Spotted a large SUV-type car parked at the Forestry Commission. A dad was taking three small kids bikes down from the roof-rack, probably to let his kids cycle safely on the Pinkhill path.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Scottish Govmt announces £10m for pop up cycle/walking lanes
(3661 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago #
-
I see City Cabs (a pox be upon them) and the Chipwrapper have gone full gammon today. Hilariously, their rather contrived example repeatedly shows the issue is rubbish driver attitude, patience and skills, while all they could find was one cyclist a little impatient, not for lack of trying I imagine. I say let us take them at face value and welcome their initiation of a campaign to crack down on illegal parking (the very lifeblood of cabbing) and dangerous overtakes citywide, and to close George IV bridge to through vehicle traffic forthwith.
PS their video shows multiple prosecutable driving offences committed, so I'm sure like the good citizens they profess to be, they'll be forwarding it to Police Scotland, right?
Posted 3 years ago # -
Going back to the Longstone Road article, have a look at the photo (linked) and don't just read what the ranty text says.
Obviously they are partly just having a moan about parking bays outside cycle lanes, but you can see from the photos that the Council putting the new parking bays in place before they realigned the centre line of the road (and so making it possible that traffic coming the other way could effectively be on the wrong side of the road) and risking collisons really is a pretty shambolic sequence of how (not) to do things. As I said, this sort of "rank stupidity" just gives the Evilling News a vast supply of free ammunition, which is surely the last thing we all need.
Posted 3 years ago # -
From the article upthread (my emphasis):
"A study by the International Energy Agency said increasing demand for SUVs is the second biggest contributor to the growth in carbon emissions.
Annual emissions from SUVs rose to more than 700 megatonnes of CO2, and if SUV drivers were a country, they would be the seventh in the world for carbon emissions."
Posted 3 years ago # -
Floating parking beside a cycle lane dangerous you say?
How about parking in the middle of a 4-lane arterial road?
https://goo.gl/maps/S39FDVNBE247Gq8PA
(Glasgow Road, Paisley - pointed out by my Buddie wife)
Posted 3 years ago # -
Worries about floating parking didn't stop drivers from parking down the middle of George IV Bridge, before the Council/police clamped down on it. Can't find any Chipwrapper articles about it though:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/66067108@N08/23577143400/in/photostream/
EDIT - gah, still can't seem to post images.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Morningsider no EEN articles about that accident waiting to happen that is surprising and hypocritical, almost as if their editorial is sponsored by Ford and Shell?
Posted 3 years ago # -
What about Chambers Street? George Street? Official parking in the middle of the road. End on, too. Both on bus routes. Cause of many a collision no doubt, and much congestion.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@crow, definite accidents waiting to happen.
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
The community council has taken issue with the consultation on retaining the schemes permanently, not Spaces for People itself, as the neighbourhood council is in favour of retaining the schemes on The Mound and Princes Street East, which include segregated cycle lanes and bus gates.
“
Posted 3 years ago # -
After 9(?) years of consultations and delays in Roseburn another area of the city is now objecting to being consulted on schemes which haven't yet been built.
The article also points out that any schemes taken forwards will allow residents to object to the individual scheme.
You couldn't make this up.
I do like the headline as it reads in the URL though.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Community Councils’ primary ‘purpose’ - too often - is to resist change...
Posted 3 years ago # -
Perhaps there should be consultations on whether neighbours should be allowed to buy big cars (unless they have drives that they will use).
Posted 3 years ago # -
Drives are only one factor on why big cars are unsuitable for many people to own.
Posted 3 years ago # -
NTBCC seem quite ill-informed with regards to how cycling infrastructure should be designed to encourage cycling in cities. This isn't necessarily a criticism as lots of people are in the same position. I didn't fully appreciate the potential for cycling in urban areas until I visited the Netherlands a few years ago.
- They're in favour of keeping the Mound lane (there was an unprotected lane there anyway) but only if the Bridges don't have them.
- They don't want a lane on Broughton Street as they believe the NCN infrastructure (a sticker on a lamppost) on Dublin Street should suffice.
- They don't want a lane on London Road as they think cyclists should use Regent Road.
