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.
All true of course, though you have to wonder about the apparent naivety of someone who works in Edinburgh as a "Climate Change Officer".
Well - up to a point. But if the purpose of the job is to influence decisions at a Scotland level, then edinburgh is where the job probably has to be based.
All true of course, though you have to wonder about the apparent naivety of someone who works in Edinburgh as a "Climate Change Officer".
As mentioned on another thread, eco-congregations had a meeting last week in M'side about transport. Had hoped to go, but didn't make it, so have no sense how 'naive' or not they might be.
I did kick up a fuss about a meeting that was organised last year in a time and place that was inaccessible by public transport, and some carshare/lifts were arranged.
As chdot says, train is much quicker (and in my humble opinion, a much more pleasant ride) than the bus. The Gyle is also in the curious position of being served by 2 train stations, neither of which are actually within the larger estate area ("The Gyle" / "South Gyle Industrial Estate" / "Edinburgh Park") and if they ever build it, the Gogar station will be linked to the Gyle Centre by a (cycle-free) underpass. Train then walking quicker than bus, Brompto-train combination quicker yet. Cycling the whole way quicker than bus too.
The bus/train choice depends in part where you're starting from (and who's paying). Cycling is definitely quicker (and pleasanter).
Still (and the main reason for posting the link) it's hard to disagree with this:
"The Gyle does not seem to be built for human beings; it is about making money. Office space is cheaper than in the middle of town and this is presumably why businesses choose to move there; this and ease of access by car. It is a landscape designed around the car, where people have to fit in and is consequently both inhuman in scale and design. Do we have to continue with developments like this? 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."
- a view which chimed with my colleagues ...
"Well - up to a point."
I agree about intimate knowledge of PT in a city where a job is based is not vital for doing even a 'climate change' job.
It just made be wonder if "the proud user of a Lothian Buses Ridacard" had actually used it before!
Basing journey times on the (almost) not-stop Airport Bus strikes me as naive.
"it's hard to disagree with this:"
Yep, that's mostly what I meant by "Well that was an entertaining read!"
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."
Amen! :)
But seriously, what strikes me as obscene is that most people either don't agree, or don't see the consequences of their demands for more parking/more roads, or think there are no alternatives.
As you say, the observation 'chimes', it speaks good common sense, so why does it seem so difficult to implement alternatives? (sadly, at least one answer is mundane old electoral politics....)
Basing journey times on the (almost) not-stop Airport Bus strikes me as naive.
have never taken the 12, and wondered if 22 might not be faster? but a quick look at the route for the 12 suggests it is actually pretty direct. he should try the 35 next time!!
Have to absolutely agree though, the Gyle ain't designed for anything but cars (and vans and lorries). Even then it's not really "designed" as it has 2 very constricted access points from either Gogar roundabout or under the Railway at South Gyle Access Road onto Bankhead.
I'm sure one of the attractions to many companies is the availability of cheaper land on which to build car parks. The car parks at my office are larger than the buildings themselves and probably only provide spaces for 30% of the workforce.
"so why does it seem so difficult to implement alternatives? (sadly, at least one answer is mundane old electoral politics....)"
I often think politicians underestimate 'how far' 'the public' have 'moved' on 'environmental things'.
That is of course what people say they want - local schools/shops/hospitals/open spaces etc.
SOME of these must be the same people who want more parking, out-of-town shopping, bigger cars etc.
So in some sense politicians are just dealing with what they 'know' people want even if they are saying different things.
People mostly(?) want what they have got, then more of the same and then something else too.
I don't know whether this is 'human nature', the 'inevitable' consequences of 'consumer capitalism' or even the result of Judeo-Christian (and no doubt other religious/belief systems) which (sometimes at least) seem to take a view that the Earth and its resources are primarily there for the indulgence of the Human Race.
Etc...
"wondered if 22 might not be faster? but a quick look at the route for the 12 suggests it is actually pretty direct. he should try the 35 next time!!"
35 involves more of a walk to start with.
"Next time" should start here -
http://lothianbuses.com/find-your-bus/route-maps.html
Suspect the optimum would be 22 most of the way and 2 for the final bit (not clear what ultimate destination is).
The Journey Planner on the LB site takes you to http://www.travelinescotland.com/journeyplanner which is cumbersome and not smart enough to know that if you put George Street into the box on the LB site you mean Edinburgh!
35 involves more of a walk to start with.
I was being sarcastic. It is also extremely indirect and slow.
I found that out the hard way, in the snow!
(X)48 is my magic bus ...
The 35 offers the most comprehensive tour of Edinburgh of pretty much any bus on the road. At £1.30 it's a bargain!
The tinfoil hat wearer within suspects that there was pressure on LB to make a city fare alternative to the Airbus, but so not to damage airbus revenue they decided to make it go via EVERYWHERE.
Now the 21, that's an exciting bus route.
"At £1.30 it's a bargain!"
At £1.30 any bus journey beyond a couple of stops really is a bargain - chauffeur driven great views etc. (Of course I'm talking about non-'rush' hour).
I used to (occasionally) take my children on magical mystery tours - buy day tickets on the first bus that came, get off after a while catch the next bus that appeared etc.
£3.20 really is a bargain for exploring the out-of-Edinburgh bits (I did it one Sunday when the wind was just too much for a pleasant ride. Front of top deck with the sun streaming through the window - great!
Front of top deck
Pretending you're a monster-truck driver, huh? :D
"Pretending you're a monster-truck driver, huh?"
Nah, just continuing to live my childhood...
The 44 to Seton Sands or even further into East Lothian is an astonishing bargain if you get on at Balerno Terminus. Of a Saturday morning ten years ago with child two in buggy and child one on buggy board I used to meet two old fisherwomen who had come the other way and were walking to Colinton via the reservoirs [known as the High Ponds] very brown as berries one was fit of mind but injury prone the other spry of limb but gaga.
In my first stint in Edinburgh in 1987 I was completely gobsmacked tootling along to come face to face with an orange Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive bus in Carnwath. Strathclyde, there was a region - Mull to Carnwath. Druidh will be cycling it soon.
I am no apologist for the gyle - I work in Edinburgh Park and its a soul-less pit. Our office used to be in he city centre, then Leith - both much preferable.
Clearly I cycle as much as possible, but sometimes drive, such is life.
I am not a frequent bus user, but - I agree with what SRD said - anyone who works there knows that the 22 bus comes along incredibly frequently.
I think it depends where you live - during the snow I drove most of the time, but had to use a combo of the train and bus one week - and found them both really good. I can get a bus from the end of my street, down to lothian road jump off, wait about 5 mins max and jump on the 22 which stops outside my office - what could be easier ?
Its all very well blogging on a subject close to ones heart, but sometimes its useful to allow the truth to get in the way of a good story............
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