Rumour has it that the Charlotte Square race track is due for reform, but will they take bicycles into account?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Change coming to Charlotte Square?
(24 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
-
Written about the Charlotte Square race track two and a half years ago.
Posted 13 years ago # -
but will they take bicycles into account?
Doesn't look like it in this
https://citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk/portal/getEdmDoc?docid=512265443Posted 13 years ago # -
So that is a No, then... *sigh*
Posted 13 years ago # -
who's willing to bet they'll place some 'street furniture' like Gifford Park/Clerk st...
Posted 13 years ago # -
Looks like cyclists will be taking the part of street furniture/slalom poles if they are going to be making it very narrow and full of parked cars.
Posted 13 years ago # -
From page 25 of the proposal document:
"Charlotte Square has become a space that limits pedestrian movement and choice, is intimidating for cyclists and gives priority to vehicles. The proposals outlined within this document create a pedestrian focussed space that allows all to move through and explore Charlotte Square, regardless of age or ability. The proposals also take cognisance of the existing National Cycle Network Route 1 and the council’s Family Cycle Network aspirations ... informal crossing [will be] made safer through the reduction in carriageway width and slower speed of vehicles, both through the layout of the carriageway and reduced 20mph speed limit."
and there is an earlier diagram of NCN Route 1 east and west through Charlotte Sq. I'll let them go on the point about cyclists being somehow distinct from vehicles. It goes on to state:
"Presently the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) is proposing adding to the NCRs with the introduction of a Family Cycle Network (FCN) throughout the city, through which a number of routes will converge in Charlotte Square as a key point within the City Centre. The FCN is targeted at encouraging user groups such as families, lapsed cyclists and new cyclists, to access the City Centre by bike, which is an aim supported by the applicant and design team. After discussion with CEC it is clear these proposals are still being refined, and that further dialogue between CEC and the Charlotte Square client and design team is required. It has been acknowledged by CEC that the current proposal for the Square greatly enhances the opportunities for safer pedestrian and cycle integration ..."
I was wondering whether CEC and the developers had considered the work that Gehl architects carried out. On page 28 one of the referenced documents is Public Space Public Life Study: Gehl Architects for City of Edinburgh Council. But here's my beef: if the intention is to make it much, much more pedestrian friendly, why stop at levelling out the pavements and building new areas of hard standing, and yet still give the movement priority to the circulating traffic, albeit slowed down? Why not make pedestrians the most important element and make the vehicles give way?
While there is 'quite a lot' made of new cycle stands (fancy wiggly ones, rather than Sheffield or Edinburgh style) and of the necessary NCN1 access, there is nothing mentioned about improving the western access into Charlotte Sq for cyclists who have to cross the wide pavement and then bump down a kerb!
Posted 13 years ago # -
cross the wide pavement and then bump down a kerb!
After navigating one of the worst cobbled sections in Edinburgh, finding a car (legally) parked across the dropped kerb at back of Register House then find a bus (legally) waiting across where the dropped kerb "should" be but isn't...
Slightly OT but I hope they don't try and emulate THIS that Anth and myself discovered in Glasgow. It's mildly intimidating to find yourself in a bikelane on the OUTSIDE of 2 lanes of traffic, with another 2 lanes whizzing by on your right with nothing but some green tarmac and white lines to "protect" you. Seeing as they want you to access this from the toucan crossing anyway I don't know why they didn't finish the job, put the lane up the inside where at least you only have one direction of traffic to contend with and delay your journey a little bit more by making you cross 2 sets of lights.
Posted 13 years ago # -
That was a truly horrible bit of road. To access the lane you were supposed to cross at the pedestrian lights (no bike light symbol, nor signs indicating this was to happen) with the lane starting from behind some railings on the central reservation (this deserves Facility of the Month status) which put you on the 'outside' of two lanes of left turning traffic, with no bike lane in existence once you'd made that left turn. Utterly utterly barmy.
Posted 13 years ago # -
That is a bizarre bike lane.
Google street view shows no railing (just a bollard) to negotiate, but I guess that is out of date.
It gets a mention here:
http://scruss.com/enterprise.net/crappylanes.html
Edit: and specifically here: http://scruss.com/enterprise.net/barriers_to_glasgow_cycling.html
Posted 13 years ago # -
"Google street view shows no railing (just a bollard) to negotiate, but I guess that is out of date"
Altogether possible I'm mis-remembering a railing all the way across. Still stupid having the bollard thingy there!
Posted 13 years ago # -
Needless to say we approached it the "obvious" way - by continuing straight on, down the ramp, into the "wrong way" cycle lane, waiting for a gap and then scooting across the road into the island lane.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I also notice that the photos in Cb's link are dated 2000 and 2001!
And I also also notice in that the "Stairway to Heaven (not):" has not changed since then either!
•the wedges were on the right, so you didn't risk walking into your chain going up
•the wedges changed to the right at the top of this section (they don't) so you have a reasonable turning radius, as opposed to twice the railing width
•the wedges were on both sides, so two cyclists can pass.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I'm SO glad that site is still up (http://scruss.com/enterprise.net/crappylanes.html)
Ten years 'out of date' - don't know if any 'problems' are still there, but useful cautionary tales.
Glasgow council wasn't happy.
Web site producer now lives in Canada.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Ah, so from that site it did have a railing...
Now did it come out (for Google) then go back in, or am I mis-remembering? I'd go for the latter to be honest, which means it's better than it was!
It's a bit like that old site showing up the poor cycling provision in Edinburgh - most of the stuff on there is still the same!
Posted 13 years ago # -
It's a bit like that old site showing up the poor cycling provision in Edinburgh...
That one is also hosted on Stewart Russell's site:
http://scruss.com/enterprise.net/edinburgh_lanes.html
And even more off-topic, don't forget the Gugolmap of bad infrastructure in Edinburgh.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"It's a bit like that old site showing up the poor cycling provision in Edinburgh"
Posted 13 years ago # -
Ah. Didn't click enough.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"
"It's a bit like that old site showing up the poor cycling provision in Edinburgh"
"Bike lanes are so red. Cute.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Bike lanes are so red. Cute
The one under the M8 in Glasgow was so pink! and was surfaced in the sort of bouncy rubber tiles that you get in playparks. The streetlights had also been clad in purple and orange plastic to make them look like giant flowers!
Posted 13 years ago # -
edit - wrong trousers Gromit!
Posted 13 years ago # -
"•the wedges were on the right, so you didn't risk walking into your chain going up
•the wedges changed to the right at the top of this section (they don't) so you have a reasonable turning radius, as opposed to twice the railing width
•the wedges were on both sides, so two cyclists can pass."I was far too impressed to find wedges at all here to notice that they were on the "wrong" side in some way.
Posted 13 years ago # -
but will they take bicycles into account?
Doesn't look like it in this
https://citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk/portal/getEdmDoc?docid=512265443Anyone alerted Spokes to this application yet? If not, I will. Let us know though because I don't want to pester the volunteers with e-mails more than is necessary.
Posted 13 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
