http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3316568.ece
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
"Edinburgh sets the pace for a cycle-friendly city"
(57 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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From an email to Edinburgh officials and councillors by Spokes -
"
The article is great publicity for Edinburgh, although the picture is awful, with a group of artificial-looking cyclists, rather than ordinary people using bikes, and obviously photoshopped onto the street!
I think the Times article originated from the article I posted on Spokes website - until that point few people seem to have appreciated how forward-looking and innovative was the council's decision.
http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2012/02/edinburgh-sets-new-standard/
"
Think photo shows 'normal' Edinburgh commuters on a suitably (but uncommon) wet day!
There is something odd about the bike at the back of the bunch!
Posted 13 years ago # -
I am rather disappointed that none of the Scottish media (save stv) has picked this up. Tells us a lot, doesn't it.
Posted 13 years ago # -
STV Edinburgh says:
Edinburgh bikers praise unprecedented city budget boost
http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/news/local-democracy/27921-edinburgh-bikers-praise-unprecedented-city-budget-boost/Interesting snippet:
This weeks budget decision follows just week after the administration announced an extra £100,000 for cycle projects in this financial year.
Council officials have confirmed that this will be spent on improving parking facilities, Advanced Stop Lines and repainting cycle lanes throughout the city.
Also:
And lastly, Edinburgh cyclists on the Edinburgh City Cycling Forum have dusted off a Google Map that has been used to crowd source proposals for cycle infrastructure improvements, following a council decision to boost cycle spending to 5% of the transport budget this week.
From:
In contrast, the chipwrapper focuses mainly on their trams obsession, bus fares rising, and the Forth road bridge. Cycling and rail are nearly always presented negatively. There's an agenda in the transport section, and it has nothing to do with cycling, and everything to do with motorised transport on the roads...
http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport
As for the Hootsmon, their lead story is a (largely inaccurate) whinge about the state of the Scottish roads network. Not difficult to see a driver led agenda there!
Many of Scotland’s roads ‘no better than third world’
http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/politics/many_of_scotland_s_roads_no_better_than_third_world_1_2111015Posted 13 years ago # -
"Edinburgh cyclists on the Edinburgh City Cycling Forum have dusted off a Google Map that has been used to crowd source proposals for cycle infrastructure improvements, following a council decision to boost cycle spending to 5% of the transport budget this week."
Aha, better keep adding to it!
"(largely inaccurate) whinge about the state of the Scottish roads network"
- illustrated by a non-local road!
However we all know about the state of many of Edinburgh's roads.
The recent 'big' announcement about 'money for potholes' obscures the fact that a lot of roads need completely rebuilt.
In London they seem to have a rolling programme on main routes and do a lot of work at night to minimise disruption.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Council officials have confirmed that this will be spent on improving parking facilities, Advanced Stop Lines and repainting cycle lanes throughout the city.
the usual pish, then?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Yesterday on the way home, the Canonmills exit of the path was barriered-off, and the big (gas?) pipes dumped at the side have broken one of the small trees (although the workies have cunningly used a sling to hold it up against the other trees so nobody will notice until they're gone).
Sigh!
They're also parking their trucks on the zig-zag lines of the pedestrian crossing, and quite hostile when taken to task about it ;-)
Posted 13 years ago # -
The 'third world' jibe is wide of the mark, and outmoded: the concept of a 'third world' relies upon there being 'first' (Western capitalism) and 'second' (Communist) worlds. It's all a bit more complicated than that in the C21st.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"The 'third world' jibe is wide of the mark, and outmoded"
I've heard it being used about parts of the US's infrastructure too!
Posted 13 years ago # -
@bax, some the ASLs and on-road lanes are in dire need of resurfacing and/or painting. Don't know how far 100 grand will go, but better than nothing!
Posted 13 years ago # -
I'd have thought you could paint the whole town red for a hundred grand! Or maybe I just think in old money.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"ASLs and on-road lanes are in dire need of resurfacing and/or painting"
I believe that CEC is planning to use red chips for some ASLs - on the basis that they will last longer.
They are supposed to be trying it somewhere, but I dont know if it's on a Edinburgh road anywhere.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Only cycling related things I could find here:
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/6771/weekly_road_and_events_report_wc_130212St Mary's Path; City Centre & Leith; Cycleway works; Expect some cycleway occupation; 13/02/12 - 17/02/12
Seafield Road; City Centre & Leith; City of Edinburgh Council - footway works; Temporary traffic lights - off peak.; 29/01/12 - 17/02/12
Posted 13 years ago # -
"There is something odd about the bike at the back of the bunch!"
Just hit a pothole?
Someone else on the left of the pic is about to be flattened by the number 12.
Speaking of which, just how old are those buses?
Posted 13 years ago # -
"how old are those buses"
Ah yes - "Day Ticket £2.50"
So, not recent and perhaps some sort of club run/event rather than commuters(?)
Posted 13 years ago # -
"artificial-looking cyclists"
WTF?
Posted 13 years ago # -
"artificial-looking cyclists"
Suggestion that it was a montage - most unlikely.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I've got to say, it looked pretty typical to me - rain, buses, unfriendly looking male cyclists, random pedestrians...NOT perhaps our ideal image of a model cycling city.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"Suggestion that it was a montage - most unlikely. "
No, they are definately saying those people are "not normal" in some way. But they are.
"artificial-looking cyclists, rather than ordinary people using bikes, and obviously photoshopped onto the street!"
Nice to know that if you commute by bike in Edinburgh you are "artificial" and not a "normal person".
Posted 13 years ago # -
They seem to have changed it now for a yooof on a bmx, can't be many who commute in that fashion.
Posted 13 years ago # -
There's loads on the Innocent. The BMXs are usually too small, and the riders need to pull their trackie bottoms up because I can see their pants.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"No, they are definately saying those people are "not normal" in some way"
Ah yes, see what you mean. Neither true nor constructive.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Nah, the yoof on a BMX is on STV. Not the Times, which still has lots of cyclists in GoreTex at the west end of Princes Street, sometime in the last decade...
Posted 13 years ago # -
Hmm not too sure about a montage in the Times photo... lots of cyclists but... Anyway its obviously taken on the corner of Lothian rd & Princes st looking at the stationary 12 with that cyclist on the far left turning on to Princes st from Charlotte sq. The peds on the right confirm this as they are about to step onto the pavement and their height matches with the bus behind them.
Posted 13 years ago # -
It's definitely photoshopped in my opinion, or perhaps some club type run, but you'd never normally see that many drop handled bikes, and that wheelie looks very odd.
I tried cropping out the cyclists and running it through TinEye but didn't didn't anything.
Posted 13 years ago # -
And the article all sounds fine - to an outsider - but CEC will need to spend BIG to make this a reality.
e.g. met a workmate for a quick beer at Golden Rule, yeaman place friday - where are the bike racks ? Had to chain it up to a lamp post half way along watson cres.
If you dont leave marchmont, you might think we are cycle friendly, but you dont have to go far to see the truth.Posted 13 years ago # -
But Nelly, half the forum (approx!) lives within 5 min walk of the Golden Rule!
Posted 13 years ago # -
SRD - true and lucky them, GR has excellent beer! I live in EH9, arguably having the most bike infrastructure in the city (racks/paths / shops etc) all of which is great - but I do get irritated when I go elsewhere, and the facilities are practically non-existent.
I really hope the cycle friendly aspiration extends further than where I live, because we need to stop putting barriers in the way of potential new/returning cyclists.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Jeezy peeps - we have managed to turn a good news story into a whinge. The photo is old as you can't turn up there as the whole place is dug up for the trams. If we are looking for conspiracy theories rather than complaining about the type of cyclists in the picture then clearly they have been got at to put a picture on the front page of a Princes Street with freely moving traffic.
Edinburgh has cycling infrastructure beyond Marchmont - WoL, canal, Roseburn path
It is not ideal but you can use it and hopefully the money allocated can be used to improve the infrastructure as well as ASZs??
The council has produced 7 separate maps for schoolchildren [tho they work for anyone] with all the path network highlighted in bold. Obviously, some of it is fragmented but even so, there was a thread recently about the Pinkhill path and people were unaware of this handy route.
Just trying to be upbeat instead of whinging.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"If we are looking for conspiracy theories rather than complaining about the type of cyclists in the picture then clearly they have been got at to put a picture on the front page of a Princes Street with freely moving traffic."
"We" are not complaining about the type of cyclists in the picture, "we" are saying that they ARE normal. The rest is just discussion as to whether some or all of the cyclists have been shopped on. Not sure how that is "whinging".
Posted 13 years ago #
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