CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
stickyHmmm, keep us informed on this one - interested to see what LBP say, as they sometimes dont seem interested unless there has been injury.
As you said, helmet cam may help.
Incredible that they drove off though - or did they possibly miss the fact that they hit you?
Cant believe a driver wouldnt notice that - when I am driving, you even notice if a you clip overhanging tree branches.
Hope LBP are more switched on than Surrey Police http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/dangerous-lorry-driving-is-not-taken-seriously/ (although in that case the lorry did at least stop)
South Arthur's Seat road - best place for daft blind corner overtaking. Twice at lunchtime as I headed westwards.
"South Arthur's Seat road"
Should be shut to motor traffic.
Oh, did I say that before?
Meant 'not just on some Sundays'.
Yes. We need to say it some more I think - that bit is still Historic Scotland isn't it?
Roibeard.... sounds like a bully and hope you get some redress. I think back to AlanR and his trike getting pushed. Police took no action other than a warning to try and avoid driving into things. Insurance though did pay. The risk of losing no-claims etc...
Historic Scotland - yes they are still a bit historic and have done nothing much recently to improve park for people cycling. Took two people around hill road other Saturday. I did warn them that the park is a hostile environment for cyclists but they didn't see why it should be. One lap of hill road was ok. Next one we got tailed by two cars with headlights on intimidating anyone daring to ride in front of them.
Sports riding... is to cycling what rallying is to driving (?). I don't expect either to make people cycle or drive any better. Of course it's fun to watch but most cyclists do not move around in peletons with closed roads.
...was courtesy of two cars who overtook me as I was descending Queen's Drive (the fast descent from the Commonweath Pool entrance towards Holyrood) - subsequent examination of my Garmin trace shows that I was doing over 30 mph at the time...
...was from the driver who hit a cyclist at the Lothian Road, Fountain Bridge junction. Cyclist was heading down Lothian Road while the driver was heading up. She turned right onto Fountain Bridge without looking (and as far as I could tell without indicating).
And yes, it was a SMIDSY.
And apparently I am smart ass for suggesting that if there's a van blocking your view you should just keep going regardless.
I was walking rather than cycling today though so I felt it ok for a pedestrian to berate the driver...
The cyclist and bike seemed fine, but I gave him my details and he got those of the driver. Though she definitely thought it wasn't her fault.
Leith Walk, McDonald Road Junction: On my way up, car turned right 'into' me (didn't quite touch!). He somehow thought it was my fault >_< but I think he finally realised as there was traffic both in-front and behind me (and he then saw my green light maybe). I just checked street view and there's no right-filter light, so I really don't know why he thought he was in the right... Anyway, his car didn't actually touch me, but it's really not a nice experience. I think he was a bit shaken up too.
Seriously: A 20mph speed limit would be a good idea: It would calm everyone down a little I think. Turning right there does look like you've got to take any opportunity available.
3 minutes earlier someone swung their car door open 5 metres ahead of me. Luckily I was warned by the red warning paint on the road indicating the door-zone, so didn't have to do anything too drastic to avoid it.
I'd forgotten what a joy Leith Walk was!
In good news: Cycled with minimoth to her work this morning via the North Edinburgh off-road cycle path (not as direct as the roads, but faster! 27 minutes at a very leisurely pace. 6.4miles = avg 14mph. ok we're not ready for the TdF yet... but I think it might be the fastest way to get to her work - e.g. I doubt a car could do it quicker across town. Back home might be another issue, as it'll be uphill :P).
as it'll be uphill
Yes but it's railway gradients, so with not too much more effort you can maintain your 14mph without too much difficulty.
I've taken people direct route home from Leith, along path to Tesco at Cannonmils, through Rodney Street Tunnel then up Scotland Street / Dublin Street / St Andrew Street then Bridges or Mound and also taken them the big detour via NEPN as far as Russell Road. There's real disbelief that it could possibly be from the same start point to same finish point, it hardly feels like you've climbed at all if you take the railway route all the way.
I used to live in Polwarth and work at the Western General. I never could work out why if I went on the cycle path it was flat and if I went on the road it was huge hills. The day I measured it by GPS was a revelation.
"
I never could work out why if I went on the cycle path it was flat
"
That'll be due to the fabulous viaduct at Roseburn.
If only they would build more cycle infrastructure like that...
[irrelevanted by following post]
Er, it is still downhill on the way to the Western and uphill on the way back is what I was meaning. Just less of a gradient.
To the Tranent driver who almost collided with us today - your car windows are tinted so your sunglasses are a pointless affectation which almost certainly had a part to play in your inability to see our Renault Megane Scenic.
Twice - same numpties.
