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Scott Arthur Latest

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Started 2 years ago by chdot
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ejstubbs
Member

@neddie: Segregated cycleways are also motoring infrastructure.

Not sure about that. I get the assertion that pedestrian crossings are motoring infrastructure: there is a good analogy with level crossings which, although allowing road traffic to cross the railway, are without doubt railway infrastructure. But it would I think be difficult to use that same analogy to argue that segregated cycleways - or indeed ordinary pavements (aka "segregated footways"?) - are motoring infrastructure. Follow that argument through and it could lead one to conclude that the whole road is motoring infrastructure, which is precisely the attitude we don't want people to have (though it does sometimes seem to be depressingly common).

I did like the remark in the report:

As for consultants using [PV2], there must be a concern with the quality of their advice and the knowledge of their staff in specifying its use.

Any 'consultant' who is not up-to-date with current legislation and guidelines is [more than usually] likely to be not worth their fee.

Posted 10 months ago #
neddie
Member

@ejstubbs

I would assert that any contemporary road, as commonly designed, with segregated footways (pavements) and/or segregated cycleways is motoring infrastructure and the whole road is motor infrastructure.

Reason: If motors did not exist, or at least were at very low volumes and speeds, the road would look like a country lane. It simply wouldn't be necessary to have pavements, segregated cycleways, or other "motoring junk*" - pedestrians, cycles and other non-motorised vehicles (eg horse-drawn) would simply share and safely use the "carriageway", as they always did, back before motors and their drivers insisted everything was built around them and to the exclusion of everyone else.

*Islands, bollards, traffic signals, illuminated signs, paint everywhere, humungus gantries, giant retail advertising poles, CCTV, speed cameras, parking structures, ... yah da yah da yah

Posted 10 months ago #
neddie
Member

On second thoughts, maybe the "whole" road is not motoring infrastructure, but that the segregation part of the footways (or cycleways), i.e. kerbline, is motoring infra. YVMV

Posted 10 months ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

Two recentish examples:

Fietser Nicole
@GoingDutchDEN
5 Mar 2023
Car infrastructure disguised as bike infrastructure working exactly as intended. Door-zone bike lanes prioritize driver convenience at the expense of bicyclists’ safety.

Mar 5, 2023 · 2:58 PM UTC

Lucy Maloney
@Lucyincanada
30 Dec 2022
Bike lanes are DRIVER infrastructure. Without cars there's no need for bike lanes - the whole reason for bike lanes is to protect people from drivers. The cost of bike lanes is part of the cost of driving.

Dec 30, 2022 · 6:59 PM UTC

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

Prepare your audit

• 500 metres is an ideal area for your review. The review will include walking around the area and assessing what you see and how the space is used. It’s best to choose a route which links up important destinations: shops, houses, a school or a park.

Risk assess your route

When walking always make use of the zebra crossings and remember to find a suitable place to stop and chat, away from traffic or other distractions. Take note where the closest facilities are and check weather forecasts to prepare for the conditions as you may need to reschedule.

…

We provide review worksheets. Feel free to use these to makes notes.

“

https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/media/ifhd1vzo/street-review-guidance-for-web.pdf

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

I'm so happy to see progress being made with this - We are the first Council to appoint an Accessibility Commission, and it will help create a more equal city.

The CEC staff working on this have invested so much time and energy in getting it right. The proposed chair, Zara Todd, lives locally but comes with international recognition.

In setting up this Commission, we are accepting that we have made mistakes in the past, and making it clear that we want to do better in the future.

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1744424495123681378

Posted 10 months ago #
ejstubbs
Member

@neddie: If motors did not exist, or at least were at very low volumes and speeds, the road would look like a country lane.

Carlton Reid might disagree with that assertion: https://roadswerenotbuiltforcars.com/

Worth bearing in mind that, before the motor car came along, some people regarded cyclists as being dangerous and antisocial: moving at barely controllable speeds, giving scant regard for other road users and frightening the horses. (I note that in the 21st century, the new rule H2 in the Highway Code specifically gives horse riders priority over cyclists on bridleways.)

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

What - Fairmilehead Community Council will be hosting a talk on "20 Minute Neighborhoods". These should bring services closer to people, and make it easier to shop local if you wish.
When - Tuesday 9th of January at 7:00pm.
Where - Fairmilehead Parish Church.

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1744282077812379948

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

Responding to these concerns, Councillor Scott Arthur, transport and environment convener, reassured Edinburgh residents that streets that suffer issues due to the new ban could see the council “restrict inconsiderate parking”.

