 years ago # -
@chdot (and others): I think there is scope for a major PR disaster here - the worst thing we could do right now is to lend ammunition to the antis who say "It cost all that money and they aren't using it". It may be a stretch, but if we get this wrong, we could set back efforts to introduce safer infrastructure for years/ ever. So please, everyone, just get out there, grit your teeth, slow down if you have to for just a bit, and use the SfP infrastructure - it may just help to keep us moving forward for the future.
Posted 3 years ago # -
"slow down if you have to for just a bit"
How long is 'a bit'? What improvement do you foresee that will make it better in a finite timescale? Most of it is substandard to the extent that one cyclist is unable to overtake another.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@NiallA: I wholeheartedly agree. The current lanes are far from perfect, but they demonstrate that road space can be reallocated without the world coming to an end and the predictions of traffic chaos etc are unfounded. The very last thing we need is for people not to use them.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Use em Or Lose Em and dont slag em in Public
Posted 3 years ago # -
Most of the people who use them for now will be people who were happy cycling in the road before and probably fast cyclists. So easy to see how frustration arises. However the major benefit of segregated cycle lanes isn't improving journey times for existing cyclists. It's to entice the new ones.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Many of us have spent years campaigning for infrastructure that allows people aged 8 to 80 to cycle in safety. I reckon it isn't a great look to complain, when infrastructure is finally installed, that you can't get past them all.
Us old, battle hardened cyclists will just have to change our fight or flight cycling mindset. Waltz, not mosh pit. If you are struggling, just ask yourself this question:
"Am I being an Audi driver?"
Posted 3 years ago #
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