Can someone do something about the traffic please? It's slowing me down in the morning... (contrary to the mantra of Critical Mass, I'm not traffic, so there)
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
"They're always in the middle of the road, getting in the way"
(15 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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Have you tried taking a quieter route? If you turn right along Jeffrey Street then head up Market Street/Ramsay Lane there's one fewer set of lights and hardly any taxi-jostling.
I did think about going that way this morning to see which route won but thought I'd be sociable instead.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Actually, it was my 'quiet' section that I got held up on today. I head down Royal Park Terrace/Spring Gardens rather than going through the park. Usually virtually no traffic, and what there is has to slow down for big speed bumps, so doesn't go past me.
This morning there just seemed to be a massive amount of traffic in both directions (roadworks somewhere else?) and it's narrow with parked cars, so there was sudden braking and swerving and all sorts going on. I was behind a large open-backed transit which was having a hell of a time. He disappeared up the Royal Mile and away. But just to prove how much traffic holds people up, and not bikes, I passed him just before Semple Street while he was in a queue of traffic.
I'm just pleased I kept up this morning!
Posted 13 years ago # -
Maybe it's everyone who was held up getting through the unusually-busy Canongate/Abbeyhill on their way home yesterday evening trying a different route on the way in.
I still haven't worked out the time/busyness patterns on my available routes since moving as my options and start time vary so much. Back when I lived in Newington and mostly went straight in it was simple: after 07:23, there will be a lot of traffic. Sometimes I'm the only thing at the Marionville/Sainsbury/London Road lights but today had to skip past a queue leading back almost to Dalgety Avenue.
Posted 13 years ago # -
It's funny how you get used to where the majority of the traffic will be, which I guess is why it seemed so odd this morning. It does lead to particular ways of positioning yourself on the road approaching intersections and so on.
I just find it funny that people often complain about having to 'crawl' behind bikes in their cars, and yet will happily(?) sit in a queue of traffic for hours a week.
I'll maybe finally try the Jeffrey/Market/Ramsay detour next week though.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I've noticed that there seems to be more 'traffic' recently - throughout the day.
Too cold for people to wait at bus stops??
Cycle numbers seem to be holding up - all very subjective, but when you're at an intersection you tend to register that bikes seem to be going in more directions than previously.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"taxi-jostling"
I read taxi-jousting - which would be an awesome sport.Posted 13 years ago # -
bikes seem to be going in more directions than previously
I see more bikes going in the same directions as previously
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I see more bikes going in the same directions as previously"
I think so too, but that's even more subjective - unless you're in a constant convey it can partly depend on whether you are going slightly faster or slower than your norm.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"... it can partly depend on whether you are going slightly faster or slower than your norm"
Another advantage of cycling is the predictability of it. I've started recording my miles and times again (very un-Copenhagenized) and in general with the usual headwind I'm between 18 and 19 minutes door to door. One morning with a tailwind I was a little under 17 minutes recently. But that's dry, wet, light, dark, school holidays, everyone at work, whatever.
I love that about cycling. None of this, sorry I'm late, traffic was terrible (even this morning despite being held up I snuck in just under 19 minutes).
(I've also made it home from here in about 12 minutes before (route mainly downhill and with, usually, a tailwind) which winds up people you work with who are just about getting on the bus at that time).
Posted 13 years ago # -
Today I was embarrassingly out-ridden by someone on a bolt-upright Alfine equipped bike, and then got into a foul mouthed tirade with a numpty motorist on the road down from Princes St to Ocean Terminal.
Ironically we fell out because... he was in the middle of the road, getting in the way!
I should have ignored him, but the ped crossing at Ocean Terminal was red, so he ended up alongside, and wanted to have his say. Usually the headcam gives me godlike placidity, but not today :(
Posted 13 years ago # -
Going home last night I could have taken any number of escapes from the queue heading down the Canongate to the roundabout but I occasionally just sit these things out to see how long it takes and what people do, though normally any opportunity for demonstrating the escapability of the bicycle to drivers (particularly the ability to turn round and head back without having to generate enough of a gap to get away with a n-point turn) should be exploited. There were a few people switching off their engines and rolling down without spewing out fumes, but not many. A few tried to edge out to the right, presumably to see if they could see down to the roundabout to see if they could skip down the wrong side of the road then turn right rather than left but their view was blocked by everyone being on the extreme right of the lane to get past the parked taxis at the bottom. A few were deliberately-lookingly hugging the parked cars to the left to
save their driver-wide wing mirrors from being torn off by a tour busstop cyclists filtering.Posted 13 years ago # -
I frequently get held up by motorists getting in my way and slowing me down. Strangely I never try to murder any of them because of it.
Streets were hoachin last night on the way home. Couldn't really see any reason for it. Some judicious filtering solved the problem. For me anyway..
Posted 13 years ago # -
Lucky you I was stuck on the bus, took over ten minutes to get down Westfield.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Yeah, yesterday was extremely busy for me too (and this morning, curious).
It might have added 30 seconds or so onto my journey time, I wasn't sure.
Posted 13 years ago #
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