“

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-pavement-parking-ban-stevenson-avenue-resident-fears-upcoming-ban-will-lead-to-chaos-on-his-street-4473514

Posted 10 months ago #
pringlis
Member

I'm not hugely familiar with Stephenson Avenue but looking on Street View it seems like nearly every house has converted their front gardens to parking for 1-2 cars (though I suspect several like this one didn't apply for a dropped kerb which may prove awkward). If people don't use their own spaces, or park on one side of the road then seems fairly straightforward to put yellow lines on one side of the road. Even better, since it's a loop you could make the street one way at the same time.

I'm fairly comfortable with the councils approach of starting off with no exceptions to the pavement parking. Yes, there'll be streets where people have to put some effort in to sort out where and how they park but I suspect the world won't end. I am please that Scott is speaking plainly on this.

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

Developers are getting the message - This will be designed as a 20 Minute Neighbourhood from the ground up.

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburghs-biggest-single-housing-development-for-years-would-create-new-7000-home-20-minute-neighbourhood-near-airport-4473530

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1745537827499287039

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

I’m almost shocked

IF true, I’m probably angry

“

All parties agreed to suspend that policy for one year.

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1746148180612313092

In response to -

“

The council have just resurfaced the entire stretch of Seaview Terrace from Joppa Rocks to Eastfield and haven't changed the layout at all. No segregated lanes, horrendous hatching all back in place as before. despite it being one of the widest road layouts in all of Porty.

“

https://x.com/flunkerts/status/1745890197655404625

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

Once again, SA seems to think that a report is the same as the subject of the report being acted on.

“

Getting stuff done!

Edinburgh's plans for heat pumps:

https://web.archive.org/web/20240114124529/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24044117.edinburgh-city-councils-plans-heat-pumps-heat-networks/

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1746499733164601573

Meanwhile

A reality of politics -

“

While they may be described as being post office ministers, they say, that was usually only a tiny part of a much wider portfolio of responsibilities.

“

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/14/a-tragedy-is-not-far-away-25-year-old-post-office-memo-predicted-scandal

So

Tick a box, move on.

So much stuff SA says has been done/will be done/what residents wanted/etc

Must have a brain/memory the size of two planets.

‘We’ actually get ‘faster’ road resurfacing without AT infrastructure.

Not even as though they are dealing with the worst/most dangerous surfaces first.

Holy Corner and Deanhaugh St spring to mind, but there are worse.

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

Not forgetting Labour’s 2022 Manifesto

“

Improve and extend a network of safe and protected cycle routes, filling current significant gaps

“

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

This week in Council we discussed the "Transport Asset Management Plan", this basically models road condition in Edinburgh over the next twenty years.

The report: https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s65415/Item%208.4%20-%20Transport%20Asset%20Management%20Plan%20TAMP.pdf…
The webcast:

[+] Embed the video | Video Download Get the Flash Video

Text-Link:

HTML-Link:

BB-Code:

Embed:

Having inherited a situation where road and footpath maintenance was underfunded in Edinburgh, Labour have secured £11M of additional funding for our capital (the SNP were suggesting £0.5M was enough) for 2023/24. We are listening to the public, and will resurface whole streets rather than take a piecemeal approach. In addition to this, we are trialling a state-of-the-art “Pothole Killer” machine which will help automate repairs. We won’t get footpaths and roads back to where we want them to be in one year, but this investment will help halt the decline.

Indeed, the latest data shows that road condition in 2023/24 very marginally improved over 2022/24 (I know, hard to believe).

The modelling showed that to maintain the roads and fottpaths in this their current condition, funding will have to maintained at a higher level - an additional £8m-£10m per year above the 2022/23 level.

NOTE - I am speaking to Council Officers about the potholes shown in the video!

“

https://twitter.com/CllrScottArthur/status/1746541886284685579

Posted 10 months ago #
Yodhrin
Member

Honestly I wouldn't even mind the "rapid resurfacing" plan that much if there was *some* evidence that they were still taking the basic principle of AT provision everywhere seriously - a "circulation plan" worthy of the name, doing the resurfacing jobs as-is but starting the statutory process for adding the AT provision for those streets immediately with a view to putting them in with quick laid rubber kerbs as soon as the TRO is approved, that sort of thing.

Instead, as usual, they just seem to be looking for an excuse to avoid doing anything at all.

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

My report on my visit to the big bus garage today.

“

https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1747646444541010069?

3 min video

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

Below are details of the traffic management for the next phase of the junction works in the north footway of Greenbank Crescent which will include renewing the kerbing, resurfacing the footway and replacing road drainage in addition to preparing for installation of the new traffic signal equipment.

