"Canal Health Benefits" « CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

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"Canal Health Benefits"

(22 posts)

Started 13 years ago by chdot
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chdot
Admin

"

Dear Friends of the Canals

British Waterways Scotland (BWS) has successfully bid for funding to investigate the health benefits of the Lowland canals network. We believe that through activity on the towpath and the canal we are contributing significantly to the health of the nation and creating a significant saving to the NHS. As a user of the canals, we are eager to hear both your views and those of your members who regularly use the canal towpath for leisure and exercise.

Can you help me by circulating this email to your members and encourage any them that are using the towpath in the next four weeks to fill in the online survey at the following link - http://www.mvasurvey.com/bws-health .

The higher the level engagement, the better the quality of the outputs and the stronger the case we can potentially make for increased investment in the canals.

We look forward to hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact either myself or my colleague Stephen Canning at MVA Consultancy if you have any questions. Stephen's contact details are T: 0131 240 8923 and E: scanning@mvaconsultancy.com

Many thanks

Richard Millar

Waterway Development Manager

British Waterways Scotland

1 Applecross Street

Glasgow

G4 9SP

0141 332 6936

"

Posted 13 years ago #
kaputnik
Moderator

I take it "drinking it" isn't one?

Posted 13 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

I like the canal very much, so I've filled out the survey.

I take it "drinking it" isn't one?

Depends how often you fall into the water on those cobbley bits under the bridges between Yeaman Place and Harrison Park. :)

Posted 13 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

I was stopped on the canal and asked to fill this out too. Had been meaning to post link. If you do the survey, they ask where you got on/off canal, and one of their options is 'Yeaman Place bridge' which seemed like an ...interesting option to chose...

(bloke handing out survey info complimented me on my bike!)

Posted 13 years ago #
alibali
Member

I heard last night the canal towpath is to get fairy lights (solar powered LEDs) along the edges from the basin to the M8.

Might help those who (like me) are prone to falling in from time to time....

Posted 13 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

I saw them trialling some LED lights two or three months ago, near one of the bridges. They looked very much like cat's eyes, or little garden lamps. In fact, why not just use cat's eyes, since most of us need lights to see where we're going on the towpath.

Posted 13 years ago #
DaveC
Member

kaputnik
I take it "drinking it" isn't one?

That was my first thought too....

I don't live near or have couse to cycle past the canal any more :-( though when I did it was scarey cycling over the Aquaduct at Slateford!! A long drop on the right or a wet splash on the left.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"A long drop on the right"

Only if you climb the high fence!

There are other bridges with more worrying (lower) parapets.

Posted 13 years ago #
DaveC
Member

I've not been out as far as Almondvale. :-) and in my defence you can see through the railing down to the Water of Leith.

Posted 13 years ago #
wingpig
Member

"I heard last night the canal towpath is to get fairy lights (solar powered LEDs) along the edges from the basin to the M8."

One thing which would improve the night-time seeability would be the shading, dimming or removal of the stupidly bright lights on the non-towpath side round the back of Dorset Place. They completely knacker your night vision when heading west at night.

Posted 13 years ago #
alibali
Member

The Almondvale aquaduct is certainly scarier, but the railing has been refurbished and doesn't look as rickety as the Slateford one. However I suppose both were built to cope with large horses so a mere cyclist should be safe enough.

Of course, both bridges are bracketed by "Cyclists Dismount" signs....

Now, the M8 bridge is scary, and has a wholy inadequate railing from a cyclist point of view, as does the FRB, I think.

Posted 13 years ago #
cb
Member

"Now, the M8 bridge is scary"

Do you mean the City Bypass (i.e. Scott Russell aqueduct)?
The canal goes /under/ the M8.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"you can see through the railing down to the Water of Leith"

One of my favourite views.

I once took a group of children across the Slateford Aqueduct.

We all walked.

Various degrees of nervousness, bravado and indifference.

The most affected person was one of the helpers who really didn't like heights.

He managed to stare straight ahead the whole way.

I get quite nervous in tall buildings with ceiling to floor windows!

Posted 13 years ago #
Arellcat
Moderator

...tall buildings with ceiling to floor windows!

So not much chance of you testing your mettle on the plexiglass floor of the CN Tower? It's only 342 metres above the ground.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"So not much chance of you testing your mettle on the plexiglass floor of the CN Tower?"

Correct.

Posted 13 years ago #
alibali
Member

cb,

You are quite right, the sationary traffic I see each night is on the bypass, so it's the Scott Russell aqueduct I meant.

The tunnel under the M8 even manages to minimise the risk of falling in by having a wide path. I've no idea how the horses got by the old bridges out to Ratho; maybe they used ponys?

Posted 13 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

Survey done, in the any other comments section I asked "Why is there speedbumps AND chicanes between Fountainbridge and Harrison Park?"

I presume there was a rash of accidents, but thoes bumps can shake gear loose, and Im already going slowly for the gates and all the other users.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

I suspect the speedbumps are to slow people so they don't hit the gates...

Posted 13 years ago #
ruggtomcat
Member

yeah black was not the best colour choice in retrospect.

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"
Slightly more off-beat --- it was reported that British Waterways are about to put ground-based solar-lights, de-marking either edge of the canal, all the way from the Lochrin Basin out to the bypass!

As someone who frequently cycles a section of the canal at night, I personally think this would be a great development ;-)
"

http://andrewburns.blogspot.com/2011/01/craiglockhart-community-council.html

Posted 13 years ago #
kaputnik
Moderator

it will all end in tears when the wee plane bringing all the suits back from London City takes a wrong turn and comes down in Harrison Park

Posted 13 years ago #
chdot
Admin

"I heard last night the canal towpath is to get fairy lights (solar powered LEDs) along the edges from the basin to the M8."

Taken the ENews a week to catch up.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/Canal-chiefs-float-illuminating-idea.6708956.jp

Posted 13 years ago #

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