So what happens if this new star chamber of disadvantaged peoples gives the council feedback that is contrary to national guidance and good practice, for example "floating bus stops bad, don't do them ever"? It seems like he's just making a rod for his own back, one the EEN will be only too happy to wield. Although I suppose if he can get "advocacy groups" shouting at each other rather than at him he might consider that a positive outcome.
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Scott Arthur Latest
(1432 posts)- Started 2 years ago by chdot
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Posted 1 year ago #
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So what happens if this new star chamber of disadvantaged peoples gives the council feedback that is contrary to national guidance and good practice, for example "floating bus stops bad, don't do them ever"?
National guidance and best practice haven't exactly been considered gospel up to now; no need to worry about this changing anything.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Frenchy But perfectly reasonable to worry that it will prevent things changing for the better. The rhetoric around future projects at least had been drifting towards better adherence to best practice, this seems like a perfect excuse for politicians not to bother.
It also just makes me a bit grumpy when certain groups put themselves forwards as The Voice Of The Marginalized or whatever and nobody - certainly nobody "official" - has the stones to challenge their logic for fear of being branded some form of istaphobe. The current stooshie around bypasses is demonstrably, empirically, provably just wrong. It's not a matter of opinion, the people claiming they're dangerous are flat-out incorrect, and their reasoning falls apart with even the most cursory examination, but barring a few of the more combative Twitter Urbanists everyone is bending over backwards to pretend they're raising reasonable concerns, rather than a confused jumble of wonky reasoning and simple "my comfort with the status quo is worth more than your life" selfishness.
Posted 1 year ago # -
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I had a really good meeting with the Trams to Newhaven Team today. The return of the pigeons to Leith Walk / Elm Row is:
On time.
On budget.The images show their old location, and where they will land soon.
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https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1643652098678988801
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hopefully the Prof will add some Czech Hedgehogs to protect the pigeons from the attack by the drivists
Posted 1 year ago # -
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This is why good design is important. No business wants to lose 31% of its footfall, or 10% of its income.
Reducing car use must be about growing the economy and improving accessibility.
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https://twitter.com/CllrScottArthur/status/1649079791142805507
Posted 1 year ago # -
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...and we achieved this by working collaboratively. We took BIG decisions at the Transport Committee this week, and no votes were needed.
Oh, and Europe's biggest and boldest Active Travel Action Plan is now out for consultation:
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http://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/cmp/ https://twitter.com/CllrScottArthur/status/1650111522998288385?s=20
Posted 1 year ago # -
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As I said the other day, any proposal to reduce car usage must have economic growth and accessibility at its core.
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https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1650098969270185993?
I think ‘he doesn’t get it’ is too mild a response, but don’t think it’s worth spending time analysing the thoughts of Prof Cllr (interim) Convenor.
Posted 1 year ago # -
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It's sad to see it being used to argue to Gov Minsters that AT funding from the Scot Gov, which we really need, is not being well spent in Ediunburgh.
Particularly when schemes like CCWEL are exemplars.
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https://twitter.com/CllrScottArthur/status/1650221578850914306
See replies to this on Twitter!
Posted 1 year ago # -
"Europe's biggest and boldest Active Travel Action Plan"..."exemplars".
Oh, for a quiet bureaucrat that simply gets on with the job.
Scotland has no "exemplars" of cycling infrastructure - none! Anyone claiming otherwise simply hasn't been paying attention. The only way Edinburgh's plan is the biggest and boldest is if it is being printed on A0 paper using neon ink.
Posted 1 year ago # -
"See replies to this on Twitter!"
Are dropped kerbs not a statutory requirement under ability legislation?
Besides, a high proportion of the ones CEC or their contractors install end up still requiring some bunny hop ability from the bike perspective. Not good for wheelers either.
Posted 1 year ago # -
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I've only been in post for 11 months, but I agree that the Council needs to be more transparent about how projects are progressing.
Funding, workload & legal issues are the main challenge.
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https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1650465022856818688
Posted 1 year ago # -
What were the "BIG" decisions taken at TEC which the Greens and Tories / Lib Dems were all supportive of? Is it fair to say (without knowing any detail) that it must be meaningless waffle?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ben Parker (Greens) motion to re-close Canaan Lane to through traffic was seconded by Marie-Clair Munro (Conservative) and supported by the Labour/LibDem ward counsellors. I think some other things went through on the nod but mostly amendments/addendums, this was the only motion I remember.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hello David Hunter of Living Streets Edinburgh, I don't have a twitter so can't respond to your pot-stirring there, but since you evidently hang about here(or someone is passing you "juicy" stuff to repost) I invite you, sincerely, pop along here and explain your point of view. Provide the evidence I've yet to see from opponents of bypasses that they're dangerous; explain what solutions your or other advocacy organisations can propose as alternatives that aren't "just ride in traffic" or "all cycle traffic must stop whenever a bus does"; tell me why you feel self-appointed advocacy groups have the right to decide who's disability is more deserving of priority and who's risk is greater?