The traffic management layout will be implemented after the morning peak on Monday 22nd January and will remain in place for a week or so until the Council move on to prepare the crossing in advance of the night shift resurfacing of the full junction extents.

As is currently the case, temporary pedestrian crossings are provided over Greenbank Crescent, Comiston Road and Greenbank Terrace.

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1748053611584639370

No idea if this is good, bad or ridiculous.

Posted 10 months ago #
pringlis
Member

The traffic management is ridiculous, from a pedestrian point of view. I've been involved from the parent council side. With zero warning they decided to remove the pedestrian crossing from the main route to school for several hundred kids so they could avoid putting a set of lights at the junction. Makes a mockery of the transport hierarchy. We heard about it at the weekend before school started and for the first couple of days the head teacher and two teachers were out in high-viz helping kids cross but then the council told them they had to stop that as they weren't insured!

We came up with an alternative route using crossing points, but of course the pavements on that are blocked by contractor parking!

Very little help from the council, just said that it was too complex a junction and the works wouldn't last for long. We've tried to get sight of the contractor Risk Assessment but no luck yet. People at the school are pretty furious that they'd deliberately remove a safe crossing on a busy route to school without any thought of how to manage it.

The new Toucan crossings will be a welcome addition for many though, once it's done.

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

Edinburgh parking charges set to rise to 'protect front-line services'

“

https://twitter.com/CllrScottArthur/status/1748335443999916282

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

Lorna Slater backs stopping progress on bus priority measures across Scotland.

People who are serious about climate change should be serious about public transport.

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1749698654502285578

Posted 10 months ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

This feels like Spaces For People funding pots all over again.
It's not the lack of money: it's the lack of spending it.

The figures I've seen suggest that only about 5% of the original pot of £500m has actually been used, and mostly for quick win projects and some development work, like technical appraisal, and definitely not the heavyweight stuff. I wonder if it's the TRO system that has held up much of the pace of LAs. Glasgow was supposed to be doing some huge bus priority projects, including on the M8.

It's happened before. Edinburgh once spent too much time developing plans to funnel more and more cars into the city centre, built almost none of it, and in the end the funding was retracted by government and spent in Glasgow instead.

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

“

Back to the future - on Friday we will publish plans for consultation on a tramline which links: Granton - Edinburgh College - The Western General - Craigleith Retail Park - City Centre - Edinburgh University - Cameron Toll - The Royal Infirmary - The Bioquarter - And beyond!

This line makes so much sense that I really believe it should have been Edinburgh's first!

“

https://x.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1749847595604680850

Posted 10 months ago #
Dave
Member

Bye bye NEPN, as we know it anyway!

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

That seems to be ‘the plan’, but there will be even more resistance than last time.

Plan for alternative cycle route is a non starter and the plan for a one metre path will not be popular with anyone.

Posted 10 months ago #
Yodhrin
Member

If he's touting the Western being a stop that means either they're going for a non-NEPN option or that claim is just BS.

Posted 10 months ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

If the St Andrew Square tram stop is taken as being "for Waverley", then a South Groathill Ave tram stop for Craigleith shopping is arguably also "for the Western General" - but it's a hike along Craigleith Hill Avenue and Crescent to the extremity of the site.

I may be wrong, but I'd like to think the converse is more likely: serve the WGH primarily using Crewe Road South, insofar as hospitalgoing tram users will have that transport option outside conventional working hours, while shopping tram users will be more weekend and rush hour based (Sainsbury's 10pm closing notwithstanding). If you're going to build something like a tram, you need "to sweat your assets" as any bus company or car hire company will tell you. You don't want them sitting in the depot, or sitting in traffic: you want them out on the streets* carrying people productively.

* Other more segregated routes are also available - which is itself the $64,000 question for Edinburgh.

Posted 10 months ago #
chdot
Admin

Part of the problem is lack of clarity.

It will be interesting to see what’s in the Committee papers and consultation.(Tomorrow?)

In addition to the (original) plan, CEC has looked at route via Dean Bridge and Orchard Brae.

There were indications that (some) officials favoured the latter.

Last year SA brought up the idea of a “hybrid” route serving Craigleith shopping centre and the WGR.

Not aware of an actual route proposal.

Posted 10 months ago #
Frenchy
Member

It will be interesting to see what’s in the Committee papers and consultation.(Tomorrow?)

Normally Fridays.

Posted 10 months ago #
CycleAlex
Member

The high level route options have been developed for quite some time. See page 47 here. The interesting part will be seeing whether any actual progress has been made since this report in 2021.

Realistically I assume this is just going to be a vague on-street/off-street consultation with limited other details.

Posted 10 months ago #