CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Edinburgh Park/the Gyle - commutability?

(50 posts)

12

  1. RJ
    Member

    For a variety of dull reasons, my employer is looking quite closely to relocating from fairly near the West End to Edinburgh Park (about as far away as you can get without actually being in the middle of the Gogar Roundabout).

    Does anyone here have any relevant knowledge of routes to take or avoid - or anything else about the site for that matter?

    I'll need to travel from the south side (say the Meadows). Other (currently) cycling colleagues tend to travel from east/north Edinburgh (Leith, Meadowbank). Confidence levels in traffic will vary ...

    Tips gratefully received. The potential new building is apparently well-provided with secure bike parking and showers. However, the location strikes me as being edge-of-town car-dominated hell. Please tell me I'm wrong!!

    Posted 14 years ago #

  2. SRD
    Moderator

    I'd think the canal would get you most of the way there quite pleasantly....

    Posted 14 years ago #

  3. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I posted recently about getting to and from The Gyle, via South Gyle Station or the 'bike expressway' that runs alongside the former guided busway.

    SRD's right, you could alternatively take the canal as far as the Royal Mail at Cultins Road (though this is an access point I've not tried myself) and then head down the hill and go under the railway beside the station.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  4. SRD
    Moderator

    On the Meadows end of it, I would recommend Melville Drive, left onto Tarvit St, Gilmore place, and then Leamington Road, (or Viewforth if the bridge is up!).

    Posted 14 years ago #

  5. RJ
    Member

    Thanks for those replies. I hadn't thought of looking in "infrastructure" ...

    Following some of those links I found this:

    http://edinburghpaths.info/pdf/Epark.pdf

    which is potentially useful.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    "I hadn't thought of looking in "infrastructure""

    Actually the site search (button at top) is V good.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  7. Wendy
    Member

    RJ, we can help through our A Better Way to Work project at the Bike Station. We can provide various free services to businesses and employees, including: free cycle training for dealing with city traffic; accompaniment for cyclists on their first journey from home to work; route planning advice, and so forth.

    You can e-mail me on wendy@thebikestation.org.uk or call 0131 6628570 if you would like any more information.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  8. Stepdoh
    Member

    If you don't mind playing with the buses, I still find corstorphine/st johns road pretty good for fleeing down, particularly if you're going to the gyle.

    I find the canal a bit circuitous and hate negotiating under the bridges with other cyclists. It's definitely more relaxing though.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  9. RJ
    Member

    "Actually the site search (button at top) is V good."

    Far too obvious !! ;) (Though I've tried it and it worked quite) well ...

    Wendy: thanks, that sounds potentially very useful for cycling staff who might still want to cycle once we've moved (it might be soonish to the Gyle, it could be in a year or two to who-knows-where ...).

    Posted 14 years ago #

  10. Wendy
    Member

    RJ - our Better Way to Work project has funding to run until March 2011, so hopefully your move will be before then so that we can help your colleagues out!

    Posted 14 years ago #

  11. RJ
    Member

    Well, we seem to have a route that works. Wendy: thank you, we've taken advantage of A Better Way to Work, which included a visit from your lot to our old office - I now know why all bikes don't have 16" wheels!!

    Anyway, the least stressful option for now seems to be to head for Pinkhill (budding Han Solos via Costorphine Road; orienteers via Roseburn Park, Saughton Crescent & Balgreen Avenue) - and then past South Gyle staion (Meadowhouse Road; Dovecot Road; Broomhall Road; South Gyle Road) to cross South Gyle Broadway by toucan crossing and cut through past the old RBS buildings on to Redheughs Avenue and into Edinburgh Park ...

    Posted 13 years ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    Mostly on here (as you mentioned above) -

    http://edinburghpaths.info/pdf/Epark.pdf

    Quite a bit of it is actually a 'signed route' now.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  13. RJ
    Member

    Yes - quite a lot of blue signs still in the right place and pointing in the right direction!!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'm a Han Solo myself, but I avoid the Toucan Crossing as the approach from gogarloch is difficult and often full of pedestrians, I take the "long route" around the road and across the roundabout. It's quiet enough in the morning and so gridlocked in the evening to make it OK.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  15. Nelly
    Member

    RJ, I realise this is a bit late, but.....

    I commute to Edinburgh Park from similar area, and there are really only 2 basic routes, both of which take Strathearn Road, Church Hill, Abbotsford Cres to Colinton Road.

    Route 1 - Grays Loan on to Canal path - ok for starting out, but can be dark depending on your start time.
    Also in the summer the canal tends to attract the more colourful element who may be slightly over refreshed and unaware of bike traffic ! As has been noted above, gets busy especially at bridges - you need a bell.

    Route 2 - Same until canal, but carry on down Ashley terrace through shandon. Left on Slateford Road, right at Chesser past Asda, down to Gorgie Road, quick left then a right turn along Stenhouse Drive (this can be a fairly busy turn, you need your wits about you, but thankfully the buses are usually good at letting you out). Carry straight along then up to you if you want to bike path it (slower) or use the road at broomhouse. When you get to Makro, the bike path up to edinburgh park station will take you to your office.