These aren't "gotchas", I'm genuinely interested to see if you can provide answers, given so many of your fellows can't, won't, or resort to insults and insinuations at the mere suggestion they should even have to justify their views.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Why did Marie-Clair Munro second the Canaan Lane amendment? There must be some ulteria motive. Does she want it closed so she can call for somewhere else to be reopened?
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Yodhrin
People on Twitter that oppose bus stop bypasses are bad faith cyclist-haters that are only interested in preserving the status quo for cars. That includes certain self-appointed "voice of the blind"
organisationsindividual posing as an organisationPosted 1 year ago # -
@neddie: can't say for sure but I know there's been a lot of pressure from the school parent council and the head teachers at both Canaan Lane PS and South Morningside directly to her on Canaan Lane traffic issues. It's a difficult one to argue against given it had been closed to through traffic for over two years, was already one way before that, and there are two parallel alternatives roads within a couple of hundred meters. Also, I believe she lives just around the corner...
Posted 1 year ago # -
When dealing with disability issues, the concept of "reasonable adjustment" is well understood - pioneered in the UK through the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The concept is pretty simple, adjustments should be made to accommodate people with disabilities. The one limiting factor is that such adjustments must be "reasonable".
Is it "reasonable" to argue that no bus stop bypasses ever be built? I would argue "no", as it effectively prevents the creation of continuous cycle lanes in urban areas. Networks of such lanes are required to meet modal shift, air pollution, climate, inactivity and other policy goals.
So, what would be "reasonable"? Build bus stop bypasses that incorporate proven safety features - mini zebra crossings, well defined kerbs, speed tables, contrasting surface colours and so on.
After all - climate change is coming for us all, disabled or not.
I agree that anyone arguing that bus stop bypasses are introducing some new, unacceptable risk into our urban environment really just want to scupper cycle infrastructure development.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I cycled down leith walk this morning to drop off a bike but also to get to grips with why the cycle lane northbound is so bad. Generally it would seem that the main issue is the desire to maintain a mostly empty single lane of traffic next to trams and "loading bays" which was 50% being used for parking and 50% for loading are the things meaning that there is no way for avoiding poorly implmented floating stops without the above features that Morningsider highlights. So the enemy of all on Leith walk I would suggest remains the city centre HGV and the private vehicle.
Also. North bridge -> Picardy Place -> Leith walk. I got lost and somehow spat out into a kerb at one point. Very confusing. Woe betide anyone who is not a confident rider trying to navigate that churning vehicular murder-in-waiting.
Posted 1 year ago # -
So apparently the Circulation Plan has been renamed the Future Streets Framework - I suppose that's one way for the Dear Leader to dodge comparisons to Ghent et al given the "Framework" was a bit lacking in ambition.
Posted 1 year ago # -
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Transport convener Scott Arthur blamed contractors hired by the council for the job and said the episode demonstrated the need to "reduce our reliance on external consultants".
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https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-spaces-people-errors-cost-26786620
Posted 1 year ago # -
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That's why I was at the airport - they are keen to look at public/active transport links.
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https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1651682003383644173
Posted 1 year ago # -
Uh-huh. Not even smart enough to realise when he’s being played like a fiddle
Posted 1 year ago # -
From link
Does this make sense??
“
Refusing the proposal, the government noted the new road would offer “a deliverable solution to an existing problem of road access” to the airport and could do so “with no significant adverse environmental effects and a number of positive significant effects on noise and air quality”. But it said the proposal was contrary to the development plan for the area and the cumulative traffic and transport implications could not be fully assessed.
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Posted 1 year ago # -
In what world does increasing the number of passengers to an airport have no adverse environmental effects?
Posted 1 year ago # -
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I'm just checking the predicted cost-benefit ratio of investing in bus priority measures in Edinburgh
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https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1652339226313195522?
With trolling graphic
Posted 1 year ago # -
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Great leadership from P5/6 after one of their classmates was injured - let's hope drivers do as asked!
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https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1651982290195558401?
Course they will…
Posted 1 year ago # -
Measures near schools -
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This work is progressing slower than I want, and is frequently raised at Full Council and TEC (mostly by @SanneDD ). I was very critical of the lack of ambition on this in the last administration, but the fundamental issue we now face is workload and resources.
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https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1653356187616792578?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Happen to stumble across this in CECs FOI log
"Request no. 42195. Received: 15/04/2023
Spokes Edinburgh Lobby Group
I would like to receive all correspondence for the period 2019 - 2023 inclusive, between Councillor Scott Arthur and Spokes Edinburgh Lobby Group."No response yet...
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10467/freedom-of-information-foi-disclosure-log?month=2023-4
Posted 1 year ago #
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