All this indicates they don't quite get that safe routes are needed all over city centre to allow people to get from A to B.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Also worth noting which schemes have actually been installed in the NTBCC area;
- Bus gate at East Princess Street
- Cycle lanes on London RoadThat's it. Hardly the most controversial of schemes yet NTBCC's objections are front page news.
Posted 3 years ago # -
NTBCC views seem heavily influenced by Simon Holledge, who appears to believe (or at least indulge) the Sustrans Run The Council theory.
Posted 3 years ago # -
'- They don't want a lane on London Road as they think cyclists should use Regent Road.'
I don't get why the idea already isn't to have both. They serve different journeys. Why would you want to do Leith street uphill to go to Old Town/ the station? Why would you want to go round two giant roundabouts/gyratorys to go East from the station/Old Town, or to get to Leith Walk from the East?
Regent Road has tonnes of space & fairly little traffic, should be an easy win.
can compare https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/30816
and
https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/80162
to see that most traffic stays on London Road but most cyclists go on Regent road (though probably a lot of people cycle from the West to St Andrews House, so it wouldn't be perfect data even if the last proper count was more recent than 2008- strava heatmap is actually a bit hotter along the length of London Road than Regent Road- but crucially they're both pretty white hot)The most important interventions need to happen along London Road to the East of both stretches though. I think that's the most unsafe feeling road I cycle in the city.
Posted 3 years ago # -
There appears to be a view that cycle infrastructure should be built like train tracks (one route to serve movement between areas) rather than like pavements (networks to move within an area) or roads (both).
Posted 3 years ago # -
@toomanybikes - I've always been a bit puzzled how a wide, city centre road like Regent Road can be so underused compared to nearby routes. From a cycling perspective, perhaps making the junctions at either end more cycle-friendly would increase it's use.
Definitely not an either/or situation as you say. I used to cycle down London Road quite a bit and Regent Road wouldn't be an option.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Rob indeed. I suppose if funds are finite then you think about covering the largest area of the city to start with. But cycle infrastructure is supposed to be cheap and especially this temporary stuff. I suppose construction price and time/political price can differ widely- see Roseburn to Leith.
@mga The bus gates at the West end of Regent Road (East Princes Street and North Bridge) should help
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
"I fear that the current plan will result in continuedcongestion, confusion, more street clutter and impact on residential streets. The Council should also have fully consulted with local residents who need to live with the impact of the council decision.”
“
Posted 3 years ago # -
Carnage at the Hermitage.
Posted 3 years ago # -
New SfP report: https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s33321/7.1%20-%20Spaces%20for%20People%20Update%20April%202021.pdf
Bus gate on South Bridge scrapped. Portobello-Musselburgh, Braid Hill Drive and Orchard Brae delayed and moved outwith SfP. Most school closures are becoming timed school streets.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@mga - it's true*. Like Mad Max, but with more Boden floral print dresses and Labradors.
*not actually true.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Used the route along Mayfield Road today. In my opinion it's close to being pretty darn good. Dodgy parking made us very dependent on the cooperation and road reading of drivers. In this instance that was exceptional thankfully.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Interesting that 20% of the money available for SfP hasn't been spent by the funding cut-off. (from the above report)
Posted 3 years ago # -
What a cynical opportunistic piece of work Cole-Hamilton is.
Also, this claim about ambulances being held up on Meadow Place Road: where exactly? I’m trying to think of a spot on that stretch where there would be both bollards and a queue on either side of the road that would not previously have caused the same issue (if it actually happens).
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
A clever array of one-way systems and road closures make it a paradise for cyclists and pedestrians that has seen it dubbed "Little Holland”. It has been a resounding success
“
Yeah and it was universally welcomed in advance.
Not.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Highly disingenuous from Cole-Hamilton, because:
"Newham and Waltham Forest are creating an experimental Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) at their border...
This scheme is experimental, and while in normal circumstances the councils would hold a consultation before introducing a scheme like this, the Covid-19 crisis means action is needed quickly to keep roads safe.".Oh what now? The very council that Cole-Hamilton is putting on a pedestal introduced their version of Spaces for People without any local consultation. How on earth would he expect the council to hold five (!) consultations during lockdown?
Posted 3 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
posts