    I find 2nd route quicker,but there is little between them - 25-30 mins each way. If you are using a road bike the canal is not really an option.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  16. Kim
    Member

    You need a bell or a loud voice...

    Posted 13 years ago #

  17. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I use the canal quite a lot, mostly between Slateford Aqueduct and Leamington, and to be fair, just about every cyclist I encounter near the bridges has a bell nowadays. Even I used to shirk the undoubtedly incredible extra weight, in the days when a titanium seat post bolt was thought to be a useful weight saving measure.

    After dealing with the invariably flooded underpass, the section from Lochside Crescent to the bicycle rack beside the Gyle bus terminus I find the most tricky, because of the potentially high levels of traffic on the South Gyle Broadway roundabout, and the traffic streaming into the Gyle from Gogar. The latter can make it quite difficult to get into the left-hand lane for the mini roundabout.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  18. gembo
    Member

    If my bell is broken I use a loud voice, I shout "ting, ting - sorry my bell is broken" - sometimes gets a laff

    Posted 13 years ago #

  19. SRD
    Moderator

    just about every cyclist I encounter near the bridges has a bell nowadays

    Went under the Ashley terrace bridge the other day with a buggy, and almost got run into by two youngish women on bikes who kind of laughed when they saw me, like they were surprised (as I was). As I said to them (with a smile) 'that's what your bell is for'. To be fair, they weren't going very fast, but....

    Posted 13 years ago #

  20. Kim
    Member

    Years ago I bought a bell after almost colliding with someone under one of the bridges on the canal tow path.

    When a couple of years ago the bell fell apart I didn't replace it as I had found the taking gembo approach, calling out "ding, ding - sorry I don't have a bell" works just as well as using a bell. Actually, it is better as people (generally) find it funny...

    Posted 13 years ago #

  21. Nelly
    Member

    I only have a bell on my mtb, which I invariably forget when on my road bike - I am too embarrassed to shout "ding, ding" so usually resort to a loud theatrical cough which usually draws a few odd looks.

    There used to be a guy on the canal who shouted "coming through" on approach to the bridges.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  22. druidh
    Member

    There used to be a guy on the canal who shouted "coming through" on approach to the bridges.

    Err - that's what I do (not that I use the canal towpath often).

    Posted 13 years ago #

  23. ruggtomcat
    Member

    I actually have a bell but is so useless I shout anyway, its good cos you can change your bell to suit your mood.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  24. cb
    Member

    Nelly

    "carry on down Ashley terrace through shandon. Left on Slateford Road, right at Chesser past Asda, down to Gorgie Road, quick left"

    It's slightly shorter to go down Robertson Avenue onto Gorgie Road, although probably only 100m or so. Might shave a minute off though!... Might depend on the traffic lights on each route I suppose.

    There is a bit of satisfaction to be had in making the no-cars right hand turn into Robertson Av from either end. (Incidentely, Google Maps seems to think this route is OK for cars).

    Posted 13 years ago #

  25. SRD
    Moderator

    We made the mistake of trying to go down Gorgie around 2pm on Friday with a trailer and the tandem. The traffic was unbelievably bad - lorries everywhere and traffic backed up all over the bike lanes. On the way back took the Robertson Ave turn and it was slightly better.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  26. Stepdoh
    Member

    Gorgie road is one of the worst roads for cycling in Edinburgh I'd say. I hate when my route takes me down that way, I never really feel safe on my own, let alone with passengers, as no one seems to give you any leeway whatsoever and the random parking renders the bike lane/greenway useless.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  27. wingpig
    Member

    Gorgie Road westbound is one of the best recommendations for vehicular cycling (or at least going nowhere near the kerb) in the city. For some reason it doesn't seem as bad going east. Slateford Road is much more free-flowing and less face-to-face-with-a-bus-pulling-away-from-a-stop but isn't as handy for getting out to east end of the Fastlink path.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  28. cb
    Member

    I don't often ride the bit of Gorgie Road to the east of Robertson Avenue (in fact I'm not sure I can ever recall riding it), but the bit to the west is OK; seems to be whenever I go along it anyway.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  29. RJ
    Member

    An independent view on our new office location:

    http://ecocongregationscotland.blogspot.com/2011/04/to-hell-and-back-on-number-12-bus.html

    Posted 13 years ago #

  30. chdot
    Admin

    Well that was an entertaining read!

    All true of course, though you have to wonder about the apparent naivety of someone who works in Edinburgh as a "Climate Change Officer".

    "Being the proud user of a Lothian Buses Ridacard it seemed sensible to take the bus and knowing that the bus to the airport took about 30 minutes thought than about 20 minutes should do it. Bad mistake."

    Indeed.

    "If we are serious about responding to climate change, or about reducing our dependence on the car or about protecting green space from tarmac and concrete then surely not: there have to be better alternatives."

    Well yes.

    Perhaps he should have borrowed the office Brompton (bet they don't have one), cycled to Haymarket and got a train to Ed Park or S Gyle.

    Posted 13 years ago #

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