2 x Apollo Blinds Home Improvements vans this morning, firstly exiting the filling station on Slateford - one pulls out immediately ahead of me, one immediately behind - nice work guys, both in the bus lane too. Doh
Caught them up at the lights at the bottom of Chesser, and got ahead on Gorgie Road, I indicate (early) to turn right into Stenhouse, Number one Blind (sic) van slows a little to entice me to consider moving into the filter lane - then zooms ahead leaving me in the no-mans land. Number two simply roars off without even noticing I was there.
Buffoons
Close to a James Cracknell moment yesterday along the A703 towards Damhead. Three Italian motorhomes passed me so close I could have touched the sides and felt the huge wing mirrors just skim by my head.
Sadly when I caught up with them at the next junction and gave them what for I only got 'scusa non parlo inglese'. All very unsatisfying when you want to shout at them.
I used some universal sweary words and hand signs therefore.
Two numpty drivers who just had to overtake, in the opposite lane, at speed, on McDonald Road as I was in the middle of the road signalling to turn right. Especially the second bloke in the black VW Polo.
Luckily I'm used to this behaviour, added to the constant threat of left hooking at an earlier junction. I was extra wary and constantly checking to see what 'mood' the drivers were in.
There's something about the built out kerbs on McDonald Road (big signs say 'give way to oncoming traffic') that seems to infuriate/frustrate drivers. How much more galling then that heading westwards cyclists can legally undertake using the bike lane cut through the build out while they have to wait, fuming.
Naturally the quid pro quo/revenge is to rev engines, tear down the straight and aggressively and dangerously overtake said cyclist if he/she has the cheek to dare and turn right immediately after the build out. That'll show/kill/seriously injure them!
Waiting now for the invention of portable miniaturised holographic projectors (see Star Wars IV). Then I can pretend to be a bin lorry, fire engine or police car. They won't be overtaing dangerously then! Ha!
Thats the only tech you want from star wars, you my man are seriously unimaginative. At worst personal blasters would make the roads more interesting but speeder bikes are definitely the way to be getting round Edinburgh.
There's something very similar to this at the northern end of Mountcastle Drive North. 20 yards after the road narrowing, with bike cut-through, and cars having to give way to southbound traffic, there is a junction, at which I always turn right. If the road ahead is clear I never use the cut-through, because I've then got to get to the right hand side almost immediately. But it confuses drivers quite a lot who expect me to stay out of their way.
Granted if there is enough traffic coming south to completely halt the northbound then I'll use the cut-through. But it's also right beside a newsagent, with daft parking, and double parking, adding to the spice.
Drivers tend to roar past me on the 'flashing 20' road past the school just after the junction. I practice my glare when they do all the way up to Jock's Lodge, cos I know they'll be sitting in the traffic there, and it'll then be the last time I see them (and not because they overtake me...)
"cyclist can legally undertake using the bike lane cut through the build out"
Unless they've 'fixed' them not all the build outs have bike bypasses.
McDonald Road has too many examples of good/unclear intentions with poor execution.
Just before the junction with Broughton Road is the all too familiar ENDS marking just as the road widens - all too common when roads narrow, but...
To the right is the bike/ped crossing to the path to St. Marks Park (and on to the NEPN).
You'd think that in a World Class Cycling City it would be easy to get after coming down the highly engineered McDonald Road!
Speeder bikes? Pah! I want one of these:
More rocket propelled bicycles here:
http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/TRANSPORT/rocketbicycle/rocketbicycle.htm
Unless they've 'fixed' them not all the build outs have bike bypasses.
Heading west, I think they all do. Going the other way, it's inconsistent: at least one does not IIRC.
This Googol satellite image of McDonald Road is remarkably up to date: new zebra crossing and '20' roundels on road clearly visible. You can see the built out kerb features very well. You can also see a fair number of vehicles double parked in the cycle lane (eastward direction). Folk also love to park/load just behind the bike lane cut through (westward direction) completely blocking the lane and forcing cyclists into the narrowed road...
Yep. McDonald Road is a particularly good example of how not to do "Traffic Calming". They've been back and made a new and improved cock up of it at least twice. No doubt when Leith Walk gets its makeover they will rejig the top part of McDonald Road in a completely different terrible way.
Brought to you today by older chap who was clearly still not experienced enough to handle the massive power available in his 1.6l MX5 as he spun out going round the roundabout at Balgreen. Fortunately no one else was trying to use the roundabout at the same time and he managed to keep it pointing broadly in the direction of travel.
That sounds like someone trying to powerslide, but not actually having the driving ability to match his ambitions.
Nor the room, if he'd really lost it he'd have ended up in the water of leith!
Makes W7 CBE's accelerating-past-me-through-a-red quite tame. Hopefully he behaved a bit further down the road behind the police motorbike he ended up stuck behind. Two fairly close passes this morning but camera is either flup or out of battery.
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts