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.
Today brings just short of three weeks of driving Mel to work, leaving the car at her place, and riding to/from there.
She's a couple of hundred yards off Gt Junction Street - it really is just all uphill from there to the top of Morrison Street isn't it?
Noticeably cloggier roads as well, though maybe the rain and headwind made the route seem worse. Still, change is good...
Welcome to my world..
Yes but you are fit!
I zig-zagged it. I ain't that daft.
And you will be in three weeks time. ;-)
As some sort of slope-climbing is unavoidable it leaves you free to choose a route based on road surface and fellow-road-user-idiocy-opportunity. From there there's also the dilemma of choosing whether to skirt the city centre tramworks round their east or west extremities.
I still think they should reinstate the big tunnel from Scotland Street to Waverley as a major commuter link. How good (long, slow) would that be???
"How good (long, slow) would that be???"
That would be good. Obviously it would be a major terrorist threat so it will never happen.
Your "back home" commute must be good though.
Clammy. Even better if it was extended southwards to pop out on the Cowgate.
Once you get your CX tyres back on you can look at interesting routes involving Dean Park Crescent.
Scotland Street tunnel has a gradient of 1 in 27, so is fairly steep. Back in yore there was a stationary engine to help haul trains up the slope. Perhaps that would need re-instatement too.
Main problem with tunnel is that it ends at track level at Waverley.
A "bike lift" for Dublin Street has been seriously considered.
http://cyclingedinburgh.info/2007/04/02/should-edinburgh-rethink
Could get one of those 'bike lift' things in that they have in Scandinavia. One foot in and away you go. Charge 20p for its use. Ah. Model cycling city and all that.
@chdot some sort of level crossing required. Or dig a shaft up to Princes Street level and build a spiral ramp up to the surface.
I seem to remember crazy plans a few years back to build similar car parks under Chambers and/or George Street.
"I seem to remember crazy plans a few years back to build similar car parks under Chambers and/or George Street."
Such things never go away.
George Street remains unlikely due to the solid rock.
We are still some way from overcoming the 'I need my car to buy a washing machine' and 'how will people (with money) get to the city centre to shop without parking' attitudes.
Although it has to be said that many many French cities have underground car parks. Not only were their car parks nicer, cleaner and easier to find your way in (and they played opera over tannoys...) but it removed a certain amount of vehicular clutter from the streets.
Never been in a French underground car park, might not be hard to be 'nicer' than UK - but nice??
Certainly would be good if more cars were taken away from streets - but it's usually about more parking.
There's an unused multi-storey next to the EICC...
Most buildings in the modern grid bit of Barcelona seemed to have underground car-parking, presumably included when they were built rather than retro-fitted. Didn't notice it so much in Madrid, presumably as it's built on more substantial rock-matter.
There's a large multistorey on Castle Street. There's another in St. James' Centre. There's a third under Omni Centre. There's one under Scottish Windows. Clearly it's too far for some people to walk from any of these places to the range of washing machine vending emporia on George Street. (Hint, there are none)
I know the ideal situation would be for people to leave their cars at home, but I think I have come around the way of thinking that I would prefer more off street car parks* and empty streets to go with them.
*Underground, hidden in a building, shielded by trees.
The car park under a town centre square seems to be the default parking option in French towns - I've seen/been in them in Toulouse, Dijon, Albi, Tours, Bordeaux...
They work well and tend to be positioned at squares with access to the almost invariably pedestrianised main shopping streets.
They are certainly nicer than the traditional British default of crappy concrete and stale piss... As Anth says, tannoys playing soothing sounds (bird noise in Dijon), well maintained.
@Anth come 5 O' Clock it's "all down hill"
Which I'd thoroughly enjoy, but a previous engagement at lunchtime means I'll be doing the fill-the-tyre-a-bit-and-keep-an-eye-on-it thang all the way down.
Would sort it before leaving, but got to get to Mel's work, get her home, grab something to eat, and be out the door again by 6.30 at the absolute latest to drive through to South Lanarkshire (for the end of my latest Taiko class). Rushed ain't the word. Still, some late night fettling whne I get back will be in order.
Which wheel? Could you not find something which looks like it's been parked for a while (possibly a C2W Boardman) and borrow the wheel from it overnight?
I like your thinking Mr wingpig! Rear wheel sadly, so would have to count on coggle compatibility.
That'll learn you to use fancy-pants Campag
Roba italiana è buona ...
しかし、日本のものはさらに良いです。
(google translate can take the blame for this!)
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts